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Handmade Dolls: Owie Dolls

owie dolls print side

I’ve wanted to try my hand at doll-making for a long time – ever since I received a hand-made cabbage patch doll, maybe when I was five years old. I still have that handmade doll, and I did hand-sew some dolls from felt with wooden-bead heads as a kid. They weren’t very fancy, but we had a great time with them. My siblings and I transformed a piece of furniture into an apartment complex and made things for the dolls – tiny paintings, violins out of Sculpey clay, violin cases and clothing from felt, and furniture from cardboard and other recyclables. We even had bank accounts.

So, I bought LiEr’s owie doll pattern and made these three dolls instead of packing for our trip! LiEr, the girls did have shorts, but Emma has vetoed their wearing them. She is a huge fan of the reversible outfits, though =) They are lacking accessories, but those will appear in time. I was going to make them look like the kids, but Emma vetoed that. She wanted brown hair, and I figured that – since we weren’t making matching dolls anyway – brown eyes would be easier to embroider.

owie dolls solids

For now, they are being played with most enthusiastically:

Lily and her owie doll

Although I find them to be exceptionally camera shy:

owie dolls outside

LiEr, the braids inspired Emma to (finally) let me braid her hair – and sometimes she even leaves them in! Hooray for Emma getting her hair done!!!

MaryAnne is a craft loving educator, musician, photographer, and writer who lives in Silicon Valley with her husband Mike and their four children.

17 thoughts on “Handmade Dolls: Owie Dolls”

  1. Varya @ Little Artists

    Love these dolls! They are so great and easy to handle for kids (and mamas when they get dirty ha ha).

  2. Hello MaryAnne! Sorry it took me this long to come here and say hi. We’ve been out enjoying the good weather! Your dolls turned out so nice! Thank you for the shout out. And I love Emma’s braids – isn’t it funny, Emily feels the same way about her hair – she will only let me give her an “updo” when her dolls have the same. Girls!
    .-= LiEr´s last blog ..10 Reasons To Love Your Seam Ripper =-.

  3. ADORABLE dolls – I bought the pattern too but haven’t made them yet. Maybe by Christmas?! Yours turned out beautifully.
    And Emma is so cute in the braids!

  4. All I have to say is you seriously rock Mary Anne! These dolls are fabulous.

    Emma’s hair is absolutely adorable too–glad she let you fix it–she looks precious!
    .-= Susana´s last blog ..Day Trip =-.

  5. Love Emmas Braids. F.Y.I. I got the pay it forward package you sent. Lil Worm Loves the baby bear. I finally posted it today. I still have no coments yet. My blog is so new. Hopefully someone will coment so I keep it going. Thanks Again:)
    .-= Carly´s last blog ..Pay it Forward =-.

  6. Great dolls – it’s so awesome that you want to sew and know how :) I love braids in Emma’s hair, but I so don’t see it happening here – we are lucky if we can get ponytails in.
    .-= Natalie´s last blog ..The Art Box – April 26, 2010 =-.

  7. Elisa | blissfulE

    From the initial pictures, I didn’t realise how big the dolls are – what a great size for playing!! They look fantastic, and what a cool benefit that Emma let you braid her hair just like the doll, even if the doll doesn’t look like her otherwise. :)

    I’d say your first official doll creations are a smashing success!!
    .-= Elisa | blissfulE´s last blog ..the conductor game =-.

  8. You did such a great job! I saw those when LiEr first came out with them, and I thought about buying the pattern, but I wondered if it would be difficult. Now you’re tempting me to get it. Did you use the fabric she talked about that allows velcro to stick to it?
    .-= Jaimie´s last blog ..DIY Art Display Wall =-.

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