Isn't This How It All Started?

   I've recently gotten interested in Knit Teddy Bears and have purchased several patterns in the past few months.  Sarah Gasson's "Knit A Teddy" has really captured my interest and at the same time allowed me to make changes to her designs.  I finally have a Teddy about ready to be put in the shop (hopefully for our Open House, Nov. 24-26th) and here she is...step by step.

This was after the first day's work.  I got her stuffed and her arms and legs attached.  I am so glad I remembered how to use buttons with shanks to attach arms and legs to make the doll sit more naturally.  I had a lot of fun getting her this far...and a lot of trouble!  Stuffing was not my thing!!  When Mom and I started out in the craft business, she sewed and stuffed the bodies and I handled the hair, faces and clothes.  Mom had a real knack for stuffing animals!  I think I got the arms and legs ok but the body is a little lacking!  It had a bigger belly at one point and suddenly, when it was all sewed up and the arms and legs were attached, she lost her belly!  I missed my Mom so much that night!  I kept calling her, asking for her help stuffing the bear.  I finally decided to name the bear Josie.

   I was so confused by the time I gave up and went to bed that night I wasn't sure what I was doing.  The next day I went thru the clothing bag looking for the bear's bloomers that I thought I had finished the night before.  No, what I had finished were the boy bear's baseball pants.  I finished the bloomers in the morning, dressed the bear and took the first picture.

   Today I dressed Josie in her pink dress (it still needs some butttons on the back) and made her one sock and shoe.  Tomorrow I'll do the

other shoe and sew a black bow on each.  It was suggested I knit a strap and make the shoes into MaryJane's but I'm not sure where to put it.  (There is a pattern available with MaryJane's that I might buy to settle that.)  Tomorrow I'll sew the buttons on the back of the dress and make a headband out of white grosgrain ribbon and the knit flower that was suggested to go on the bear's dress. I even got some elastic to put under the flower to make it easier to put the headband on.

   That leaves my problem of the rolled hem.  I guess I'll just put some water in the iron and try to steam the bottom of the dress. I'll add that picture tomorrow!