Horse and Cowgirl

My sister just received a brand new baby great granddaughter.  I wanted to make something special for the new little girl.  I decided to make a horse that I made once before for my granddaughter, Portia.  As I was making the horse, I thought it would be fun to make a little cowgirl doll to put on the horse.  I wasn't sure if it would work because the legs were real floppy with Portia's.  The directions said that I could use some special kind of rolled paper to stiffen the legs so that the horse could stand.  I had never even heard of it before, and I certainly didn't have anything that seemed like it would work.  I finally came up with the idea to use rolled plastic canvas.  I knew it would be stiff enough to support the horse and be flexible enough to roll.  However, I wasn't sure that it would work.  I tried it and was very pleased to see that the horse could stand if balanced just right. 

Next, I had to make adjustments to my doll pattern.  It was for a fairy doll, and I wanted to make a cowgirl.  First, I had to change the look of the shoe to a boot.  I managed something that resembles a boot.  I had to create a way to make it look like she was wearing pants with a belt.  For the most part, I did a good job with that, except for the buckle turned out a little out of proportion. It was taller and narrower than I had thought it would be.  The belt and the loops were great.  Once I finished the doll, I had to sew her to the horse and hope that it would still stand.  Again, with a little balancing act, it can be done. 

From the side, you can see the M I put on the boot tops for her name, Madeline.

This view shows the dolls face and the buttons on her shirt.

Now that I have finished the toy, I will start to make a hoodie sweater for her.  I want to make the sweater that I have made before for three of my granddaughters and for another little girl that was from an order.  I love the pattern and it always looks so nice when it is finished. I will wait until tomorrow to get that started.