Monday, June 4, 2018

Sock Rag Doll Free Pattern - Doll Maker Story Time - Meet Jewel

Doll Maker Story Time -  Jewel Sock Rag Doll Free Pattern

By, Cassandra George Sturges



Hello dollings, a doll is never just a doll. It is the embodiment of an emotion seeking the right words. Every doll and doll maker is a storyteller. I am sharing my Jewel Sock Rag Doll Pattern with you for free -- but she comes with a heavy spiritual price for me as a doll maker.




Ever since I started making dolls, in my mid-late forties,  I worked tirelessly to make my dolls as close to human as possible. My dolls have beautifully constructed lady-parts, areolas, butts, buxoms, with hand-sculpted nipples, navels, and wire armatures. Even my male dolls are anatomically correct. My dolls have poseable fingers and toes with fake polished nails. I glued on fake eyelashes and spent hours making eyes that take 24 to 48 hours to dry. I sculpt my doll’s noses, and sew their lips separately before sewing them to my doll’s face. Let’s not even begin to discuss the 8-10 hair weave job for my life size dolls.



 I have cried myself to sleep like a 2-year-old because I couldn’t get their fingers perfect. People say they like my dolls. Some people say they love my dolls. However, no one has ever asked me how much my life size dolls cost or asked me if I could make one for them. I mean I don’t know where they would place the doll in their home—or what they would do with it--but that is not the point of this rant.

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I used to make fun of people why cry on those cooking competition shows who cakes fall or meals fail to turn out right when they lose a cooking competition. I realized one day that the shows wouldn’t be nearly as interesting if they didn’t care passionately about what they were doing. Why would anyone bother to watch a show where people were nonchalant about their craft? Right? 

I guess the point is that we shouldn’t  bother doing something if we can’t muster up the energy to do it with all of our heart or not at all. I love it when Iyanla Vazant says on her show Fix my life,  “Just let your heart break.” Now I know these people have way more serious issues than over cooked chickens, and doll patterns that rip just as you make your last stitch. Nevertheless, the point is to be passionate about your life because this is what makes your life rich and juicy and worth living.

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Back to my original story…


I posted a picture of Jewel - this simply made, easy, inexpensive Sock Rag Doll and people want to purchase her. Why? You can make her yourself if you’ve got 30 minutes to spare. I don’t understand why people like this sock rag doll?  My daughter –in-law, saw the prototype for the Jewel Sock Rag Doll with the upside down  T shaped  felt nose, and fell in love with her. She said that she loved how unique and whimsical the doll look. She has never said how much she likes any of my other dolls. Did she not see the Jungle Beauty Goddesses sitting in the living room, huh?





I am feeling…hurt…insulted … embarrassed.. . Misunderstood? I don’t know the word—I don’t think I have ever felt like this before. Let me first tell you why I created Jewel.


One night, I was wondering aloud to God, if I should continue to make cloth doll patterns, DIYs, and Tutorials for my Authentik Beauty Handmade Dolls and Crafts YouTube Channel. I surmised that no one cares and it takes a lot more energy to make dolls on camera than in bed or while watching television. Feeling disappointed, I had decided that I would make cloth dolls only for myself. As I was turning my computer off, I received a notification that Blessed Jewel—a subscriber on my YouTube channel had commented. “Cassandra, You got me checking in everyday looking…” I took a picture of her message with my phone…yes …and cried like a 2-year-old.


Her timing could not have been more perfect. I said to myself;  if I have an opportunity, I want to let her know how much she inspired me to keep making doll tutorials.  When she asked me if I could make a pattern for a sock rag doll for children in the hospital—I promised I would after I finished making the Geraldine the Sock Mermaid doll tutorials.


It took everything inside of me not to give Jewel sculpted fingers, wire armature, or sculpt her nose. I kept thinking make it child friendly and easy to make. It will be over before you know it. I drew basic doll eyes for her and decided to make her pupils with felt. Jewel has felt lips, and I decided to use the bead that was sitting next to my computer from my Shaka Bead Jointed Doll Tutorials. Why not it’s sitting right here. I liked it better that the felt upside down T nose. While I am finishing Jewel—she tells me that she is lonely without her boyfriend Julian who wears an Afro. I am like… girl how old are you?





To my surprise more and more sock rag dolls used this as an opportunity to manifest on the earth plane. Wisdom and Timeless Beauty came through. Other sock rag dolls want me to teach people how to use gemstones, herbs, and oils for various types of healing and personal development dolls. I don’t know if I am going to make these type of videos yet. My head is still spinning.


My ego is deeply bruised lamenting, “the masses like McDonald’s not fine dining. People want hotdogs not caviar. Open yourself up to simplicity. Open yourself up to whimsical. Let go. Being a doll maker is not about making the perfect doll. Perfection is not in the execution of the doll—but the emotional and psychological feelings that inspire joy, ease, and grace. People want to smile.


Okay. Well then! While making Jewel the Sock Rag Dolls, I was listening to Khalid’s song , “Location,” heard it for the first time while driving to Walmart at 3:15 AM in the morning looking for a pair of men’s socks. I have been addicted to this song ever since. I didn’t know the song was so old.







Any who, while you are making sock rag dolls using Jewel’s pattern—listen to this song. It has such an old school groove. It reminds me of when I was a size seven, braless, goddess. I really wanted to say Scarlett… I have always been a little bit of a bad girl (;


I hope you enjoy this Jewel Sock Rag Doll pattern and if you so feel inspired make some dolls for your local hospital.


“I know there is a doll inside of you who is just dying to come to life—but only you can breathe life into her. Thank you so much for listening.”

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Greetings Dollings, in this sock rag doll tutorial, I am going to show you how to make my Jewel Sock Rag Doll pattern step by step.  In the YouTube videos,  I am going to show you how to trace the sock rag doll pattern onto the socks, and how to stuff the doll pattern pieces  step by step. To make this handmade sock  rag doll you will need  a single pair of knit men’s socks, Mountain Mist or Morning Glory Fiberfill, a doll needle, upholstery  thread, gesso, paint, yarn,  buttons, felt, and sewing machine or sewing needle.




Cassandra George Sturges

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