Dolls from dowels and beads

This post is especially fun to write, as I get to share with you a dollmaking collaboration between Joyce and myself.

Several months ago we both became enchanted with making dolls from clothespins.  Simple wooden dolls have been made for centuries, either whittled from wood, like Hitty, or made from what was easily available, perhaps a wooden spoon or a clothespeg.   Working with our talent for crochet, and our admittedly limited ability with power tools,  it seemed that a marriage of crochet, beads, and dowels was in order.

And so, the soft-bodied Peggies were born!

Joyce has created a pattern that uses a pillow shaped crochet body with jointed arms and legs from 1/4 inch dowel rods, and the head and neck from a wooden bead and another dowel.  The parts are cut, drilled, sanded, and painted. Tools necessary are a pin vise for drilling tiny holes (this is a hand held drill and NOT a power tool) and a small miter box used for dollmaking.  You can find them here, or at your local hobby shop:

Small miter box for dollmaking

Pin vise for drilling small holes

 Assembly is as easy as threading a needle with carpet or craft thread and jointing the pieces to the body.  You can crochet your outfit directly on the doll, or make them remove-able.  Here is Joyce's pattern for the doll body:

Pillow Body Peg Doll

Another variation on this theme is to use a Hitty inspired crochet body, which is what I have done.  Here is my pattern for the Hitty bodied peg doll:

Hitty Body Peg Doll

If you wish to make remove-able clothing, you can do a Google search for crochet clothespin dolls and find some free, and inexpensive, patterns that will fit these dolls.  Etsy has several sellers that carry these old patterns.  Here is a link to one free pattern, using size 10 crochet cotton.  In the interest of complete disclosure, I have not tried this, but Joyce has!

Free clothespin angel pattern

I have a couple of patterns for the Hitty bodied doll, worked in size 8 perle cotton and a size 8 steel hook.  Worked with a slightly larger hook they will fit the Pillow bodied doll as well:

Undies and  wigs for soft bodied dolls  this pattern includes the three wigs you see here as well as the undies.  You can make an entire wardrobe with these patterns.

Nightgown for Peggy Jane

And finally, look at the adorable ways that Joyce painted her Pillow Peggies!

Let your imagination run wild with these delightful and easy dolls!  Enjoy!