Paper Towel Doll and Velveteen Rabbit, 2012

The Girl has design talent. And the "maker" gene. This was apparent very early on (see "I think my daughter is trying to tell me something", from 2009). In recent years, it's become even more remarkable. Paintings, jewelry, and random things she cooks up on her own, such as this doll she made from paper towels and watercolors a few weeks ago:

I asked her if she had gotten the idea from TV or art class at school. No, she said. The inspiration came from reading a book that described girlhood in colonial or pioneer times. The titles were probably "Felicity" of the American Girl Doll series, or Little House on the Prairie -- in which dolls were made of corncobs and other scraps around the house.

Then she made this creation. I signed her up for sewing class in the afternoon over the past week (she's between school and camp). She learned how to use a Brother sewing machine, and made a ruffled skirt over several afternoons. Because she had an extra hour at the end of class today, she started this rabbit, which took another hour to finish once she got home:

I am awed.