Okay, so these stress dolls kiiiiiinda look like VooDoo dolls. Because, well, what cuts out the stress more than a little fake VooDoo? Now, I’m not going to get into all of that hocus pocus voodoo stuff. That’s just not my interest area. I just know that when I’m stressed out, it’s nice to have a little soft thing to squeeze, or step on, or throw across the room in frustration… without actually taking that stress out on anyone else around me.

Now, if you are in need of a little stress relief of your own, I’ve got just what you need. By the way, these also make great Halloween Girls’ Night In Party Favors, and it’s even better if you have your guests make them at the party themselves. I bought broadcloth for $2.99/yd at Hobby Lobby, and you can easily get 8 of these dolls out of a yard.

Start by printing this free downloadable pattern (click on image to take you to the free download page):

On the fabric, cut out two copies of the pattern for each doll you plan to make.

Pin them inside-out, or if you’re like me and forgot to buy pins, use some paperclips.

Start sewing. Use small stitches to make sure your seam is tight, and can hold up to the abuse. Make sure you leave at least a one inch gap in order to turn the doll inside out and stuff it later.

Once you’ve finished your stitching, turn the doll inside out and stuff him full of stuffing. Then, stitch the opening closed. You can stitch it closed invisibly if you’d like, but I decided my doll would have a little more character if I added red stitches on the outside of the doll in a few places to make him look like he’d really been through the ringer.

Check out these two super cute examples from my party!

Pow! Right in the heart.

Poor little guy.

So, in the end, I can’t instruct you in how to create an actual working VooDoo doll, but I can definitely vouch for the fact that these help at least a little bit when the ref is being a total idiot and practically playing for the other team when I’m watching a Sporting KC game, or it’s great when Jeffrey is slurping his cereal milk. Again.

Prevents a lot of bloodshed, y’know?