How to Make a Rag Doll

Want to know how to make a rag doll?

I made this rag doll a few years ago but it's still in really good condition. I used shiny fabric so that's probably helped to keep it nice and clean looking. It's very tightly woven fabric too so will last longer and won't open up at the seams. It like taffeta. 

How to make a rag doll

I first drew out the outline of the doll on thin card. The doll is only stitched (hinged) at the armpits and top of the legs. I did make a similar doll before this one but as I stitched across the neck, the head was floppy. This doll has quite a wide neck that is well packed with stuffing to ensure it doesn't flop.

How to make a rag doll

The legs are straight down but they could have been hinged at the knee after the calf was stuffed. The arms are banana shaped to curve into the body slightly. The head was an oval shape with a wide neck. I only had two fabric parts...front and back.

How to make a rag doll

I pinned and stitched almost all the way around the outside, turned it the right way out and stuffed the legs. I then stitched across the top of the legs, stuffed the arms, stitched across the armpits and stuffed the head, neck and body. Then I stitched up, by hand, the entrance hole.

How to make a rag doll

I made the face after it was stuffed. It's a bit tricky but if you start off with a knot at the end of your thread then you can do it easilyenough. You'll need to do each stitch in the buttons with three moves...one to take the needle through to the back of the button, one to catch the fabric and another to point the needle back up through to the front of the button.

How to make a rag doll

The clothes were made using the original card cut-out but a little larger. The neckline wasn't very exciting so I made the ruffle. It's not removable as I pulled it to a ruffle on the doll and then hand stitched it to secure it. I also stitched the knickers to the doll.

How to make a rag doll

The hair was made using a big handful of wool all cut to equal lengths. I carefully laid it across the head in small sections and stitched at the centre parting as I went. I then scooped the hair together to form ponytails, tied the ponytails and stitched them to the doll.

How to make a rag doll

The dolly hat was made by cutting out a circle of fabric quite a bit larger than the doll's head. I stitched a very close zig-zag hemming stitch around the edge of the fabric and, as the fabric was thin, the stitching caused it to curl. I then ran a running stitch around the hat where you would normally put elastic and pulled the thread until the hat fit the head. I then tied it off and stitched over the running thread to secure the gathering and keep the hat firmly on the head.

If you want to show someone this doll you can send them this post by clicking on the social media buttons below or sharing THIS VIDEO.

DIY Handmade Dollhouse withThriftstore Furnishings and Hand Painted Wallpaper

Handmade Dollhouse

This DIY handmade dollhouse has been furnished with mostly charity shop (thriftstore) furniture and accessories, has been decorated with hand painted wallpaper and was made, by me, from solid plywood.

I didn't follow any instructions or use a template but made it up as I went along, as I often do. I made the sides first, then the base, then the roof eves, then the floors, then the dividing walls (with archways), then I fitted the back. 

The windows were salvaged from another dollhouse that was heading for the bin. I trimmed the front of the floor shelves and the front of the dividing walls with semi-circular wooden beading. The floors were varnished with clear varnish, the walls and ceilings were painted with ivory satinwood and the back walls were lined with hand painted wallpaper.


Handmade Dollhouse

Above is the attic, which is a music and dancing room, as well as a place to store typical loft items, such as a fishing rod, picnic hamper and tool box.

Everything above, apart from the Sylvanian family dolls, were bought from charity shops.


Handmade Dollhouse
This is a musical piano and it was bought new from Ebay, as was the cupboard and the piano stool.


Handmade Dollhouse
The little sofa was found in a charity shop as was the side table.

The drink and the cake on a plate were made by 'Crafty Lottie', my daughter.


Handmade Dollhouse
Down to the second floor and into the children's bedroom, which is packed with beds as there are so many Sylvanian families in this communal house! The furniture is mostly second hand apart from the bunk bed. The gold mattress is a gift bag with some bubble wrap inside.

The wallpaper was handmade by me. I'll make a post about how to make it soon.


