CLOTH DOLL MAKING TIPS
By Sandi Wheeler

1. When stuffing a protruding nose first insert a small pom pom into nose holding it in place with a pin through it and the fabric from the outside. Push your stuffing into the nose and head removing the pin when the area is firmly stuffed. The nose will not collapse on you with a pom pom keeping it firm. The size of nose determines the size of pom pom. Use white pom poms.

2. Keep the scraps of fabric leftover from sewing your doll to try your pens on when choosing the lip and eye colors to determine which looks the best on the chosen fabric.

3. When sewing hands that have individual fingers I trace the hand on freezer paper with a large circle of paper around the hand. Iron paper onto your fabric. Stitch through the paper around the fingers using a 1. 5 or 1. stitch length. You gain better accuracy this way and can see the fingers easier when the extra paper surrounds the pattern.

4. Always use an open toe presser foot when sewing cloth dolls.

5. Convert your doll pattern to no seam allowances , then draw on freezer paper to be ironed on your fabric. Sew all pattern pieces onto the fabric leaving room for seam allowances. Cut apart after sewing is finished.

6. Stitch length should be 2.0 or under when sewing cloth dolls. The shorter the stitch length the easier it is to sew curves smoothly. I always turn my cloth over after stitching to see if I need to straighten any stitching. I find my mistakes easier on the bobbin side of the stitching.

7. Use fray check on the stitches where corners are created before turning to the right side. This allows you can take nips with your scissors to the stitch line. This also keeps you from seam blow outs when stuffing the doll. I start the fray check in the seam allowance and let it flow to the stitch line.

8. Check your clothes pattern over the stuffed doll to see if it is big enough. Everyone stuffs differently and my experience has been that sometimes the pattern proves to be too small in areas after I have stuffed the doll.