Custom Dolls

I had this realization one day. The realization that I had learned enough about sewing that I could in fact make my kids their own personal dolls.

One day Charis, my 4-year-old, drew a couple characters that really caught my attention. They were very cute, and I asked, without thinking, “How would you guys like to create your own stuffed dolls, that look exactly like these pictures Charis drew?”

They of course cheered, thought it was a great idea, and wanted to know if they could play with their dolls NOW. That’s when I realized what I had done. I had over-promised something I wasn’t even sure if I could deliver. It seemed easy enough, but could I pull it off?

One thing my girls learned during this process is how long it takes to create a custom doll. It took us a three weeks at least, working on it bits at a time. (Note – Having a newborn baby limits the time you can stitch or feel like stitching.) In the beginning my girls were stitching them some (they got sewing kits for Christmas), but they got tired of that after awhile and just wanted the dolls done.

Last nite we finally finished them. Straight out of Charis’ creative little head, meet Mr. Moustache on the right (otherwise known as Chicken Legs) and his dear friend Rose on the left (because roses are red).

The process was actually very easy. It gives me great joy to see my girls’ excitement as their drawings come to life. And it’s quite satisfying to see my kids playing with unique toys that cost us next to no money. I wish I had time to turn this into a business and bring all little kids’ drawings to life. I don’t. So here’s how you can do it for your own child:

To make a doll, you just scan your child’s drawing and then print it out.

Next cut apart the pieces, so you can make little patterns to trace and cut out of felt. I made patterns for the the body, the eyes, the nose, legs, hair, etc.

When you cut out the felt body, just be sure you cut out two pieces, for the front and the back.

Sew everything you can onto the front body piece. Embroider things like mouth, eyelashes, mustache, etc. Then pin the “appendages” as I like to call them, to the front piece of the body (arms, legs, hair). I personally found this video very helpful – the wonderful artist Emily Martin (Black Apple) on Martha Stewart. Put the right sides of the body facing in and then sew the two pieces together 2/3 of the way around. Then flip so the right side is out, remove any pins, stuff, and stitch closed. Ta da!