Before summer slips into autumn, I thought it would be fun to design a peg doll mermaid. I used angel/girl 2 inch tall pegs dolls. I painted them with Lyra opaque watercolors. I’m finding it’s great to layer several colors while the paint is still wet, so that the colors run together.

Their tails are attached to the body of the doll with a 1/2 inch band. This band can be glued to the doll, or left loose, allowing the tail to be removed.

NOTE: Because of the small size of the this peg doll, this mermaid is only for children age 3 and older.

One of my mermaids is going to a school age child so I’ve chosen not to glue on the tail. The mermaid told me that sometimes, especially on Thursday, she likes to step out of her tail and hitchhike to school in a child’s pocket!! She’s very interested in geography!

The mermaids without their tails, waiting for a ride to school, in front of two arches of a Grimm’s Playful Blue Grotto puzzle toy.

Instructions To Make a Peg Doll Mermaid

Supplies

2 inch Angel/Girl/Women Wood Peg Dolls
Watercolor paints
Beeswax polish
Fine tip markers
Wool Felt
Embroidery thread
Wool roving and 1/8 inch ribbon if you want to add hair to the mermaid, felting needle and foam felting mat
Craft glue if desired

Instructions

Paint the peg doll and hair. Leave the face blank.
When the paint has tried, polish with beeswax polish. Allow to sit for an hour. Rub with a soft cloth (an old cotton sock is perfect) to remove the excess polish and give a mermaid a slight shine.
Using fine tip markers, give the mermaid eyes and a mouth.
Print the MERMAID PEG DOLL PDF pattern at 100% on your printer. Make sure the 1 inch gauge on your printed pattern measures 1 inch. Cut out the felt for the mermaid’s tail, fin and body band.
Embroider them as desired. I used french knots and an open daisy stitch
Sew the fin onto the tail. Then attach the tail to the body band, bringing the 2 ends of the body band to meet over the tail. Pin. Sew with simple over lapping stitches or a decorative design with embroidery thread.
Slip the band over the mermaid’s head and bring it down to where the tail can lie flat behind the mermaid. Blue to body if desired.
If adding roving for hair, pull off a piece of roving the desired length. At the center of the length of roving, gently felt a small section with the felting needle over the foam felting pad just until the strands of wool come together. Apply craft glue the felted section of the roving and glue it to the the mermaid’s head. Add a bow of 1/8 inch ribbon if desired.

Time to go to the beach! (Or to school, hidden in a pocket)!

Here’s a mermaid with painted hair,. I think she is every bit as sweet as the mermaids with roving hair. And probably better for 3-5 year children.