My first hand made doll

So I've become a sewing fool lately. I am finally willing to say that I think I'm a seamstress now, well maybe a novice seamstress!  I've been making quilts,  baby bonnets, and even a fleece jacket for a baby!  But the thing that I was really excited to make was a doll for my friend's 5 year old girl.  A couple weeks ago I stumbled upon some websites that allow you to send in your child's drawings and they turn them into dolls or stuffed animals.  There are several websites but my favorite is Child's Own Studio.  I was inspired!  I thought maybe I could make a doll from a child's drawing too.  Visit the website if you have a moment and you'll see what I'm talking about. 

One of my friends had posted a drawing of an angel that her 5 year old daughter, Emily, had made so I thought I could start with that drawing.

I went to the fabric store and got some purple fabric, some light tan fabric for the skin, some stuffing, and black yarn for the hair.  One of the challenges I ran into was how to make the yarn curly for the hair.  After doing some Googling I found that you could curl yarn by wrapping it around round dowels, dosing it with boiling hot water and then baking it on a low temperature for about an hour.  I wrapped mine around some chopsticks!

I had never made a doll before so I didn't know how to start so I just jumped in and started!  After spending three nights on it, here is the finished product!

I wanted it to be a surprise so I didn't tell my friend that I was making it. Emily got it today and was so excited to see that her drawing had come to life!

I am so excited to try to make more toys from kids' drawings and give them that magical moment when they realize that they designed the toy they're holding.