Pattern experience ratings

If you're new to sewing or doll-making, choosing the right pattern can feel a little overwhelming. To help you, we've added an experience rating to each sewing pattern, making it easier to select one that matches your skills and experience

Beginner: Our beginner patterns are designed for people who are completely new to sewing. You don't need any specific doll-making experience, but you should have a basic understanding of how to use a sewing machine

Confident Beginner: Our confident beginner patterns are still beginner-friendly, but they include slightly trickier elements like sewing curves or gathering a skirt. If you're new to sewing, we suggest trying out our beginner patterns first before giving these a go

Intermediate: While none of our patterns require advanced sewing techniques, our intermediate sewing patterns involve more precise sewing, which becomes easier with more sewing experience. If you've mastered our beginner and confident beginner patterns, you'll be ready to try these patterns

The tables below display the experience rating for each sewing pattern. In some cases, the dolls and their accompanying clothes may have different ratings. These tables provide insights into why certain patterns are rated higher than beginner level, helping you determine if you're ready to give them a try!

Whilst some patterns have been rated higher in skill level, they are still written with beginners in mind, offering step-by-step guidance and detailed instructions. Our patterns come with tips from our vast experience in making dolls, pointing out common mistakes to help you avoid them.

The most beginner-friendly pattern is the bunny, closely followed by the bear. Check out our guide for beginners to find all our beginner sewing patterns and helpful tips to make sewing your first doll an easy and enjoyable experience

Doll patterns

Pattern	Rating	Details
Bird - chick, duck and chicken (mini-size)	Confident beginner	Mini-size dolls are trickier to sew than our original-size patterns because of their smaller size. This pattern includes some intermediate-level elements, but there are easier alternatives too
Bird	Confident beginner	The body is a bit trickier to sew than our original-size patterns because of its smaller size. You have two leg options: the standard leg is great for confident beginners, while the bird leg is intermediate level as it's small and tricky to sew. The chicken's comb and wattle are small and fiddly to sew, so we suggest starting with the chick or duck first
Dresses	Beginner
Shorts	Beginner
Bow	Beginner
Bunny (original size)	Beginner	This is the easiest of all our patterns. The clothes have been designed to be simple and easy to sew to help you build your confidence
Bunny	Beginner
Shorts	Beginner
Skirt	Beginner
Bow	Beginner
Bunny (baby size)	Confident beginner	The small scale of this doll and it's clothes makes it a little more tricky to make than our original size bunnies. The instructions include tips for sewing small size dolls to help you, but if you are an absolute beginner or have arthritis in your hands we recommend making our original-size bunny instead
Bunny	Confident beginner	The doll features small curves
Overalls	Confident beginner	The overall feature small curves
Headband	Beginner
Bear (original size)	Beginner	The bear is a great pattern for absolute beginners. The overalls are a slightly more complex than the bunny clothes, but still perfect for beginners
Bear	Beginner
Overalls	Beginner
Headband	Beginner
Bow	Beginner
Cat (original-size)	Confident beginner	The cat is the perfect next step once you've mastered our beginner patterns! The dress features gathers and sewing curves
Cat	Beginner
Dress	Confident beginner	Attaching the ruffles to the sleeves may be tricky for absolute beginners
Bow	Beginner
Deer (original size)	Intermediate	The Y seam on the deer's face requires precise sewing which is easier when you have gained experience making some of our confident beginner dolls
Deer	Intermediate	You will need to be able to control the speed that you sew for the Y seam on the deer's face. The pattern includes a demonstration video and tips to make this easier for you
Waistcoat / vest	Beginner	Features curves
Turn up trousers	Beginner
Ruffle trousers	Confident beginner	Attaching the ruffle to the straps may be tricky for absolute beginners
Bow	Beginner
Dog  (original size)	Confident beginner	The dog is the perfect next step once you've mastered our beginner patterns! The clothing features gathers and sewing curves
Dog	Beginner
Dress	Beginner
Romper	Confident beginner	Attaching the bodice to the shorts may be a little tricky for absolute beginners
Bow	Beginner
Elephant (original size)	Confident beginner	The elephant involves sewing with jersey fabrics and the trunk is a little tricky to sew. It is a great next step if you've made some of our other confident beginner patterns
Elephant	Confident beginner	You need to be careful sewing and stuffing the trunk to ensure it is free from wrinkles. The pattern includes a video showing how to stuff the head to make this easier
Shirt	Confident beginner	Sewing with jersey and attaching the neck to the shirt may be tricky if you are new to sewing. The pattern includes a guide to sewing jersey fabrics
Skirt	Beginner
Shorts	Beginner
Socks	Beginner
Shoes	Beginner
Fox and wolf  (original size)	Confident beginner	The fox is the perfect next step for beginners looking to expand their skills and experience once they've made a few of our patterns
Fox and wolf	Confident beginner	You will need to match up the seams on the face
Dress	Beginner	Features curves and gathers
Romper	Confident beginner	Features curves and gathers. Attaching the waistband to the shorts may be tricky for absolute beginners
Bow	Beginner
Mouse (original-size)	Confident beginner	The mouse is the perfect next step once you've mastered our beginner patterns! Most of the clothes are beginner-friendly. The only thing which is slightly tricky is the neckline of the dresses/shirts, but a video demonstration makes this easier
Mouse	Beginner
Dresses/shirts	Confident beginner	Sewing the casing to the neckline may be tricky for absolute beginners. The pattern includes a video demonstration to make this easier
Bloomers/underwear	Beginner
Headband	Beginner
Lamb  (original size)	Confident beginner	The lamb involves sewing with fur fabrics and the clothes include thin straps which are a little tricky to sew. It is a great next step if you've made some of our other confident beginner patterns
Lamb	Confident beginner	Sewing with furry fabrics may be a little tricky if you are new to sewing
Dress	Confident beginner	The straps are thin and may be a little tricky if you are new to sewing
Romper	Confident beginner	The straps are thin and may be a little tricky if you are new to sewing
Jumpsuit	Confident beginner	The straps are thin and may be a little tricky if you are new to sewing
Bow	Beginner
Unicorn and horse	Confident beginner	This pattern will level up your skills and techniques. We suggest trying out a few of our other confident beginner patterns before giving this one a go
Unicorn / horse	Confident beginner	Involves sewing smooth curves and small shapes and attaching hair which absolute beginners may find tricky
Swing dress	Confident beginner	Attaching the collar involves sewing gathers and precise stitching to attach it, which can be a bit tricky for absolute beginners
Romper	Confident beginner	Attaching the collar involves sewing gathers and precise stitching to attach it, which can be a bit tricky for absolute beginners
Ruffle dress	Intermediate	The ruffle dress involves sewing multiple gathers and layers, which could be tricky for beginners. The tulle version uses lightweight fabrics, including tulle, which might pose a challenge if you haven't worked with them before

