A young friend of my asked for a tiny Waldorf type doll. I haven’t made any dolls for a couple years and was actually thinking about making a twelve to thirteen inch doll just for the fun of doing it. Tiny dolls are a real challenge, just because they are so small. I had designed a pattern a few years ago, so it was just a matter of gathering up some scrap doll cloth and knuckling down to work.
I did solve one of my long-standing issues making doll bodies. Because the doll is tiny, I decreased the length of the zig-zag stitch I use to sew the doll skin. In the past I’ve never liked how the stitches showed when I stuffed the doll with wool roving. I stuffed this baby tighter than I usually do, and the stitches did exactly what they are supposed to do—held tight and stayed out of sight! One problem solved for any future doll I make!
Being so small, I wasn’t able to do my typical eye shape. While I’m not super thrilled with these eyes, that’s who she decided to be! I would make her legs a tad longer if I ever make another tiny baby doll. Not sure that I ever will!
Here is a gallery of the doll and her clothes. (The backdrop for these photos are blocks from my version of Cheryl Arkison’s Quilters Playcation Adventure Sew Along 2024—Rainbow edition).
Here’s link to photos of the tiny Waldorf type doll that I made in 2020. The clothes have definitely improved since then! It’s really hard to sew clothing this small! I had to go back and re-sew several seams because they fabric didn’t catch well in the stitching.
