Mini-Me fabric dolls

Published: Thursday, 22 March 2018

I've always had a soft spot in my heart for handmade toys... fabric toys, wooden toys, chrochet toys. There's a sort of vintage charm about them. When Emma was born I sewed loads of toys for her. Of course, fabric toys are perfect for babies because they're soft, easy for tiny hands to grab, and fully washable. But they certainly aren't just for babies.

I'd been thinking about giving these fabric dolls a try for a while (there are so many examples and ideas in the internet world!), but then again, I always have a long list of things I want to try my hands at. I usually need an excuse to make something new. And this time the excuse was a birthday party.

Emma has birthday parties nearly every weekend, and almost always the gifts we give are handmade. It's fun for me to create something custom and personalized, and Emma has fun discussing ideas and colour combinations that she feels her friends would love.

This time the birthday girl was one of her BFFs (in her own words). We sat on the couch brainstorming gift ideas, and then I remembered about these dolls. I could make a mini-version of her friend. Perfect! And better yet, she recently got a new baby sister. I could make a tiny baby doll to go along. Double perfect!

It was to be expected that as soon as Emma saw me making a doll for her friend, she'd want one for herself, too. And since Valentine's Day was just around the corner... well, there are just too many good excuses.

For the basic doll, I followed Make it & Love it pattern, you can find it here (I adapted the pattern pieces a bit). Then it was just a matter of getting creative. Working on all the little details was the most fun... the different hair styles, accessories like bows and hairbands, and personal details (like my daughter's glasses).

There are nearly endless ways you can customize these dolls: change the hair colour, make a dress instead of a skirt (or shorts, or pants), change the shoe style (what about sneakers?), or switch genders altogether. Now I'm thinking I should make a hipster bearded dude doll for my husband. EEEK!

For the baby doll I drafted a basic pattern, just a simple rounded shape for the head and body (no arms or legs). Since I wanted the "big sister" to be able to hold the "baby sister" in her arms, I added an elastic loop at the back of the baby doll (you can see it in the pictures below).

To add a little extra custom touch, I sewed a tiny heart on the dolls' bottoms and embroidered their initials... "C + V" for the new sisters, and "E" for my daughter.

I am possibly the worst embroiderer on the internet, but that will never stop me. HA!