With two young boys, it’s not often I get to indulge my feminine side and create all those girly toy ideas that pop into my head. Luckily, I have two nieces that love getting handmade gifts for every occasion, and are my outlet for all the toy purses, hats, dolls, and other girly items I’m inspired to make.
Like this idea for a handmade doll, made from fabric scraps. After browsing a toy store’s shelves for a doll for my niece’s upcoming birthday, I decided I could make a more custom (and affordable) doll myself. Searching through my fabric scraps, I found just the right fabrics – a denim, a pretty floral, a solid skin tone, and some accent colors – that would be perfect for making a handmade doll. And not only would it be free, it would be fun to make!
Here’s how I created my handmade doll (but you can customize all instructions as desired).
Craft materials:
– fabric scraps (choose colors and patterns for skin, clothing, accessories and possibly hair)
– sewing machine and coordinating thread
– fabric scissors
– embroidery floss
– fabric glue
– sewing needle
– doll stuffing
– paper and pencil
– optional: buttons, sequins, etc.
Making your doll:
1. Decide what kind of doll you want to make, then sketch your idea on paper, drawing it to size. Since you’ll be cutting fabric from this pattern, draw your doll wider to allow for seam allowances.
2. Trace the patterns onto your fabric scraps, and cut out an identical front and back for your doll. I labeled mine ‘front’ and ‘back’ for reference.
3. Next, I traced and cut the fabric that would become my doll’s shirt, shoes, socks, and top of her jumper. These were then sewn onto both the front and back of the doll.
4. To create the doll’s face, cut out a pink fabric mouth and two eyes from white and blue (or any color) fabric scraps. Attach these with a drop of glue to hold in place, then use embroidery floss to outline each eye, add eyelashes and eyebrows, a chin, nose and outlines around the mouth.
5. Next, attach the front and back halves of the doll together. You may do this completely by hand, or machine-sew part of it. To do the latter, place ‘right’ sides together, then machine-sew around half the doll (leaving half of each leg and arm open). Flip the doll inside out, and fill with craft stuffing. If needed, use a pencil to push stuffing in place. Carefully stuff each arm and leg, then hand-sew the seams shut (and sew finger lines, if wanted).
6. For my doll, I added a matching denim skirt over the legs, and hand-sewed a pink sash overtop to hide the seam. Sew on any buttons, sequins or other decorative accessories to complete the doll’s body.
7. Lastly, I added handmade doll hair by weaving three colors of embroidery floss in and out of the top of the doll’s head in loops, with bangs sewn onto the forehead. Hair could also be made from yarn, ribbon, or other fabric scraps. When the hair is finished, your doll is complete.
Though there was a lot of trial and error involved in making a handmade doll, I developed patience, gained confidence in my crafting skills, and ended up with thousands more ideas than when I started. Making this doll not only satisfied my urge to craft something ‘girly,’ but started me thinking about crafting a series of dolls, designing new fabric scrap outfits, and crafting boy-friendly versions. Hope you’re inspired as well. Happy crafting!