How to finish your baby dolls -- faces, bows and other tips

I have had a few detail questions that I thought you might all like the answer to as you are working on your baby dolls for Haiti. 

Find the printable pattern here.

1. What is the best way to put the dolls together? 

First, read the tutorial made by the designer.  I put all of my baby dolls together the way she suggests, with only a few minor adjustments. One change that I made is that I don't pin the arms to the sides of the dress.  I found that they were bunching and shifting too much during the sewing, so I tacked them to the sides (stitching close to the edge) of the front piece before sewing the front and back together:

I also did the same with the stuffed legs, before stuffing the body.  This time I used the full 1/4 in seam allowance, so it makes a guide for turning under that last seam after stuffing.

Another small thing I changed is that I am hand sewing the last seam shut, because no matter what I did, I could not make that one look good using the machine.

Finally, when cutting out the boy body pattern, I divided the body into two pieces, cutting about 1 1/2 inches from the bottom, to form separate pants and shirt.  Then I added a 1/4 inch seam allowance to each side of the split so the finished doll would be the same size.  I think the boys look adorable either way, though.

2. How are you doing the faces? 

Since I am much more adept with a needle and thread than with a paintbrush, I am embroidering the faces.  But I say, do whatever you are good at.

Here are the two simple face styles I'm using for the girl dolls:

Use just two strands of embroidery floss so it looks nice and tidy.  For the satin stitched eyes, outline your oval in a neat back stitch, then fill with the satin stitch, keeping your fill stitches inside the outline.

Here are the boy faces:

I hid my knots under the hairline or along the side seam, and then poked the thread back into the doll to bury the tail end.

3. How should I finish them off?

I am sewing a simple felt pocket to the boy shirts, before I sew the front and back pieces together.  This could also be added at the end by hand. (See above)

For the girls, I'm switching between three options:

A simple ribbon bow, a felt flower, and a yo-yo rosette with ribbon "leaf".

Overall, I just want to send as many baby dolls as we can to Haiti next month.  So if you can make one, please do.  And please send the dolly drive info to someone else who sews, too.  We had a dolly-making party yesterday, and added several more to the group:

We got the total up to 26, with a few more that just need finishing touches.

Send your baby dolls to:

Baby Dolls for Haiti

c/o Faith Bible Church

1437 W. Pleasant Run Rd.

DeSoto, TX 75115

Remember, the deadline is July 28th, so if you are mailing them, you'll need to get them in the mail by the 25th to get here on time.

If you have already made dolls for the drive, and would like to add a tip, please leave it in the comments.

 

 

Comments

[Jill Gilbert]

We're pulling out our scraps and going to try to make some dolls today. My three nieces are with me this week. Any chance that there will be another doll clinic? Or do you want to come do one at my house? Thanks.