ROLAND LE RATTE - 9" Tall
Wears a Hawaiian shirt! Make him for nothin' - he's all scraps
donated by Jane Adamo - jadamo@newyork.bozell.com

PREP:

• Make sure pattern is to scale (see 1" mark)
  
• 1/4" hem included all around
  
• Tea-dyed muslin
  
• Scraps of pink fabric for ear insides
  
• Poly Fiber Fill
  
• Acrylic paints (or some kind of waterproof paint or marker)
  
• Thread, needle, tracing paper, pencil, pins, scissors

1. Trace pattern pieces and markings onto tracing paper, cut out, pin to fabric and cut out as indicated with each piece. Also cut tail piece from muslin 11" long x 1" wide.

2. 2 arms, 2 legs, body, head. Sew around pieces leaving openings where indicated. Clip curves, turn. Tuck raw edges of openings under 1/4" and press. Stuff arms, legs. Close openings with overcast stitch. Quilt fingers and toes with small running stitch where indicated. Sew arms loosely (for lots of animation) to points indicated. Sew legs, and head to body where indicated with overcast stitch.

3. Tail: press raw edges under 1/4 inch, then fold lengthwise in half and running-stitch sew closed. You should have a long thin tail 11" x 1/4" wide with all the raw edges sewn under. Sew tail to body where indicated.

4. Each of two ears: put a muslin ear piece and striped ear piece together, stitch where indicated, clip curves, turn, fold raw edges under 1/4", press. Fold each ear on fold line and press: you should have two ears, left and right, folded opposite each other - look at the photo! Overcast to head where indicated.

5. Paint on eyes and nose. Sew on whiskers where indicated with 4 ply thread.

ROLAND'S HAWAIIAN SHIRT (please make him a few!)

• Scraps of brighly colored cotton print fabric

1. Cut 3 shirt pieces. Pin left and right front pieces to shirt back matching the marks. Sew left and right front pieces to shirt back at shoulders and sides -- leave neck, armholes and bottom open.

2. Turn under raw edges 1/4" and sew with running stitch in contrasting fabric. Press shirt collar open. Sew button or add pin, ribbon or flower to rat's right shoulder.

MAKE MORE OUT OF ROLAND!

• Doll patterns are expensive - so get the most out of each one. Buy a pad of tracing paper from the art store and fiddle with your patterns -- try new faces, lengthen the limbs, add ears and tail to a girl doll to make a girl cat -- and you'll get LOTS of designs for not a penny more! For example with Roland:

• Make his wife, Camille: Tack front of solid colored shirt closed at the bottom front, add wide ribbon or lace gathered to make a dress. Add eyelashes, and a bow in front of one ear.

• Enlarge the pattern x 177. Fiddle with the ears a little and replace the tail with a pompom to make a 15" Baker Bunny!

• Holiday Mice! It's nice to have quick projects to finish while you are working on long projects -- it only takes about 2 days to finish Roland. Make shirts and dresses in Christmas fabric, or Chanukah blue and white prints. Make one Holiday Mouse every 2 weeks and you'll have 8 of them by year end. Thereafter, try to make just one a month and you'll have over a dozen ragdoll mice for next year to decorate your tree, wreath, garland, presents, or to crowd into a basket for a hysterical table centerpiece. In a few years, you will have a whole pack of adorable holiday mice all over the house! A super ragdoll family keepsake that your guests will remember FOREVER!
  

Pattern Piece 1
Pattern Piece 2

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