How to Create & Dress Up Dolls

Creating the Body

• 1

  Choose a doll body pattern that you like or create your own. To make your own pattern, draw the doll you would like to make on a sheet of paper, making sure to draw the doll to scale. Keep to basic shapes. Lay a sheet of tracing paper over the drawing and copy each body part separately, so that you have a leg, arm, head and torso. Add seam allowances of 1/2 inch to each part.

• 2

  Lay the pattern pieces on top of a double layer of fabric. Cut the head and torso pieces once, so that you have two of each piece. Cut the arm and leg pieces twice, so that you have four of each piece.

• 3

  Lay the head pieces on top of one another, right sides together, and pin the edges. Stitch 1/2 inch away from the edges all around the head, leaving the neck edge open. Trim the seam allowance to 1/4 inch and turn the head right side out. Stuff the head with polyester fiberfill.

• 4

  Lay the arm and leg pieces together like you did the head, then stitch them, leaving the shoulder and hip edges open. Turn them, then stuff them with filling, leaving some space at the open ends. Also lay the torso pieces together and mark the neckhole, armholes and leg holes with a fabric pencil. Stitch around the outside, skipping the hole markings.

• 5

  Insert the limbs into their respective torso holes, so that the limbs are completely encased inside the body and the raw edges are sticking out of the holes. Stitch the holes closed, including the raw edges of the limbs. Turn the torso right side out through the neckhole and stuff the torso with filling.

• 6

  Insert the raw edge of the neck on the head piece inside the neckhole of the torso. Fold the neckhole under, hiding the raw edge, and slipstitch the fabric together by hand. Be sure to use a strong quilter's thread, and adjust the filling so that the neck does not flop.

Creating the Styling and Clothing

• 7

  Attach the hair to the head using a felting needle. Lay the hair, whether it is mohair or yarn, over the head, and push the felting needle through it into the head. Pull the felting needle back out again and you will see that some of the hair has been rooted into the head. Continue inserting hair all over the head.

• 8

  Draw the face onto the head with a pencil, creating outlines only. Go over the outlines with a brown pen, then erase the pencil marks. Fill in the color of the eyebrows, eyes, eyelashes, lips and blush with colored pencils. Go over the colors you would like to see darker or bolder with textile paint.

• 9

  Create an outfit for the cloth doll. Draft a simple dress pattern by draping a large square of scrap fabric over the doll, cutting a hole for the neck in the direct center of the fabric. Pin the fabric together underneath the arms and at the sides of the doll, adjusting for the fit you want, then trim away the excess. Cut the neckhole to the shape you want and trim the hem.

• 10

  Draw a line around the shoulder for each arm, and one straight down the center back, and cut along these lines. Unpin the scrap fabric and discard one of the arms, so that you have one arm piece, one front body piece and two back body pieces. Lay these pieces on top of a single layer of your final dress fabric and add 1/2 inch seam allowances to all edges. Cut one front body piece, two back body pieces, and two sleeve pieces.

• 11

  Stitch the sleeve side seams together, and the body side seams together. Insert the sleeves into the armholes and stitch the armhole edges together. Stitch the skirt back seam together up to just below the waist. Turn under a hem at the bottom and stitch. Also turn under the neckline and stitch to hide the raw edges. Stitch the zipper to the open back edge and add embellishments as desired.