Say 'Hello' to Bonnie! (And to a free doll nappy / diaper pattern)
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This is Bonnie. She's a 'Little Amigo' doll from Meg McElwee's 'Growing up Sew Liberated' book. It's one of my favourite sewing books - so many lovely play things to make for your kids. I think I might have made them all.... This is the third Little Amigo doll that I've made. 'Max' and 'Molly' are two of my kid's most loved toys. Our sweet little friend, Brea, always makes a bee line for them whenever she's here too, so it was a bit of a 'no-brainer' when it came to her 3rd birthday present - she simply had to have one too.
For some reason I always feel compelled to make dolls in the image of the child that they're for - they're always thrilled when they notice that the doll has hair 'just like me!' and eyes 'just like mine!'
I dressed Bonnie in a miniature Geranium Dress from Made-by-Rae and made her a necklace of tiny colourful pompoms. She came with a little note which read:
Hello Brea,
My name is Bonnie. I like cuddles and tea parties. Will you look after me please?
Xx
P.S. Happy Birthday!
And of course no doll is complete without a set of nappies. I made 3 so that she can have plenty of changes / coordinate her nappy with her outfit. They are very quick and easy to make and a fantastic way to use up scraps. Click on the image below to download your pattern pieces.
This nappy will fit a doll with a waist of up to 35 cm (14") down to about 21 cm (8"). For reference this doll is 45 cm (18")
You will need:
33 cm x 30 cm (13" x 12") Cotton
33 cm x 30 cm (13" x 12") Towelling / Fleece / Microfibre lining
2 x 2.5 cm (1") pieces of Velcro (optionally more for smaller sizes - see note on sizing at the end)
Instructions:
Cut 1 piece each from the cotton and from the lining. Lay them one on top of the other with right sides together.
Stitch right around the edge of the nappy with a 1 cm (1/2") seam allowance. Leave edges open between the notches on the long side of the nappy.
Clip corners and curved edges, taking care not to cut through your line of stitching.
Turn nappy to the right side using a knitting needle / chopstick to push out the corners. Press, folding under the seam allowance at the turning hole. Pin closed.
Edge stitch right around the nappy, sealing the turning hole as you go.
Affix velcro to the nappy, placing the loops on the lining of the back (long) edge and positioning the velcro a few mm in from your edge stitching line. Place hooks on the right (cotton) side of the nappy front (short edge) - again positioning them a few mm in from the edge stitching. Sew all 4 pieces of velcro in place, sewing right around the edge twice for strength.
If you wish to make this nappy for a smaller doll than this one you will need to adjust the velcro accordingly. The velcro loops on the back (lining) of the nappy can stay as above and then you can either sew a 16 cm (7") length of velcro right across the top of the front of the nappy, or you can cut a shorter length and simply sew a single piece in the middle of the top front of the nappy.
My kids will spend hours playing with their 'babies' and changing their nappies. I'm always especially pleased when my little boy plays with 'Max' - his little amigo doll! I'm not sure why I love it so much, I think it's for the same reason that I love seeing my little girl playing with cars or playing superheros - It's always so nice to see them just enjoying what they're doing without any reference to gender stereotypes and with no preconceptions of that's a 'girl's toy' or a 'boy's game' and that's precisely how it should be - don't you think?
