she just doesn’t know it yet. i made this doll out of vintage fabric for one of her presents this christmas. this girl does not need anything but i am ok if she has dolls and books coming out of her nose. that is a clutter i can live with.
this DIY vintage fabric doll can be made by sewers at all levels. so grab a bottle of wine, throw on some good christmas tunes…
shall we?
||what you need||
- fabric (vintage damask was thrifted. fancy tiger is also a great option for denverites)
- marker or fabric pen or chalk (i used a sharpie)
- scissors
- thread
- needle
- stuffing (i up-cycled stuffing from a lumpy old pillow)
- sewing machine (definitely helps but isn’t necessary)
||what you do||
- on the wrong side of your fabric, trace out the shape of your doll. you can certainly look for patterns online but i just did freehand. be wary of making arms or legs too long or too skinny unless you want to sew those in separately. short and stubby leads to the most success, especially if you’re a beginner.
- cut out this shape. trace it on to the right side of what will be the back of the doll (which can be a different fabric or the same. mine is a mustard colored felt).
- cut out that shape. make sure all the lines match up correctly!
- making sure that the right sides of the fabric are facing each other, sew along the edge after backstitching on your machine (duh) or knotting your thread (google it. i can’t explain it.)
- be sure to leave about an inch open to be able to do the next step and fill with stuffing
- flip your doll right side out (this takes some patience. it’s helpful to have scissors or knitting needles or long, skinny fingers with raptor like nails)
- stuff your doll full of stuffing. stuff it in there! make sure to use your scissors or knitting needles or raptor nails to stuff that stuffing into the smallest and furthest away corners!
- once it’s full to the gills, sew up the tiny hole.
- hug your new friend! and then pass it on to a little one who will love it for life!
also, did you notice how the design on my fabric lines up just so, well, anatomically? this was completely unintentional but i’m tickled with how it turned out: the doll has eyes, ears, cheeks, a nose, boobies, a belly button, and even a vibrant, flowering…vagina! i will wait a number of years before i point that one out to ramona.
- print out heart templates from here (print on cover stock or trace computer paper cut-outs onto a heavier paper and cut out).
- trace hearts on sheets of felt. cut out. (i used 12 paper sized sheets i bought from fancy tiger).
- sew hearts together in a color pattern (or random like me) of your choice. tip: sew from top down not from point up.
- hang with tape (or tie around small nails or pushpins) from windows or mantle or framed prints or blank wall. whatever you prefer!
tip: i would suggest sewing one long garland and then cutting-to-size as you decorate so you can have more control over length. i just sewed 10 on each strand without much thought to length and now they are all different lengths. this is fine and i’m happy about how it turned out but if i was to do it again i would try to make them a little more uniform.
what valentine’s projects are you working on? do you have posts or photos? send me the link! i’d love to check them out.
welcome
