Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Doll Making

Aliza pulled out the book titled "365 Things to Do and Make" and I knew I was doomed. That book makes me twitch. Aliza has marked various projects and she set her sights on this cloth doll. I wasn't really surprised seeing as how we are reading the Little House on the Prairie series and she read another pioneer book at the end of the school year.

I would have given myself the Mom of the Day award except that I had a horrible attitude about the whole thing. Aliza begged and pleaded and hounded me until I relented and did it. I'll be the first to tell you though it was a team effort with Jeremy. I can sew and Jeremy can draw. I cannot draw...at all.

Jeremy drew the doll pattern on a tshirt. I cut it out...
...and stitched around it.
Then I stuffed it with the only thing I had for stuffing--cotton balls. As many as I could stuff in there!
(Then we made Aliza wait until the next day.) Jeremy drew the pattern for the dress. I cut it out...and sewed around it. I did not hem the neck, arms or bottom. I guess I'm just not a perfectionist like that and the material was not fraying.
I put it on the doll and tied a ribbon around the waist.
I called it perfection. Aliza wanted a face and hair. I told her she had to wait a week before she drew a face that she would regret on the doll. And I had no idea how I was going to attach yarn hair to that head. Anyway, I like it just the way it is and for 3 days now Aliza has carried that doll (named Caroline) with her everywhere.

Now I don't regret making it and hopefully Aliza won't remember that I had a bad attitude!

1 comment:

Christy said...

You can use hot glue and just glue yarn on to make hair. Cut yarn twice as long as thehhair length you want, fold it in half, and glue the folded part to the doll's head. If you do three or so pieces of yarn at a time, that will work too and will go faster. Good luck! And with the face, have her practice on scrap cloth a few times to get the hang of drawing on fabric. :-) and don't be so hard on yourself...you're awesome.