Make Simple Beanie Caps for Baby Dolls

This little Berenquer Doll came dressed from the local Goodwill! He is the
 perfect companion to my other little boy, baby dolls. I think he needs a hat.

    It seems as though you can make just about anything from a nice pair of socks these days. If you don't feel your up to knitting little beanie caps from scratch, cut up a some of those socks that you can't find a match for! Suddenly, knit baby bonnets will become fashionable in your doll nursery. 

   Using a sharp pair of scissors, cut across a sock just above the heal. Turn the sock piece inside out and sew a tough seam across the end cut side. Repeat this seam several times to eliminate the prospect of the sock unraveling. Turn it back to the front sides facing out and fit it over a bald doll's head. Now tuck in the peaks until you've got the beanie looking fit and trim. Thread an embroidery needle with contrasting floss and sew the nips and tuck down securely to the shape of your doll's head.

Socks Make Great Garments for Dolls:

• Making Doll Sock Sweaters
• Adorable dolls clothes knitting patterns for those of you who love to knit

Tuck in the corners of the sock and sew them down with a embroidery thread and needle.
I did this using a blanket stitch. The trick to getting this just right is to do it while it is
 stretched over the surface of a bald dolls head. Don't do it if your doll has a wig! 

These socks no longer have a matching partner so I've decided to reshape them into nursery beanie caps for a few dolls.

Introduce your child to sewing with this simple doll cap craft. My grandmother taught me to sew on a machine
 step-by-step by adding costumes to my doll's wardrobe many years ago.

Their heads are warm, now all they need are some booties.

Altering infant clothing to fit a baby doll...

Another doll from our family nursery by Berenquer Doll Designs.
This doll has hazel eyes and an open mouth for a bottle.

   I found these little Carter shorts in a resale shop not far from my home and I paid only a dollar for them. It is so much easier and cheaper to resize baby clothes for your dolls than it is to sew them from scratch. When altering shorts or pants, remove the elastic and cuffs with a seam ripper. If you take the time to do remove these, your end product will look clean and custom made.  Always trim pants from the outside seam, so that the detailing on the front zipper will remain intact. 

   Many vinyl baby dolls can be dressed in diapers intended for real preemie infants (premature) so don't cut the shorts or pants down too much; leave some wiggle room. Also, you don't want the clothing to be so tight fitting that little ones can't dress and undress their dolls. Repeating this process over and over helps them to develop small motor skills and it should be encouraged. 

Alter Baby Cloths Into Doll Clothes:

• Super simple ways to make doll pajamas!
• Repurpose baby shirt into a doll's dress
• From baby clothes to doll clothes!

Left, A pair of Cater shorts for infants, very classic plaid and durably made. Center, remove the upper seams,
 elastic and cuffs at the bottom before altering. Right, trimmed and the waist band restrung,
this pair of shorts has been successfully altered for a variety of doll body types and sizes.

Left, this baby doll has a simple altered tee shirt made from a recycled baby onesie. (see method here)
Right, Now my little fella wears a pair of altered infant shorts. I chose to make them a little large in order to
accommodate a diaper and/or a larger doll. 

Sew a Nightshirt for A Doll

A Berenquer Doll, these were very popular with my girls,
when they were little. Consequently, there are many in the
Grimm family toy collections.

    Many a mother or grandmother may consider sewing nightshirts for their child or grandchild's massive baby doll collection to be a daunting task. Given the size of that collection in our own pretend nursery, this would be a considerable effort that might take, at the very least, a week to finish! However, we are far more practical in the production of doll clothes than you might anticipate. Especially when one must consider the small people who will be dressing and undressing these bulky vinyl infants to begin with. 

    First and foremost, learn where to find the most economically priced baby clothes in your area, that may be a baby resale, Goodwill outlet, or perhaps even a garage sale at the end of your neighborhood street. Look for clean, like new onesies in the smallest sizes that you can find. (0 to 3 months or preemies ) I found half a dozen of these for three dollars and spent about ten dollars at a Once Upon A Child one afternoon. These onesies had adorable prints and applique designs and the best part of the bargain, I didn't need to spend hours trimming them to look adorable!

    I could have chosen to make nightgowns less contemporary but these would not have been as easily manufactured or as easy for little hands to manipulate around big headed dolls. So I opted for the simplest and most economical solution. Don't forget to get a selection of blues and pinks. Although most baby doll mothers insist on determining their pretend children to be girls, there are a few boys that seem to sneak in with the bald heads and mischievous grins.

    Trim off the bottom edges of your onesies, before altering the gowns. This will allow young parents to use the gowns to dress a variety of dolls of different sizes.  

    I chose to alter my doll's nightshirts using French seams. French seams are durable, clean, and visually attractive in my opinion. There is no need to worry if the seams will unravel with rough use. In a French seam, the raw edges of the fabric are fully enclosed for a neat finish. The seam is first sewn with wrong sides together, then the seam allowances are trimmed and pressed. A second seam is sewn with right sides together, enclosing the raw edges of the original seam.

I rolled the bottom edge of this baby doll's night shirt and
then added a blanket stitch to finish off the night gown.

Left, lay the doll on top of the baby onesie in order to measure how much you need to trim off in order to fit it to your doll.
 Center, I drew directly on the onesie with a pencil, in order to see just where I needed to sew. Right, here you can see that
 I have made my alteration and trimmed away the excess material just before turning the garment inside-out and sewing
 a second seam around the edge of the material. This is called a French seam. French seams help keep fabric edges from
 unraveling over time and heavy use.

Sewing French Seams:

• French Seams from Made to Sew
• How to make a French Seam

No matter how large and absurd the head of your doll, the lap
shoulder neckline makes dressing this type of doll easier.

A toddler can even manipulate this stretchy made knit over her doll's
permanently bent arms with a bit of a tug here and there.

