Rag Doll Tutorial - Face

Here is the next installment of the rag doll tutorial!  

Face supplies:

• Embroidery floss
• Scissors
• A long needle

I like to sew the face after the body has been sewn and the hair is on because I think the doll has more of a personality at that point.  I start with the eyes.

1.  Thread your embroidery floss (I split a length of floss in half so that I'm working with three strands) and knot it at the end with a strong knot.  Put the needle through the back of the head to where you want to start the eyes.  That's the only time you have to go all the way through the head until the end. 

2.  Put your needle back in to the face fabric where you want your first stitch to end, and bring it out where you want it to begin, just going through the face fabric (not all the way through to the back).  My stitches for eyes look like this (but touching): 

(sewing the eyes without going through to the back of the head)

3.  When you are finished with one eye, sew the other eye in the same fashion. 

(going from one finished eye to the other eye)

4.  When you sew the last stitch, put the needle all the way to the back of the head again.  Knot well.  I usually knot, bring the needle to the front one more time, pull tightly and cut the embroidery floss so that the tail of the floss is embedded in the head.

 (eyes finished)


5.  Start the mouth the same way as the eyes.  I like a crooked mouth, with a line on one side.  My stitches usually look like this:

6.  Finish the mouth the same way you finished the eyes. 

7.  I like a few freckles where the nose would be, so I might add some with french knots. 

(Dress tutorial is coming later today!)