Sometimes life will hand you lemons and when it does, do something that makes your heart leap for joy! I have always loved the topsy turvy dolls. They do make my heart skip a beat and not to mention, I have always wanted one. Two dolls in one. What could be better!! When we were little, my sister had a crochet topsy turvy doll. One side was a princess and the other side was a frog. It was so cute.
One is a bunny and the other is.....
a lamb. One likes cake and the other likes tea.
(Above) Bunny has a cute little pink nose. Her eyes are 10mm safety eyes with the stem broken off. Trim a little bit of the fur where the eyes are going to be placed and then glue the eyes on. If you are making it for a child, please use the safety stem and disk. Just add the eyes before you stitch the bodies together.
Click here to download the pattern #1. And here to download pattern #2. Just click on the word "here" and it should take you right to the patterns.
(Above photo) ***Useful hint. Use the trace and sew method on this type of fake fur. I like to trace it with a permanent marker, sew and then cut it out. Sometimes I will lay the pattern down and just sew around the pattern. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.
(Above) Before stitching, cut off any excess fabric. Now is the time to add any decorative trims. Then stitch the tops together first (above photo) and then carefully matching the bottom edges together -stitch.
(Above) When stitching the skirt together, use pins and sew very slowly. This will help to avoid puckers. Add seam binding (or bias tape) to the raw edges of the skirt. Use three strand of embroidery floss to make a running stitch around the top of the skirt. Put the skirt on the doll and tighten it around the waist, tie off.
(Above) Add a ribbon to the middle to cover up the gathered skirt on each side of the doll. Carefully stitch the top of the ribbon right above the top of the gather. Carefully stitch the bottom of the ribbon to right below the gather. Try to smooth it as much as possible while you stitch. If you feel like the ribbon is show to much bulk underneath, you could always use a piece of fabric instead.
For the top:
For each dress top, fold the top edge over 1/4" and stitch. Join the bottoms of the dress tops together using the sewing machine. Now fold the sides over 1/4" and stitch. I used the buttonhole stitch on my machine to make the arm holes. You could just as easily cut the holes and use the zig zag stitch. You might want to measure the widest part of the arm before stitching the arm hole just to make sure that it is long enough for the arm to fit through. Place the dress top on the dolls and add a few stitches to the back (kind of where buttons might go), this will keep the dress top closed.
For the collar:
Cut two collars out of coordinating felt. Using tiny drops of glue, glue the front of the collar where the bow is going to go.
For the lamb, I did something a little different for the nose. I opted to cut a small circle out of felt and stitch a nose and mouth. I wasn't happy with the way the felt nose looked on the lamb. I felt like she looked too much like a bunny. I did add blush to the lamb and bunny's cheeks and a little above the lamb's nose. If you look closely, I also added whiskers to the bunny (embroidery floss). Add bows to ears and front of collar.
This doll was so much fun that I am sure more topsy turvy dolls (aka flip dolls, as D#2 likes to call her (them)) are in my future! What about a pumpkin/bat or flower/caterpillar? The possibilities are endless!
Four more blocks for the Quilty Barn Along Quilt (Lori Holt). In my favorite colors! The red is actually the fabric that I used for my craftroom curtains. When I finish this quilt, it is going to hang in the kitchen! Now I just have to built the barns around them.
I hope that each one of you has a wonderful topsy turvy night,
Holly
