Save The Dolls QUILTS and PILLOWS Photo 1 Photo 2 Photo 3 QUILTS

Fabric: Cotton or cotton blends are best to work with.  Knits need to be stabilized if they are used.

Piecing the top: You can use strips of various fabrics sewn together. Or you can sew lots of little squares together in strips and then sew those strips together. My squares are usually 2-1/2" x 2-1/2" (with a 1/4" seam allowance) but sometimes larger. I have also combined the two methods using a plain strip and then a strip of squares. You can mix all kinds of colors and prints or use various shades of one color. I often try to include a square or two of the same fabric as a dress or nightgown I have made for the doll. 

The size of the quilt can be whatever you feel appropriate for the size of the doll. I have made them 9" x 11-1/2" for small dolls, up to maybe 18" x 18" for large dolls. As you can see from the Photos, I use all shades of colors for the dolls that are "a little older" (see Photos 1 and 2) and very pastel shades for the baby (newborn) dolls (see Photo 3). Actually the two pastel quilts in Photo 3, are what I think quilters call a "cheater". The design is preprinted on the fabric. It is not pieced. I just top stitched around a couple of the designs for the quilting effect. 

Once all the pieces are sewn together to the size you want, square it off. This squaring off is important because after sewing all the pieces together, it is no longer an exact square or rectangle. The fabric may have been stretched or the size of the seam allowances may have varied. I use a straight rule and a rotary cutter to do this. I also cut out the squares and strips with a rotary cutter, since it is faster and more accurate. 

Photo 4

Batting: This does not have to be very thick. In fact if you do not have batting, you can use flannel or something similar. (I would not recommend terry cloth or a knit fabric.)  Backing I often use pieces of colorful printed sheets or pillow cases found at thrift shops (see Photo 4 ).

Standard quilt with binding: Once the piecing of the squares is done, you can finish the quilt in the standard way by adding batting and a backing and binding the edges. 

Easy quilt (turned inside out): Rather than the standard quilt method, I have learned a much easier way of constructing a quilt. I sew on strips of fabric to the top, bottom and sides of the pieced section (front) before adding the batting and backing. Then all three layers are sewn right sides together, and the quilt is turned right side out. When turned, the added strips give the appearance of a binding. This method is so much faster and eliminates several sewing steps, including mitered corners. See instructions below.

Construction: 

1. Cut strips of fabric about 1 3/8" wide. Sew them, right sides together, to the four sides of the finished pieced front.  (I often use the same fabric for these strips as I use for the backing.) Turn the strips out and press. (See Fig. 1, 2 and 3.)  

2. Place a piece of batting or flannel (cut to the same size or slightly smaller) under the finished pieced front, which has the added strips. 

3. Add the backing fabric on top, cut to the same size as the pieced front, right sides together. 

4. Sew around the edges (with the wrong side of the backing fabric facing up), but leave an opening at the bottom, so it can be turned right side out.

5. Trim raw edges and clip the corners. Turn right side out, carefully poking out the corners. Press and hand sew together the small area left open. (See Fig. 4 above.)

6. From the front, stitch in the ditch around the inner edges of the strips to make it look like a binding. You can also sew around some of the squares, through all the layers, to give it a "quilted" look, and to hold the batting in place.  Be sure to lock your stitches at the beginning and end.

PILLOWS   These are easy to make and are a cute "accessory". (See Photo 6.) Fabric: Quilted fabric is nice, but any cotton will do, such as flannel, or perhaps a scrap of fabric that matches part of the quilt or the doll’s nightgown.

Photo 6

Pattern: Put a piece of paper under the doll’s head and decide how large you want the pillow to be.  The finished measurements of mine are usually about  3" x 2-1/2” for a Barbie doll and about 6" x 4” for most other dolls, although I have made them even larger.  Add seam allowances to your pattern. Cut two pieces of fabric that size, or cut one piece that is twice as large that can be folded over. The fold can be at one short end or along one long end (see Fig. A & B). 

 Construction:  Put the two pieces together or fold  the larger (double size) piece over,  right sides together.  Sew it closed, leaving one short end open.  Stuff with batting, scraps of fleece, cut up pantyhose,  whatever you have. Then fold under the raw edges on the short side you left open and top stitch  (or hand sew) it closed.   Add a piece of ruffled lace or eyelet, folding it under on each end about 1/2”. 

This means that you can click on this photo to see an enlarged version.   To return, click the BACK button on your browser.