What are Russian Dolls? 
  • Russian Nesting Dolls, also known as, Matryoshka Dolls are typically wooden, hollow dolls that hold other dolls in decreasing size.
  • These dolls are seen as a symbol of traditional Russian life, because they display the mother as being the most important member in the family.
  • In Russia, there is a great deal of respect given to the mother, because they typically house and care for many children and their extended family under one roof.
  • The mother doll is always the biggest and outermost doll, which represents how important she is. The dolls within her can be any gender and typically, there is a baby in the middle.
What You'll Need
  •  10 Sheets of Felt (22” x 14”)
    •  Any color you want
  • ​Fabric Glue or Hot Glue
  • Markers
  • Scissors
  • Pencil
  • Paper
  • Tape
  • How to Sew Info Sheet (PDF)
 
1. Step One: Cut out paper template for each of the dolls.  The dimensions for the dolls are, 15in” x 15in”, 7.5in” x 7.5in” & 3.25in” x 3.25in”
2. Step Two: To make the bottom curved, which will allow us to construct the doll, tie a string to a pencil. Then, tape the string to a table and by swinging the pencil to the left and right an arc will be created. Then, cut the bottom of the template.
3. Step Three: On a large sheet of folded felt - 22”in x 14” in - cut out the paper templates. You can pin the template to make cutting it out easier but make sure to ask a parent for help!
4. Step Four: Now that all the felt patterns are cut out, make a cone shape out of the felt and use glue on the seam where the folded sides meet. Then cut out felt and glue or draw with marker on the face however you want.