April 29, 2013

We sewed dolls

When I go away for the weekend, I pack books and a journal. But I love that my friends bring knitting or craft projects — or even their whole loom. In addition to the weaving project, LovesAnimals brought a bag full of fabric and blank doll bodies, each about six inches high. She announced that she was making the dolls to donate to the women’s shelter.
Yarn hair
“Many of the women have nothing when they leave, and so we give them a doll handmade by other women,” she explained. Each little doll serves as a reminder that to the woman that she is not alone. 

It’s been about 40 years since the last time I made doll clothes. LovesAnimals had already drawn eyes onto my doll; I sewed a mouth with red thread and then added yarn hair. Maybe it’s because I grew up with a Raggedy Ann doll, but I am partial to yarn hair on a doll. 

I tried to think healing thoughts towards the woman who would someday be handed the little doll that I was sewing. I chatted with my friends as I worked, holding the doll up every few minutes for them to admire. The sun came from behind the clouds as we worked and filled the room with warmth.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sometimes I forget that there are women's shelters. My life is quiet out in the country, and the world outside my yard seems so far away. It's good to be reminded.

Amber said...

Beautiful! What a wonderful project!

Mary Stebbins Taitt said...

This made me cry, too. I know about women's shelters and how much something like this could mean.