Toby the Dog is the latest member of  the Tilly & Puffin family, and the pattern is now ready to download and sew into a 16 inch doll.

You can make Toby with a patch over one eye or both, and his perky ears can be tucked down or left at a jaunty angle!

He’s dressed for the country in his cord trousers, collarless shirt and lace-up boots. His waistcoat has a coordinating print lining. The finishing touch is his colourful cotton neckerchief.

 

 

 

As usual I cut up some outgrown children’s clothes to make the shirt and trousers. The waistcoat and its lining are cotton quilting fabrics and the boots are made of felt.

His clothes will also fit Tilly, Puffin and Tabitha, and he can wear their outfits if he wants to!

 

Tilly felt doll with brown hair
Tilly doll with sea pinks

 

 

It took me many sketches, pattern drafts and trial runs to finally come up with a sample I was happy with. Creating a new doll or any new design can be a frustrating process at times because there’s an ideal version in my imagination which isn’t always easy to translate into reality. Making flat fabrics into three-dimensional shapes is tricky but very satisfying when it finally works.

Sometimes I discard yet another sample head because the shape is all wrong and feel that I’ll never get it, but with experience I’ve learnt that all the “failures” are a necessary part of the design process, and that if I just keep going I’ll get there in the end.

 

The Toby pattern is finished, but I won’t leave it there. I want to try making him with lighter brown patches and dark brown ears, like a Jack Russell, and make up his clothes in different fabrics and colours. Perhaps he could wear velvet trousers and a fancy waistcoat with a silk cravat for a more dressed-up look!

I can’t wait to see how you get on with this latest pattern – will your Tilly doll be getting a new friend?

You can purchase the Toby doll pattern here, and patterns for the other dolls and their outfits here;

 

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