I was going for a mostly home-made Christmas, so I decided to make a Waldorf baby doll for my 3-year old. It was a totally fun project, and I'm so proud of the end result!
I ordered all of the supplies from A Child's Dream. It probably would have been cheaper to order a kit, but I wanted to have some extra supplies for fixing little Bug's 2 year old Waldorf doll and also making more dolls if I so felt the need!
I used the pattern for the 16-inch Button Baby. Little Bug's current Waldorf doll (purchased from Etsy) is a traditional doll, and I thought that with a baby brother on the way she might appreciate a "baby" doll Waldorf doll. It is also pretty neat that the doll can sit up on its own.
The instructions and pattern for the doll were excellent and anything that wasn't clear was pretty easy to look up online. The instructions for the button joints were somewhat confusing though, and I spent some time puzzling over them and looking up ways that other people had done button-jointing. In the end I don't think it matters a whole lot how it is done, as long as the button is placed to take the stress of the joint and the cord holding the joint is pulled nice and tight.
I could only work late at night or during naptime and I was working full-time until a week before Christmas, so it was slow going-- it took me several weeks to complete the doll! I was a little afraid I wouldn't finish in time, but in the end it all came together.
The doll pattern comes with a pattern for clothes and a diaper, which is nice, but I actually thought this part of the pattern could have used some improvement. The "diaper" doesn't fit very well, it could use better coverage in the back. I used the provided "sleeper" pattern to make a 2 piece PJ outfit hoping the pattern would save time, but actually I had to spend so much time adjusting the fit through the shoulders and over the butt.... I think I would have done better drafting my own.
Overall, the doll came out great! And it was so much fun to make. And Little Bug was very excited to receive it on Christmas day.
I ordered all of the supplies from A Child's Dream. It probably would have been cheaper to order a kit, but I wanted to have some extra supplies for fixing little Bug's 2 year old Waldorf doll and also making more dolls if I so felt the need!
I used the pattern for the 16-inch Button Baby. Little Bug's current Waldorf doll (purchased from Etsy) is a traditional doll, and I thought that with a baby brother on the way she might appreciate a "baby" doll Waldorf doll. It is also pretty neat that the doll can sit up on its own.
The instructions and pattern for the doll were excellent and anything that wasn't clear was pretty easy to look up online. The instructions for the button joints were somewhat confusing though, and I spent some time puzzling over them and looking up ways that other people had done button-jointing. In the end I don't think it matters a whole lot how it is done, as long as the button is placed to take the stress of the joint and the cord holding the joint is pulled nice and tight.
I could only work late at night or during naptime and I was working full-time until a week before Christmas, so it was slow going-- it took me several weeks to complete the doll! I was a little afraid I wouldn't finish in time, but in the end it all came together.
The doll pattern comes with a pattern for clothes and a diaper, which is nice, but I actually thought this part of the pattern could have used some improvement. The "diaper" doesn't fit very well, it could use better coverage in the back. I used the provided "sleeper" pattern to make a 2 piece PJ outfit hoping the pattern would save time, but actually I had to spend so much time adjusting the fit through the shoulders and over the butt.... I think I would have done better drafting my own.
Overall, the doll came out great! And it was so much fun to make. And Little Bug was very excited to receive it on Christmas day.
Hi! Reading your post gave me the courage I needed to try to make a button jointed Waldorf doll. Your doll is beautiful and I am sure your daughter was really pleased with it.
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