Back before I found out if I was having a boy or a girl I decided to make a wookie doll. I knew it would be a hit either way. There weren't any wookie patterns, not that I liked or were for free anyway, so I made one. The trick is to modify an existing pattern. I used a doll pattern I had on hand.
The pattern can be followed as is except for the head and torso. Chewie's long hair makes him look like he doesn't have a neck and maybe if you have a faux fur with long nap you wouldn't have to modify your pattern at all but I was using a furry fleece with a very short nap.
Tip: When using fabric with a nap, like fleece or fur, keep a big lint roller and a vacuum handy, and take your allergy pills before hand.
I placed the pieces over some junk mail for scrap paper. I folded the head in half and overlapped it over the torso to where the it would have been if the head were attached to the neck (approx.) I squared the top of the head a bit and cut straight down from the widest point of the head to the shoulder. I also widened the shoulders a little. (This is a full grown wookie, not a little girl.) The long straight line of the pattern piece is placed on the fold. Cut one.
I did the same with the back. Cut two.
I followed the pattern instructions for the remainder of the doll, except for the arms. I didn't have any doll joints to have movable arms so I just stuffed and attached the arms to the sides before sewing the front to the back.
I used shoe button style eyes for the eyes and a size larger shoe button eye for the nose. The teeth are a bit of felt.
The bandolier (or as I like to think of it, "wookie-purse") is made of felt.
The strap is made of an 18 in. x 3/4 in. strip of black felt. I cut white pieces that are alternating 1/2 in. x 3/4 in. and 1/4 in. x 3/4 in. and placed them approx. 1/4 in. apart leaving about an inch on both ends with no white pieces. I pinned the white pieces down to the black piece and sewed a straight stitch down the length of both sides. I then sewed a wide seam stitch of black thread down the center of the strip for the complete bandolier strap look. (Measurements are for an 18 in. Wookie.)
The bag is made of brown felt and I included a very rough pattern. Sew around the edges of the two large pieces. Attach the side strip to the small side first. (The picture cut off the end of the strip, but just make sure it is long enough to go around the sides of the small side.) Then sew the strip to half of the large side. Take the ends of the strap and taper them to match the sides of the sides of the bag and sew them down to each side. You can just place the bandolier on the wookie or sew it to his shoulder if you are afraid of losing it.
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| Bandolier Bag |
Fun Fact:
The original Chewie costume was made of yak fur, and the current ones are made of synthetic fur but they wear out fast because no one can resist hugging a wookie.
My little guy is still too small to care about most of his toys but we played with it a bit for a photo shoot on his first day home from the hospital.
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| Chewie, were home. |
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