Sasha Celebration Weekend 2017 - part 5

After the craft workshops we had a buffet lunch with more chatting, followed by a restringing demonstration by Liss.  She restrung a Gotz doll which was a little loose and had been previously restrung incorrectly.

Liss prepares to take the doll apart

Using a crochet hook to hold the elastic as she removes the leg

Examining the doll torso and how the arms were strung on their own elastic when they should have been on the same elastic as the head and legs

Using a hairdryer to heat up the neck vinyl to remove the wooden neck ring

Using long nosed pliers to carefully remove the wooden neck ring

Checking the length of the existing elastic.  It was long enough to do both the arms and legs so did not need replacing.

Carefully replacing the neck ring into the head again

Stringing the arms

Pulling the elastic through to string the legs

Pulling up the leg elastic

The doll all in one piece again

Brushing her hair

Next it was time for the raffle.  Everyone gathered into the room with their tickets.  We were told at the start of the raffle that it had raised £2,300 for a children's charity, which was a magnificent sum.
This year the special prizes were on a separate table and included eight dolls kindly donated by various people, a beautiful Frances Trickett dress, a smart pair of shoes, some lovely drawings by Joni, the book by Dorisanne Osborne and a set of patterns.  There was a final prize - a wobbler donated by Janet (a wobbler is a Sasha baby whose legs have been straightened enough for it to be able to stand - this is done using a boiling water technique).

The other table held a mountain of prizes, including many outfits.  I had made a shweshwe dress, panties and hat set for a baby to add to the pile.

Diane ran the raffle with Judith helping to keep things moving, otherwise it would have gone on for hours.

Some of the 'special' prizes

The lovely Sasha drawings by Joni

Embroidered dress by Frances

Raffle prizes

More raffle prizes

and more raffle prizes with the blue shweshwe set

and more raffle prizes!

The wobbler with eyes repainted by Janet

The first prize was a special and it was won by the youngest person at the Sasha Celebration, much to everyone's delight.

A young lady and her grandmother looking at their tickets in amazement as the first prize is announced

Trisha points out all the prizes she can choose from except for the wobbler which is the last prize

She chooses a rerooted baby

The winner of the doll Kendal had donated (the girl with bobbed hair) was in charge of the raffle, so she stayed on the table.

Excitement as another winner of a special prize comes to claim a doll

My girl had won a couple of prizes on the general raffle table including receiving a ticket from Jocelyn who had bought tickets to donate to others if she won anything as she didn't want to add to her collection but wanted to donate and participate.

Another special was announced and it was one of my girl's tickets!  She chose the early baby Woolly in his complete original outfit, perfect hair and gold tag.  He had travelled all the way from the USA with Mary who donated him to the raffle.  My girl could not quite believe her luck - last year she won baby Daisy on the raffle and this year baby Theo.

Admiring baby Theo as the generous donor looked on with smile

My girl with baby Theo

Raffle tickets laid out on a table

Happy winner of the lovely embroidered dress

Excited to win the shoes

Jocelyn continued her generosity - she nominated my girl for more prizes and when she won a special she donated the ticket to the youngest Sasha collector who excitedly chose another baby to take home.

Collecting her second baby from the special prize table

Winning the patterns

The pleased owner of Dorisanne's book

Finally the main table was empty and the special table only had the wobbler waiting for its new owner.  It had to be Janet drawing the final prize ticket as she had donated the doll.

Suspense as Janet draws the ticket for the final prize

And the winner was Theresa!

Collecting her wobbler

Very happy smile

Thank you to everyone who donated the wonderful prizes and bought tickets, it was such a fun raffle and very lovely to see all the excited winners.  We were enormously lucky to win several prizes.

It was time for tea and chatting while the sales tables were set up.