Fiona, the fancy cat

Another birthday, another doll! This time, I finally got a cat made. I've been scheming but haven't made one 'til now, but since we are such a cat family, I thought I'd give this a try. I used three of those lovely Erin McMorris fabrics, and I'm still drooling over how beautiful they are together. I plan to do plenty more dolls from them!

Fiona was made for a 4-year-old who doesn't have any pets, which Miss E doesn't seem to comprehend. A house without pets?! No way! ;) We know the birthday girl loves dolls, though, so hopefully she'll like a doll who is a very fancy cat. (Who also happens to love shopping.) I rounded her out with a purse that she can use to tote her BFF, Goldie the Fish. (Um, Goldie loves to shop too. Out of water!)

I have finally figured out how to close these dolls up and sew on the legs w/o as much hassle, though this one about drove me nuts. I did two seams along the bottom, catching the legs, turned hem and missing the tail ... only to find I hated the way she looked. I ripped it all out and started over. I think I just had too much stuffing and hadn't turned up enough of a hem, so next doll, we'll see if I'm right. I learned early on that an over-stuffed doll is not nearly so huggable, so the softer, the better.

I'm not sold on the tail ... We may opt for a manx next time (like Patchy!) or I may skip the stuffing and just do a flannel interfacing. Each doll is a new adventure!