A love of theatre is where the story of The Wizard Of Oz began. Author L. Frank Baum was infatuated by the stage, so it was fitting that his fabulous story became a musical stage show on Broadway, and a memorable movie loved by millions. Whether you are an admirer of the mischievous Munchkins or the beautiful Good Witch, a journey down the yellow brick road is always full of wonder and enchantment for readers young and old.

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“I remember reading The Wizard Of Oz curled up on my bed,” says crafter Christine Leech. “The grey opening chapters didn’t seem very promising at first, but when the cyclone came and whisked Dorothy off to the Land Of Oz, I was blown away with her. Plucky Dorothy enthralled me, the jolly Munchkins make me laugh, the Winged Monkeys frightened me and the whole book transported me to a wonderful world of make-believe.”

Joining forces with fellow crafter and Oz devotee Hannah Read-Baldrey, Christine set about conjuring up a magical collection of crafts and recipes inspired by Baum’s famous fable. “We were determined to do this much-loved tale justice, and had fun gathering together ideas,” explains Hannah. “Dorothy is very much the star of the show, so we made a cute rag doll, but also added a playful wardrobe of dressing-up clothes for her,” says Christine. “Our delightful Dorothy doll has her very own gingham pinafore, dainty straw basket and lion mask, and is accompanied by her faithful dog, Toto.”

Make your own Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz doll from their 'Everything Oz' book...

Make your own Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz doll

You will need.

  • 30x20 cm white cotton fabric
  • 40x20cm blue-and-white gingham cotton fabric
  • 30x30cm black-and-white striped cotton fabric
  • A4 sheet of brown wool felt
  • Scraps of wool felt in both white and red
  • Matching sewing threads
  • Medium-sized black, dark pink or red and pale pink colouring pens for face
  • Soft toy stuffing
  • Three small buttons: one red and two black
Make your own Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz doll
  1. Using the templates (below), cut one head and four arms from the white fabric. Cut two bodies from the gingham fabric. Cut four front and back legs from the striped fabric. Cut one back head and one front hair from the brown felt. Cut four front and back shoes from the red felt. Cut one front and back collar from the white felt.
Make your own Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz doll

2. To create Dorothy’s face, lay the brown hair over the head. Then draw her face onto the white cotton using the pens. Use black for her eyes and nose, dark pink for her lips and then dab pale pink onto the fabric to colour her cheeks. It is a good idea to draw Dorothy’s face before you start sewing in case you make a mistake.

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Make your own Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz doll

3. To make up the legs, position one red felt shoe on each foot. Tack in place. Join the legs together in pairs with right sides facing, leaving the top edge open. Turn right sides out. Fill firmly with toy stuffing, packing evenly from the toes up using the handle of a wooden spoon.

Make your own Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz doll

4. To make the body, attach the front and back collars to the body pieces, then join. Hem the bottom. Stitch the bottom edge of the head and the back of head to the body pieces. Make the arms as you did as the legs and tack to the top of the body, facing inwards.

Make your own Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz doll

5. To make the rest of Dorothy’s hair, plait together three 15x1cm lengths of brown felt, securing the ends with a few stitches. Repeat for the second plait. Position each plait and tack in place. Place the joined head and body pieces together, right sides facing, then stuff.

Make your own Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz doll
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6. Position Dorothy’s legs inside the dress hem, curving inwards. Stitch together to close the hem. Add a button to the collar. Stitch the plaits into loops and add a red felt poppy, made from scraps of red felt and a small black button.

Templates:

Make your own Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz doll
Make your own Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz doll

>> Design taken from Everything Oz by Christine Leech & Hannah Read-Baldrey (Quadrille).

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