I have a sewing machine that doesn’t get the attention I’d like it to. I have decided to get my girls, ages 7, 5 and 4, involved in some sewing projects. They really love to create with me, and it is a wonderful skill to pass on.
So, I got the pattern from a pattern book. It is copyrighted so I can’t post it here, but honestly it is a simple design that you could draw out on your own.
I took the girls to our local walmart and let them choose the fabric they wanted. Then, we changed one of the cat patterns into a bear for my middle girl, which was done by changing the ear and belly shape, and making the face slightly different.

Once they picked out their fabrics, we copied the patterns onto the fabric and cut it out. I decided to add the belly, ears, and face appliques before sewing the whole doll. My 7 year old did a great job hand sewing all those pieces on! My 5 year old did it with some help, and my 4 year old watched me do it for her (she showed me how she wanted everything to help out).
My oldest daughter did some of the machine sewing herself with my supervision, which she loved.
The dolls came out looking handmade (lol) but not too shabby for our first doll project. I was proud of their participation, and they enjoyed having something uniquely theirs.