Sewing the Arms and Legs: Cut the arms from the legs to make smaller pieces of fabric to work with. Starting with the arms, place the machine needle into the fabric at the top of one arm on the line next to the leave open edge and sew down the arm, around the hand and back up the other side of the arm to the opposite top. Repeat for the other arm. Cut all around the arms on the outside of the seams leaving a 1/8" seam allowance. Cut across the top of the arm on the line at the leave open mark. Follow the same procedure for both of the legs. Turn the arms and legs right side out.
Dyeing the Doll Fabric: Wet all the doll pieces in water and wring them out. Dip all the damp pieces in a tea bath and soak them for a few minutes. Hang them out to drip dry. Inspect the pieces once they are dry and if you wish them to be darker, repeat the tea bath as many times as necessary, drip drying in between, until you achieve the desired results. The doll should be a cinnamon color. Once she is dry and stuffed, you can dip your finger into the tea bath and touch specific parts of her face to leave various sized rings, if desired.
General Stuffing Procedures: Constantly feel the part being stuffed with your fingers as you go, looking for any inconsistencies in the stuffing, like soft spots or holes. Manipulate any discrepancies found by sticking a long, thin needle into the area that needs correcting and move the stuffing around until the area is filled or evened out.
Stuffing the Doll: When completely dry, stuff the body and head from the open bottom of the body. Stuff firmly, especially the neck and shoulders so the head won't flop (unless of course you are going to hang her by the neck!!). You can put a 2 ½" to 3" wire or wooden dowel in the middle of the neck stuffing if you desire. To make stuffing the head easier, roll or fold the body up to the shoulders. Stuff the nose and chin first, then the face. Continue to stuff the head by adding the stuffing to the sides and back of the head, keeping the face as smooth as possible. Use a long thin needle to move more stuffing into the nose and chin, then hold the stuffing in place with straight pins while you work.
