How to Make a Doll From a Plastic Soda Bottle

Make this doll out of a two-liter plastic soda bottle filled with kitty litter as a door stop to greet your guests. She can easily be assembled in an afternoon to add country charm to your home and is an excellent way to reuse and recycle those two-liter plastic soda bottles that take up space in our landfills. Dazzle a little girl in your life with a custom-created doll. Enhance her special collection with a doll that is unique to her style and color choices.

Things You'll Need

• Two-liter plastic soda bottle
• 3" Styrofoam ball
• Acrylic paints-black, white and light pink
• 2/3 yard muslin
• 18" x 18" cotton print fabric
• Stuffing
• 1" wide ruffled eyelet lace
• Curly doll hair
• Kitty litter
• Black permanent fine line marker
• Crochet cotton thread
• Blush and cotton swab
• Craft glue
• Glue gun
• Paint brush
• Wood skewer
• Scissors
• Ruler
• Hand sewing needle

Instructions

1. Remove and discard the soda bottle label and cap. Clean out the bottle and allow to dry. Use the funnel to fill the bottle half full with kitty litter.

2. Press the Styrofoam ball onto the bottle opening. Remove the ball. Apply glue to the indentation and the bottle opening. Replace the ball on the bottle opening. Allow to dry.

3. Cut a 10" square of muslin. Cover the Styrofoam ball head with the muslin and gather around the neck. Tie with a piece of crochet cotton thread. Press and pull the edges of the muslin until it lays smooth over the head. Hot glue the edges to the bottle.

4. Apply the blush to the cheek area of the doll's face using the cotton swab. Use the blunt end of the skewer and the acrylic paints to dot a pink nose and two black eyes. Allow to dry. Use the pointed end of the skewer to dot white highlights on the eyes. Draw a mouth, eyebrows and eyelashes using the black permanent marker.

5. Cut or rip a 12" x 45" piece of muslin for the doll's dress. Run a gathering stitch along one 45" edge using the crochet cotton thread. Pull the gathers up and tie snugly around the neck of the two-liter plastic soda bottle, with the opening in the back. Overlap the opening and glue closed.

6. Cut or rip a 6" x 18" piece of muslin for the doll's sleeves. Overlap and glue the long edges creating a tube. Tie a knot in the middle of the tube for the hands. Stuff each end of the tube creating the arms. Leave two inches unstuffed from each arm. Center the hands in the front of the doll and glue the sleeve ends to the back of the dress, below the head.

7. Cut or rip an 11" x 18" piece of cotton print fabric for the doll's pinafore. Along one 18" length, create armholes by making a 4" slit, 4 1/2" from each end. Position the open short ends to the middle back of the doll, the slits under the arms and the middle pulled up to the neck in the front. Run a gathering stitch along the top edge of the neckline, connecting the armhole slits at the top. Pull the gathers tight around the neck of the two-liter plastic soda bottle and tie off.

8. Wrap the ruffled eyelet lace around the neck. Glue in the back and clip the ends.

9. Glue wads of hair to the top, back and sides of the doll's head to finish.

Tips & Warnings

• Create your own special style by adding buttons, bows, charms and trinkets.

• Try different materials for the hair, such as, Spanish moss, yarn, small fabric knots or loops of twine.

• Use holiday novelty print fabric for different holiday dolls.