Make an Ugly Doll
My 8 year old son, who abhors anything girly, asked me to get him an ugly doll.
A what?
I guess I've been under a rock for a few months. I didn't know what an ugly doll was. But I do now! And it appears that all the kids in the elementary crowd are already in on the scoop.
We bought one big Ugly Doll and 3 little ones. They are not cheap! But after looking at them, I've decided they would be easy to make. They may not be quite as easy as they look, but they are more time consuming than difficult.
We found Ugly doll patterns at http://www.theuglydollshop.com/.
The instructions which follow are used by permission from that website. There is a bit more information and hints on that site as well.
All you really need to do is create a basic shape of the ugly doll you want. Find some fabric (old sweatshirt? Flannel, fleece). Cut out 2 of them for front and back. Sew on (or embroider or stitch or use buttons) eyes and mouth and teeth. Sew the 2 sides together with right sides facing each other, leaving a small gap for inverting the doll and stuffing. After you get the doll inside out, stuff it with polyester (or old socks for that matter) and sew up the seam.
I found that doing the detail for arms is a little tricky so it may be easier for some people to create little arms separately, turn them inside out, stuff them, and then pin them in place so you can sew them in when you sew the two sides together.
Woohoo! You just made an ugly doll!
This would be a good project for days when you are stuck inside. You could have your kids design their own ugly doll that you can create with a little fabric, a little thread and a little time. We made a doll like Babo in about an hour (maybe a bit more), from creating a rough pattern, cutting and sewing. The kids were very interested in the process and now they dearly love the finished doll. Every stitch made with love!