Make an "'Ugly" Doll

It seems we can find monsters everywhere these days. Some of the most popular are simple, flat, stuffed creatures made of felt. Because the fabric is soft and comforting, comes in bright, fun colors, is easy to find and inexpensive, felt is the perfect material for crafting these home-spun buddies. Whether you are working on a sewing or toy badge or just teaching your troop some sewing techniques, try having them make themselves a little felt "monster".

Have the girls draw a simple shape to create their pattern or you could create several patterns in advance for them to choose from. Trace the pattern right on a 9x12 inch piece of felt. Layer two pieces of felt together and have them cut out the pieces two at a time.

If the girls are older, they can learn and use a few embroidery techniques to add a face. Cut white felt circles for eyes, which can be stitched on with a blanket stitch. Mouths and noses can be added using a back-stitch with embroidery floss. Younger girls can cut out their face pieces and glue them on with fabric glue or simply draw them on. Monsters often have one eye or silly faces, so let them be crazy. The beauty of this project is that imperfection can be embraced as it gives their monster more character.

You can have the girls hand-sew the layers together with a blanket stitch or bring a sewing machine and quickly sew them. If you use a machine, you can sew them with right sides together so they can be turned right-side out to hide the stitching. Either way, be sure to leave an opening so they can add stuffing to their dolls, then sew the hole closed.

While they may not be exactly the same as the fashionable (and expensive) Uglydoll, the girls are sure to treasure the crazy creation they made themselves.