Merry Elf Doll

Supplies:
Merry Elf Doll template
1/4 yard patterned fabric (body)
1/4 yard striped fabric (legs and arms)
1/8 yard plain fabric (head)
1/4 yard wool felt, various colors
Embroidery floss
Embroidery needle
Poly-Fil

Tools:
Scissors
Pins
Sewing machine

Directions:
1. Cut out all the pieces for the doll.

2.  Place the wool felt piece for the hair on top of the front and back pieces of the doll head and edge stitch on. If desired, add more stitching to give the hair more detail.

3. With the right sides together, line up the raw edges of the neck to the base of the head, pin in place, and stitch together. Repeat for the back body and head pieces. Press the doll body open.

4. Pin the two leg pieces together with their right sides facing, and sew around the perimeter making sure to leave the base open. Turn and press. Repeat for the remaining leg and arm pieces. Lightly stuff all the arms and legs with Poly-Fil. I wanted to give our doll elbows of sorts, 3″ up from the arm tip, I sewed across the width of the arm.

5. Place the back body fabric with the right side up, and place the arms right at the base of the neck going diagonal across the body (arm opening out near the edge of the fabric). Repeat for the arm on the other side, and then place the front body fabric with the right side down, sandwiching the arms inside. Pin in place and sew around the entire perimeter of the body and head. Leave the bottom open. Clip the curves, then turn and press.

6. Fold the base of the body in 1/2″ and press. Insert the legs 1/2″ into the base of the body with each leg 1″ from the corner of the body. Pin in place and edge stitch the opening closed.

7. Cut out the elf clothing pieces from your wool felt. Wrap the collar around the elf’s neck and attach the ends together with a button.

Place the right sides of the hat together, stitch around, turn, and press. Place the right sides of the boots together, stitch around, turn, and press. Add any additional decorative touches you might want like poms or jingle bells at the tips of the hat and shoes.

8. Embroider on your elf face.

Are you an Elf on the Shelf fan? Though we have an Elf on the Shelf (it was a gift), we don’t really participate in the whole find the elf thing. Instead, we thought it would be fun to give our Elf on a Shelf a friend to play with (and let our girls play with them). If you wanted to do the whole elf on a shelf thing with this handmade elf, I think he would happily oblige to be part of it!

This fun guy would also be a nice gift to see hanging out of a stocking on Christmas day, or make this wee felt house for your elf to live in. The girls have tons of homemade dolls, so this elf for sure won’t be lonely. If you want more handmade gift ideas for kids, don’t forget my book, Let’s Sew Together, has plenty of suggestions for you! I still have one handmade present left to make this Christmas, so let’s see if I have time for it. With less than two weeks left to go, I may not have time, and it might end up being a Valentine’s Day gift for the girls instead. We shall see…