Rag Dolls - Two Ways

There's a heat wave hitting much of the country.  When it's too hot to be outside, how about a fun craft project to keep you busy inside.  Here are two rag dolls I made for my daughter a few summers ago...pre-blog...was there actually life before blogging (Lol)...

Both dolls are made with muslin.  Muslin is to doll crafts what drop cloths are to home decor.  Muslin is super inexpensive so it makes the perfect material for these dolls.

As with any doll, it all comes down to the face.  For this doll I used black rounded buttons and hand painted the rest using a fabric paint in a squeeze bottle.

I made the clothing out of calico fabric bought at JoAnn's.

Her hair was made by ripping strips of muslin and tying knots at one end and hot gluing it to her head.

The other doll is more of a scarecrow rag doll.  I used pinking sheers to cut out the pattern.

Again I hand painted the face.  I made the hair out of raffia and tied off the neck, arms and legs using it as well.

The first doll pattern was from Simplicity.  Can't remember if I had a pattern for the second one or if I just modified the first.  That's the best part about using muslin and making dolls.  They don't have to be exactly perfect to look cute.

What do you think of these two cuties?  Do you think you will try one this summer?

Can't wait to see what you think.

-Judy