Burda Style For people who sew

Getting started with doll making is simple. You already have much of what you need in your sewing area or in your kitchen. There are basically two types of dolls for sewing. A two-dimensional doll often called a pancake or gingerbread doll. This is simply two pieces of tightly woven fabric or felt stitched together, turned (or not), and stuffed.

Three-dimensional dolls involve sewing that is specially designed to create curves and other shapes just like darts allow for curves in clothing construction. We can also further shape the doll by sculpting with a long needle and thread but, more on that later. To create a doll that holds its posture, you can easily create an armature or skeleton which is inserted into the doll after sewing but before stuffing.

I create my three-dimensional dolls using very simple construction techniques and just a little armature in the hands. You’ll need a few basic tools:
- a straight stitch sewing machine (a zigzag and stretch stitch is handy for the clothing too)
- a pair of sharp scissors (a new, inexpensive pair will do for making the first doll)
- regular thread and strong thread like buttonhole twist
- stuffing
- yarn
- the wool felt (you can use craft felt but the result will not be as pleasing or as sturdy, wool felt will make an heirloom quality doll).
- also a plastic chopstick comes in handy, its my favorite stuffing tool. Just save one from takeout!

Like clothes, dolls are made by laying a pattern onto the felt or fabric. The next steps are a little different from fashion sewing and make it really easy to make a perfect doll.
First trace the pattern directly onto the fabric. This is your stitching line. It won’t show so it doesn’t matter that you draw right on the cloth. Once all of the pattern pieces have been transferred to the felt, you are ready to sew. That’s right, you will sew most of the doll body parts before you cut! To have the best result, set your stitch length to 15 – 20 stitches per inch. The shorter stitch allows you to sew all of the curves more easily and is more secure when you begin stuffing. You’ll leave openings to turn the pieces right side out. Once you’ve stitched everything, its time to cut. By cutting the fabric after its sewn, you will be able to achieve a tiny, 1/8th inch seam. This tiny seam is the trick to turning a smooth and curvy doll – you will not need to clip, trim or grade any of your seams using this technique! Once you have finished tracing and sewing your felt, you are all set to stuff your doll!

Check out more and get supplies from Ellen at The Doll Loft