Doll Rehab - Part 1

Some little girls are doll people, and some are just not.

Andrea is a doll person. By doll people, I mean those little girls that are so into dolls. She has a LOT of dolls, and she remembers all of their names. She remembers which accessories came with which doll ("Mommy, that is not Smurfette's brush, that brush belongs to Dora!!"). And she even made up stories about which dolls are friends with which (Ariel, the Little Mermaid, is friends with brunette Barbie and apparently, they live under the sea in General Santos City in the Philippines, as I heard Andrea narrating the story one morning).

Now, Helaena, my niece and Andrea's permanent playmate, is NOT a doll person. I don't understand how two little girls who have been playing together almost everyday since Andrea was born evolved into 2 different little people... but I guess that's how it goes. Given this, Helaena's dolls have been a little neglected.

However, last October, Helaena received a Doctor playset and since then, she has been playing with one of her dolls all the time and carrying it around everywhere. By this time though, the little baby doll has lost her pajamas ("I don't remember where I put them, Tita Janelle." Helaena, when asked where her doll's clothes were), and she has gotten a little grimy ("I do clean it!! I just can't get the dirt out." My sister, on being asked why Helaena is playing with a dirty doll).

I asked Helaena if I can borrow "Emily" (Andrea named Helaena's dolls a year ago, after she learned they don't have any names) for a few days so I can make her some clothes. She agreed. And so last Monday, Emily came home with Andrea and I got to work.

I forgot to take a photo of Emily before I started working on her... the "Before" photo was taken after I already scrubbed Emily with soap, water and a wash cloth.

Elements from: Mi Casa collaboration kit by Bee Creations and Digiscrapange

And of course I had to make a layout for this because we all know I have too much time on my hands right? *chokes*

Anyway, after cleaning her, I crocheted a dress for her using Maxine Gonser's Angel Wings Pinafore pattern. I had to adjust the pattern to make it smaller. I added sleeves to cover her arms, and I made matching pants to cover her legs.

Here's a closer view of the dress:

I also made her "hair bonnet" like the one I made for Bonnie last year.

"Emily" is going home to Helaena today! Andrea has been a little jealous of the dress I made for Emily so I promised her I'll make one for Isabella too. Isabella is Andrea's first baby doll that we bought the day before she was confined to the hospital for the first time when she was a year old:

Remember this?

When I noticed that she loves this doll so much, I asked daddy to go back to the mall to get her another one in blue, so they can be her "Super Babies" like Dora's brother and sister. Hence, we named them "Isabella" and "Guillermo" after the Super Babies.

Anyway, Isabella and Guillermo are looking a little worn after 2 years of playing with Andrea so I told Andrea we will make them new clothes next.

Part 2 coming soon!

Bonnie's 'Hair' Bonnet

I am FINISHED!

• 7 crocheted hats (including the ones for the dolls)
• 1 pair of crocheted booties

It might not look like much but those projects took me quite a while to finish. I can't wait to share pictures of some of the stuff I made for gifts but I don't want the recipients to accidentally stumble onto my blog entry and ruin the surprise so I will be sharing them after Christmas.  They are already posted on my Ravelry account though. So if you are on Ravelry, please visit me!

Here's one of the projects that I can share though.

I made a hat for Bonnie, my daughter's other doll that burps when you tap her back, and says "Mama!" and "Dada!" when you press her hands. And the dress? It's the same one I made for Lizzie, it just gets passed around for both dolls since it fits them both. I really need to make more clothes for her dolls.

What's so special about this hat is that it comes with 'hair'... because you see, Bonnie is a baby doll that came to us wearing pajamas and a bonnet and without any hair.

Hello there!

But since she's all grown up now (according to Andrea), she needs to have more hair (according to Andrea too... she's 2 years old, where does she get these ideas???). I initially wanted to make her another bear hat, because that has braids... but I have already made several other bear hats since the time I posted about it to give away as gifts in a span of a few days and to be honest, I wanted to try something new.

