Dollar Store Santa Dollies--Part 1

If you are a dollar store shopper, you may well recognize these little girls--they seemed to be just the thing for my Sub-for-Santa project this Christmas! I'm making them each two outfits, a blanket, a bib, a diaper, and a diaper bag to carry everything in--my challenge to myself is to make them as inexpensively as possible. but more about that later!


The tiny sleepers are made from some of my granddaughters' outgrown infant sleepers. I had fun following Care's excellent tutorial 'Baby Clothes to Doll Clothes' at ObsessivelyStitching.blogspot.com, found here.

When the jammies were finished, I wondered what I might make with the remaining fabric, and realized the babies needed matching hats--here is how I made them.

We'll do some very simple pattern drafting! You can DO this, it's easy. And just think--you can then casually mention the pattern you drafted! You will need:

-Knit fabric scraps
-Scissors
-Pencil
-Paper
-Ruler
-Measuring tape
-Sewing machine and thread

1. Measure the circumference of the doll's head. Divide this by two, and use this measurement. Draw two parallel lines this distance apart on your paper. (Your ruled, clear quilting ruler would make this easy.) These are the side seams.

2. Draw a curve at one end, slightly shallower than the curve of Dolly's head. This the crown of the hat.

3. Measure from the crown of your doll's head, down her face to her lips. This will be the hem fold line. Measure it out on your pattern from the top of the curve you made, and make a line across. Mark it 'fold line'. (See chart).

4. Now measure the side of the hat ABOVE the fold line to just below the curve--on my pattern this is 2", on yours it will probably be different. The wide hem allows you to turn up the cuff.

5. Mark the cutting line this same distance BELOW the fold line.

6. Mark a 1/4" seam allowance on the edges except the bottom cutting line. Your pattern is complete! Cut it out.

To make the hat:


1. Place two scraps of your knit fabric right sides together. (I'm using leftover sleeves.) Pin on your pattern, making sure the stretch of the fabric goes ACROSS the pattern piece. Cut.


2. Sew around the sides and curve, using your 1/4" seam allowance.

3. Carefully pin up the hem on the fold line you established.


4. Machine stitch the hem close to the cut edge. This may seem tricky if your hat is small--just keep pulling the seam out straight in front of the presser foot, sewing a short distance at a time.


5. You're finished! You shouldn't even need to clip the curves on a this stretchy knit. Turn the hat right side out, turn up the brim, put it on your doll!

More about the Santa Dolly project later.