REVERSIBLE VEST FOR RAG DOLL

A reversible vest based on the actual doll pattern - this could be amended to use with any doll pattern.

This one is for Boy Rag Doll I had made previously and based on this patternhttp://dollydonations.blogspot.com/2010/01/dolly-donations-rag-dolly-tutorial-free.html
and it is made out of scraps - I would guess under 1/4 yd of each fabric.

Items used:

• 2 different fabrics (1 for each side)
• Scissors
• Pins
• Sewing machine or needle
• Thread
• Straight pins
• Iron

All seams are 1/4 inch.


I used the base pattern for the body of the doll.  For the front I added 1/4 of an inch then angled down about 1 1/2 from the edge of the right hand side down to about 2 1/2 inches for the "V" shape for the front of the vest.  Cut two pieces of each fabric.

Fort he back of the vest, add 1/4 inch to the back fold.   I also added a small diagonal to the back of the vest on the fold side for the neck to fit (as represented by the red line in this photo) but you could add a slight curve instead.  Place the back on the fold of each piece for fabric and cut 1 piece for the back of each piece of fabric.

 This is what the vest pieces before they were sewn.

For one side of the vest, right side together, stitch a the sides together and stitch at the shoulders up to 1/4 inch away from the front edge, backstitching to secure.  Do the same with the other side of the vest.   Press seams open with the iron.

What I didn't do, but recommending for a cleaner finish is press under 1/4 of an inch for each armhole before pinning the right sides of each vest together then stitching all the way around the outer edges except for about 2-3 inches at the bottom.

Turn the vest right side out and then stitch along the bottom edge close to the edge.  Do the same with the armholes.  If you did not press under the edges, you could zigzag around them like I ended up doing, but it isn't as pretty as it would be tucked in and stitched.   I didn't add snaps or velcro to close as I do not know the age of the child that will end up with the doll, but you could add those to close the vest if you like.

Boy Dolly for Donation For Project Hope In Haiti

This fella is made from scraps and is part of a drive to make for crafters to make 132 dolls to send to Haiti for orphaned children by November1st.

The pattern for this project is by Sarah, who is collecting the dolls for donation:  Here is the link
http://dollydonations.blogspot.com/2010/01/dolly-donations-rag-dolly-tutorial-free.html

Items used:

• Fabric scraps - Brown  (longest piece is 8 inches long for the legs)
• Polyester fiberfill or other soft fabric to stuff the doll
• Sewing Machine
• Thread
• Needle
• Scissors
• Printer
• Paper
• Straight Pins
• Pen or marker
• Fabric paints in black, white and red
• Chalk (optional)

Print off the pattern and cut out then cut pieces - it already has the 1/4 inch seam allowance included in the pattern.  Cut out 4 of the legs and and 4 for the arms, 2 of the body and 1 of the face in the lighter brown fabric.  For the hair and back of the head I used left over darker brown upholstery fabric.   Instead of pinning, it was easier to use a pen and draw the outline on the wrong side of the fabric and then cut it out.

Sew hair to face front all around the edges.  Sew arms and legs right sides together.

Turn arms and legs right side out - use a pen or pencil to assist if necessary. Stuff with fiberfill up to a little under 1/4 inch from the top.

Right sides together, stitch head to body on front and do the same for the back for hair to body.

Draw on face with black fabric paint - allow to dry completely.  This is the first every doll I made and after making it I would suggest working out how you want the face to look on a piece of paper and maybe draw it on with chalk before putting on the doll.

Sew on the arms to the front then pin down.  

Sew on the legs  to the front of the body

Pin the front to the back and stitch around all but the bottom edge.

Turn right side out and stuff with fiberfill.

Turn under 1/4 inch on the back, pin down and hand stitch the edges together.

 Use the white fabric paint at the edge of the eye for the whites.  Use the red fabric paint to fill in the lips and dab a dot on each cheek and smear it with your fingertip.