Without a design in mind, I set about making the hat. I didn't use a pattern for this. I just kept fitting it on Bonnie's head until I was happy with the width and length of the hat. I wanted to make it 'girly' so I added scalloped edges. To make the scalloped edges, change your hook to one size smaller than the one you used for your hat and:

Row n+1 (where n is the last row on your hat): YO (if you are using different color yarn, if not, and still using the same yarn,  skip to Chain 1), Chain 1, *SC and HDC on one stitch, HDC and SC on next stitch*, scallop made. Repeat * until you have covered the edge of the hat in scallops.

 I also added a flower using this pattern on Ravelry (I think you have to be logged in to view the pattern). Then comes the fun part, adding the hair! My method was a little rudimentary: 

STEP 1: I  held a piece of yarn at the back of Bonnie's head where the hat meets the nape;

STEP 2: Stretched the yarn to the length I want Bonnie's hair to be and then doubled that length and cut the yarn. 

STEP 3: I then cut more pieces of yarn of the same length as that first piece. The number of pieces you need will depend on how think you want the hair to be. 

STEP 4: Then I attached it to the hat from the side, to the back, to other side, like this:

I bunched my yarn pieces in groups of 3... then using a large crochet hook, I  inserted one end from the inside of the hat through one of the stitches at the bottom.. and then inserted the end again on the next stitch. 

STEP 5: Repeat until all your yarn pieces are hanging from the hat. 

STEP 6: Then part 'hair' in the middle, and secure with pony tails. Yep, the only thing securing the hair to the hat is the pony tail holder. 

I used non-slip pony tail holders for Bonnie's Hat to make sure Andrea does not accidentally undo the pony tail and pull out all of Bonnie's 'hair'. I was so excited about this after I finished because I couldn't wait to make more 'hair' hats for Bonnie! I'm already working out several ideas in my head.

Linking up to the following parties:

Made by You Monday at Skip to My Lou | Handmade Tuesdays at Ladybug Blessings | Making Mondays Marvelous at C.R.A.F.T. |

Matching Dresses

Remember the Anna Dress I made for my daughter? Well... I made another one.

  

For her doll :) She doesn't have a name. Andrea just calls her 'Baby Doll'. 

A closer look.

The buttons in front are just aesthetic. The opening is actually at the back. The back opens from top to bottom and I used Velcro on both sides to close it.  

I am linking up to the following parties:

Craft-O-Maniac Monday at Craft-O-Maniac | Making Monday Marvelous at C.R.A.F.T | Motivate Me Monday at Keeping it Simple | Craftastic Monday at Sew Can Do | A Round Tuit @ Creating My Way to Success | Just Something I Whipped Up at The Girl Creative | Amaze Me Monday at Dittle Dattle | A Marvelous Mess at Marvelously Messy | Think Pink Sundays at Flamingo Toes | Pink Hippo Party at Pinkapotamus | Sundae Scoop at I heart Naptime | Sunday Showcase at Under the Table and Dreaming | Not Baaad Sundays at Lamb Around | Market Yourself Monday at Sumo's Sweet Stuff | Take-A-Look Tuesdayt at Sugar Bee Crafts | Handmade Tuesday at Ladybug Blessings | Tuesday To-Do Party at The Blackberry Vine | Homemade Projects at Tip Junkie | Link Party at Running with Glitter | Get Your Craft On at Today's Creative Blog | Tuesday Confessional Link Party at Confessions of a Stay at Home Mommy | Cure for Common Monday at Lines Across My Face | Your Whims Wednesday at My Girlish Whims | Show Me What Ya Got at Not JUST a Housewife |

Meet Ada

Ada is a woodland fairy, inspired by Tinker Bell, and made using the Babushka Doll template I posted a while back.

I used felt so I didn't add seam allowances to the pattern. And then I free-handed her dress, made her a small belt, and added wings. 

I stitched some design to the wings before I attached it... though the design got a little messed up when I sewed all parts together.

