Craft Review: Doll Making Kit by 4M

The girls and I were at JoAnn's the other day. The store is moving to a new location, so they've been clearancing their stock. Is "clearancing" a word? Doesn't matter. I'm going to use it anyway.

We found two Doll Making Kits made by 4M. A Mermaid and a Princess.

The girls were very excited for this find and wanted to make them as soon as we got home. So we set to it.

Each kit contained a stuffed fabric doll, yarn for hair, pieces of fabric for clothes, beads and string. And double-sided tape to hold everything together. **insert snicker** Because double-sided tape is perfect to hold on a doll's clothes.

We followed the instructions. My 9 year-old working on her doll with me working on my 6 year-old's doll while she played with the materials.

Side note: the box indicates this project is for ages over 8. And I totally agree. Actually, I might even up the age. Because even I found the project frustrating.

We made the hair first. That part was pretty easy. But when it came time to add the clothes, it was evident from the get-go that this was NOT going to work. Using double-sided tape to hold pieces of fabric together in small places? NOT! I had to resort to fabric glue, and after gluing a section, using straight pins to hold everything together until the glue was dry, because no one wanted to hold it with their fingers.

After we ditched the double-sided tape and started using glue, the job became less stressful. And more messy. I was peeling dried glue off my fingers for a few hours after. But we were able to get the job done and there's no chance these dolls will lose their clothing.

I give this craft project a C+ because we did end with some very cute dolls, and the girls were happy with the finished project. My 9 year-old did about 75% of the work on her doll, and I helped with 25%, mostly the gluing and pinning part. It was also a lesson for her on following instructions, because she made a few critical errors -- she had to cut fabric to make her mermaid tail and she didn't pay attention to laying out the pattern before cutting -- but we were able to work with it in spite of her mistakes and you wouldn't know if I didn't tell you. My 6 year-old did about 10% of the work, and I did the rest.

And despite the frustrations felt by all, they were ready to head back to the store and get the fairy and the ballerina. So I guess that says something. Should we ever find ourselves in possession of the fairy and the ballerina, the double-sided tape will go to the trash first thing, no questions asked. Actually, I'd probably save it for the next paper project.

Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Matthew 6:25-34