Book Review – Sew Your Own Animal Dolls: 25 creative dolls to make and give

“Some of our most treasured childhood memories are of playing with our favourite dolls, and Louise Kelly’s sweet hand-stitched designs instantly transport us back to that imaginary world. The irresistible charm… is all in the details she adds to each one” Review of Sew Your Own Animal Dolls , Simply Sewing Magazine Have fun sewing these 25 beautiful animal dolls, all of which can be personalised with sweet outfits and accessories. Choose from a fox, a sloth, a koala, a bear, a penguin, a deer and stag and many more cute animals. There are four basic body and head shapes and dozens of ways to make them unique, including cute ears, patterned dresses, shirts, jackets, shoes and socks. There is a doll for everyone, and each one has full-size templates for the body shapes and outfits, and simple step-by-step artworks and instructions to help you on your way – the only difficult part is choosing which one to make first!

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I am just smitten with this felt gingerbread house bag. This would make such a sweet special Christmas accessory for a kid. It’s a free pattern at Benzie Design, designed by Gracie from Hello Gracie Makes. It’s packed with adorable gingerbread house details, like swirls and stripes and scallops adoring the doors and windows.

And while all those details might seem like this would be a complicated pattern, it’s actually not. The bag itself is made from felt, which makes finishes edges unnecessary. (All of those scalloped edges are just cut from felt, no edge finishing required.) The strap is super simple, made from rope with knotted ends. And all those details are made with some basic hand embroidery stitches. Sparkle felt makes it extra cute.

The striped scallop roof is actually the top flap of the bag. A magnetic snap makes it a secure closure. The rope straps are attached through felt loops at the side of the bag.

They rate this project as an intermediate level, and it should take about 6 hours to make start to finish. That’s doable for a Saturday project or a couple of evenings. Full color photos step you through the entire process.

The project includes a shopping list for all of your supplies. They’ve got a shop so you can order all of them from Benzie if you like and get exactly the supplies used in the project. I noticed it includes a pair of scallop shears, which makes cutting all the scalloped edges for the roof and around the door a breeze.

Finished dimensions of the little felt gingerbread bag are approximately 6 ½” wide x 7 ½” tall. That’s the perfect size to hold a small book, a small toy, or a notepad and some cute pens.

Go to Benzie Design to get the tutorial and free pattern for the felt gingerbread house bag.

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