Like Stella, I finished Ada a while back and she's all wrapped, tagged and ready to be dropped soon! Ada is going to be the last "friend" I will introduce to you for a while because I ran out of stuffing and I currently have no idea where to find more :-/ I found the pack of stuffing I've been using last year, Christmas time, at the Christmas decor section at a bookstore because some people shred it and put on Christmas trees and other decor to make it look like snow. I bought 2 packs and I've used up all of them. I need to find polyester stuffing first before I can make more toys :(

I am linking to the following parties:

Link Party at Tea Rose Home | Show and Tell at Blue Cricket Designs | We Did It Wednesday at Sew Much Ado | Whatever Goes Wednesday at Someday Crafts | Strut Your Stuff at Somewhat Simple | Creative Juice at Momnivore's Dilemma | Get Your Brag On at Gluesticks | It's a Party at A Creative Princess | Show and Share at Southern Lovely | Think Pink Sunday at Flamingo Toes | Sundae Scoop at I Heart Naptime | Sunday Showcase Party at Under the Table and Dreaming | Not Baad Sunday at Lamb Around | Just Something I Whipped Up at The Girl Creative | Motivate Me Monday at Keeping it Simple | A Round Tuit at Creating My Way to Success | Craftastic Monday at Sew Can Do | A Marvelous Mess at Marvelously Messy | Market Yourself Monday at Sumo's Sweet Stuff | Made By You Monday at Skip to My Lou | Inspire Me Monday at Singing Three Little Birds | Ta-Da Tuesday at Mommy by Day Crafter by Night | Handmade Tuesdays at Lady Bug Blessings | Tuesday Party at Running with Glitter | Tuesday To Do Party at The Blackberry Vine | Get Your Craft On at Today's Creative Blog | Tuesday Confessional at Confessions of a Stay at Home Mommy |

Babushka Cloth Doll

I'm making toys! They're for a little 'project' I'm still cooking up. I don't want to give away details until the plans are a little more concrete. But for now, I am showing you some Babushka cloth dolls I made last night. And I prepared templates and a little tutorial so you can try this too!

I was able to finish 2 dolls last night. These are around 6 inches tall and the sewing part only took a few minutes. And it only requires small pieces of fabric so I was able to use some from my scrap pile. The hardest part for me was trying to design the faces.

To make these, you will need:

• A template, available for download below.
• Some scrap fabric (soft fabric, like the one I used for the pink doll, works better)
• Small piece of felt for the face
• Something to use for stuffing (I used polyester)
• Small pieces of felt, fabric or other items to decorate the faces
• Fabric glue or glue gun
• Sewing machine

Step 1: Download the template and resize according to your preference. Print and cut out.

To download: Click on the image to load full size. Once full size image is displayed, right click and select Save As to save the template to your computer.

Step 2: Cut out the fabric pieces using the template as guide. Please remember to add seam allowances since I didn't add the seam allowance to the template.

Cut fabric, with seam allowances.

Step 3: Put the hood part over one piece of the main body. Both right sides facing outward. And then put the second piece of the main body over the hood, right sides facing inside. Wrong sides must be facing out. Sew around the sides leaving the bottom open.

Step 4: Turn right side out.

Step 5: You can choose to iron to set the seams... or if you are lazy like me and if the cloth you are using is soft, you can proceed with stuffing your doll with your choice of stuffing.

Step 6: Sew the opening shut.

Step 7: Decorate the face. I didn't include templates for the face because I didn't use any. I used felt to cut shapes for the hair and mouth, beads for the eyes and black thread for the eyelashes for the pink doll, googly eyes for the black and yellow doll (which I don't like so much).

Step 8. Use fabric glue or glue gun to attach the face to the doll.

I gave them to Andrea this morning to see if she will like them (though they aren't really for her) and she does. I'll see if she still likes them by the end of the day. If she, does then I guess she can keep them. I can make more. She calls them 'babies' and that gave me an idea for another doll *wink*. 

Looking at them after I was done, they remind me a little of the characters from Higglytown Heroes because they are nesting dolls as well. I'll check out the characters in detail for inspiration when I make more. Because I might need more for my 'project'. 

Have you checked out my interview with PC for Creating Success Around the World yet? You should check it out. PC is really a talented lady. And if you haven't linked up to the blog hop yet, you have 5 more days to meet other creative bloggers. Hope to see you there!

