Stamped Fabric Dolls

Stamp a girl on a piece of solid-colored fabric using StazOn ink. Make sure you leave enough room on the side to fold the excess fabric over the girl, as that will form the back of our doll. I’m also adding a pink bow to one of my doll’s hair.

Stamp a dress for your doll out of a piece of patterned fabric. Carefully cut out the dress.

Add a bit of Fray Check around the edges of the dress to prevent fraying. Fray Check does contain alcohol, and that can make your ink smudge if you’re not careful. So add a very small amount and be sure to keep it along the edge. Allow it to dry. (You could also use clear nail polish for this.)

A little bit of fabric glue is useful for holding the dress in place as you sew. A regular gluestick would work for this, too.

Sew the dress to the girl, just inside the stamped edge.

If you want to further embellish the doll, do it now. You can add rhinestones, brads, or buttons.

Fold the fabric in half, right-sides together, to cover the stamped image. Sew ¼ inch away from the image. Leave a 1.5-inch hole along one side for turning the doll right side out. You can use a sewing machine, or you can do this by hand with a standard running stitch.

Trim around the doll, ¼ inch away from your stitches. Turn right side out through the hole.

Stuff with Poly-Fill stuffing. (If you don’t want to buy a whole bag, you might consider recycling an unused stuffed animal for the filling.)

 Hand-sew the opening shut using a ladder stitch. To do this, tie a knot in the end of the thread and pull the needle up through the fabric so the knot is hidden inside the hole. Make a horizontal stitch in the fabric along one side of the opening. Pull the thread, then make a horizontal stitch on the opposite side of the opening. Pull the thread and repeat to create nearly invisible stitches.

Paper Dolls

If sewing isn’t your thing, you can also make cute paper dolls with these stamps.

Stamp the girl on card stock, and several dresses on patterned paper. Use Contact Paper or lamination to protect the pieces. You could also use clear packing tape for this.

Add self-adhesive Velcro tabs to the girl and to the dresses. Now you can change her outfits!

Home Sweet Home

Does your doll need a home? Take a look around for items you can repurpose. I turned this staple box into a cozy bed, and a cardboard box into a house. Consider a tea tin, a large matchbox, or a small suitcase.

If you’re feeling ambitious, check out my video tutorial for a Fabric Dollhouse.

This is one of those projects where you can really use your imagination.  And for the cost of one stamp set and an ink pad, you could make a whole collection of these little cuties! Visit aha-arts.com to purchase.

Click here to find more toy sewing tutorials!