Handmade Dollhouse
Still in the children's bedroom, you can see a tiny dice on the chest of drawers. This was a gift for my daughter from a man who knew she liked miniature things. Behind it is a packet of sweets, which were made by her using fimo and wrapped in cling film.

We have still got to make curtains for the house. We'll make another post and video when it's finished.


Handmade Dollhouse


Handmade Dollhouse
This is the adults' bedroom, although there isn't space for all of them!

All of the furniture is thrifted (bought at a charity shop) and painted by me.

My daughter also picked up several miniature make-up items, made a beaded necklace and made perfume bottles using large plastic beads and earrings.


Handmade Dollhouse
Here are two of the perfume bottles made by 'Crafty Lottie'. The blue one is made using a stud earring and a glass bead. The pink one is a large plastic cube shaped bead with two smaller plastic beads held in place using an earring wire with an end cap.


Handmade Dollhouse

Downstairs now and into the first floor bathroom with roll-top bath. Everything in the bathroom has either been picked up at a charity shop or made by hand.

The towel rack was made by me using pine plywood. The towels were made by me too by cutting up a cloth and stitching around the edges. Lottie made the bathmats, the perfume bottle and the dirty laundry basket, which is just part of a wooden curtain pole bracket painted gold. We're always looking at things we're about to throw away to see if we can make good use of them.


Handmade Dollhouse
The thrifted mirror was painted gold and stuck to the wall using Vaseline. The suction and surface tension keeps it up there and we can easily re-position it if we need to.


Handmade Dollhouse
The archway leads into the sitting room.


Handmade Dollhouse

A few of the men are lounging about in the sitting room, one here reading a magazine.


Handmade Dollhouse
Everything in the sitting room has been found in charity shops and flea markets.

The man on the sofa is on the phone not eating a carrot!


Handmade Dollhouse
The dog was just an ornament we owned that reminded us of a dog we had once had called Nessie, so she is now immortalised in our dollhouse. Her rug is a scrap of fluffy fabric.


Handmade Dollhouse
Down to the ground floor now and into the dining room. The dining table and chairs were thrifted and re-painted but the other furniture was bought off Ebay as was the green and white crockery in the dresser.


Handmade Dollhouse

There's a birthday party going on in the dining room and someone's been given a beautiful real pearl and blue glass necklace, made by Crafty Lottie!

Lottie also made the napkins and the napkin rings were thrifted beads from a charity shop necklace.


Handmade Dollhouse
Through the archway, you can see one of the mummies working hard in the kitchen while taking care of the baby in the pram and the toddler on the tricycle. Such a hard-working multi-tasker!


Handmade Dollhouse
Into the kitchen now, the last room in this handmade dollhouse.

One of the mummys (there's a few!) is doing yet more baking in her thrifted kitchen. She never stops!

The crockery was bought on Ebay as were the pans but most other things were thrifted or made by hand.


Handmade Dollhouse
On the dresser shelves there is a bowl of donuts, made with Fimo, a bowl of eggs, also made of Fimo and some freshly made bread and a bowl of grapes.

Just out of the oven is a plate of chocolate Fimo biscuits. Yummy!


Handmade Dollhouse

The three 'cans' on the right are the metal ends of pencils.

That's it for now from our handmade dollhouse...but we will keep working on it and will make another post when we feel it's finished. If you enjoyed our dollhouse tour, please share this post by clicking the share buttons at the bottom, or you can just share the video we made HERE.

Make a Marionette Puppet out of a Doll

Make a Marionette Puppet out of a Doll

Handy Lady takes you through the steps in the video below, from choosing the right type of doll, making clothes, making the controls, attaching the marionette strings and operating the doll. The only change I would make to the video instructions is to not put glass pebbles into the shoes. This made the feet too heavy and I ended up removed the shoes to take out the pebbles. 

Watch the video below to find out how to make a marionette puppet out of a doll...