How to Make Dolls Out of Panty Hose

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Things You'll Need

  • Panty hose

  • Scissors

  • Batting

  • Needle and thread

  • Pencil

  • Acrylic paint

  • Yarn

  • Hot glue

  • Doll clothes

Recycle old nylons into whimsical dolls.

Panty hose are subject to a wealth of damage, including runs, rips, tears and holes. Whether your hose are old or you bought a discount pair that lasted less than a day, don't fret. Soothe yourself instead by creating a panty hose doll. These whimsical creatures are reminiscent of rag dolls. You create the features on your panty hose doll with tiny stitches, meaning you can make a little doppelganger for everyone in the family.

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Step 1

Measure up 5 inches from the toe on one side of your panty hose. Cut away that section to be the head. Stuff the section with batting to make a nylon ball. Gather the opening closed and wrap it with thread. Stitch a few stitches through the gathered nylon to secure the head closed. The gathered part is the bottom of the head.

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Step 2

Sketch out facial features on the doll with a pencil. These may be as simple or finely detailed as you like. Beginners should stick to large, round eyes, a squiggle for the nose and full lips for the mouth. Larger features are easier to sew.

Step 3

Poke a needle down through the top of the doll's head. Bring the needle out through one of your pencil lines. Stitch around the feature with tiny stitches, bring the needle back up through the top of the head and pull the thread snug. This tightens the stitches and gives the features definition.

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Step 4

Color in the features with acrylic paint. Use a very thin layer of paint and subtle colors, especially if using flesh-colored panty hose. Black and darker-colored hose may require darker paint colors. Allow the head to dry overnight.

Step 5

Create doll hair by cutting clumps of yarn and arranging them on your doll's head. For girls, stitch long hair into place along the hairline, leaving enough slack on the front of the head to create bangs. You may leave the hair down or fashion it into different hairstyles. For boys, sew the hair from the center of the head outward in radiating circles. This allows you to fashion a bowl-cut.

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Step 6

Make the body from the other stocking toe, cutting a 10-inch section and stuffing it as you did the head.

Step 7

Cut 5-inch-wide, 7-inch-long sections of panty hose and stitch them into cylinders for arms and legs. Stitch one end of each cylinder closed and turn the cylinder inside-out. Stuff each cylinder and close them as you did the head and body. Stitch parallel lines into the flat-seam edge of each tube to create fingers and toes.

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Step 8

Run a bead of hot glue around the bottom of your doll's head. Press it to the body. Repeat with the arms and legs. Allow the doll to dry overnight and dress it in doll's clothes.

Tip

Repurpose old baby clothes into clothes for your nylon doll. You can also stitch clothes from fabric scraps or old human clothes if you’re handy with a needle. If you have enough panty hose, stuff the entire doll with nylon pieces, as well. This negates the need to purchase batting and uses up the rest of those old panty hose.

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