Peg Doll Patterns

Dollhouses and Castles

My granddaughter Mabel was 2 and one-half when I decided she would enjoy a sturdy age-appropriate dollhouse. My search led to me to Etsy shops and beautifully handcrafted wood houses. Unfortunately, while the craftsmanship was inspiring the prices and shipping costs were more than I planned to spend. Turning as I often do to one of my favorite sources for local resale, Facebook Marketplace, I found great alternatives.

An older Melissa and Doug dollhouse made of sturdy wood was available nearby. When I pulled up to the seller’s home, a woman on a conference call handed over the dollhouse along with a wooden castle, a shoe box of unglued furniture pieces and a bedraggled family with unruly yarn hair. Lots of material for my project!

Renovating a Dollhouse

After hosing the dusty toys off outside, I set the castle up for Mabel in the living room, and moved the house to my studio for rehab. Here in my creative space, my inner child returned to her favorite kind of play–gathering and repurposing found objects to create little homes for tiny people! A woodland cottage theme evolved–a blend of my beloved troll house and a book series I loved, The Borrowers by Mary Norton. With my paint brush in hand and English storybook illustrations in mind, I gave the little house yellow walls, brown trim, wood floors, and pink climbing roses.

Buttons from my grandmother’s collection, bark from a special tree, charms, china cats and a brass bell from a box of childhood trinkets, a coaster from my daughters wedding, rocks, shells and pieces of wood, vintage fabric left over from my Covid crazy quilt– these remnants of my life from across the years found their places. Part auto-biography, part memorial, and large part excellent playtime, the cottage took shape.

Peg Dolls

At this point, the peg dolls patterns come in. While searching for sturdy figures to populate the castle and the cottage, I ran across peg dolls on Etsy–knights, kings and queens, and woodland fairies. Simple and adorable, they were perfect for little hands. Making peg dolls became my evening hobby. I started with patterns I bought on Etsy, and soon began to make my own designs for wildflower and bird peg dolls.

Are We Done Yet?

For a few weeks, Mabel would ask me if was done yet fixing up the dollhouse. We would look at the progress and decide not yet. After awhile, I bought a different doll house for Mabel that can withstand the vigorous play of a three year old and her baby brother, and acknowledged that this one was mine. My dollhouse continues to grow. Tiny pinecones that I found in a garden in Denmark this summer hang on the bedroom wall. I’m still waiting to find the right stones for a second fireplace.

Why a dollhouse when I have this whole 70’s house redo to manage? Several reasons–and my inner child knows them all. All I really need to say is that the cottage brings me joy. I named it Pine Cottage after the place that I love on this earth. As for Mabel, I hope that when she is a little bit older it will capture her imagination, too, and that we can enjoy the dollhouse together and read The Borrowers by the fire.

Peg Doll Patterns for Download

Click on any peg doll caption to go directly to my Etsy shop for patterns and instructions. Patterns are instantly downloadable for $2.00 each. Extra tips and material sources are below.

Resources for Making Peg Dolls

Materials:

I love the variegated yarn by James Brett for Marble Chunky. I used the orange, brown, green color and pulled the strands I needed.

The classic craft glue Alene’s is my choice for gluing on the hair.

These are the peg dolls I used. If you use different ones check the fit before you cut the felt.

JoAnn Fabrics has the best color options for felt. You only need the small sheets.