sarah's dolls dreamtime baby pattern question

[alisonsage]

i am in the middle (finally ) of making dd a bay doll from the dream time baby pattern from sarah's dolls. i love it so far but i have a question about the wool stuffing. i have been following the weight instruction for the wool in the pattern but the doll seems packed really really tight- esp in the torso area. is this normal? the stuffing is so tight it is very difficult to stich closed and very very firm. tia

[E.V. Lowi]

This is how it is supposed to be. The Waldorf doll should be very, very firm especially the head , so that is does not deform during play and holds up over time. It is also part of the Steiner philosophy that the doll not be floppy or soft, and should feel like real flesh and bones. Some doll makers work an especially hard roll for the inner limbs and slightly softer around the outside of theis inner roll so that it feels like a bone inside.

[alisonsage]

good! thanks for the response. i am glad i had a pattern that gave weight measurements fo my first doll! i would never have guessed that that was the amount of batting to use otherwise!!

really like the idea of a hard inner roll that feels like bone structure as well!

[E.V. Lowi]

I asked my dd when she was young and first fell in love with her Waldorf doll, Sally- Why do you love Sally, so much? She said it was because Sally felt just like her, when she hugged her. I think this firmness is very reassuring to a child.