I am linking up to the following parties:

Link Party at Tea Rose Home | Sugar & Spice at Seven Thirty Three | Whatever Goes Wednesday at Someday Crafts | Hoo's Got Talent at Night Owl Crafting | Wicked Awesome Wednesday at Handy Man, Crafty Woman | Strut Your Stuff at Somewhat Simple | Creative Juice Thursday at Momnivore's Dilemma | Get Your Brag On at Gluesticks | Thrilling Thursday at Paisley Passions | Free for All at Young and Crafty | Think Pink Sundays at Flamingo Toes | K.I.S.S. at The Tattered Tag | Sundae Scoop at I heart Naptime | Sunday Showcase at Under the Table and Dreaming | Not Baaad Sundays at Lamb Around | Craft-O-Maniac Monday at Craft-O-Maniac | Making Monday Marvelous at C.R.A.F.T. | Just Something I Whipped Up at The Girl Creative | Craftastic Monday at Sew Can Do | Motivate Me Monday at Keeping it Simple | A Round Tuit at Creating My Way to Success  | Amaze Me Monday at Dittle Dattle | A Marvelous Mess at Marvelously Messy | Made By You Monday at Skip to My Lou | Market Yourself Monday at Sumo's Sweet Stuff | Handmade Tuesdays at Ladybug Blessings | Take-a-Look Tuesday at Sugar Bee Crafts | Tutorial Tuesday at Hope Studios | Sew Cute Tuesday at Creative Itch | Show Me What Ya Got at Not JUST a Housewife | Tuesday To-do Party at The Blackberry Vine | Tip Me Tuesday at Tip Junkie | Tuesday Party at Running With Glitter | Confessional Link Party at Confessions of a Stay at Home Mommy |

Circle Skirt Dress for Barbie

Last Sunday, amidst all the rush to finish my Mother's Day projects (i.e. the Satin and Tulle flower for my mom's blouse, and the matching rosettes headbands for Andrea and me) before we had to leave the house, I decided to squeeze in a simple dress for Barbie. 

I used the leftover jersey fabric from my Kimono Dress that I turned into a skirt. I made a Circle Skirt from Dana's tutorial at Made. And then I made the top using Delia's tutorial for the Paper Bag Dress... only you know... I made it shorter because it will only be a top and I tapered toward the waist because I wanted the top part loose but not too loose. And then I attached the skirt to the top. I sewed this by hand... I have no idea how to sew something so small using my sewing machine.

After I sewed both halves together, I cut a slit at the back of the top so that Barbie can put it on and take it off easily. I sewed on a sort of flap on one side of the slit so I can attach the Velcro. But since the fabric is small and a little flimsy, things went haywire when I tried to sew it on using the sewing machine...

Please don't be jealous of my sewing skills.

I was in a hurry at the time so I didn't fix it... but I will *sigh*. The belt is actually a black piece of satin ribbon tied at the back. 

And we have a conservative dress for Barbie (why do all Barbie clothes sold at the mall have to be clingy and tight fitting???). I wanted to make the skirt a little longer but I didn't have enough scrap fabric.

Paired with a woven doll's bag I bought somewhere for around P40 (or around $0.50)

Linking up to the following link parties:

Sew Cute Tuesday at Creative Itch | Handmade Tuesdays at Ladybug Blessings | Show Me What Ya Got at Not JUST a Housewife | We Did It Wednesday at Sew Much Ado | Show & Tell at Blue Cricket Designs | Your Whims Wednesday at My Girlish Whims | Hoo's Got Talent? at Night Owl Crafting | Will See It Wednesday at Fabric Bows and More | 

Barbie's Tutu Skirt

Sometime last year, I planned on making doll dresses for Andrea's dolls. I made a couple for the smaller ones, but after that, I totally forgot about it.

Yesterday, during my usual blog hop, I came across Andrea's blog: Addicted to Tutes. She made clothes for her daughter's Barbie dolls and the tutu skirt caught my eye. It's pretty and yet so simple!

I planned to try it when I got home so...

STEP 1: Get Andrea (my daughter) to sleep early so mommy can get some sewing time.

STEP 2: Find some scrap lace wide enough to be a skirt for Barbie and some thin elastic.

