1) Trace
all shapes onto freezer paper. Cut out all pieces accurately on the drawn
line using paper scissors.
2) Head:
Iron freezer paper head template onto doubled flesh toned fabric. (Use
dry iron set on cotton setting.) Stitch completely around the shape beside
the freezer paper. Trim a scant 1/4” beyond the stitched line. Peel off
the paper. Mark the “X” on one side of head shape as indicated on the template.
Carefully cut the “X” through one side of fabric only. Turn and stuff firmly.
3) Feet:
Cut 1 rectangle of desired foot fabric 4” by 7”. Fold right sides together
so rectangle measures 4” by 3 1/2”. Iron 2 freezer paper foot templates
onto fabric about 1/2” apart. Stitch around shape leaving straight edge
open. Cut around each foot as just as you did for the head. Use the smallest
Turn It All Tube and small rod to turn. To do this, place the tube into
the foot against the toe. Place the small rod on the outside of the foot
against the end of the tube. Roll the foot back onto the rod. DO NOT
try to shove the foot down into the tube. Stuff the toe area firmly using
the Barbara Willis mini stuffing fork. Continue stuffing the foot leaving
about 3/4” from the straight edge without stuffing.
4) Arms:
Cut 2 rectangles 6” by 2” from arm fabric. Cut 1 rectangle 3” by 2” of
flesh toned fabric. Stitch one arm to each 2” side of hand. (see drawing
A) Press seams toward hand fabric. Fold arm/hand unit in half right
sides together (see drawing B) and cut down the center of the hand
fabric. Fold each arm in half lengthwise. Pin. Line up freezer paper templates
for hand shape so that the straight side of the template lines up along
the seam between the hand and arm. *IMPORTANT* The thumb goes
toward the fold! (see drawing Bb) Use a 1.75 (short ) stitch length.
Stitch beside the freezer paper to form a mitten shaped hand and then continue
stitching the arm seam. If your machine is prone to eating small pieces
of fabric, you can stabilize the piece by putting a piece of adding machine
tape paper next to the feed dogs with the fabric on top or by using a tear
away stabilizer. Trim about 1/8” beyond the stitching line in the hand
area. use a Turn-It-All tool to turn the arms right side out. This is used
in the same manner as the brass tube and stick. Using a 3” long doll making
needle (or the method you prefer), gently coax the thumb and fingers out.
Stuffing: Use hemostats or other stuffing
tools to stuff the hand area firmly. Keep stuffing all the way up the arm
but use less and less stuffing as you go. By the time you reach the top
of the arm, it is nearly flat with only a tiny amount of stuffing.
5) Body/Dress:
Iron freezer paper pattern onto a single thickness of body/dress
fabric. Cut out beside the edge of the paper (only cut 1 of this shape).
Peel off the paper. Re-iron the same pattern shape onto the polyester fleece
(very thin quilt batting).
*IMPORTANT*
Be sure to cover
the batting with a press cloth before ironing the freezer paper or the
batting will melt onto your iron. Cut out as you did for the
body/ dress. These 2 shapes should be identical.
6) Assembling
the doll’s body: Lay the body/dress shaped fleece piece on the
table. Lay the body/dress shape on top, right side up. Lay arms on the
right side of the body/dress so that thumbs face inward. The raw end of
each arm overlaps the shoulder of the doll and sticks out past the shoulder
raw edge by about 3/4”. (see drawing C) Pin in place so that head
of pin sticks out past the raw edges. Position the feet at the hem edge
so that approximately 1/4” of straight edge hangs down below the hem and
the feet are laying on the body/dress. (Heels almost touch). Pin feet so
pin heads stick out past the raw edge. (see drawing D) *You may remove
the pins before sewing over them if the pin heads stick out past the raw
edge.
Cut 1 rectangle 12” by 6” from fleece and
another the same size from the body/dress fabric. Lay the fleece rectangle
on the table. Lay dress rectangle on top - right side up. Turn body shape
over so that when laid on the rectangles, right sides together, you have
a sandwich from the bottom to the top as follows: Fleece rectangle, body/dress
rectangle, arms and feet, shaped body/dress piece, shaped fleece piece.
