Getting Started With My First Doll Pattern

I really loved the felt doll pattern that I posted last week and thought that would be my first attempt at making a doll. However, I ran across this simple free doll pattern that seemed a little more fitting for my first go at making a baby doll.

It's a cotton doll - not a felt one, and it's MUCH larger than the felt doll pattern, but I liked the little girl doll pattern and thought it would be perfect for my niece for christmas. I would also get a chance to test out my sewing skills along the way.

So, to start my first doll I made my first trip to Walmart. Here's what I bought:

1. Polyfil -stuffing for the doll - only $2.97

 

2. Cotton Fabric (even though the pattern suggest I start with a thicker material I really liked the pattern selection they had in cotton so I went with it. 

I picked up six - 18"x21" cotton fabrics - see pictures below. ONLY $1 each

1. a pink pattern
2. a purple pattern
3. a yellow fabric
4. a purple fabric
5. and two skin color fabrics for the face and arms.

3. I also picked up a small sewing starter kit. To be honest I had no clue what I needed for thread or needle sizes, so I figured a starter kit would get me going and I could buy other pieces as I needed them for other dolls. The starter kit costs - just under $8

4. Thick brown yarn for the hair - $3

Altogether for this doll I spent $20 and prayed I purchased everything I needed to accomplish my very first doll :)

When I got home I printed out the free doll pattern (page 1 & page 2) that I found over at MakeBabyStuff.com. I then traced it onto the fabric. Once my son saw me starting the doll he was hooked :) He wanted to make a doll for his new baby sister (due in March). This was awesome! Now I have a partner to learn along with me.

Here's our progress so far:

1. Traced the pattern onto the fabric.

2. Cut out the pattern

Pattern pieces after cut out...

Finally - we sewed the head onto the body/dress of the doll.

Side Note: I may not have mentioned this before, but I have never sewed before in my life.. so I needed a quick tutorial to get me started. Here are the two sites that have helped me most...

• Learning to tie a knot at the end of your thread - special thanks to Heather Bailey and her picture tutorial here
• Also learned to blanket stitch from this very basic, but very easy to follow Youtube Video

I'll update our progress once we get moving on the next steps.

Cutie Kids - Felt Doll Making

I'm really enjoying all the patterns available online for different free doll patterns. Today, while searching for something simple that I can make for my niece I came across these cute little kids.

This free felt doll making pattern was perfect for my first attempt mostly because I didn't need a sewing machine... and the pattern seemed simple and easy enough to follow.

Here's some of the really cool "Pro's" of these felt doll making patterns:

1. Each doll is 6 inches tall. They are not too big, but not so small that they are too hard to handle putting clothes on and off the doll. Ever tried putting clothes on barbie? or one of those tiny polly pocket dolls? They are always a hassle so I'm thinking these dolls are a great size.
   
   
2. I also really liked that the creator gives you free felt doll clothing patterns too. Not only does he give you the little girl and boy clothes, he also links to a couple other patterns that include a Kimono. The clothes are cute, but also simple. Another bonus here is that the backs are open which make them easier to take on and off the doll.
   
   
3. Hair seems to be one of the hardest parts of the other cloth doll patterns I've looked at, but the creator of these felt doll patterns makes the hair separate from the doll so it's interchangeable! Plus his patterns are very simple.

The only "Con" I can come up with for this felt doll making pattern is that there isn't much instruction for the face. I'm a little nervous to hand stitch the mouth with the embroidery thread. I think if the mouth is the only difficult obstacle I'll be able to tackle it and make some pretty awesome felt dolls.


Materials Needed:

• Skin Color Felt Material
• Various Color Felt for clothing patterns
• Polyester fiberfill
• Small Beads for the eyes
• Embroidery Thread for the mouth
• Needle & Thread for sewing the edges
  

Links To The Creator & Patterns:

• Found these felt doll making patterns and felt doll tutorial on a blog called Nuno Life
• Link to the Felt Doll Patterns - Hair & Body
• Link to the Felt Doll Clothes Patterns
• Link to the Additional Free Felt Doll Clothes Patterns for Girl
• Additional Felt Doll Clothes Patterns for Boy
• Felt Doll Clothes - Kimono Instructions and Kimono Pattern

Pictures of the Felt Doll Making Process:

Pictures of completed felt doll patterns: