Hot Water Bottle Doll

What You Need:

• Fabric
• Hot water bottle
• Scissors
• Yarn
• Googly eyes
• Construction paper
• Pencil
• Fabric pens, permanent markers
• Ribbons, buttons, pom-poms and other craft supplies
• Needle and thread
• Hot glue gun

What You Do:

1. Cut two rectangular pieces of fabric about 14 inches long and 9 inches wide; slightly wider than a standard hot water bottle.
2. Put the fronts of the 2 fabric pieces together so that the “front” sides are facing each other and set your child up with a needle and thread. Help her sew around the bottom and the two long sides of the fabric pieces with a basic sewing stitch.
3. When she has finished, turn the fabric inside out so the good side of the fabric faces out.
4. Help her put the water bottle inside the fabric sleeve. There will be some extra inches of fabric at the top. Help her gather this extra fabric around the top spout of the water bottle. Use a pencil to mark the area of fabric that falls in front of the spout -- that area will be the doll’s face.
5. Take the water bottle out and let your child decorate one side of the fabric as a doll. She can sew or hot glue on yarn, wiggle eyes, cut-out construction paper for mouth and nose, and buttons or pom-poms for the doll’s shirt. She can also use fabric markers or permanent markers to draw the doll’s arms, shirt front, face or other details. She can also glue on ribbons or small trinkets to act as the doll’s jewelry.
6. When she has finished, re-insert the water bottle. Gather the fabric at the top (being careful with the doll’s face) and tie a ribbon under the doll’s face, around the bottom of the water bottle’s spout.
7. The fabric over the spout will still be open, so hot water can go into the bottle when needed. (Follow hot water bottle directions for filling it with water.) The doll will be an extra-special comfort to a sick, sore or chilly child!