Matryoshka Love

Yesterday I attended a baby shower for a friend/colleague who fancies nesting dolls as much as I do. This was the perfect opportunity to make a matryoshka baby gift for Baby B.  Onesies seem to be my go-to baby shower gift because they are adorable, inexpensive, do not require me to lug out my sewing machine, and can be personalized for the baby and baby shower theme.  These are my favorite onesies thus far, and are just too cute!

For the Matryoshka Love onesies, I used the felt heart pattern and the matryoshka template was a combination of the nesting doll cards and the felt nesting doll ornament. 

Baby B, sending you and your parents lots of matryoshka love.

Matryoshka Doll

M's Bapchi celebrated her 89th birthday this month!  Sto Lat! (May you live to be 100 years).  In honor of this milestone, I used the matryoshka ornament pattern and presented her with a handmade gift.  Doesn't this nesting doll look so content on the Ukrainian tea towel?

Matrishka/Matryoshka note cards

When I saw these matryoshka thank you cards on Pinterest, I knew Baci would adore them.  She sends mail to her grandchildren and other family members on a regular basis and appreciates original and unique stationery.   Also, we both have a weakness for nesting dolls, so I knew they would be perfect for her.  The tutorial on Vintage Umbrella explains how to make these cute cards.

I used different card stock colors for the background (these were done on either emerald green or tan), complimentary scrapbook paper for the dress and babushka, white paper for the head, thin Crayola markers for the face and hair, scissors, mounting squares to attach the scrapbook paper to the card stock, and a black pen for the outlining.

Below are five separate cards; each one was made with three connecting dolls.  The three dolls fold into one another to fit inside the envelope.  

I also created other cards with one individual nesting doll. 

However many dolls you decide to join together, I'm sure your recipient will smile when he/she receives your handmade matrishka!

Felt matrishka/matryoshka ornament

Growing up, I'd play with my Baci's nesting doll collection for hours.  I enjoyed taking the wooden dolls apart and lining them up from largest to smallest.  We call them matrishkas in Polish, but many people call them matryoshkas or babushkas.

When I went to Poland and Ukraine a few years ago, I bought my grandparents a few matrishkas from each country to add to their collection, since so many were lost or broken from all the years of us grandchildren playing with them.

For my Dziadziu's 86th birthday, a made him a felt matryoshka doll ornament from a pattern I saw on pinterest. I changed the flower in the middle to a heart flower and used complimentary DMC floss for the stitching, as well as a brown satin ribbon to hang the doll. I made another doll with yellow felt and pink rick rack at the top to display her. 

This green and red matrishka/matryoshka (yes, I will use the Polish and Ukrainian/Russian forms of the word on this blog) took me about 3+ hours to make and it is only about 6" high.  She is so super cute and was well worth the time!  Dziadziu adored her too!