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Saturday, December 18, 2010

Rag Doll Tutorial - Hair

Part two of the rag doll tutorial is the hair.  I like this part a lot!
You can see in the pictures my favorite Christmas movie - White Christmas!  Can I please have a dress like Rosemary Clooney's green velvet cast party dress?

Supplies:
  • Scissors
  • Large-eyed needle (but one that is sharp)  I used a chenille needle
  • Yarn in your desired hair color
  • Tape (masking or regular tape)
  • A DVD case
  • Tissue paper

1.  We are going to begin by winding the yarn around the DVD case. The DVD has a smooth side and a notched side.  Begin the yarn at the notched side and wind.
 (notched side - the side you open)


You want to wind the yarn so that it does not overlap and there are no gaps in the yarn.  Wind fairly tightly so that it stays in place.  I wound around 3 to 3.5 inches worth of yarn.  You want to stay in the center of the DVD.
(Ignore the gaps at the beginning and end of this shot.  I tightened everything before I taped)


2.  Next, we will tape off the yarn.  Place a loooong piece of tape across the yarn on either side of the smooth spine of the DVD.
(tape on the back)
(tape on the front)
Stick your scissors in the notched part of the DVD and cut the yarn.
Cut a piece of tissue paper about four inches by eight inches.
Affix the taped yarn to the tissue paper at the top.  (See picture)


3.  Fold the tissue paper over the yarn.

You are going to sew down the middle of the two pieces of tape, pivot, sew back, pivot, and sew a third time.  Try to sew on top of your previous stitches or very very close to them.


4.  Take off the tape and tissue paper (It's like Christmas!)and you will have a secured bunch of hair! 


5.  Repeat this exact process one more time so you have two bunches of hair.

6.  Repeat the process a third time, EXCEPT for the following:
    a.  Only wind around 1 and a half to two inches of yarn.

    b.  See the picture for how you secure the tape.


7.  Place one of your two larger pieces of hair on the doll's head at the forehead.
Thread your needle with a loooong piece of yarn (believe me- once you get that yarn through the eye of the needle, you don't want to run out of yarn!)  Slip stitch on to the head, making sure to cover your machine thread.  When I start, I leave a piece of yarn long enough to be part of the hair and when I end, I do the same thing.  You can knot the yarn at the beginning and end, but I don't think it is necessary.
(I find it easiest to hold all the other hair down with the hand that's not sewing so that it doesn't get in the way of the stitching)
 (making progress down the head)


 (the hair completely sewn)


8.  Around where your doll's ears would be (if she had some), tack the hair down with some stitching all the way around the head.

9.  Put your other large piece of hair on top of the doll's head, starting at the forehead.  I shift it over a bit so that it isn't exactly on top of the previous row of stitches.

 (Piece #2 sewn on)

10.  Take the small, lopsided piece of hair and stitch it down the same way, but put it off center so that it looks like your doll has a side part.  Especially make sure to cover your stitches well because this will be seen on the top of her head!




 (finished!)


11.  Time for a haircut!  This is my favorite part!  Brush the doll's hair down in back with your fingers and figure out how long or short you want her hair.  Cut!  Bring out your inner hair stylist! 

Next step will be the face and the clothes!  Stay tuned!

11 comments:

  1. You don't know me, but I was searching out how to make a cute rag doll, and found yours. My birthday is January 23, and my mother is coming to visit me, so we can make rag dolls on my birthday, when I have access to her sewing machine. Now, I know you're busy, busy, busy, but I would love it, love it, love it, if the final addition to the rag doll tutorial was up in time for my birthday! It's just so darn cute.

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  2. This is the best tutorial I have ever seen for creating yarn hair! Thanks so much.

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  3. Awesome tutorial, I'm making my first doll using your pattern for my daughter!! We're actually watching "White Christmas" while happily sewing away!! THANK YOU!!

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  4. Très bonne idée. Merci beaucoup.
    Peony

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  5. Loving this adorable rag doll tutorial! I want to make a boy doll for my son- any ideas for doing boy hair? I might just do a felt (flat) hairstyle, but the yarn is so cute.

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  6. Great tutorial. Thanks for putting this together. :)

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  7. Thank you for this tutorial! It was really helpful and my doll turned out great! :) I even made the hair two-coloured.

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  8. Thanks for your awesome tutorial! I am so excited, I am making these for my little girls for Christmas! Thanks again!

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  9. Made two dark skinned dolls to send to an orphanage in Haiti. I had beacoup fun making them...thanks for the good directions!

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  10. Thanks for your great rag doll hair tips... you make it look sooOOoo easy! I have made several dolly's, always interested in finding ways to do things differently.... thanks again!

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