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3.20.2012

backpack doll

A cute little friend of ours is turning 4 this week - finally, an excuse to make girly stuff. Yippee!
Having never made a backpack before, I went with a very simple design - a rectangle with rounded corners.  Using my son's backpack for reference, I measured out a rough* size, and then sketched a pattern.
 
*next time I will adjust the height just a little - 3" shorter and it would have been perfect.
 
The backpack was new territory for me, but when the time came to make the doll I felt pretty confident. A few years ago I went through a doll making phase and, in the process, created my own doll pattern which came in handy for this project.

Unfortunately, I lost every ounce of that confidence when it was time to draw on the face (as you can tell by the blank face in the photos). Messing up meant I would have to make an entirely new doll, and I REALLY didn't want to do that. It took me nearly a week to muster up the courage.

The skirt was inspired by the Market Skirts from MADE. I just adore this pattern, and when I came across the leftover fabric from the last Market Skirts I made, I knew I had to make a mini version. (It would have been really fun to make a matching big girl skirt to tuck inside the backpack.)  

I had such a great time making this gift, and I really hope I get the chance to make more in the near future.


Happy Birthday Miss Nora!

8 comments:

  1. Wow this is so cute :) i might just have to make a couple :D

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  2. Hey well done, this doll is so beautiful, what a lucky girl!

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  3. Dying over this....ADORABLE!!!

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  4. Any chance you would share the doll pattern? She is adorable and my 2 girls would love her

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  5. Yes, ditto what Mindy said about the doll pattern. I lover her hair! And what a cool gift it would be to go with a matching market skirt. :) adorable!

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  6. cute doll!!! any chance of a pattern?? :)

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  7. I would love to make this set! Do you have a tutorial planned for the doll and backpack pattern? I've got two little girl birthday parties coming up next month--this would be perfect!
    Thanks! Holly

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