Betty’s Dolls by Collette Costello
Betty’s Dolls.
Sewn from Nanna’s stories.
Rag doll panels printed with Nanna Betty’s patterns.
Cut out, sew and stuff your own doll. Make one for a child, or make one together. The perfect first sewing project, even if you’ve never sewn before.
Perfect first sewing project
Sew by hand or machine
Sew it with a child
Free video lessons with every doll
New · Nanna’s Salford Christmas
Meet Betty’s Dolls
Four dolls, each dressed in one of Nanna’s Christmas prints. Every panel has the front and back printed side by side, ready to cut out.
Christmas Pudding print
Pudding Betty
Plum puddings, mince pies and crackers on deep red.
Paper Chains print
Paper Chains Betty
Paper chains, tin soldiers and a stocking orange on bottle green.
Sewing by the Fire print
Fireside Nanna
Thimbles, cotton reels and Nanna’s scissors on navy.
Snow on the Terrace print
Terrace Betty
Robins, snowy terraces and gas lamps on mustard.
All four dolls: the whole Salford Christmas family.
How it works
One panel. One afternoon. One doll.
- Cut out the front and back along the dashed line.
- Sew right sides together, 1cm in from the edge, leaving a gap.
- Turn, stuff and ladder-stitch the gap closed.
Sew her by hand or on a machine. The steps are on a card in the box, with a free video for each one.
Free with every doll
Never sewn before? Start here.
Betty’s Dolls are the perfect first sewing project. Every doll comes with free video lessons for complete beginners, showing each step on your phone.
No sewing machine? No problem. She can be sewn all by hand.
Sew it together
Make it yourself, or make it with a child
Nanna taught me to sew on Sunday afternoons. Betty’s Dolls are a way to pass that on.
Grown-ups
Cutting out and the sewing.
Little hands
Picking the doll, stuffing her and choosing her story.
New to sewing?
Add Nanna Betty’s Top Sewing Tips
All her sewing tips in one book: threading up, stitches, curves and turning through. Add it to any doll.
Who was Nanna Betty?
Nanna Betty taught me how to sew.
We spent cosy Sunday afternoons together, sewing and sharing stories, while she told me about her childhood growing up in late Victorian Manchester.
To preserve her stories, I turn them into fabrics and these dolls.
Collette
Coming soon
More of Betty’s Dolls from history
New dolls from Victorian, Edwardian, wartime and mid-century Britain, each with her own story. Join the list to meet them first.