Happily Ever After with RBG

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Thank you Joan of MooseStash Quilting for hosting this lovely blog hop. The theme of fairy tales is clever indeed. I interpreted my project not as a fantasy character but a real person who lived and made a difference.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg is a hero worthy of a full Disney feature film! She was an extraordinary legal genius who was both a working mother and loving wife. She helped her husband stay in law school while he fought testicular cancer. She attended both his and her own Harvard law classes to permit him time for treatment. Who does that!?? She was a brilliant student of law and accomplished a great many things even before serving as the 2nd women justice ever on the U.S. Supreme Court. She was a leading voice for gender equality, women’s interests, and civil rights and liberties. Regardless of your politics, you have her to thank for our children and grand children having more opportunities available to them. Thanks to her work, many more people will get closer to living a happily ever after. I couldn’t resist making a little doll to honor her life.

  • The Notorious RBG
  • The Fairy Tale Doll RBG

I started with a cute rag doll pattern from the Etsy site, “Tatadolls.” This designer has many adorable patterns! The doll I made is 13.5″ tall but there are other sizes to choose from. I didn’t embroider the face but used fabric paint markers instead. The markers do bleed, so if you’re looking for perfection, go with the embroidery. I love short cuts and am fine with the faces being a little wonky, but you may prefer a neater look than I do.

I added shoes and sleeves to the doll. I had to put Ruth in work-out clothes, because she regularly exercised every morning. Because a Supreme Court judge needs a robe, of course, that was necessary too. I converted this adorable cap and gown graduation doll clothes pattern into a judge’s gown. I copied the PDF pattern while reducing it to 75%. I hemmed the sleeves and length a bit, but overall it worked well for Ruth’s gown. The final touch was a lace collar and suddenly, a Supreme Court justice was born!

My Ruth Bader Ginsburg doll in her zippered justice robe.
This zippered Supreme Court Justice doll robe is actually from a graduation gown pattern.
This is the back of Ruth’s head with her signature cropped ponytail.
This is Ruth in her work out gear. The robe easily zips on and off.
I’m calling these dolls, Ruth’s “clerks”. They are all accomplished women who earned a coveted spot clerking for RBG.
The backs of the clerk dolls.
This is one close up of the backside of a clerk doll. I love the long hair made from old t-shirts.

RBG has 3 clerk dolls to help her with the formidable work of being a Supreme Court Justice. Sadly, the real Ruth is no longer with us, but her work continues. I’m sure she is missed by many of her friends on the court.

I loved making these dolls. They began as generic figures but with Ruth, a new idea emerged. My next doll will be Frida Kahlo and who knows after that. The sky’s the limit!! I’m having fun and staying out of trouble. My kids better watch their t-shirts before they get repurposed into doll hair!!

Enjoy browsing the Pinterest Board for the Fairy Tales hop HERE!!

See the blog posts below for lots more hop projects.

Thursday June 24

Scrapdash

That Fabric Feeling YOU ARE HERE!

Ms P Designs USA

Quilt Schmilt

Patchouli Moon Studio

Days Filled With Joy

Goofin’ Off Around the Block

Friday June 25

Quilt Fabrication

My Bumbleberry Life

Songbird Designs

Words & Stitches

MooseStashQuilting

Linking up to: Oh Scrap, Midweek Makers, Confessions of a Fabric Addict, Peacock Party, Finished or not Friday, Brag About Your Goodies, Thank Goodness It’s Finished Friday,

50 responses to “Happily Ever After with RBG”

  5. What a cool interpretation of the challenge! I love that RBG is wearing her workout clothes under her Supreme Court gown, too!

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  6. Wow, this is a beautiful tribute to Ruth, and to all women who did great for humanity. I love the idea of a Frida Kahlo doll too 😉
    Thank you for sharing your beauty, and linking up with TGIFF!

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    • I am thinking about the Frida doll. She didn’t contribute to society in the way that RBG did, but she’s another iconic woman who found success in a man’s world.

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  8. I absolutely love your RBG doll and the tribute you gave to her! (nearly brought me to tears) She was –and continues to be–one of my heroes. What a woman, what an example, what awesome things she accomplished! The world was better off to have her, and you have provided a marvelous way to remember her. Thank you!

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  11. OMG! This IS the best non-fairy-tale post ever. RBG would be so proud of your work. I just know she would be, the champion of all women that she was. {{Hugs}} Thank you for making these dolls and most of all, sharing them with us. WOW! Great, great, great job. ~smile~ Roseanne

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    • Roseanne, You just know the right words to make a gal feel special!! Thanks so much for the wonderful comments. I loved making her and can’t wait to try a few more “famous” dolls. There is no end to the list of admirable and worthwhile women pioneers. You’re the best quilt friend ever!!!

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      • Aww, you are sweet but I speak the truth!! RBG was such a fabulous role model, and for you to make her your focus is just priceless, I think. I truly LOVE it. {{Hugs}}

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  13. Love your interpretation of the fairy tale theme. Great dolls! Painting the faces looks like a lot of fun and you are spot on.

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    • Carla, you’re so sweet. I actually don’t love how the faces came out. That’s definitely a work in progress. I have to try paint rather than markers next time, but it’s the learning curve that makes it worthwhile, right!?

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  14. Elana, This is just adorable. What a fun tribute to a hero in our time.

    Kind regards,

    Bernie Kringel Needle & Foot Ph: 530-210-3665 Shop – Instagram – Facebook

    Creativity takes courage. -Henry Matisse

    >

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    • Thanks Bernie. She is awesome and I’m very happy to have recreated her image in a doll. At least I tried…one can not really capture her essence.

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    • Thank you. It’s been loads of fun. I truly started out just playing around for charity. Now I’m really enjoying the more elevated notion of the dolls.

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    • Susan, Yeah, not the fairy tale that probably was assumed for the blog hop. I was just thinking along the lines of fairy tales I know being somewhat dated today. I made a modern heroine instead for my concept. Why not? It’s all about the process for me anyways.

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  18. I am glad RBG was a real and wonderful person and not a fairy tale. we need more women and people like her in the world. She certainly made a great impact in the USA. Your dolls are all fabulous!

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    • Daryl, Thank you so much. I felt she overrode any fairy tale character from my childhood anyways. I am not usually an out of the box thinker but this time I went with it.

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  20. Oh my goodness Elana, your vision is impeccable! While Ruth did not always lead that Fairy Tale life, she sure left a profound mark on society. I love the different takes everyone has with theme hops. You are such an inspiration. And let me just add, RBG has never looked so fabulous!

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    • Joan, She didn’t lead a fairy tale life, no she did not. I can’t imagine applying for a law job and not one firm hiring you despite being a Harvard/Columbia grad. She was clearly qualified beyond most men in her class (they have mentioned that before.) She kept her cool and put her frustration to work in fighting for the underdog. I love her. I just recently read (or tried to read) her book In My Own Words. It was a bit dry but several sections really resonated. Ruth was everything young girls ought to aspire to be…independent, bold yet understated, ambitious, brilliant, loving and partner in a marriage that was inspirational despite many hardships.

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    • Elizabeth, Yes she was something we all can admire. I know there are other extraordinary women out there but few come to mind before her.

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    • Rebecca, Thanks so much. The dolls are a silly way for me to have fun and help charities serve kids in their shelters. The RBG wasn’t planned but now I’m going to spin other characters into dolls.

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    • The t-shirt hair works so much better than I thought it would. I can’t look at a t-shirt the same way now. I actually just bought a used yellow tee online so that I can make a doll with blond hair. Hmmmm, who will she be?

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