Move over Paper Dolls, Hello Cloth Dolls!!

Pinterest will never let me down when I'm ready to do a new project. The kids are back in school and I'm a little bored during the day. I have thought about doing paper dolls in the past, but I know my youngest and she's a Captain Destructo and the dolls and clothing wouldn't last long. I came across this Cloth "Paper Doll" Tutorial. I decided to shrink the templates down by 25%. The finished dolls ended up 7.5" tall. I also did away with their thumbs, since the dolls are smaller I figured it would be easier to sew around a flat hand. I started out with two dolls for my daughters but because they were so easy I made some for my young nieces. 

My girls and I have made 8 dolls so far. After completing this first batch, there are a few things I would change. Next time I'll use a darker felt on the darker dolls along with black Velcro instead of white to hide the stitching. Since I reduced the template size I was able to find 2" Velcro at a local craft store that fit perfectly. The Velcro came on a spool and I was able to get what length I needed and only had to purchase the plastic side instead of both sides.

 Each niece will receive a doll that looks like them, plus two pajamas, two skirts, two pants, two dresses, three tops, and one leotard. Because my nieces are all under four years old I decided not to make shoes, I know their mothers will thank me.

This is a great project, especially if you have a tote full of scraps like I do.