Several years ago I attempted to make a rag doll. It did not go well. I am an experienced seamstress and in my overconfidence I chose a high-structured vintage doll pattern out of nostalgia and it brought me to my knees. The tiny parts, the complex construction, the unusual supplies nearly did me in. (Poly blend jersey knit! Wool fiber hair!)
Not to mention that patterns from the time period were not written for beginners. Just understanding it was a project. I persevered, making substitutions left and right, but by the time the doll was finished I was so worn out that I never did make the poor dolly any clothes. Still haven’t (poor thing).
So when my daughter came to me last week and said that more than anything under the sun she wanted to sew a doll… I stalled.
But….
Then I decided that avoiding something hard wasn’t either how I wanted to live my life or what I wanted to model for my daughter.
So I decided to tackle it.
This time, however, I decided to start with something easy. REALLY easy. I explained to my daughter that I had struggled making dolls in the past and that I wanted to find a really simple flat (or nearly flat) doll pattern to try for our first project. We went together to Etsy to search for doll patterns and immediately found this adorable set of super-simple animal and people doll patterns from Nata Patterns.
The designer, Natalia, graciously gave me permission to share pictures from the pattern here. Thank you, Natalia!!
So cute, right???
So we jumped in.
To make my mini doll I used fabrics and stuffing I happened to have on hand. Her head is a linen blend, her hair is Kona and her body is Sevenberry. I also used 100% cotton stuffing, which admittedly makes for a firmer doll, but I like the fact that its not made of plastic. Here’s exactly what I used:
Hair Fabric
Body Fabric
The pattern is wonderful. It is super clear and easy to follow with great illustrations and pictures that walk you through step by step along with printable pattern pieces for cutting things out. The pattern calls for felt for the hair but I didn’t have any so we decided to just use regular woven fabric. It was a prototype, after all! 🙂 I stitched the hairline a little further in than called for so that over time the raw edge would unravel and give our doll some fuzzy bangs.
The only trouble I faced was having the neckline lay smooth at the sides. I had to stuff the heck out of the doll to get it to flatten out! I’m sure this is an error on my part, not the pattern. I think I might have turned that corner too tightly. When I make this pattern again, I’ll either make the curve more gentle or I also might try clipping the curved seam there.
Also, it’s probably just me, but the whole stuffing process is not my favorite. But I guess that is what audiobooks are for! LOL!
My daughter has already asked that we try some of the animals – I mean, how can you resist:
That’s it!
In the end, my daughter had I had a great time. We made two dolls in just a few hours. I think I’ll be faster next time now that I know how the doll goes together. The finished doll is about 7” tall and just right for small pretend games, small hands or taking along in a purse or pocket.
Natalie also has patterns for the most adorable accessories for the dolls, too, like little sleeping bags and pillows. I can see that we are going to be back for more!!
What about you? Are you a doll enthusiast or have you avoided it so far?
P.S. This should go without saying but if you want to make toys for children, please use caution and common sense. Children have many ingenious ways to make toys come apart, creating all kinds of bits and pieces that can cause injury or choking hazards. Don’t give homemade toys to babies or small children and don’t let them play unsupervised!
Group pictures of tiny dolls and tiny animals are copyright Nata Patterns and are used with permission.
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