Somehow Ms. Z got it in her head last month that the absolute BEST Christmas present she could possibly make for her one-year-old cousin Ms. R was... a smiling stuffed coffee mug doll. With a matching one for her, so they could sit around and have coffee parties and pretend to drink coffee together.
Well, who was I to stop her? They are really ridiculously cute, I have to admit, especially with their matching saucers:
The basics
Pattern: Coffee Mug Dolls, from the English-language edition of the Japanese book Aranzi Aronzo Fun Dolls (Let's Make Cute Stuff). (Which I highly recommend—it's full of really fun and cute dolls of all kinds, from bunnies and pigs and cats to, well, coffee mugs. Previously Z and an older cousin both made matching Eyelash Bunny dolls.)
Fabric: The body fabric is just a soft, fuzzy, and well-worn old cotton polka-dot cotton flannel receiving blanket, of which I have more than I could ever possibly use. Z requested we use the white side for her mug, and the polka-dot side for Ms. R's mug. I had JUST enough to make the two dolls, but had to piece the bottom of Z's saucer to make it work. The appliqués are cut from an old black T-shirt.
Notions: Fusible webbing (Lite Steam-a-Seam 2, no longer hard to find, hurrah!) and Polyfill stuffing.
Size: One size fits all.
My only real modification to the pattern — requested by Z — was to appliqué the kids' initials on the back:
The instructions are wonderful and very clear—Z was even able to follow along quite a bit, since they are illustrated in comic-book style:
But the coolest thing about this project (which was actually finished quite a while ago, just not photographed properly until now), was that Z sewed a large portion of it at the machine, by herself... with my close cautious supervision. (As detailed in my recent post "How old were you when you first used a sewing machine? (with poll)".
Little Ms. R is coming to visit soon, so we'll soon see how she likes it in person!
Posts
Really cute. Gah, now I'll have to teach my little guy to sew. He's the same age as yours and fascinated by the sewing machine.
ReplyDeleteOh, do it! I found it was easier to start in stages... first I started letting her cut out pattern pieces, then she moved on to a little hand-sewing and practiced sewing buttons and such to fabric... then I let her operate the foot pedal while I sewed... she loves it!
DeleteStooooooopppppp! I seriously can't handle the cute!!!
ReplyDeleteThese are adorable! Love that she wanted to make one for her cousin...but also herself. I would too, though, if they turned out like that. Last time I tried to make a coffee cup plushie it came out looking more like a disgruntled beer stein. Go figure. I'm going to need to check out that book now.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I was seven when I first started on the sewing machine, and I made a beanbag. Then there was a long break where I didn't touch the machine again until I was seventeen...
It really is a great book, and they also have two others, I think — Cute Dolls and Baby Stuff. She also offered to make a coffee cup doll for her dad as well (he's actually the only one who drinks coffee around here, I'm a tea person) but never made good on it.
DeleteSo cute! I have that book too--it's adorable, and I can only imagine it being a huge hit in your family what with your comic background. My oldest saw your post and is now thinking he wants to make a new pillowcase. Why not?! ;)
ReplyDeleteDefinitely! Why not indeed! :)
DeleteOh my gosh, I am cracking up that she chose ... stuffed coffee cups! So that they could pretend to drink coffee together!? OMG. That is hilarious and adorable! As are the cups themselves. And Z. My goodness, she's precocious! Can she reach the pedal? Or do you use the start/stop button? I must go back and read your post. Joe wants to use the machine, but I haven't really started that yet (he's older than Z, too).
ReplyDeleteWe put the pedal up on a stool for her, it worked great.
DeleteYou have a talented (and adorable) little girl!
ReplyDeleteThank you!
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