Hobbies And Interests
Things You'll Need
Instructions
Preparing Female Doll Patterns
Sketch a simple 20-inch rag doll figure on a sheet of newspaper. The body proportions should be as follows: shoulders 3 times as wide as the widest part of the head; arms 2 times as wide at the shoulder as they are at the wrist; hips 1 inch to 3 inches wider than the waist.
Place a measuring tape next to your doll figure. Adjust the size of the head until it is 1/8 the total height of the doll, or about 2 1/2 inches from top of head to bottom of chin.
Add marks on each side of the head, flowing smoothly into the shoulder line, to create a graceful neck.
Adjust both arms until their combined length plus the width of the torso across the shoulders is equal to the length of the body from the bottom of the foot to the top of the head. For this doll, that should equal 20 inches.
Draw a line around your entire doll pattern, 1/4 inch from the outline of the doll, to create the seam allowance. You will follow the original outline to sew the doll's body.
Cut your doll pattern from the newspaper. Cut a length of muslin fabric twice the width of your doll pattern at its widest point, 20 inches long. Fold the fabric in half along the 20-inch side.
Press the fabric, especially along the fold, using a steam iron on the cotton or linen setting.
Pin your doll pattern to the fabric so that one hand touches the fold. Place pins every two inches, parallel to the line you will stitch along when sewing the doll body. This will prevent you from accidentally sewing over a pin and possibly damaging your sewing machine later.
Cut around the outline of the pattern and reserve the scraps for quilting or making penny rugs.
Preparing Male Doll Patterns
Sketch a second rag doll figure, 24 inches long, on a sheet of newspaper. The body proportions should be as follows: shoulders 4 times as wide as the widest part of the head; arms 2 1/2 to 3 times as wide at the shoulder as they are at the wrist; hips 1 inch to 3 inches narrower than the shoulders.
Place a measuring tape next to your doll figure, as you did with the female doll pattern. Adjust the size of the head until it is 1/8 the total height of the doll, or about 3 inches from the top of his head to the bottom of his chin.
Add marks on each side of the head, wider apart than the marks for the female doll, to create the neck. The male neck and shoulder should connect about 1 inch higher on the neck than it did for the female, to indicate the more-developed shoulder muscles.
Adjust the arm length as you did for the female doll, until the combined arm length and shoulder width equals the doll's total height from the bottom of his feet to the top of his head.
Draw a line around your entire doll pattern, 1/4 inch from the outline of the doll, to create the seam allowance. The original outline will become the line you follow to sew the doll body.
Cut your male doll pattern from the newspaper. Cut muslin fabric 24 inches long, twice the width of the widest part of your male doll pattern. Press the fabric with a steam iron as you did for the female doll.
Pin your male doll pattern to the fabric the same way you pinned the female doll. Cut around the outer outline of the doll and reserve the scraps for quilting or making penny rugs.
Sewing and Stuffing
Use a sewing machine or hand stitching to sew along the inner line on the doll pattern, removing pins as you sew. Leave a 2- to 3-inch opening at the top of the head for stuffing the doll.
Turn the doll body inside out and stuff the arms and legs with polyester fiberfill. Use a skewer or chopstick to push the stuffing all the way into each arm and leg.
Stuff the torso and head. Turn the edges of the opening in the head so they are inside the doll. Stitch the head opening shut for both dolls.
Create curly hair for your dolls by dipping embroidery floss or yarn in liquid starch and wrapping it around rods with various diameters until it dries. Use a hot-melt glue gun and clear glue sticks to attach hair to each doll's head as desired.
Dress each doll in the desired seasonal or holiday clothing for 20-inch and 24-inch rag dolls.