I wanted to make the skirt a little less see through so I added 4 layers of cream tulle underneath.

I wanted to finish quickly so I didn't prepare a detailed tutorial, but if you want one, please leave a comment on this post and I will prepare one next time Andrea (again, my daughter) goes to sleep early.

Here's my finished skirt:

Head on over to Andrea's (the blogger, hehe) blog to check out her other Barbie clothes. I plan to make some other clothes for Barbie soon.

Click here to go to Andrea's blog: Addicted to Tutes.

"Bye! Hope you all have a great day!"

Doll House Project: Traditional Wooden House

Two weeks ago I gave a preview of a project my husband was working on. I thought by the time I post about it, it will be 'finished', according to how I wanted it. Apparently, for my husband, it was already finished and refuses to let me touch it (aaarrggghh!!!). 

This is his 'finished' project:

It's a doll house made in the style of traditional wooden houses you will see in rural parts of the Philippines. It's also made from colored popsicle sticks... hence, the color (my husband said there weren't any unpainted popsicle sticks in the supermarket when he bought them). My husband built this from memory, from the house their ranch hands built in the cattle ranch his grandfather used to own when he was a little boy.

I have a photo of an actual house that looks like this from their farm in the southern Philippines but I can't find it. So I Googled around and found this image from Lonely Planet:

Philippine Traditional Wooden House (image from Lonely Planet)

This is how most houses in rural provinces in the Philippines look like. And in case you're wondering about bathrooms, some of these houses have basic bathrooms with a toilet bowl that flushes (though some require you to pour a bucket of water for it to flush). I said 'some'... not all.

I wanted to paint it to consider it 'finished' but Andrea seems to like it colorful so my husband won't let me touch it further.

Here are more photos of the doll house:

View of the side of the house.

View of the back and the kitchen/dining area.

See the counter in the kitchen area?

Chicken coop at the bottom of the house.

Those are skewer sticks used to cover the bottom of the house and the kitchen area. These houses are usually built on stilts and the bottom of the house can be used for storage, or used as an area for the pets. We're planning to get small plastic chickens for this doll house.

The roof can be removed to give access to the rooms inside.

Just 2 small rooms inside, the kitchen area, and the balcony.

Here's the thing. This house wasn't built to scale for any of Andrea's dolls so we're having a hard time thinking of furniture that will fit inside. My husband made a few furniture using popsicle sticks but they were too big for the house. Right now, Andrea seems to enjoy removing the roof and putting her small dolls inside.

And to give my husband credit, the house is still standing in spite of Andrea playing with it everyday (hooray for glue gun and glue sticks!). When she gets a little bigger, we'll get her a bigger doll house.

I'm linking up to the following link parties:

Free for All at Young and Crafty | K.I.S.S. at The Tattered Tag | Sundae Scoop at I Heart Naptime | Sunday Showcase Party at Under the Table and Dreaming | Not Baaad Sundays at Lamb Around | CraftOManiac Monday at CraftOManiac | Just Something I Whipped Up at The Girl Creative | Making Monday Marvelous at C.R.A.F.T | Craftastic Monday at Sew Can Do | Made With Love Monday at Sew Chatty | Motivate Me Monday at Keeping It Simple | A Round Tuit at Crafting My Way to Success | Inspire Me Monday at Singing Three Little Birds | Amaze Me Monday at Dittle Dattle | DIY Project Parade at The DIY Showoff | Think Pink Sundays at Flamingo Toes | Market Yourself Monday at Sumo's Sweet Stuff | Manic Monday Link Party at Sew Happy Geek | Take a Look Tuesday at Sugar Bee Crafts | Handmade Tuesdays at Ladybug Blessings | Tuesday To-do Party at The Blackberry Vine | Tip Me Tuesday at Tip Junkie | Tuesday Party at Running with Glitter | Get Your Craft On at Today's Creative Blog | Show Me What Ya Got at Not JUST a Housewife | Show and Tell at Blue Cricket Designs | Your Whims Wednesday at My Girlish Whims | Will See It Wednesday at Fabric Bows and More | Share the Wealth Wednesday at Laugh, Love, and Craft | We Did It Wednesday at Sew Much Ado | Wicked Awesome Wednesday at Handy Man, Crafty Woman | A Marvelous Mess at Marvelously Messy | Sugar & Spice at Seven Thirty Three | Whatever Goes Wednesday at Someday Crafts | Hoo's Got Talent at Night Owl Crafting | Strut Your Stuff at Somewhat Simple | Creative Juice at Momnivore's Dilemma | Get Your Brag On at Gluesticks | Thrifty Thursday at Saved By Love Creations | Wednesday Link Party at Tea Rose Home | A Crafty Soiree at Katie's Nesting Spot | Transformation Thursday at The Shabby Chic Cottage | Commercial Break Thursday at Suzy's Artsy Craftsy Sitcom | Thrilling Thursday at Paisley Passions | Catch a Glimpse at A Glimpse Inside | Feature Yourself Friday at Fingerprints on the Fridge | Friday Favorites with Inspiring Creations | Lovely Crafty Weekend at Lovely Crafty Home | Weekend Wrapup Party at Tatertots and Jello |

