Doll Customising: Easy Beginner Projects - Acrylic Yarn Wigs

Getting Into Doll Customising 

Regular readers of my blog will have noticed that I have been busy creating a number of custom outfits for Monster High and other dolls over the past months. I have to confess, by now my interest in doll customisation has become a bit of an obsession, judging by the time I spend marvelling at the many fantastic custom creations available on the web. 

Though I have been aware of the existence of custom or ooak (one of a kind) dolls for a number of years, especially since many Blythe doll collectors roaming the craft scene are very accomplished knitters and crocheters. Yet, I didn't feel confident enough to launch into my own custom projects for a long time. 

What's more, doll customising sounds like a bit of an obscure past time, especially for grown-ups. For this reason, I felt reluctant to admit to myself that I actually felt intrigued by it. So intrigued in fact, that I would want to give it a go myself.

Despite its growth over the past decade thanks to social media platforms such as Tumblr, Pinterest and Youtube, the community of doll customisers is still comparatively small and the number of  tutorials and readily available information on techniques, tools and materials is consequently rather limited, especially when compared to mainstream crafts such as sewing, knitting, or crocheting. Due to their familiarity with materials and tools in use by doll customisers, all those familiar with model-making are likely to have an advantage when branching into the custom doll sphere. For a knitter like me, doll customisation is entirely new territory.

Monster High Acrylic Yarn Doll Wig

Free Pattern - Picot Dress for Monster High Doll

As promised a little while ago, I have been busy designing another Monster High doll dress pattern. Originally, I just wanted to have a go at designing a jumper. I ended up knitting a few pieces before arriving at the final pattern and whilst working on the design, I got the idea to extend the jumper and made it into a dress, featuring a Picot border instead. Adding the Picot bind-off is optional and my pattern also gives you the option to knit a 2x2 ribbed yoke or work the yoke in plain stockinette stitch. 

For this project, I was playing around with different yarn options. The photographs show the dress knitted with both fingering weight mohair (Yeoman's Elsa, modelled by both Frankie and Madeline), 2ply dk weight (also Yeoman's) as well as 4ply sock yarn (Knitglobal). All of these yarn types are suitable without making any alterations to the pattern as such, but will give the finished dress a very different look and feel. 

Ever After High Cocktail Dress with Picot Border and Stockinette Yoke (Yarn Yeoman's 2 ply DK Weight)

The dress is designed for Monster High dolls approximately 25cm tall, but the design is also suitable for Ever After High Dolls, as is evidenced by Madeline. Please note the photos of the grey dress below show the dress unblocked. As soon as it's finished blocking, I will post an update with photos of the blocked dress and more in-depth information on my finishing techniques, including options for fastening the dress at the back.

Monster High Cocktail Dress with Picot Border and Stockinette Yoke (Yarn Yeoman's 2 ply DK Weight)

Monster High Cocktail Dress with Picot Border (Yarn Yeoman's 2 ply DK Weight)

Pattern Notes

Materials and Tools

• app 5 - 10g of: 4 ply Sock Yarn or 3 ply Mohair Fingering Weight or 2 ply DK Weight Yarn 

• 2 - 3mm Double-Pointed Needles 

• Scissors

• Safety Pin x2 

• Darning Needle or Sewing Needle (for sewing in ends) 

• For fastening the back of the dress: Button(s) / Hook and Eye Clap or Contrast Yarn

Monster High Doll Picot Maxi Dress

My new Monster High Picot Maxi Dress (designed for a 25cm Monster High Doll), has finished blocking. 

Time for a little outing and a few initial shots. 

Monster High Doll Picot Maxi Dress (Yarn: Yeoman's Elsa)

Another Monster High Doll Clothes Pattern

Work has commenced on another Monster High doll clothes pattern. This time, it's a simple jumper, which can be easily modified into a mini or maxi dress. 

Whilst my Monster High I-cord dress pattern is worked from the bottom up, this pattern is initially worked flat, before it's finished seamlessly in the round from the waist down. 

Monster High - Knitted Jumper Dress

When refining the design, I was playing around with yarns and needle sizes and ended up favouring the fine mohair blends (Patons UK Misty, Yeoman's Elsa) to give the piece a fluffier look.

