I’ve been on the hunt for a Chewbacca doll ever since my daughter was born. I’m trying to brainwash introduce Luci to the universe of Star Wars, whether it’s through books, toys, or music! The talking Chewie plush at the toy store terrified her so I knew I had to rectify the situation and find her a Wookiee she could love. So, like many of my DIY inspirations, I decided to make a Chewbacca doll myself!
I found this pattern by Draw Pilgrim and it worked perfectly! Pilgrim’s pattern and instruction made this project easy and fun to do. I did have to modify a few things because I couldn’t find corduroy fabric that was the right shade of brown. The fabric was either too light or too dark; so I went a different direction and found this tan, furry fabric that looked just like Wookiee fur!
I’m not going to lie, this fabric is an absolute pain to work with. My living room became covered in faux fur and the thickness made it tricky to sew. But as the doll started taking shape, I forgave this beast of a fabric.
Like I said, the Draw Pilgrim pattern made the doll-making process easy, but here are a couple tips from my experience:
I scaled the pattern to 100% instead of scaling it to fit my paper. My rationale was that a larger pattern would make it easier to cut and sew my thick fabric. For Chewie’s face, I cut and stitched it exactly as Pilgrim’s instructions stated. For the eyes, I used black buttons from Joann’s Fabrics. I used craft felt for his nose & mouth and hand-stitched them on.
I ended up stuffing the legs and arms first and then attaching them to the body. Again, this was a modification because of the furry fabric.
I like to make my crafts “screen-accurate” if possible. (I know, it’s a geek quirk. Ha!) Chewbacca’s bandolier is brown so I chose to use a chocolate brown grosgrain ribbon. I tried to create the illusion that the ammunition pouches were sewn into the ribbon bandolier. In retrospect, I could have just sewn the felt pieces down the center, thus creating the same effect! Instead, I hot glued the grey craft felt pieces onto the ribbon. I hand stitched the bandolier to Chewie’s body in a couple areas, just to keep it secure. Once that was done, my Chewbacca doll was complete!
In the words of Maz Kanata, “I like that Wookiee.” Actually, I LOVE this Wookiee and fortunately, my daughter does too!
Because I used buttons for the eyes, I’ve mainly kept him on her nursery shelf. When she’s a little older she’ll have fun times and many cuddles with her co-pilot, Chewie. Right now she points at him & squeals with delight. Geek parent win! An added bonus is that the total cost of this DIY was under $20! I’m so glad I was able to make a special doll for Luci to have for many years to come. Thank you, Draw Pilgrim for the awesome pattern! Be sure to visit her site to get the pattern and other neat printables. May the Craft be with you! 🙂
