The Redhead's Story

Hello!

You know that the redhead became The Maestro, but many have asked HOW did he become the Maestro? Well, it was a long journey for us both but it all had a happy ending.

First, there was the sweet Mother of the Bride - a Jill Maas pattern. After she was created, I wanted to make the Father of the Bride doll to accompany her - another of Jill's patterns. But after I had the doll completed and they were standing side by side, I discovered that he was much larger than she was - I don't know why. He was the size of the Wilfred and Winnie dolls that I had previously made. So first I tried to just move the legs up on the body so that he had shorter legs but then his arms were too long and his hands reached his ankles - that wasn't going to work. I put the legs back where they belonged and tried to see how it would look if I had him stand with his arm along her shoulders - but he just looked like Lurch next to the small woman. So she became a widow for now.

Jill Maas has another pattern called Fred and Frogs that I was also going to make so I thought why not turn The Father of the Bride doll into Fred and Frogs? They were about the same size pattern and had similar head shapes that I could needle sculpt the Father's features to look like Fred's. I had this lovely bright red wool that I thought would make wonderful hair for Fred and it did - he was so cute! Here he is picking out the fabrics for his underwear and his sweat pants.

He also had many fabrics that he had picked out for his shirt.

So here he is in his new underwear and waiting for his sweat pants. I finished them and he loved them - he looked so handsome! All had gone well up to that point.

And then disaster struck. I have no photos of the actual disappearance of the beautiful red hair - I was too upset to think to take any and he would have been mortified to have me show it to you. I made the shirt from the Father of the Bride's shirt pattern - it was made from the green with red and blue dots fabric that is front and center in the photos above. This was his first choice and the blue of the dots matched perfectly with the blue in the sweat pants. The shirt pattern sewed together beautifully, but after I put it on the doll - he became a girl! That happens so often in dollmaking - the dolls usually determine what they become. But I didn't want a girl doll - I wanted Fred! I had already had to change my Father of the Bride into Fred and Frogs - and enough was enough! So I said "Please, can I try to make you another shirt that Fred would wear?"

So after much discussion the doll said "Let me see the photo of  Fred and Frogs - I want to see what he is wearing." So we looked at the photo together and Fred was wearing a turtleneck shirt. Well, none of the fabrics we had would work for a turtleneck shirt - that needed to be a knit, stretchy kind of fabric. What to do? I wanted to make the doll happy if he was going to give up his 'girl making' shirt - so I went to my bedroom and opened my dresser drawer where I kept MY turtleneck shirts and chose a dark blue one that matched the other blue color in the sweatpants."How's this?" I asked the doll - think this will work?" Oh, he loved it! So I set out to make a pattern for the shirt - and after much trial and error there was NO blue turtleneck - for either of us. So back to my drawer where I found a red one, a very pretty red I thought, that would go with the blue sweatpants. I took it to the doll. "Do you like this?" I asked. "Oh, I like it even better!" he said and so once again I started to make him a turtleneck shirt - and this time it worked! I very carefully put it on him - slipped it over all of that beautiful red hair. I didn't want to make a slit down the back of the neck so it would look 'real' - stupid, but that's my story.

After I got it on the doll it looked so nice - but wait! Did that shoulder seam come open! Oh no, but yes it did and it began right at the collar where the shoulder seam met the neck like a "T" so I could not just stitch it even with a magic stitch. So off it had to come. OMG. So I get it off so I can resew the seam and the beautiful red hair was not quite so beautiful, but I had been very careful so it was still salvageable with a little work. I repaired the shirt and put it back on the doll. I do NOT KNOW why I didn't slit the back of the collar at that time. I DO NOT KNOW! But I didn't and half way over his head the shirt stuck on his ears and when I pulled it - the hair started to come out and once it was over his head - the beautiful red hair was all smished and flattened and ruined forever.

I had to tell the doll what had happened "I'm so sorry!" I said. "I'm so sorry! OMG I am so sorry!" I was in tears. The little doll said "Well, how does the turtleneck fit? Does it look good?" I said "It fits perfectly and looks great - but your hair!" He said "Well then, what other color of wool do you have to create new hair for me?" I looked at what was in the drawer and said "There is only the gray that I was going to use for when you were to be the Father of the Bride." "Well, then lets do it!" he said. I loved that little doll so much at that point that I kissed him on his pointy nose and told him that he was the sweetest, kindest doll that I had ever made!

So to make a long story short and bring this very long story to it's happy ending - I carefully cut off the beautiful red hair and created him an equally beautiful hairdo (according  to him) with the gray yarn. Then I made him his funny tall hat and found a lovely red feather to put on it and made another trip into my bedroom and from a pair of MY socks I made him his socks - ribbing and all. He loved them so much that after the three frogs were made and it was time to put them all in the new sewing box that I had purchased just for them, he said "Lets have my feet sticking up out of the box with just my socks on!" So we did. We both loved the frogs - each one from the moment it was finished - and even though I had to re-do that pattern many times until it worked - it was worth it. In the end we were all happy. Me most of all - even with all the trial and error - as this was the most fun set of dolls I have ever made.

If you have made it to the end of this tale - thank you for visiting my blog today. And a heartfelt thank you for all of the very kind comments about my dolls! Wishing you a great weekend! I will have some paper projects to share next week as I have been working on Halloween - my favorite time of year to create for in addition to Christmas!

Hugs,

Barbara Diane