Pin together, noting the opening. (see drawing E)
Stitch 1/4” seam using the cut edge of
the body/dress/fleece shape as a guide. Be sure to leave the opening unstitched
for turning and stuffing. Trim away all excess fabric and fleece. Clip
into stitching at neck curve. Do not clip the stitching! use the Turn-It-All
tool to turn the neck into the body. Turn body right side out carefully.
Stuff the neck very firmly by using a cottony stuffing that will pack hard
into the area. The fleece helps to hold it in place. Softly stuff the rest
of the body. The thickness of the body is about 1 1/4” at its thickest
point. Ladder stitch (or invisibly stitch) the opening closed.
7) Attaching
head: Use your finger to tunnel into the stuffing of the head.
Insert the neck into the head into the “tunnel”. Be sure to support the
base of the neck as you put the neck into the head. Pin if necessary and
then ladder stitch head to neck. (As the doll is meant to hang on the wall,
her head and neck may be a bit wobbly.)
8) Face:
Either draw facial features of your choice or use one of the stamps in
the Fun Faces Rubber Stamp Set. Use special felt tipped pens for rubber
stamping to ink the stamp. Breathe on the stamp to moisten the ink and
press onto the head. (Detailed instructions are given with the stamps).
Detail the features with Pigma pens. Shade with Terra Cotta pencil. Highlight
with Cream pencil. Add eye color of choice. Whites of eyes are filled in
with the milky gel roller. Cheeks are pink as well as lips. Shape lips
with Crimson. Add eye shadow and eye liner to bring out colors in the fabric
of the dress. Sparkle dots in the eyes are white acrylic paint. When paint
is dry, brush on a light coat of Createx textile medium over entire face
or spray with Krylon Workable Fixative. Allow to dry completely.
9) Hair:
Place a long straight pin at the center of the doll’s head approximately
1/2” in front of the seam (toward the nose). Lay the yarn across the doll
head deciding how long you would like the hair to be. Keep laying the yarn
back and forth across the head. How many times? As many as you like! This
is where you have to play - it’s required! After several strands of yarn
have been laid onto the head, add another straight pin (as though you were
pinning the part in the hair at the center of the head). The pins just
seem to help keep it from slipping off the head. As you get to the back
of the head and you can no longer lay the yarn across the head easily,
add 3 more pins (see drawing F) at the crown area of the head about
1/4” apart. Now, continue looping the yarn around the pins which fills
in the back of the head. Try to keep the length of the hair s even as possible.
This is a somewhat unorthodox manner of applying hair, but it works!!
Now, thread a long, thin needle (John
James Long Darner is a good one because it is thin and strong) with thread
to match the hair. Enter the back of the head with the needle and stitch
the part area with little back stitches which attaches the yarn to the
doll’s head. Remove the “part” pins only. Now, insert the needle on one
side of one of the crown pins. Take a stitch over all the yarns that are
looped around that pin. Take one or two more stitches in the same way.
Remove that pin and repeat for the other two pins. Tie off the thread and
cut.
Lift up the hair from the back of the
head and apply 2 or 3 horizontal lines of glue across the back of the head.
Smooth the yarn down into the glue. Only some of it will stick but that’s
enough to cover the back of the doll head. Let dry. Now, clip the ends
of the yarn so that there are no loops at the bottom of the hair/yarn.
Trim as needed.
10) Finishing
touches: To create the finger lines, use sharp Terra Cotta pencil
and lightly draw the finger lines. Be careful with the next step!
Use a permanent fabric pen and a very light touch to go over the lines
and round out the ends of the fingers.
(see drawing G)
Felt tipped markers tend to bleed if held against the fabric too long or
if a heavy touch is used. A very light touch is the key to success.
After the ink is dry, glue or stitch the hands together in front of doll’s
body. Add beads, trims, hair decoration, etc. to make her your doll.
