How to Make a Doll From Recycled Sweaters

Sweater Prep

• 1

  Use a sweater made from 100 percent animal fibers. Animal fibers include wool, alpaca, mohair and cashmere. Cotton, polyester, rayon and acrylic are not suitable for this project.

• 2

  Put the sweater into the washing machine with an appropriate amount of detergent. Add one or two pairs of jeans into the washing machine with the sweater to add extra agitation.

• 3

  Set the washing machine's settings for warm water and high agitation. The goal of using warm water and high agitation is to felt or full the sweater. Felting, or fulling, causes the fibers of the sweater to shrink and lock together to form a thick, solid fabric.

• 4

  Check on the sweater occasionally to ensure the felting process is progressing.

• 5

  Run the sweater through the dryer on high heat. This furthers the shrinking and locking of the sweater's fibers.

Drawing the Pattern

• 6

  Decide the height of your doll. Draw a line of this length in pencil on a sheet of paper congruent with this measurement. Decide on the desired width of your doll. Draw a line at the bottom of the paper indicating this measurement as a guide for drawing the shape of your doll.

• 7

  Draw a circle on the paper one-fourth the length of your height measurement line. The top of the circle should line up with the top edge of the height measurement line.

• 8

  Draw an oval beneath, but connected to, the circle. The oval should be slightly thinner than your width measurement line. This oval indicates the doll's torso. The torso, or body, oval should measure half of your measurement line.

• 9

  Draw two ovals one-fourth the length of your height measurement line. These ovals are positioned at the bottom of the body oval and should overlap the larger oval by a small fraction, forming the doll's legs.

• 10

  Draw two more ovals one-fourth the size of your height measurement line. Draw the ovals halfway down the body oval, one on either side of the body. These represent the doll's arms.

Sewing the Doll

• 11

  Cut out your pattern. Pin the pattern to the felted sweater.

• 12

  Cut two copies of the pattern from the sweater. One piece is the front of the doll, one piece is the back. Remove the pattern from the sweater pieces. Pin the two pieces of the sweater together.

• 13

  Sew around the edge of the sweater pieces, leaving one leg of the doll open. Turn the sweater doll inside out to hide the sewn seams. Stuff the doll using the open leg. Stuff the doll until it is packed full of stuffing and firm to the touch.

• 14

  Fold the edges of the leg toward the inside of the doll. Use a ladder stitch to hand sew an invisible seam, sealing the leg.

• 15

  Mold the doll with your hands, distributing the stuffing evenly throughout the doll by manipulating it. Decorate the doll using sew-on eyes, yarn hair, fabric paint, doll clothing or any other embellishments you see fit.