Andrea's "Dora" Weekend

Last weekend was "Mommy and Andrea's Girl Bonding Weekend". My husband attended this meeting/event which left me and Andrea alone at home (the nanny was there, but she was working on something else last weekend). While we were playing... Andrea kept asking me for "Dora"... which means she wanted me to play her "Dora the Explorer" DVD's. She's crazy about Dora... but I try to limit her TV-watching time. So I tried distracting her with her "Dora" dolls and books instead.

Dora the Explorer as Little Red Riding Hood

In spite of the costume, Andrea recognized this doll as Dora when she got it as a gift from one my aunts last Christmas. While Andrea was taking a nap, I got this idea to make new clothes for this Dora to make her look like... well... Dora :) The Dora that Andrea knows and loves that is. So I got to work.

First on my plate... Backpack! I already featured Backpack on my post yesterday, modeled by Barbie. Here it is again:

From a small piece of leftover fabric from an old t-shirt, a little red and yellow felt for the eyebrows and mouth, and plastic eyes.

This time, worn by Dora :)

Andrea loves that little Backpack! I haven't finished the rest of Dora's outfit yet. I will post again when Dora, the Little Red Riding Hood, looks like Dora the Explorer already :)

Hmmm... notice that bracelet on Dora's wrist? Looks very easy to do... all you need is a blue flower and yellow beads. So I got to work:

ta-dah!! Dora's bracelet!

And here's my little Dora wearing her new bracelet while playing.

Notice the outfit? That's a little something we did last Sunday. I dressed up Andrea as Dora the Explorer. At 15 months, she recognized the outfit. While I was dressing her up, she picked up her orange shorts and said "Dora!!!". Tsk, tsk... little fan girl!

She wore her Dora outfit to visit cousin Laena:

1) Pink t-shirt, check! 2) Orange shorts, check! 3) Yellow socks (i.e. yellow strip of fabric wrapped around her socks and secured with velcro), check! 4) Pink rubber shoes, check! 5) Blue flower bracelet, check! 5) Backpack, check! 6) Bangs... errr... Andrea has wavy hair and bangs won't work for her so let's skip this one :)

Good thing Dora's costume is simple and easy to put together from stuff we already have.

That Backpack she's wearing... it's store-bought. And it's not hers, it belongs to her cousin Helaena. We just borrowed it.

I've been checking the mall for a couple of months now for another one like it for Andrea but it's still out of stock.

With my little Dora :) (who wasn't in the mood for photos)

Well, that's it! I hope Dora fans out there enjoy our post. Bye-bye!

Great Weekend Finds: Doll Accessories

I just want to share some cute stuff I found at the grocery store last weekend.

Yep, you read that right... grocery store. See, the grocery store near our house has something like a general merchandise store on the 2nd floor. They carry stuff like clothes, shoes, bags, toys, scrap booking supplies, make-up, accessories, hardware items, school supplies, knick-knacks, kitchen items... you name it... they probably have it ;) So, when I do my grocery shopping on Saturday mornings, I usually browse around 2nd floor first. And last weekend... look what I found...