Soon... I'm getting there.

Ah ha! presto-chango, a well dressed baby doll, ready for the land of nod!

Dolly's Wings

DOLLY'S WINGS.

Mamma Biddy, look up here,

See my dolly; ain't her dear?

Love your chickens? So does I.

Wish my dolly''d learn to fly.

Mamma Biddy, how get wings?

Buy 'em with the pedlar things?

Guess I'se got free cents and two;

Mamma Biddy, won't that do?

by Laura Loring, in Wide Awake.

Old photo from 1900; children in studio with doll.

Baby

Baby

Where did you come from, baby dear?

Out of the everywhere into here.

Where did you get those eyes so blue?

Out of the sky as I came through.

What makes the light in them sparkle and spin?

Some of the starry spikes left in.

Where did you get that little tear?

I found it waiting when I got here.

What makes your forehead so smooth and high?

A soft hand stroked it as I went by.

What makes your cheek like a warm white rose?

I saw something better than any one knows.

Whence that three-cornered smile of bliss?

Three angels gave me at once a kiss.

Where did you get this pearly ear?

God spoke, and it came out to hear.

Where did you get those arms and hands?

Love made itself into bonds and bands.

Feet, whence did you come, you darling things?

From the same box as the cherubs' wings.

How did they all just come to be you?

God thought about me, and so I grew.

But how did you come to us, you dear?

God thought about you, and so I am here.

 by George MacDonald

A Child's Troubles

A CHILD'S TROUBLES.

I wish I knew my letters well,

So I might learn to read and spell;

I'd find them on my pretty card,

If they were not so very hard.

"Now S is crooked - don't you see?

And G is making mouths at me,

And O is something like a ball, -

It hasn't any end at all.

And all the rest are - my! so queer!

They look like crooked sticks - oh, dear!

Ma counted six, and twenty more;

What do they have so many for?

From St. Nicholas

I'm Such A Little Tot

I'M SUCH A LITTLE TOT

They said I couldn't speak a piece,

I'm such a little tot;

That they were little once themselves,

They surely have forgot.

I've made my bow as prettily

As did my bigger brother.

I've made my bow - you're laughing so -

I guess I'll make another.

by J. H. G.

Grandma Always Does

GRANDMA ALWAYS DOES

I wants to mend my wagon,

And has to have some nails, -

Jus' two, free will be plenty, -

We're going to haul our rails.

The splendidest cob-fences

We're makin', ever was!

I wis' you'd help us find 'em -

Gran'ma ollers does!

My horse's name is Betsy;

She jumped and broked her head ;

I put her in the stable.

And fed her milk and bread.

The stable 's in the parlor, -

We didn't make no muss, -

I wis' you'd let it stay there -

Gran'ma ollers does !

I wants some bread and butter,

I's hungry worstest kind;

But Toddie mustn't have none,

'Cause she wouldn't mind.

Put plenty sugar on it.

Just lots of it, because

It's right to put on sugar -

Gran'ma ollers does!

Charley Boy

Charley Boy

O, LOOK at my hat.

How nicely it suits!

O, look at my feet,

I've got on new boots!

Hurrah, for Charley boy!

My boots, they are stiff.

My boots, they are tall.

And they hold me up straight,

So I cannot fall.

Hurrah, for Charley boy!

I'll do mother's errands

As well as I can;

I've got on new boots.

And so I'm a man.

Hurrah, for Charley boy !

by Eliza Lee Follen

Going To Bed

GOING TO BED

It isn't time to go to bed.

The clock goes round too quick;

It hurts my back to lie in bed,

And almost makes me sick.

I want to show my uncle George

My pretty birthday ring;

And sing him "Jesus loves me,"

For he likes to hear me sing;.

My dollie, Haddenewya,

Her yellow dress is thin,

And she's sitting on the horse-block,

I forgot to bring her in;

I want to go and get her, -

She'll catch a cold and die ;

I want to get my nankerchick,

I guess I'se got to cry.

I said I'd wait till papa comes,

I wonder what he'd think;

There's something hurts me in my throat,

I want to get a drink.

I guess I'd rather get it in

My little silver cup, -

What makes me have to go to bed

When you are staying up?

The Little Angel

The Little Angel

Right into our house one day,

A dear little angel came;

I ran to him and said, softly,

"Little angel, what is your name?"

He said not a word in answer.

But smiled a beautiful smile;

Then I said : "May I go home with you?

Shall you go in a little while? "

But mamma said: "Dear little angel.

Don't leave us! Oh, always stay!

We will all of us love you dearly!

Sweet angel, oh, don't go away!"

So he stayed, and lie stayed, and we loved him,

As we could not have loved another;

Do you want to know what his name is?

His name is - my little brother!

Melodies for Childhood.

Little Whimpy

LITTLE WHIMPY.

Whimpy, little Whimpy,

Cried so much one day,

His grandma couldn't stand it.

And his mother ran away;

His sister climbed the hay-mow.

His father went to town.

And cook flew to the neighbor's

In her shabby kitchen-gown.

Whimpy, little Whimpy,

Stood out in the sun.

And cried until the chickens

And the ducks began to run;

Old Towser in his kennel.

Growled in an angry tone,

Til en burst his chain, and Whimpy

Was left there, all alone.

Whimpy, little Whimpy,

Cried, and cried, and cried.

Soon the sunlight vanished,

Flowers began to hide;

Birdies stopped their singing,

Frogs began to croak.

Darkness came! and Whimpy

Found crying was no joke.

Whimpy, little Whimpy,

Never'll forget the day

When his grandma couldn't stand it,

And his mother ran away.

He was waiting by the window,

When they all came home to tea,

And a gladder boy than Whimpy

You never need hope to see.

by Mary Mapes Dodge