Hey, guys – it’s Katie here! It’s been a good little while, hasn’t it? Well, today I’m here to share one of my favorite handmade ideas for kiddos. Are you familiar with Matchbox Dolls? They are exactly what they sound like: dolls in matchboxes. These dolls are some of the quickest and easiest gifts to give to young ones when you’re looking for something with a lot of heart. I’ve made these for young ones in my life for years (even before I had kids) and they are a hit every time!
Supplies:
-3-4 different fabrics for doll body, inner ears, sleep sack, and pillow
-Poly-fil or cotton stuffing and chopstick
-needle and thread
-matchbox
-scissors
-craft glue or tape
-doll template (Download Matchbox Bunny Template)
-paper of your choice for outside of matchbox
Are we ready to get started? Great! First, download and print out the doll template. Use the pattern to cut out your doll fabric. You will need two pieces because we are going to sew them together!
Once your fabric has been cut, grab your needle and thread and begin whipstitching around the outside of the doll body. (Here is an example of whipstitch if you need a refresher.) Before you finish sewing all the way around, use your chopstick to stuff the body. Close it up, and let’s begin the next step!
Moving on to the ears, cut out ears from the same fabric you used for the body. Cut out two additional ear pieces using the contrasting fabric and place them on top of the first ear pieces. I like to use a little craft glue on this step so the ears are a little bit easier to sew. Plus, an added bonus is that it keeps your fabric from fraying if you use cotton quilting fabric like I did. Let your glue dry. Then whipstitch all the way around one ear. Sew it to the front of the doll, as shown above. Repeat on the other ear.
Now, let’s give this little bunny a face! If you know how to French knot, this is your time to shine! If not, no worries! Just use your embroidery floss or yarn to sew in some eyes for this doll. Once you have that out of the way, use a contrasting thread to sew a small “x” below the eyes for the nose/mouth area.
It’s time to work on some accessories! Let’s start with the bed. Cut your “bed” fabric from the template and lay flat. Either with a sewing machine or the needle and thread in your hand, fold the two outside edges in and stitch in place. Make sure the pattern on your fabric is face down and you are folding into the wrong side.
After you have the edges hemmed, pick up your fabric piece and fold in half, wrong side out. Sew the edges together with your machine or hand, making sure to leave the top open. Now, flip it right-side out and you’ve got yourself a sleeping bag!
The pillow comes together in a very similar manner. Cut your fabric for the pillow and fold in half, placing the right sides together (the wrong side will be facing out). Sew the top and bottom, leaving the side open. Flip right-side out, fill with stuffing, and hand stitch it closed.
The last step is gluing or taping decorative paper to the outside of the matchbox! Now, let’s assemble everything!
It’s so fun and easy to customize these little dolls. Adding skirts or bow ties or tiny shoes are all ways to make it something extra special. Hey, you could even leave the ears out of this pattern and turn it into a doll, or switch up the type of animal for your matchbox. The possibilities are endless! Happy stitching! xo. Katie
Credits//Author and Photography: Katie Shelton. Photos edited with A Beautiful Mess Actions.
18 Comments
I loved to play with these when I was a little girl, they were so magical and cute. Never thought about making them myself but now I really have to! Love the result!
This is so cute and quirky – there’s something about toys that come in little boxes! I know my three-year-old daughter would love it!
This is such a gorgeous idea Katie! I might make some with my nieces and nephew when they come to visit this weekend (thanks for the inspiration!)
I have never heard of these before, but now I really want to try one. How cute – and I love how you take things that seem complex and explain them simply to us.
that’s so cool!
mfashionfreak♥blog
Love this, Katie!
These are positively adorable. I’d actually never heard of matchbox dolls prior to reading this and I am in LOVE. I have a strong affinity for tiny things, too. Thanks for sharing! I can’t wait to try it!
I love it! Super cute and looks super easy to make! I have several nieces and I think I could make these for all of them in different colors! Thanks for sharing the tutorial!!
what a cute DIY!!! thank you so much for sharing.
oh, she’s lovely
This is adorably cute!!
https://www.makeandmess.com/
Normally I can’t get enough of your DIYs and craft ideas but this little guy is going to haunt my dreams.
xx
Ella
http://www.thirteenoctobers.com
This is so cute! But at the same time it sorta creeps me out lol
Rabecca/ http://www.midnightburnout.com/
This is so cute and sweet. 🙂 Thanks for sharing.
My kids love little things! I made a similar bunny a few years ago, and I think it might be my favorite Easter craft. There’s just something about being able to tuck a little stuffie into bed too.
I also have a free template and tutorial up on my website!
http://www.snugglebuguniversity.com/2013/03/little-felt-bunny-tutorial.html
This is the cutest! I’m totally going to do this with my girls!!
xo dré
http://www.flightoffeather.com
So Cute! I will have to make these for my granddaughters and their cousins!
Thanks for sharing,
Beti
Ultra cute and easy to make !! Thank you for this nice DIY
Such a lovely Little mini doll 🙂 So cute.
Wish you all a great Easter.