Rag Doll Continued pg. 4
Legs: Place two shoe pieces with right sides together and sew the toe seam from the top of the shoe to the mark just above the curve. Open out the shoe piece and with the right sides together and the shoe seam open, pin it to the short side of a leg piece. Trim the long side of the leg piece if it is too wide for the shoe top. Sew the leg and shoe together. Pin the shoe/leg wrong sides together and sew from the end of the first shoe stitching all around the shoe and up the leg to the top. Clip the curves in the seam allowance in the shoe. Turn right side out. Repeat for the other shoe/leg. Set them aside.
Stuffing and Assembly:
Head/Body: Stuff the head and body of the doll firmly and smoothly until it is approximately three quarters full. Make sure that the neck is stuffed very firm so the head will not flop forward or backward. Use a long doll needle to move the stuffing around, if necessary. Add weighting material for the final one quarter of the body. If you are making the child's doll, omit the weighting material and stuff the head/body full. Set aside.
Prepare the stems: If you are making a child's toy, omit this step. Make an oval shaped loop about 1" long in the bottom of a chenille stem. Twist the top of the loop to secure it. From a scrap of muslin, sew a small narrow bag about ½" wide and about 1 ½" long. Place a very small amount of weighting material into the bag and then slide the loop of the stem inside. Hand sew the bag in place around the stem, making sure it will fit thru the small wrist of the hand.
Note on the length of the arms and legs - The string joints obviously do not require as much length as do the knotted joints. If you are preparing the string joints, you may want to cut a little off the tops after measuring them in relation to the length of the head/body before choosing the spot for the knee or arm joints and before attaching them to the body. Proportionally, the shoe/leg should be the same length as the head/body when finished. The hand/arm should be the same length as the shoe/leg when finished. The knee and elbow joints should be in the center of the limbs, including the feet or hands. However, there is nothing wrong with long legs and arms if you prefer to leave them as is.
Shoe/Legs: Firmly stuff the toe of the shoe. Place a prepared stem into a shoe/leg piece. Firmly stuff the foot in front and around the stem up to the ankle, keeping the stem in the middle of the stuffing. Then moderately stuff the leg to the knee. If you are making the child's doll, omit the prepared stems. Choose the type of joint you will be using for the doll, the knotted or the string, and work as follows:
- Knotted joints for the legs - