Hobbies And Interests
Things You'll Need
Instructions
Style the Doll Body
Find a vinyl doll you would like to turn into a Sailor Scout doll. You may wish to choose a doll that has the same hair color as your chosen character, so you can skip the rewigging steps.
Lay out the doll body on a flat surface. Paint the hands and forearms of the doll white with acrylic paint, stopping just before the elbow. Let the paint dry.
Find the color glove bands your character wears, using your reference pictures. Just above the white paint, paint small bands of that color to mimic the glove bands. Let the paint dry.
Coat the doll's arms with a clear sealer spray and let it dry completely.
Determine what style of shoes your character wears. If your character wears boots, paint the boots directly onto the legs and coat them with clear sealer. If your character wears high heels, you may be able to find ready-made heels for the type of doll you are using. Paint the high heels the proper color and coat them with sealer.
Pull the doll's hair back from the face and protect it with plastic wrap. Paint a tiara onto the doll's forehead, following your reference pictures. Let the paint dry, then spray the face with a clear sealer.
Find a doll wig for your size doll, if your doll does not have the hair color you need (see Resources).
Trim your doll's existing hair close to the scalp. Apply lines of hot glue all over the scalp, then press the new wig onto the hot glue. Let the glue dry completely.
Trim the wig to the style your character has, using reference pictures of the character. If your character has pigtails like Sailor Moon or a ponytail like Sailor Jupiter, pull the wig into the style using tiny elastic bands.
Sew the Outfit
Find an existing shirt and pair of underwear for your doll that you do not mind ruining. Take the shirt and underwear apart at the seams. Make sure to cut the shirt up the center back if it does not already have fastenings there.
Lay the shirt and underwear pieces on top of white stretch fabric. Trace around the outsides of the pieces, then remove the clothing. Trace around the outsides of the pieces again, 1/4 inch away from the original lines. Cut the pieces out along the second lines.
Sew the underwear pieces together along the side seams and crotch seams, using 1/4-inch seam allowances. Iron the seam allowances open. Put the underwear on the doll.
Sew the shirt pieces together at the shoulder seams and side seams, using 1/4-inch seam allowances. Iron the seam allowances open.
Tuck the neckline of the shirt under 1/4 inch and sew it down. Fold the armhole edges of the shirt under 1/4 inch and sew them down. You may have to do this by hand for a very small doll.
Make the Skirt and Collar Pieces
Measure the doll's waistline and double it. Cut a rectangle of fabric in your character's skirt color that is as long as this measurement, and as wide as the distance between the doll's waist and thigh, plus 1/4 inch.
Take the rectangle and turn one long edge under 1/4 inch. Sew this edge down. Take the other edge and pleat it until it fits the waistline of the shirt you made. Pin the pleated top edge to the waist of the shirt, matching the raw edges.
Sew the pleated top edge to the shirt. Take a piece of white ribbon and sew it to the waistline, covering the raw edges of the skirt.
Cut a rectangle of the same color fabric that is as wide as the doll's shoulder to shoulder measurement and as long as the doll's chest to shoulder blade measurement. Add 1/2 inch to each measurement. Cut a second, identical rectangle.
Cut a curved line into one side of the rectangles that mimics the neckline of the shirt. Pin the two rectangles together and stitch around the sides, 1/4 inch away. Leave a small gap open, and turn the rectangles right side out through the gap. Sew the gap closed. This piece will be the collar piece.
Finish the Costume
Take the shirt and turn one center back edge under 1/4 inch. Sew it in place. Add pieces of hook-and-loop fastener, such as Velcro, to both sides of the center back and put the shirt on the doll, closing the back.
Add snaps to the front edges of the collar piece and put it around the doll's neck. You can also add a snap to the shirt at the front, so that the collar sticks to the shirt.
Choose the proper color for your Sailor Scout character's bows, using ribbon. Tie two bows with long, hanging ends.
Add snaps to the shirt at the neckline and back waistline, and attach the bows.
Take a piece of small white ribbon and hand stitch it around the edges of the collar to mimic the "sailor" stripe. If the collar is very small, you can paint the line with fabric paint.