A pair of pink rubber shoes for Barbie for P25 (approx $0.50)

A small denim bag for P38 (approx $0.80)

A small body bag for P38 (approx $0.80)

I saw doll accessories being sold separately and they were cheap! The denim bag came in other colors: beige and olive green... but I only bought these 3. And there were other shoes that look like bulky rubber shoes which I don't really find pretty. I've been wanting to go back for the other bags though... maybe I will later. I've been collecting clothes for Andrea's dolls for a while now... waiting for the time that she will start appreciating them.

Inspired by my finds... I made a little something for Andrea that I know she will appreciate now...

 

 

Hmmm... does that backpack look familiar???

It's Dora's friend, "Backpack"!!!

More about "Backpack" on another post... this is just a preview :) Hope you all had a great weekend!

Felt Pucca "Doll"

My baby loves Pucca. But their time slot on the Disney Channel jumps from time to time so we don't really know when to tune in. One night last week, Andrea and I chanced upon Pucca while channel hopping on TV. When she saw Pucca appear, she broke into a big smile and yelled "Pucca!" (Andrea's first words are usually the names of her favorite cartoon characters). And a light bulb went off in my head... IDEA!

I made her a Pucca "doll"!

I'm saying "doll" with quote marks because I still keep trying to convince myself that it's a doll. It's a little flat, see... but Andrea likes it so all's good. I initially just wanted to make her a Pucca patch to sew on one of her shirts. After finishing the face, I can't find shirt to attach it to so I decided to make it into a doll instead.

Here's a simple how-to (this should work for other cartoon characters, as long as the parts are simple and not too complicated to cut):


You will need:

• 2 copies of a template: search for an image online, resize, and print 2 copies
• Different colored felt: red, black and cream for this one
• Sewing needle
• Matching thread: red, black and cream
• Marker
• Polyester stuffing

STEP 1: Find a template and print 2 copies. I used this one for mine:

STEP 2: Pin the template on the cream felt and cut. This will be the overall shape of your doll. Cut 2 pieces for the front and back.
STEP 3: Cut up the other printout into the different parts of the doll to use as pattern. Pin on corresponding color felt and cut. Here's a summary of "parts" for my Pucca doll (each "part" is labeled with a letter):

• Part A - 2 pieces
• Part B - 1 piece
• Part C - 1 piece
• Part D - 2 pieces
• Part E - 2 pieces
• Part F - 2 pieces
• Part G - 2 pieces

STEP 4: Put the front together. Using black thread, attach Part B, E and F to the first piece Part A. I used back stitch, sewing across all the edges of Parts B, E and F.
STEP 5: Attach the red shirt to the front using black thread. Using back stitch, I traced along the edges of the red shirt. I also sewed lines from the "shoulder" to the "hem" of the shirt to copy the original black lines of Pucca's shirt on my template.
STEP 6: Draw the face. I actually sewed thin strips of black felt for the eyes and brows and just drew the mouth. But looking back, I think you can just draw the whole face and it won't make much difference.
STEP 7: Repeat steps 4 and 5 for the back, this time, using Parts C and the 2nd piece of Part A.
STEP 8: Sew the front and back pieces together, I used blanket stitch for mine and I used the same color thread for the color of felt that it will be sewn on. Start with the left bun.
STEP 9: After stitching around the bun, stuff with polyester stuffing, then attach Part G using back stitch, sewing through front and back parts:

STEP 10: Repeat the process for the right bun.
STEP 11: Finish attaching the front and back parts of the head using blanket stitch and fill head with polyester stuffing. The reason my "doll" is flat because I couldn't stuff too much. It bulges when I do.
STEP 12: Close off the head part using back stitch, stitching between Parts B and D on the front:

STEP 13: Sew along the edges of the shirt and pants using blanket stitch to close. Remember to stuff the body with polyester as well before closing off all edges.

And that's a wrap!

Front of the "doll".

Back of the "doll".

I actually don't get why Andrea likes her. I guess because of the red shirt? My finished product kinda looks like a voodoo doll to me, but Andrea's face lit up when I showed it to her. Anyway, I plan to make her another one of a much cuter character next time.