Free Monster High I-Cord Dress Knitting Pattern

After a long period of absence, I'm finally back attending to my many craft projects and I thought it would be a good idea to make a start with the release of my long overdue Monster High doll dress pattern. 

Free Monster High Doll Dress Pattern (Yarn: Araucania Botany Lace, 4 ply sock yarn)

The mini pencil dress, which will fit a Monster High doll measuring approximately 25cm, required less than 5 grams of yarn. For the pink Monster High dress I used Araucania Botany Lace, which is a 4 ply fingering weight sock yarn. For the other dress, I utilised leftover scraps of 4 ply Knitglobal sock yarn (shade: plum). Any sock yarn with similar attributes will be suitable for this pattern. 

Free Monster High Doll Dress Pattern (Yarn: Knitglobal 4 ply Sock Yarn) 

Monster High Knitted I-Cord Dress Pattern - Sneak Peek of the new Pattern

-Update: The Monster High I-Cord Dress Pattern is now up on the blog and available here.-


Following on from knitting a small pencil dress for a Takara Dollcena / Petite Blythe and Little Pullip doll (photos below) a few months ago, I have adapted my pattern to fit a Monster High doll.   

Knitted Mini Pencil Dress for Takara Petite Blythe / Dollcena Doll

The pattern for the knitted I-Cord dress for Petite Blythes (above) is available here.

My knitting pattern for the Monster High dress (below) will be on the blog soon. In the mean time, I couldn't resist releasing a sneak peek of the new Monster High dress.

I-Cord Dress Knitting Pattern for Monster High Doll

Knitted Pencil Mini - Dress for Petite Blythe or Little Pullip - Free Knitting Pattern

As promised months ago, here is my pattern for a miniature knitted pencil dress, designed for both Petite Blythe dolls, Dollcena Dolls and Little Pullips. 

Little Pullip Doll in custom Hand-Knit Pencil Dress 

The pink mini pencil dress, worn by the Little Pullip doll above required less than 2 grams of yarn. I used Araucania Botany lace, which is a 4 ply fingering weight sock yarn, but any sock yarn with similar attributes will be suitable for this pattern. The construction of the dress allows you to easily adjust the design when fitting the dress on your doll whilst knitting. 

Knitted seamlessly in the round from the bottom up, the pencil dress is secured at the back of the doll's neck with the help of two i-cords. The simple design can be customised by adjusting both the length of the dress itself and the length of the i-cords. In two prototypes of the design (worn by a Takara Tomy Dollcena below) I turned the mini into a maxi dress, but overall I prefer the shorter version.

Takara Tomy Dollcena Doll in Knitted Pencil Maxi Dress 

Simple DIY Monster High Outfit - made from scraps

The Great Scarrier Reef edition of Clawdeen (Monster High)

The Great Scarrier Reef edition of Clawdeen moved in three months ago and I completely ignored her pleas for an outfit change. I'm pleased to report that I finally rectified this dire state of affairs and - after a brief outing into the world of hand sewing - here we have her in a prototype of a new stripy outfit, which was made from the sleeve of a an old top and the salvaged components of a retired bra. 

Clawdeen Wolf (Monster High) in custom stripy outfit

As a result of the fins on her hips and arms, and her mermaid-style stand, the scarrier reef version of Clawdeen poses certain challenges when it comes to creating clothes for her. 

The  design of this two-part (three-part, if you care to include her small scarf) outfit tries to work around these obstacles (arm fins, hip-fins and and tail-stand) rather than altering the doll.

Custom DIY Outfit for Monster High Great Scarrier Reef Clawdeen 

As I didn't have a suitable piece of velcro to hand, I resorted to cannibalising an old bra to salvage the metal fasteners and the elastic bands. The fabric scrap used for her sirrong-style skirt and drapey top is rather stretchy and wraps tightly around the elastics when sewing up the fasteners. The elastic top seams help adding drape to skirt and top, and ensure a good fit around hips (below the fin fasteners) and torso. 

Clawdeen should be much happier now, whilst I'm off improving the design. 

Clawdeen Wolf Monster High in Custom Outfit