Kids Makes
Jasmine – the leggy babe
Beautiful Jasmine will feel right at home in the bedroom of any fashion-conscious girl.
With her short skirt and matching bag and boots – it’s obvious she’s a slave to fashion and just wants to have fun!
Choose your own colours and have fun creating your own leggy teen who promises not to have a single tantrum.
Materials
For the doll:
48 x 52 cm (19 x 20 1/2”) mid brown fleece for body
23 x 8 cm (9 x 3 1/2”) black fleece for hair
24 x 16 cm (91/2 x 6 1/2”) red fleece for boots
White and black scraps of felt for eyes
Bright pink scraps of felt for lips
Black embroidery thread
80g (3oz) polyester filling
Matching thread for all of the fabric colours including the felts
For the clothes and bag:
17 x 37 cm (6 3/4 x 14 1/2”) piece of floral fabric for skirt
25 cm (10”) length of elastic cord for waist of skirt
28 x 15 cm (11 x 6”) yellow fleece for vest top
16 x 32 cm (6 1/2 x 12 1/2”) turquoise fleece for cropped cardigan
Turquoise embroidery thread
Green button13 x 22 cm (5 /1/4 x 8 1/2”) red fleece for bag plus a strip 1.5 x 36 cm (3/4 x 14”)
Yellow heart shaped button
Matching threads for all fabric colours.Other tools required: access to photocopier and water-soluble pen
To Make
1. Photocopy the head, body, arm, leg, boot, eye and lip templates (at the bottom of this page) and cut them out. Pin the templates onto the fleece and trace around them using the water-soluble pen. Cut the fabric as follows (and remember to mark all the dots):
From the brown fleece: 2 x head and body, 4 arm and leg pieces
From the red fleece: 4 x boot pieces
2. Fold one of the head and body pieces in half lengthwise, right sides together and sew the body dart from the centre of the face into the neck, then from the neck outwards to the tummy – using a small running stitch. Place the 2 head and body pieces tight sides together. Bate in position and seam around the outside leaving a 5 mm (1/4”) seam allowance. Leave open between the two sets of small dots for inserting the arms and at the bottom. Turn the body piece the right way out.
3. Place two of the arm pieces right sides together and baste in position. Seam round the outside leaving a 5 mm (1/4”) seam allowance. Leave the end open for turning and stuffing. Do the same with the other two arm pieces. Turn the arms the right way out and stuff fairly tightly. Insert the arms through the holes in the sides of the body, tucking through the holes in the sides of the body, tucking the raw edges inwards. Slip-stitch in place using double thread and stuff the head and body piece.
4. Seam the top (flat end) of the red boot pieces to the bottom of the leg pieces, allowing seam allowance. Now place two of the leg pieces right sides together. Baste in position then seam round the outside in matching threads, again leaving the usual seam allowance. And leaving the top open for turning and stuffing. Do the same with the other two leg pieces. Turn the legs the right way out and stuff the legs and boots quite firmly.
5. To shape the boots, turn up 7 cm (2 3/4”) at the end of each boot and hold in place so that the foot of boot is at right angle to the leg part. Now using the thread double for strength and starting at one of the side seams, work a few large loose slip stitches across the curve at the front of the ankle. Pull up the thread tightly and securely.
6. Turn under 5 mm (1/4”) along the lower edge of the body and baste. Insert the top of the legs into the body so that the edges of the legs line up with the sides of the body. Slip stitch in place using your thread double and slip stitch across the crotch.
7. Cut out tow outer eyes from the white felt, two inner eyes from the black felt and lips from the pink felt. Using the photograph as a guide, position the facial features and over-sew in place. When you’ve finished, gently tease round the stitches with the tip of a needle so that the stitches become almost invisible. For the lashes, work three large stitches at the outer corner of each eye using three strands of black embroidery thread.
8. For the hair – cut the black fleece into 3 mm (1/8”) strips along its length. Starting on the forehead 2 cm (3/4”) down from the centre seam of the head, back stitch the hair place, ending 3 or 4 cm above the back of the neck. You may find it helpful to draw a sewing line using a water-soluble pen before you start. Trim the hair at the back slightly to make it neater. To give the hair a slight curl, pull each strand separately and allow it to spring back.
To make the vest top:
1. Photocopy the vest template and cut out two vest top pieces from the yellow fleece (making sure pile runs down the top). Place the two vest top pieces right sides together and sew the shoulder seams allowing the usual seam allowance. If you are using a sewing machine, machine around the neck opening using a zigzag stitch. This gives a professional finish.
2. Sew the sides of the vest top leaving the usual seam allowance and trim. You can zigzag around the bottom of the vest top.
To make the cardigan:
1. Photocopy the cardigan front, back and sleeve templates and cut one cardigan back, two fronts (one using template the right way up and one using it down) and two sleeves from the turquoise fleece (with dots marked). Make sure pile runs down the length of the pieces. Sew the shoulder seam leaving seam allowance and trim close to the seams
2. With the fabric pieces right sides together, position the sleeves face down on the right side of the cardigan, between the small dots across the shoulder, making sure that the pile runs down the length of the sleeve. Stitch together leaving a 5 mm seam allowance. Now stitch the side and arm seams, again leaving the same allowance. If you are using a sewing machine zigzag stitch around the entire cardigan.
3. Complete by sewing a button in place. Make the buttonhole with a piece of turquoise thread. Thread the piece through the front in the position marked by the small dot. Divide the twelve strands into three groups or four. Make a plait about 2 cm (3/4”) long. Thread the twelve strands back through the position marked by the second dot from front to back. Divide t=strands into two groups and knot together to secure.
To make the skirt:
1. Fold the skirt fabric in half width ways so that the pattern is on the inside and stitch the back seam leaving a 5 mm seam allowance. Press seam open. For the hem, turn down 1 cm (3/4”) at the bottom edge and press in place. Turn down another 1 cm (3/8”) and press again. Stitch close to the folded edge using a machine running stitch or hand hemming stitch.
2. For the casing, prepare the fabric and stitch as for hem but leave a 1 cm opening at the back seam for threading the elastic cord. Using the small safety pin thread the elastic through the casing. Knot the ends together tightly and trim.
To make the bag:
1. Photocopy the bag front and back templates (below) and cut them out. Use the templates to cut one back and one front bag piece from the red fleece making sure the obvious pile runs down the length of both pieces. Pin the bag front and back right sides together and seam round the sides and bottom of the bag leaving the front flap free. Turn bag right way out.
2. To finish, overlap the ends of the strip of red fleece about 1 cm (3/8”) on either sides of the bag and over-sew in position. Sew the yellow heart button to the flap.
Templates for Jasmine:
(shown 50% of actual size - you'll need to enlarge by 100%)
Further Information
This project has been reproduced from Fleecie Dolls by Fiona Goble (ISBN 9781847732255). This book shows you how to run up a collection of soft and cuddly dolls in no time at all using easy sew fleece and the patterns included in this fun title. There are 15 projects for a variety of dolls for babies, boys and girls ranging from tiny 10 cm (4”) dolls through to 69 cm (27”) for older children. Characters include Pedro the Pirate, Tilly the Mermaid and others based on traditional dolls from around the World. Each comes complete with their own wardrobe and accessories right down to handbags, boots and pet dog!
All are designed to be easy to make and a step-by-step photo guide is provided along with general instructions for making, stuffing and decorating the dolls. These are ideal projects for beginners and an older sibling could tackle them with some adult supervision. Advice is also given on making the toys safe for young babies and toddlers. ‘Fleecie Dolls’ is published in hardback by New Holland and costs £12.99. Find it at all good bookshops or tel:
