How do I Make a Mommy Doll Using a Photo of the Mother?

You can turn a beautiful picture of your mom and turn it into a doll.

Using a beautiful photograph, you can create a doll that is a representation of your or someone else's mother. This doll can be finished in any style with the same basic process to start. Get creative with embellishments and details that will make it obvious that the doll represents someone specific.

Things You'll Need

• White cotton fabric
• Other printed or colored fabric
• Pillow stuffing
• Sewing machine (optional)
• Needle
• Thread
• Inkjet Printer
• Iron-on Inkjet Transfer Paper
• Photo

Instructions

1. 

   A straight on headshot or 3/4 headshot will work well for this project.

   Print the image of the photo to your desired size onto inkjet iron-on transfer paper, using a digital file of your photo. The directions will vary slightly depending on the brand of paper that you buy, so follow those directions carefully. Generally speaking, the image will be flipped, so if possible, use a digital software program to flip the image before you print it out. Following your brand-specific iron-on instructions, iron the transfer onto the white fabric.

2. 

   This shape is a very forgiving one to choose for this project. It also lends itself to lots of embellishing.

   Cut out either just the transferred face or entire figure if possible. If you have the entire figure, before cutting out, pin the opposite fabric to your white fabric. The wrong side of the fabric and the non-transferred side of the white fabric should be touching. Cut out and keep pinned. If you only cut out the face, pin the different fabric together, wrong sides touching. Cut out into whatever shape you'd like, but with a body, arms and legs. Cutting out a figure with a dress makes it easier as the triangle will be the main shape.

3. Take pins out. Place pieces of fabric so that the right sides are facing each other and the wrong sides are facing out. Sew these pieces together, but leave a space that is not sewn in. This should be on the dress or the leg area, about two inches wide.

4. 

   Add embellishments like costume jewelry to personalize your doll.

   Turn inside out and then stuff with stuffing. Thread the side with a whip-stitch using a complementing color. If you only cut out the face, use a piece of thread that is close to the skin or hair tone of your printout to sew onto the shape where the head should be. Feel free to add embellishments like a different fabric for the dress or shoes, then add some costume jewelry or yarn for hair.

Tips & Warnings

• Creating simple shapes that already exist in dolls such as a matryoshka or kokeshi doll makes the doll more recognizable as a real doll.

• Use a photograph that has good contrast and colors.

• Use a photograph that is flattering.

• Add many embellishments that would help identify the doll as a specific person that people know.

• Keep hand-made dolls like these away from babies and toddlers as they can fall apart, especially if they have small embellishments added to them.

• Some brands of inkjet transfer paper do not hold up with water, so keep them dry.

References

• Transfer Paper, Iron On Transfer Paper, Computer Crafts, Transfer Sheets
• All Free Crafts: Learn How To Make A Pillow