DIY dolls made from recycled materials

Nothing's easier or more fun than making dolls at home, using only recycled materials. With scraps of fabric, felt, and textiles. Or even with mismatched socks or a chip bag.

Cloth

Necessary

• needle and thread
• a ball of wool
• scraps of various fabrics
• foam rubber
• two buttons
• an old sweater

Method

• Draw the outline of a doll on a sheet of paper and then copy it onto two pieces of fabric.
• The doll's body is obtained by cutting out the two fabric shapes and sewing them together, leaving one side open so that it can be filled with foam for padding.
• Once this is done, the side opening is sewn up to definitively close the stuffed doll.
• The doll's eyes are made with the two buttons, unless the toy is intended for very young children. In that case, replace them with two drawings made with a permanent marker.
• The doll's hair is made with threads from the ball of wool, which are cut to the desired length. The hair is secured to the seam of the doll's head, also sewing with thick thread.
• The doll's clothes can be created with scraps of fabric, recovered from old clothes that will need to be appropriately cut out and sewn depending on the type of garment you want to create.

Bottle

You can make a DIY doll by recycling a plastic bottle, a wine bottle or a juice bottle.

Necessary

• a bottle
• of the wool
• of raffia
• a styrofoam ball
• flesh-colored felt
• fabric scraps
• of the rope
• a cork stopper
• colored pencils
• a potato knife
• some glue or double-sided tape

Method

• Clean the bottle and remove any stickers or labels. Glue the cork stopper onto the bottle cap. cork and, on this, fix the head of the doll, which is nothing other than the ball of polystyrene, suitably hollowed out and drilled inside, so that the cork can enter.
• Use glue or double-sided tape to secure everything. On the head, draw eyes, a mouth, and a nose, and color the skin a light pink. The hair will be made from raffia or wool threads, glued to a piece of fabric secured to the doll's head.
• Using pieces of string, make the arms and legs. Place the string 3 cm below the mouth of the bottle and then tie it around the neck.
• With fabric scraps glued onto the bottle create the dress, like a patchwork: the doll is ready.

Socks

For this type of doll made with socks, quite simple, you need to get:

Necessary

• a sock
• some kitchen paper
• some pieces of cloth
• two pieces of paper
• spirit colors
• a pair of scissors
• some glue
• some strips of cardboard

Method

• Stuff the sock with paper towels. Once you've finished stuffing it, secure it and tie it in half, using a piece of fabric to act as a belt. The top of the sock should be closed by turning it inside out: this will form the hood.
• The latter can be decorated with spirit paint, which you can also use to draw the face. The dress can be made from recycled napkins, glued to the top of the doll. A button can be used to close the whole thing.
• The same procedure is used for the skirt, which is then secured with a thread of sequins or trimmings.
• With a small piece of rolled up cardboard you can make the hair, securing them under the hood. Finally, the feet are obtained by cutting out two oval pieces of paper, which are then glued to the underside of the doll.

Tea towels

Photo Credit | Facebook Angela Do It Yourself Creation

If you have old people at home tea towels You can recycle any items you no longer use into a doll. You could even use old wooden spoons. P.S.: This idea, made with new dishcloths, would make a great Christmas gift.

Wool

Photo Credit | Facebook My Handmade Garden

If you know how to knit and have some balls of yarn left over from another project at home, you can look for a pattern to follow to create a wool doll tender like this. Pay close attention to the color combinations; a great result depends on this too.

Bra

Photo Credit | Facebook Libricini

A super original idea that makes the most of creative recycling like few others is this DIY doll made with the cups of a bralet, some fabric, a doily, and little else. All you have to do is take inspiration.

Felt Discs

Photo Credit | Facebook Mararo

Felt is also an excellent material for creative recycling. It can create stunning, meticulously crafted dolls, like the one above, which could provide valuable inspiration for your own projects.

Menu

Photo Credit | Facebook Red Ted Art

Would you ever have thought that you could create dolls from scratch? letterUse a fairly thick one for a long-lasting result (either cardstock or cardboard will work). Cut out the pieces, color them, and draw facial features, then assemble everything together.

Toilet paper roll

Photo Credit | Facebook LiberaLaMente APS

Another DIY doll idea with creative recycling is the one you get with the toilet paper rollsUsing them as a base, you can then enrich them with details. Pieces of tissue paper, fabric, or other materials to make clothes and accessories. Facial features traced with markers and various colors.

Tube of chips

Photo Credit | Facebook Cristina Catu sweetcreativeartist

Finally, with a potato chip tube Suitably covered in fabric or felt, with some wool to create braids, with a few buttons and a few small appliques of your choice, you can obtain a really nice DIY doll.

Read also:

• Corncob Dolls (VIDEO)
• DIY cardboard dollhouse
• The Doll Hospital: An ancient Naples shop-museum curates toys.