I bought this gorgeous doll-making kit from a little shop near to where I live called POP!. I had no intention of making a doll (it’s not like I’m particularly swimming in spare time at the moment) but the pictures on the front of the kits were just so cute that I couldn’t resist.

Really, to save money, I should have just taken a picture of the packaging and made do with gazing at that, but I’ve always had these odd fantasies about being the type of person that did crafty things. (As in arty things, not devious, cunning things. I’m not going to stick on an evil genius moustache and start tiptoeing around like a comedy criminal.)

Anyway, all of the doll kits were just so beautiful that I had to mention them. They’re by Ella Goodwin who has a shop on Etsy and the kits come with everything you need to make the dolls except for needle, thread and stuffing. (Admittedly these things are quite important if you’re trying to stitch a doll together and then stuff it, but you know what I mean; the kit has all of the fabric and little trimmings.)

I can’t tell you how difficult it is to actually make the doll as I haven’t even opened the packet yet (check on me this time next year) but it does say that the doll height is 35cm, which I was pleasantly surprised by because I thought that it would make some piddly little thing the size of a finger puppet that the dog would eat and then eventually pass into the flowerbed.

35cm! I’m wondering whether I can stuff the doll with lentils or beans, like a bean bag doll, because I always like the weighting of a bean bag doll. In fact (riveting anecdote alert!) the last thing that I properly “crafted” that wasn’t a dolls house miniature item was probably the frog bean bag that I made out of felt in 1991.

If this make-your-own dolly has tickled your crafting fancy (not a euphemism) then take a look at Ella’s doll kits here*, they cost £15.

Update: you can also get the dolls ready made, as proper dolls, no sewing or stuffing required! The one I have, Frida and her Fawn, costs £35.47 here*. But I think that the kits make for excellent presents, don’t you?

I like the foxy one and there’s also a “cat lady” doll that’s great – I’ve been having a good browse on Etsy and Ella’s illustrations and prints are gorgeous. Well worth checking out.