The December theme for Whiplash is gifts & decorations. Here’s my entry..
I wanted to make this sweet girl something special for Christmas.
I was inspired to try a handmade doll by Martha Stewart’s Handmade Holiday Gifts magazine but I wasn’t wild about the body of the doll they had the pattern for. I did some searching on line & looked at lots of different dolls & patterns & I liked the legs from one, body from another & face embroidery ideas from others. I finally sketched out this pattern.
Then I cut it out of ivory cotton jersey and sewed it up leaving an opening at the top of the head for stuffing which I whipstitched shut after stuffing.
I embroidered on a very simple face and sewed on hair using Nashua Julia yarn.
The hair is styled & tacked down all the way around with matching embroidery floss to prevent it from being pulled off. It also hides the back of the embroidery. One layer of hair is not tacked down so it looks like she has long loose hair.
Little black ballet flats were painted on with fabric paint.
Then the fun part came, making her outfits with sewing and knitting
This is her school outfit. The sweater is knit from Knit Picks Merino dk and the skirt is sewn from a cotton remnant I had. It has an elastic waist to come off easily.
Here is her play outfit. The cardigan is knit from Debbie Bliss Merino dk & has snaps for the closure. The jeans are from scrap denim.
Finally her party outfit. The top is knit from cotton & has a picot edging around the neck & sleeves. The skirt is made from taffeta & has an elastic waist.
Everything was put in a bright pink box that the doll could be stored in along with her wardrobe. 
According to mom, doll and baby have already had a chat & are on the way to becoming fast friends.
© 2005 – 2011 Kathy Lewinski & Susan Cornish
Wow! What a lucky little girl…
You did a great job! I suspect it will be a treasured item for the rest of her life!
(((hugs)))
what a cute doll, and I really like that she has lots of clothes to dress her up with, that is nice. all she is missing is a little handbag or school bag!? maybe. 🙂
Oh, she’s wonderful!
Hanna, a bag would be cool, but not a good idea for a child so young — choking hazard, ya know? (mom moment over…)
Oh my goodness, that is the sweetest doll & wardrobe that I’ve ever seen. A very special present for a very special little girl.
Wow. I’m 19 and I want one.
What an amazing handmade gift! It turned out so well! I’ll have to file this away as an idea to try one day.
very adorable… lucky girl to get a hand crafted doll… she will love it forever!
Very, very cool doll with great instructions. You make me feel like I could do this!
I love the purple outfit 🙂
thanks everyone for all the great comments. this was so much easier than i thought. i can’t wait to try making some boy dolls perhaps for my twin nephews.
Wow! That’s incredible! Look at all those amazing outfits too. What a very special gift.
This is completely adorable.
So, so cute.
The outfits are just lovely. And I love the idea of the special box.
I think boy dolls for boys is a fabulous idea. I have been thinking that my little guy needs a doll. Thank you for the inspiration.
I’m already dreaming up the outfits for the boy dolls so i have to do a set of girl twins & a set of boy twins by may.
I love all of the different outfits you made!