When I was 16 years old I had finished all but my Laurel Project for my Young Women's Personal Progress Award. So what I chose to do was make my own pattern for a heart-shaped rag doll, sew 50 of them and take them to children in the hospital at Christmas time.
Well, before that time I didn't have a lot of experience with sewing so it was a major learning experience. My wonderful aunt, Sue Rosier let me use her sewing machine and I spent about 50 hours in her bedroom working on the dolls. They didn't quite turn out heart shaped and the faces were all hand painted on because the hospital said it couldn't have anything that could come off and choke small children. I didn't quite finish all the dolls before Christmas so some of my young women's leaders helped to attach the arms and legs. The dolls were reverse-able, so one side appeared to be sleeping and the other awake.
As a Laurel class on the last mutual before Christmas we went to the Provo Utah Hospital and delivered the dolls. It turned out that there weren't any children there for us to sing to but my fellow Laurels were glad of that. I donated the dolls but I'm not sure if the hospital actually used them...
It was a learning experience for me though, in sewing, and in the many hours of love and service given by the leaders in our youth program and across the world.
Well, before that time I didn't have a lot of experience with sewing so it was a major learning experience. My wonderful aunt, Sue Rosier let me use her sewing machine and I spent about 50 hours in her bedroom working on the dolls. They didn't quite turn out heart shaped and the faces were all hand painted on because the hospital said it couldn't have anything that could come off and choke small children. I didn't quite finish all the dolls before Christmas so some of my young women's leaders helped to attach the arms and legs. The dolls were reverse-able, so one side appeared to be sleeping and the other awake.
As a Laurel class on the last mutual before Christmas we went to the Provo Utah Hospital and delivered the dolls. It turned out that there weren't any children there for us to sing to but my fellow Laurels were glad of that. I donated the dolls but I'm not sure if the hospital actually used them...
It was a learning experience for me though, in sewing, and in the many hours of love and service given by the leaders in our youth program and across the world.
