Props Doll Display bag

Hello friends!
I attended my first doll convention at NYC Doll Con this past weekend.
For anyone impatient (like me lol) here is a pic of the final product in action, taken by Alysonsfriend



I wanted a way to carry my dolls, have them on full display, kept my hands free, and I wouldn't lose any little things (jewelry, accessories, magnetic hands, etc)
So, I started planning..



My original ideas were more of an ita bag: a display part on the front, with non-visible storage in the back.
As my plan evolved into a reality this was too bulky, and I didn't want to swing my dolls around every time I wanted to get my wallet, lip balm, whatever I needed
I moved from the idea of a standing position, to incorporating a bench for the dolls to sit on.
I also thought about making the bench storage, but decided I wouldn't want to wrangle dolls to get into it.

A big thing was I wanted it to be CUTE.
I took aesthetic inspiration from a few things: collapsible old dollhouses, doll trunks with the ribbons that keep dolls in place, some Angelic Pretty x Pullip bags.



Onto making it real:
I wanted something sturdy for the base of the bag.
This was my first time making a structured bag, and I knew I wanted it to be able to fit and support 3 MSD sized dolls.
I don't really have many craft stores near me to feel materials in person.
I considered thermoplastics I used in cosplay, namely sintra, but also wanted to keep costs down..
I'd recently seen a video saying there's pieces of Victorian furniture made from paper Mache that still exists today! So it can be a very hardy, long lasting material.
I'd only ever used paper mache once before to make a piñata.. that took a grown man beating it with a metal stick to break.
And so, I found my cheap, sturdy base structure.
(The tl;dr: the bag is a thicc paper mache box, covered in fabric.)




I made my measurements based off doll chairs I own, measuring the height of my dolls when sitting in them. I knew I'd want a little leeway, and you to be able to see from shoes to any hats worn.
I used Elmer's white glue+ water + newspaper on top of cardboard.
The bag base, and the bench base are both made from paper mache.
I made each piece separate at first, building it with paper mache.
Then I built them into the boxes with duck tape, and added more paper mache all around the connecting parts.
Because I knew I was using light colored fabric, even with interfacing, then painted the boxes white so the newspaper wouldn't show through at all.



Once this was all done and dried, I poked several tiny holes throughout the box along the seams of it.
I laced thread throughout these, that I would later sew to the seams of my fabric, to stabilize it to the box and keep it all in place.



Onto the inner and outer lining:
I took measurements of both the inside and outside of the box, and essentially sewed more boxes for the linings lol. I wanted to spend as little money on this as I could/work from what materials I had, so I chose a pink and white stripe for the interior, and a minty blue for the exterior.
I used a iron-on interfacing to give the outside blue more structure.
I used some quilt batting for the inner sides and back to give a little bit of cushion to the dolls.
I could only really attach the corners of the lining to the box threads I mentioned earlier, and used glue spread out in a thin layer to adhere it to the box. Some glue leaked through in spots because I didn't spread it out enough.
This pic is before sewing and gluing, just checking the fit:



[cont.]​

 

For the bench, I used a white scrap of shirting fabric to line around the front.
I had this cute fluffy pink fabric scrap for the top.
I cute a square of cardboard to the same measurement as the bench top, glued some more quilt batting on top of it for a small cushion, and then covered it in that cute fluffy pink fabric.
I then went and did a small bit of stitching around the top cushion part and attached it to the white shirting material, just to reinforce it aside from the glue. I hate gluing even though it's a great tool and prefer to sew whatever I can.
I somehow didn't take pics of any of making the bench itself. Woops!
Once the bench was done, I glued it into the inside of the carrier, and set it with heavy objects to keep it in place while it dried.



The next step was to add ribbons to secure the dolls.
I collect MSD and tinies. Though the box was made to carry up to 3 MSDs, I wanted to be able to use it for my Yo-SDs are well. So I put some dolls in to measure about where to place the ribbons that would work for all their sizes.



Once I measured where to put them, I used some ribbon and added three sets of it.
I poked more holes through the box and fabric lining, strung the ribbon through, and then glued them down in the back of the box.





Next step was attaching the outer lining.
[Note: I apparently failed to take pictures of: I made little window appliques out of white felt, using a blanket stitch to reinforce the edges. I then attached these to the side panels of the exterior fabric
Before adding the outer lining to the box, I attached the D hooks that would them attach to the bag straps. I used 3/4 webbing straps/hardware to make detachable straps.]
I aligned the back of the box with the back panel of fabric, and rolled up the sides.
I then hand-stitched the seams of the fabric to the thread I had laced through holes in the box. I did this around all four corner seams of the box and fabric.



Once the outer and inner lining were attached to the box, it was time to make the cover.
Hypothetically I could have made all the sewing pattern pieces in advance, but things tend to not end up perfectly as planned for me, so this was a bit.. make it up as you go.



I used clear 20g vinyl I got from Joannes, maxi piping tape, and a 48" zipper.
Flipping the box upside down, I traced its shape to then cut from my vinyl.
I cut that out of the vinyl, and hand stitched it to the maxi piping tape.
I then hand sewed the zipper to the edge of the piping tape.
I could've potentially used my machine for this part, but not knowing if my needles would be able to handle the thick vinyl, I used a leather needle from a upholstery needle set I have.
I hand stitched the other half of the zipper to the loose edges of the fabric linings, tucking them in to create clean seams.




I then connected the bottom linings together, adding some strips of fabric to cover the end of the zipper on each size.
With this, my bag was done!



But it still needed a little something, I just wasn't sure at first how to add this detail and have it look the way I wanted..
I made a little scallop trim roof out of more white felt, did the blanket stitch, and then hand sewed it onto my bag. And I made a little bead charm to add to the zipper.



This project was a big one for me, the most I've put into any craft in a long while, and my first time using vinyl. I learned a lot! I think there's so much to be improved here, and a lot I would have gone about differently. "Done is better than perfect" was something I told myself a lot as I worked on it..


Even with its flaws, I got so many compliments!!
I felt so proud. All the times I accidentally stabbed myself with pins and needles and frantically ran around to get the blood out of the fabric, or had to stop mid-crunch because my cat decided this was the best place to sneeze all over, felt very worth it for the love everyone showed
Thank you so much to everyone who showed interest in how I made it, and everyone who's reading this!
I hope this helps anyone else who makes their own carrier. I'd love to see if my journal helped you at all!





​