Rag Dolls, Animal Dolls and a Doll Case: 9 Best Doll Sewing Patterns

The doll a child drags everywhere is often not the one from the store. It is the soft one with yarn hair and a slightly crooked smile that someone sewed for them. A handmade rag doll can become a keepsake. Clear doll sewing patterns state the finished size and explain how the face, hair and limbs go together before you begin.

The nine go from a 16 inch rag doll with a yarn wig down to a 5.5 inch doll with five outfits. In between are a princess, a snowgirl, a giraffe, a mouse, two mini rag dolls with felt pets and a travel case that opens into a little room for its doll. After the cards I go through the parts of a cloth doll that take the most care: body fabric, turning and stuffing small limbs, the face and hair, and how the arms are attached, which matters if the doll is for a very young child.

Doll Sewing Patterns from 5.5 to 16 Inches

Knitted and crochet dolls are not on the list, and patterns that only dress a doll have their own article. Each of the nine makes the doll itself, and every one comes with at least one outfit or skirt.

TL;DR: A 16 inch classic rag doll with a yarn wig heads this list, and the smallest doll is 5.5 inches with five outfits. Between them: a 14 inch princess, a 10 inch snowgirl and giraffe, an 8 inch mouse with four outfits, two 7.5 inch rag dolls with felt pets, and a travel case that opens into a doll's room.

• Rag Doll Sewing Pattern – Best classic rag doll
• Princess Rag Doll Sewing Pattern – Best princess doll
• Snowgirl Christmas Doll Sewing Pattern – Best Christmas doll
• Giraffe Girl Doll Sewing Pattern – Best animal doll
• Mouse Doll Sewing Pattern +4 Outfits – Best doll with a wardrobe
• Mini Rag Doll Sewing Pattern – Best mini doll for beginners
• Rag Boy Doll & Corgi Sewing Pattern – Best boy doll
• Little Rag Doll Sewing Pattern – Best tiny doll
• Travel Doll Case Sewing Pattern – Best gift set

Quick Comparison

Body Fabric and Seam Allowance

Three of the rag doll tutorials in the top results sew the body from a firm woven, quilting cotton, muslin or linen, and the listings here agree: cotton or similar fabric for the princess, linen or cotton for the snowgirl. A tight weave holds stuffing without stretching out of shape and takes an embroidered or painted face cleanly.

Small differences in seam allowance show on a doll far more than on a garment, as one of those tutorials points out: a few millimeters at the neck or a thumb changes the shape. Another traces each piece onto doubled fabric, sews on the traced line with a short stitch and only then cuts the piece out with a seam allowance around it, which keeps small pieces from shifting. Follow your pattern’s own allowance; the method is an option, not a rule.

Turning and Stuffing Small Limbs

Clip the seam allowance on every curve before turning, stopping just short of the stitching, so necks, hands and feet turn out smooth. Long thin arms and legs are the hardest part to turn, and a pair of hemostats or a turning tube makes it far easier than a pencil. One designer even suggests enlarging a small doll pattern by half if turning and stuffing feel fiddly.

Stuff in small tufts, pushing the first ones into the hands and feet, then build up the limbs and the body. Stuff the neck firmly enough that the head stays up, without straining the seams, as with most soft toy sewing patterns. The opening is closed by hand with a ladder stitch, which both the rag doll pattern and two of the free tutorials teach. Teddy bears use the same firm neck stuffing and ladder-stitched opening, as shown in my teddy bear sewing patterns.

Faces, Hair and How the Arms Attach

The faces here are mainly embroidered or painted. The boy doll and the classic rag doll use embroidery (the rag doll includes a face template to trace), while the snowgirl tutorial paints the face with acrylic or fabric paint and adds blush. Marking the features with an erasable fabric marker before stitching them in embroidery floss makes them easier to place. You can stitch it before stuffing, when the back of the head is easy to reach, or after, when you can see the whole doll.

Attaching yarn hair strand by strand can take time. A fabric wig like the boy doll’s avoids sewing on many separate strands.

For a child under 3, a doll should have no buttons, beads or other hard parts that could come off, because small parts are a choking hazard at that age. The snowgirl’s movable arms are attached with two buttons, so for a toddler change the construction: sew the arms into the side seams or ladder-stitch them firmly to the body, embroider the face, and give every seam a firm tug before the doll is handed over. More softies built along similar lines are in the dolls and softies section.

Doll Making Questions

What size works for a first doll?

In my view a doll of 10 to 16 inches is the easier start, since wider limbs turn and stuff more easily. The 5.5 inch and 7.5 inch dolls are marked for beginners, but their small pieces call for patience.

Can a whole doll be sewn by hand?

Yes. The boy doll is designed for hand sewing with no machine, the 5.5 inch doll is suitable for hand sewing, and the mini rag doll can be made either way. The princess lists a hand-sewing needle in its materials.

Will outfits from other patterns fit these dolls?

Sometimes. The mouse doll’s outfits swap with other animals from the same designer’s collection. For anything else, go by height and then hold the printed pieces against the doll, because cloth dolls of one height can be built quite differently. Doll clothes patterns for 18 inch dolls are usually drafted for vinyl-and-cloth play dolls such as American Girl, which have a different shape from the cloth dolls here.

How do I keep a cloth doll clean?

Spot-clean where you can. The travel case has cardboard inside for structure, so it should not go in water, and painted faces may not survive a wash; in my view a doll meant for a toddler is best kept fully fabric and embroidered so it can be washed gently by hand.

Which Dolls Need Changes for a Toddler

Several of these dolls need only small changes to suit a toddler, and a few are better left for older children. The classic rag doll, the princess and the giraffe are the easier ones to adapt among these doll sewing patterns: embroider the face and stitch the arms in firmly. Spare outfits for any of them are in the doll clothes patterns article. Before choosing the boy doll for a toddler, check how its movable arms are attached; the snowgirl needs its button joints replaced, and the travel case, with cardboard inside its walls, is better kept for an older child.

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