Happy Birthday Raggedy Ann!

Happy Birthday to every little girls and big girls special friend Raggedy Ann. I remember growing up getting my first Raggedy Ann. I still have her tucked away, wrapped in my 1st daughter's first baby blanket. She is nekked as jaybird as my mom loved to sew doll clothes and I loved to change them. Some how, some where, some time she got undressed and I guess I grew older and forgot to dress her again.

Funny how life leads us in a circle. Raggedy Ann is the doll that helped me through the first surgery I remember having and is my first memory in life. I asked for and received a Raggedy Ann doll when I had my toncils and adenoids removed back in 1962 when I was a mere 3 years old. Now today at 50 Raggedy Ann is my life saver. I lost my hearing slowly as the years went by and now I am legally deaf...I can only hear noises and most of those are actually inside my head....no I did not say voices :). In 2003 I also lost the ability to move around much due to severe migraines and fibromyligia. Sewing was something I never mastered in school...ya know home ec but it did become my lifesaver.

I taught myself to sew after joining a primitive community called Prim Mart. With encourgament and online help I even learned to use my daughter's sewing machine and began making dolls. Once I started I realized that I could actually understand most of the patterns written by the members of the crafting communities like DJdoodle Junction, Prim Mart, The Prim Market, Ole Country Home and others. Once I started sewing it never stopped.

Raggedy Ann is my muse so to speak. Now at the age of 50 I write my own version of Raggedy Ann patterns and created many dolls the are called Shweet Potato Dolls and Patterns. I can truthly say I owe my life and sanity to Raggedy Ann. She is my life line and the first Memory I have in this wonderful world. You can see some of my Raggedy Ann style dolls at Always Crafty 2 or at my Shweet Potato Dolls Blog. The top picture is one of my Shweet Potato Dolls and the second picture is a line of Raggedy Anns I did for a online friend based on her well loved and hugged (missing one eye) Raggedy Ann.

Sorry I can't copy and paste any codes to show you my Shweet dolls right here because for some reason Yahoo has muted me and my ability to copy/paste but I can give you my links to my picturetrail so you can see my Shweet Raggedies for yourself should you want too. To visit my Shweet Potato Dolls Picture Trail click HERE

I have more picture of course and you can see them in my very first picturetrail

HERE

Later today I will show you one of my most unique Raggedy Ann and Andy's but I have to go find where I put there pictures :)

Let me just end by saying Raggedy Ann you are a little AND big girl's best friend! Thanks for all the wonderful memories and may we have many more in the years to come.

Come by and visit my friend's blog she started this wonderful Birthday Party for Raggedy Ann!