A new project

When I was spending lots of time at home recovering from my surgery to remove a cyst in the bone in my face and to revise my cleft lip and palate, I also got some sewing in too. I found my way back into my studio(my happy place) a few weeks after my surgery. It was funny because I did not have any sewing plans for that day. However, without much thought I grabbed a spare piece of muslin and started to tinker around. What I ended up with was a doll, made out of muslin...So then I decided that she needed a dress and I cut a mini pillow case dress out for her. Well, when the evening came, I sat in the chair in my studio and I began to embroider a face on for her and when I finished her eye, nose and mouth I just stared at her. There she was with her blond, rag doll hair and little dress and I saw myself as a little girl. BUT, she was missing something and before long I concluded that it was a small scar above her lip---that is what was missing. So, I embroidered that on too.

It was strange to see her sitting in my studio as the days marched on while my face was recovering. However, oddly enough her little hand embroidered scar just looked like a part of her, as if had it not been there...it would have felt like something was missing. Strangly enough, this little doll helped me too. Maybe it was the process of it or what I ended up with or her simpleness as she possessed the same scar as me. Whatever it was, the process of creating her was the equivalent of checking the closet and learning there really is no "boogy man".

I have never been thrilled that I was born cleft affected. Partly because of all of the surgeries I have had to have and partly because...it is always there...you can not hide it. But, seeing the simple, sylph of a scar on the little doll did help because it made me see that it was a part of her, had it not been there something would have been missing from her character. --it was a small, but significant part of her make up.

Since then, I have made some friends for her...all cleft affected of course...