(27) Indiana

Capitol: Indianapolis

This pin was looking so cute I had to get up early today to finish it!

There are several states I have been to, but didn't actually experience. Many of them, Indiana being one, were passed through while on one of my 4 drives across country. So, while I can claim I have been in the state (which, according to Marcum rules, means you either stayed the night or ate a sit-down meal -- airports not included), I really didn't know much about Indiana.

Fortunately, the internet once again came to my rescue. I little bit of research and I discovered that Marcella Gruelle of Indianapolis created the Raggedy Ann doll in 1914. SCORE! I loved my Raggedy Ann doll!! What a treat to be able to include a piece of my childhood in this project. Kind of put a new spin on the project for me. It's not just the United States of America... it's MY United States of America. Seems with every pin this project gets more special to me.

This pin is about 1" x ! 1/2", which means I once again had to pull out the size 22 seed beads to capture the detail of Raggedy Ann's face. Those little buggers are so much harder to work with. They are old, before the days of quality control, so the beads are very inconsistent. Many don't even fit in the incredibly fine needle I use. I will probably have to take a break from beading for the day and give my eyes a rest. Christmas shopping it is!