Many small children, boys and girls, enjoy having a special doll or buddy to carry around and play with. Even with the stigma attached to doll play in boys, they can still provide a great opportunity to increase creativity and imaginative play. With that in mind, you may want to provide your child with a doll that they will feel comfortable playing with. Creating a life size buddy doll for your child is the answer.
Materials Needed
1. Enough muslin or cotton fabric to trace your child
2. Fiber fill stuffing, cotton, or rags
3. Yarn for the hair
4. Old clothing
5. Permanent fabric markers for the face
6. Sewing machine and thread
Creating the Doll’s Body
In order to create the life-size buddy doll’s body, you need to fold the muslin or cotton fabric in half and have your child lay down on it with their legs and arms spread slightly. The fabric should be a color that closely matches your child’s skin tone. With a washable fabric marker, trace close around your child’s body and head. Try not to make lumps for clothing.
Once your child is traced, have them stand up and re-sketch any areas that look odd shaped. It will be easier if you do not include individual fingers. Next, you want to cut out both layers of the body fabric.
To sew the life-sized buddy doll, simply use your machine to follow around the outline that you traced, leaving a hole for stuffing. If you want the doll to be jointed, stuff the lower legs and lower arms first and then stitch across at the elbow and knee. Do the same at shoulders, hips, and waist. Stuff the whole body with fiberfill or batting firmly. Sew up the final hole by hand.
Making the Face and Hair
It is fun for your child to use the permanent markers to draw his or her own face on the doll. It might be helpful for a parent to sketch in the locations of the features as a guide. If you do not want a drawn face, you can sew on buttons or embroider the eyes, nose, and mouth.
The hair can be made from a skein of yarn. Pick a color that matches the hair of your child. You can either sew or glue the hair onto the dolls head.
Dressing the Life-Size Doll
It is fun to dress your child’s life-sized buddy doll in their old clothing. Clothing that your child has outgrown is great for this project. You can also purchase inexpensive clothing at thrift stores or flea markets. If you are skilled in sewing, you can easily whip up some simple pants, shirts, and dresses for the doll.
The life size buddy doll will become your child’s best friend toy quickly. Kids will have a thrill having a doll that looks just like them, and will be able to play with it in many ways. It is easy to create this buddy doll that will increase your child’s creativity and fun.
