Creation: Elegant Rag Doll 

Fabrics Used: Cotton rib, Hemp muslin, Voile, Batiste, Silk/ hemp charmeuse

The Visionary: Katerina, bloglexandliv.com

Our Thoughts:  Katerina from bloglexandlive.com made this gorgeous rag doll for her daughter to play with. What a unique and beautiful toy! This is Part 2 of the Doll Series. See Part 1 HERE.

 

 

The instructions for the doll are self explanatory. There were one or two instances where I could have done a better job and I’ll go over that too. I’ll also explain how I altered the pattern a bit to remove the raw edge where the body meets the legs, and to make the doll’s hips narrower.

 

I recommend using  vellum paper to trace the patterns, rather than trace, because it is much less likely to tear. Trace over the pattern very carefully. I must emphasize that, on a doll this size, you have to be precise or your pieces won’t come together correctly and the seams won’t match up.

 

 

Once you’ve cut out the vellum pieces, you can pin them to the fabric and trace around with a pencil or washable marker (you must dab away the marker with a wet cloth before ironing or it will be permanent). I actually used a few pieces of masking tape rather than pinning but this will also depend on the type of fabric you use; if it’s stretchy or warps when you move it, you should pin it.

 

First, the two back portion pieces are sewn together, leaving an opening in the back for stuffing the doll. You can see here that I’ve snipped quite a bit into the curved portions for the back of the head. The tighter the curve, the more you should snip, being careful not to cut into the stitches. If you do cut the stitches, be sure to sew back over those stitches forward and in reverse.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Snipped into the curved portions of the seam allowance.

 

 

Turn the doll right side out. I had the better part of an hour doing this because of the arms. They are very skinny and my fabric may have been thicker than cotton muslin. I suggest trimming 1/8″ off the 1/4″ seam allowance around the arms to make turning them easier. You’ll likely need tweezers and a bamboo stick/ knitting needle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I then followed the directions for stuffing the doll and hand sewing the back opening. I used cotton stuffing. I recommend stuffing with small pieces at a time to prevent a lumpy appearance. This is especially important when stuffing the arms and legs.

 

The next step was creating the face. This can be a little intimidating, especially when embroidering the signature starry eyes. I would suggest drawing out the star shape on a piece of trace or vellum first, position it over the face as desired, and use a pin to mark the 6 points through the paper onto the fabric. The holes should be visible for long enough to create the eyes. If not, use the washable marker to mark through the hole you created in the paper. Reverse the paper and do the same for the other side. Wish I had done this as I wasn’t completely satisfied with my doll’s eyes. I also suggest you pull the thread taut when you sew through the back of the head (full instructions in the book). If you pull taut, the embroidery thread will create a little indent which gives the face more character.

 

I opted to embroider a heart shape for the mouth, rather than sew on a button or piece of felt. If you do this, make sure you pull taut on each side of the mouth or else her smile will be dimpled on one side only.