Just Because

My mother was a natural born seamstress; she could look at a picture and make a pattern. This didn’t just apply to clothes; at one time she made a crib for the baby in the family. She had very few tools to work with, but it was very well made and lasted a very long time. Even though I was a kid at the time I was impressed.

One time when I was about 5 years old, I came downstairs from a nap, and my mother handed me something. It was a homemade doll; she had made for me while I was outside playing and before I woke up in the mornings.

I have never in my lifetime been so excited and happy over a gift. It wasn’t my birthday, it was a just-because gift. It was made from a white flour sack, with cotton stuffing. It had arms and legs, an embroidered face and brown yarn hair. Mom said the hair was the color of my hair. It was my prized possession, and I carried it around and took great care of it until one day I accidentally left it outside. One of those Oklahoma gully washer rain storms came up and my poor doll was pounded with rain. It was rather limp and lumpy after that, but I loved it anyway. I still love dolls, and have a couple on display, but none have ever meant as much to me as that rag doll my mother made just for me, just because.

 Maybe that event inspired me to make dolls. I have made a few. 

 Here are some of the dolls I have made:

I had a few Granddaughters.

I had a few patterns.

I tried to create an elephant, but it looked more like a pig so I added wings and a curly tail. I sent it to Laura because she is the one that always says, "when pigs fly."

I had so many of these little people made, that I gave them to the trick or treaters.They liked them.