How to Sew a Doll With Patterns
For centuries, dolls have been sewn in homes of many cultures as toys for children. Whatever scraps of fabric available was used from left over pieces while making clothing to feed sack material. More recently, sewing dolls with patterns has expanded into creating dolls of different styles to fit home décor such as country, primitive, or Victorian. Now doll making is not just for the purpose of making toys for children; this expanded popularity and availability of doll patterns gives both the experienced and novice many choices to create their own dolls with patterns.
Things You'll Need
- Doll Pattern
- Fabric
- Dressmaker's Marking Pencil
- Dressmaker's Pins
- Thread
- Sewing Needle
- Fabric Scissors
- Fiberfill
- Sewing Machine
- Iron
- Ironing Board
Instructions
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1
Wash and dry the fabric to remove any sizing and prevent future shrinkage. Sizing is sprayed on fabric during the manufacturing process to make it stiffer for rolling onto bolts. Washing the fabric will soften it for a better feel, make it easier to sew and paint, and remove the sizing chemicals that may cause skin irritation.
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2
Lay the fabric out on the ironing board and iron the fabric to remove wrinkles. Deeper set wrinkles especially need to be removed as they usually will not relax on their own.
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3
Cut the pattern pieces apart from the pattern sheet. Fold the fabric in half so it has two layers with the front sides together and the back side visible. Position the pattern pieces on top of the fabric to see where they need to be placed for all pieces to fit.
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4
Secure the pattern pieces to the fabric with pins if a seam allowance is included on them. Alternatively, slide each pattern piece between the two layers and trace pattern onto the top layer of fabric with a dressmaker's marking pencil then remove the pattern.
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5
Cut around the pattern through both layers of fabric to have a front and back each doll part. If the doll pattern was traced onto the fabric, skip this step.
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6
Put front sides of the pieces together with the back side visible. Sew the front to the back of each doll part with a seam allowance given on the doll pattern. Alternatively, sew through both layers following the traced lines then cut each piece away leaving a ¼ inch seam. Clip the seam allowance around the curves or in corners about a 1/4 inch apart to prevent puckering.
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7
Turn each doll part right side and stuff with small amounts of fiberfill until each part is the desired firmness. Using small amounts of loose fiberfill will keep the doll from feeling and looking lumpy. Sew the doll body closed then the arms and legs onto the body.
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Tips & Warnings
Adjust the stitch length and speed of your sewing machine as you go around curves, the tighter the curve, the slower and smaller the stitching.
