Remember the very first doll you made?

21 years ago

I'm up for some nostalgia this afternoon. If some of you would like, it would be really warm and cuddly to hear about the very first doll you ever made. How did it come about? What prompted you? Care to elaborate? I was reminiscing over the phone, this morning, with my mom, who is in poor health. She remembers me making a doll when I was very young. It got me thinking...how about the rest of you? I was about nine, in third grade. I was allowed to go with a friend, to the library, check out a book on doll making. This was in the late 50's and it was still safe to walk a couple miles, unattended. We got the book, went to the hardware store, got copper wire and came home. Ripped up a sheet, gathered bandage tape and an old blanket for stuffing. We made the form from the copper wire, wrapped it with ripped sheet strips, covered it with the white bandage tape and put a piece of nylon from stockings over the head. We didn't have pantihose. Sewed it on, painted the eyes and used red nail polish for the little rose bud mouth. Made a funny looking outfit and called it a finished project. I still have her, this many years later. I've made a few dolls over the years, for my daughters but only occasionally. Now I'm beginning again and don't know anyone around me, personally who has the same interest. Just feeling kinda isolated today and thought I'd ask.

Comments (5)

ladeebug
21 years ago
Hi I was thinking about the first doll I made, ha ha I was wanting to make one for each of my granddaughters that they could play with, not one to sit on the shelf and look at, so I too went to the local library, found a book from England on making rag dolls. It called for stocking fabric, I had no idea what that was, but finally hit on using single knit fabric, that worked fine, the instructions called for one ball of yarn for the hair, so I used one skein of knitting yarn. I had so much hair that the pigtails on the doll stuck straight out like pippi longstockings. LOL But you know what, the little girls loved them, after I convinced their mothers that they were to be played with, not saved. I remember my first rag doll, my aunt had lovenly made her for me, when my mother cut my long stringy hair, I proceeded to cut the braids off my doll, figuring it would grow back same as mine, Oh what memories you have brought back.
BigMama
21 years ago
My first doll was actually a hand puppet that we made in Home Ec at school. We used paper mache and molded the head and we had to design and make the rest of the outfit..I really loved that little doll and my teacher was impressed with my design ability.LOL
Related Discussions
Do you remember your first kiss?
Q
Comments (26)
Okay, I wasn't going to do this thread, but oh well. I don't count "spin the bottle" or any of that. The first one I remember, that sent me over the moon, was from a boy named Dean. We met at the movie theater. He was a friend of someone I knew, and we were all going to the movies. I was 12; he was 13. He went to some private military academy. He kissed like he was born to it. I felt like I was melting in his arms. He invited me to his school's cotillion ball. I got all dressed up; he was in uniform. His mom drove. I won the centerpiece, and got kissed again at the dance. He was not particularly handsome, but oh so charming. And 40 years later I still remember his kisses.
...See More
Do you remember your first rose?
Q
Comments (53)
my first rose was a milk carton baby that my mom bought when we moved in to our first home in 77. she said i could take care of it and so i was kinda excited at the age of 6. over the next 15 years or so, that thing was two stories tall and massive, even though no one had a clue of how to take care of it other than occasional water. looking back i think it must have been a climber; perhaps a dublin bay... anyhow , fast-forward thirty years to my townhouse that i now live in. we planted a small rose bush on a whim next to a trellis 4 years ago and ignored it for two years. i did everything that one is not supposed to to a rose. i don't even think i planted it right or anything. turns out that it was a climber and an own root at that; a viking queen. i found out two years ago that you need to let them grow and not chop them to the ground. i also found out that they take about four years to even establish, never mind thrive. after accumulating over firty roses now, this rosebush is still the crowning glory in my garden. it is also as tough as nails and laughs at disease and the such.it is a monster now and will not stop growing or thriving in spite of my ignorance early on. i can only wonder what it would be like if it got what it needed from the get go. this newfound obsession is so satisfying to me. one of the most rewarding things i do now is make my almost weekly pilgrimage to the nursery and pick out a rose that i certainly do not have room for. it is so satisfying to find another beauty to plant. the great thing about roses that many do not understand, is that they almost respond daily to your care or neglect. they are sensitive and will communicate to you and tell you what they need if you will listen. a lot of plants just do nothing after many years, whereas roses change a lot over the course of a season, plus they bloom and put on a show longer than just about anything else. they truly are living plants.
...See More
Do you remember your first time?
Q
Comments (16)
jumpin4joy roflmao...now THAT is funny Mike you're my kind of man....still with the same one *g* But I don't blame you. As she is a beauty and hard to resist. I still got lots to learn. To my advantage goes that I do not have to work at a paying job lol. Which made it vey easy to get to know the angels and their habits etc. But most of all is being here that made me understand a lot about the needs and warning signs if things can and will go wrong with them. So you all are part of my first season's success. Joyce I am sure next year you will see blooms! I have seen the most amazing single blooms..flushes in this forum by so many people that are fairly new. It's not just me ;-) Thanks for all the wonderful compliments you made me Lucy
...See More
Do You Remember Your First Day of School?
Q
Comments (28)
I'm not sure it was my first day of school but it was definitely one of the first days of kindergarten. My cousin has just moved to my town and we were fast friends. We ruled the kindergarten classroom because we were the only ones that knew someone. Our mom's had to have the teachers put us in different classrooms after kindergarten because we wouldn't let anyone else play with us and we were very bossy. I'm not sure my mom did the right thing on that one. Both of us were very shy after that and didn't make friends easily until much later in school. My DH remembers his first days vividly. His mom walked him and his twin brother to school and they both followed her back home. They didn't want to stay there. This went on for several days and she'd walk them both back to school only to get home and find them back at home. Finally one day when they showed up yet again at home, she put them outside (it was a cold day) and wouldn't let them back in. They finally got cold and walked to school and stayed the rest of the time. I think that is the funniest thing ever. I can just imagine getting home after taking the little rascals to school only to find that they'd beat her home. Today they'd probably call social services or something.
...See More
Jude_KS
21 years ago
Thank you for bringing back such a special memory:

The first doll I remember making was a corn husk doll.
My Mother was half Choctaw Indian, both she and her
mother always to pass along as many of the old ways
as possible to all of the children in the family.

I also remember making "church dolls" from hankies,
applehead dolls and tons of fabric dolls, doll blankets
and clothes under their watchful eyes and loving touch.

Always - Jude!
jomo
20 years ago
I made two dolls out of copper-wire, quilt-batting scraps and pieces of old sheet with fine copper wire for hair. I was only nine or ten at the time. I didn't have a pattern but those dolls were just like Barbie, boobs and all. We called them Judy and Jane. My brother and I would act out the movies we saw on Sat. afternoon with those two dolls. After I had whipped up the right costumes for the occasion. That was about 69 years ago.My, how time flys when you are having fun.
yellowhair
20 years ago
I was probably in my 30's when I made my first doll. It was a church project for children in Brazil. We took little girl's nylon anklets and cut them in a certain way to form the legs and arms. Made a cute and soft doll.

Remember the very first doll you made?

Comments (5)

ladeebug

BigMama

Related Discussions

Jude_KS

jomo

yellowhair

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US