 

Clothes patterns

Pattern	Rating	Description
Ballerina outfit (original size)	Confident beginner	The ballerina outfit is a fantastic project for beginners to enhance their skills after mastering our beginner sewing patterns. Some parts might be a little tricky, but don't worry - the pattern also offers simpler alternatives
Leotard	Confident beginner	Sewing with four-way stretch fabrics is likely to be tricky for absolute beginners. The instructions include two pages of tips to make it easier
Sewn-in leotard	Beginner
Scrunchie sleeves	Confident beginner	They are small, so a little fiddly to make
Circular tutu	Beginner
Knotted tutu	Beginner
Leg warmers	Beginner
Ballet shoes	Confident beginner	They feature small curves which make them tricky to make
Painted shoes	Beginner
Headband	Beginner
Bella cardigan (original size)	Confident beginner	Absolute beginners might find this pattern a bit challenging. You should know how to knit, purl, cast on and off, and do simple increases and decreases. A few extra stitches are picked up and created in each underarm. You will need to have experience reading knitting patterns
Daisy dress (original size)	Beginner	This is a perfect project for beginners. The dress is made up of simple shapes that are easy to sew
Daisy dress	Beginner	The dress features gathers
Fairy outfit (original size)	Beginner	This is a great beginner project to level-up your skills
Cotton dress	Beginner
Tulle dress	Confident beginner	Sewing the tulle itself isn't difficult, but cutting the fabric and pinning it in place can be tricky. If you are new to sewing we recommend making the cotton dress first
Crown	Beginner
Wings	Beginner
Boots	Beginner
Pattern hack guide (original size)	Confident beginner	To make the pattern hacks you should already have made the patterns needed to make them and be comfortable sewing them. A full list of patterns used for the hacks is included in the description
Pyjamas (original size)	Intermediate	The pyjama shirt has fitted sleeves that might pose a challenge for absolute beginners. If you've tried some of our confident beginner patterns and are ready to level up your skills, this project is perfect for you and definitely worth the effort!
Shirt	Intermediate	Includes fitted sleeves which can be a little tricky to sew, especially if you are new to sewing. The instructions include lots of tips to make it as easy as possible
Trousers	Beginner
Sleep mask	Beginner
Spring outfit (original size)	Beginner	This is a great pattern for absolute beginners. Its quick and easy to make!
Dress	Beginner
Scrunchie collar	Beginner
Flower headband	Beginner
Winter essentials (original size)	Confident beginner	This pattern is the perfect project once you've mastered a few of our confident beginner patterns. You'll gain experience sewing curves and using jersey
Beanie hat	Confident beginner	You might find sewing with jersey tricky if you have never used it before, but the instructions include lots of tips to teach you how to sew with it
Scarf	Confident beginner	You might find sewing with jersey tricky if you have never used it before, but the instructions include lots of tips to teach you how to sew with it
Boots	Confident beginner	Sewing the plush fabric to the boots may be tricky, depending on your machine
Bolero jacket	Confident beginner	Sewing around the curves may be tricky for absolute beginners
Bolero waistcoat	Confident beginner	Sewing around the curves may be tricky for absolute beginners