It’s been a long time coming. 😉 Lucy’s Taylor Swift doll is done! (And I’m sharing a tutorial.)
Listen. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be blessed with two little Swiftie daughters with dozens of Swiftie besties. It’s the BEST. 😂 And goodness: talk about all the activities that have stemmed from this shared love. From events and parties to imaginative play and crafts, I can get them excited about and invested in just about anything if I simply declare it’s Taylor Swift-themed.
“Guess what, guys? We’re going grocery shopping. But it’s Taylor Swift-themed grocery shopping!”
Works like a charm every time. (Though if you’re wondering what this entails, it means that each kid dresses like one of the Eras and then plans/shops for an Era-themed “meal,” too. For example, Lucy might be “Feelin’ 22” and then shop for snacks like are featured in the music video… while we also pick up actual groceries. 😝)
But back to the Taylor Swift doll. Lucy asked for one for her birthday, and the only ones I could find were custom made for a small fortune. So I was like, hey. I can probably (maybe) do this. And my mother-in-law, who is super crafty, encouraged me. So I went to Hobby Lobby while visiting her—sadly there are no Hobby Lobbys in Chicago?!—and I bought this $8.99 blank 18″ muslin doll.
And then it sat on my shelf for a really long time because I had no idea where to start.
But eventually I did start, and somehow, even though I have zero sewing experience, I created something that might kind of resemble the iconic outfit that the pop star wears on The Eras Tour—and the one Lucy loved the most when we saw her perform in Chicago. Huzzah!
Let’s get to it:
Materials
Note that I had a lot of these things already, and really only needed to purchase the sequins on a roll, fringe and yarn.
- Muslin doll body
- White sequin fabric (I used Lucy’s too-small leotard from a Halloween costume.)
- Everyday Cricut Iron-On in various colors needed
- Cricut Maker 3 (Though any Cricut will work! If you’re a first-timer, I recommend the mini Cricut Joy. It takes up very little space, and is super easy to work. My seven-year-old daughter is a pro with it!)
- Sequins on a roll
- Individual sequins
- Sequin fringe
- “Blonde” yarn
- Bedazzler kit
- Mini sewing kit
- Mini iron
Steps
1. Sew the white sequin fabric and pink fringe to the doll body
I know. It would have been ideal to just make a leotard… but guys, I still can’t operate my sewing machine on my own, haha. Hand-sewing the fabric to the doll’s body seemed much easier and faster—and this proved to be true! (And at $8.99 a doll body, I think we can buy a second if we ever decide to make a doll from another Era!)
Anywho, since I was using Lucy’s old leotard, I decided to work with what I already had. I cut a hole in the crotch of the leotard for the head, and then turned the original leg holes into arm holes. I then folded over the edges of the fabric and sewed them into the muslin. I used the sleeves of the leotard to make the boots. (I trimmed the excess fabric from the bottom, folded over, and sewed onto the feet.)
Sewing the fringe to the body took about five minutes. Note that you should trim it as Taylor’s fringe is pretty short!
Tip: Be generous when cutting the fabric (and all other materials). When I did it, I realized I had given myself no room for error. Luckily it worked out but I wish I had given myself a few more inches to work with!
2. Sew the sequins on a roll onto the doll
Before doing this, I sketched a quick design, using these photos as a guide. And then I tried my best to make it symmetrical on either side. It didn’t come out perfect, but I told myself that it’s a five-year-old’s doll and she likely wouldn’t notice. ;) Good enough!
Tip: Knot the ends so that the sequins don’t detach.
Note: I found the little doll wig on eBay, but ended up ditching it because it was a tad too small and kept popping off. I’ll likely use this on a smaller doll down the line!
3. Sew on the individual sequins
This took me a little while to figure out, but eventually I realized that all I needed to do was sew a sequin on, plunge the needle into the doll and bring it out somewhere close to where I wanted to sew the next sequin on. This helped me avoid cutting and tying the thread for each and every sequin!
Another option would be going with shiny white material and then bedazzling the leotard, which I kind of wish I’d done, haha. Next time! (Jk.)
4. Sew on the yarn for hair
I used everyday yarn that resembled a dirty blonde color, and it worked great! I simply made four or five long loops, gathered one end of those loops, positioned it pointing away from the face, and stitched it into the head, going ’round and ’round until I had good coverage. With the bangs, I started a new “line” and pointed those loops in the opposite direction before sewing them into the head. (And then trimmed them, of course!)
5. Cut HTV (Heat Transfer Vinyl) for facial features + iron them on
After looking at a bunch of doll faces (#creepy), I drew a face and then uploaded it to Cricut Design Space. (But there are tons of pre-made faces to choose from there, too!) I imported it in the layered format, had the machine cut out the shapes, and then ironed them on using this nifty tiny iron.
Tip: Iron the entire face on in white to begin with. This will serve as a guide while you iron on the other layers. As you can see, I was a little off with the smile, but my plan was to bedazzle it anyway, so I knew I had some wiggle room!
Tip 2: Iron on the lowest setting. I went too high, and Taylor’s face got a little burnt. (Though Emma said it looked like “skin makeup.” WIN! Haha!)
6. Bedazzle your heart out
My friend Abby told me about this modern-day bedazzler kit on Amazon, and I instantly ordered. I first bedazzled the girls scooters, and then realized that it would be perfect for the Taylor doll too!
It’s so insanely easy to use. Screw in the attachment for whatever size gem you’re using, plug the machine in, let it heat up for a few minutes, pick up the little gem (which has glue on its back), and press it to whatever you want to bedazzle for around 20 seconds. And poof! You’re a bedazzling pro.
Lucy had specifically requested the Lover heart, so I did that as well as adding a number 13 to Taylor’s hand and some sparkle to her smile/eyes.
1989 pillow can be found here!
7. Celebrate!
You’ve done it. Now all that’s left is gifting it to one of your favorite mini Swifties.
Don’t worry. Emma will be getting a Tortured Poets version 😆 for her birthday, which is just around the corner! She’s also asked for a typewriter. Like who uses typewriters anyway? Emma does! Having way too much fun with all of this.
I’ll show myself out.
Drop me a line at Kelly@kellyinthecity.com with any questions!
Happy birthday, Lucy. You make our whole world *shimmer.*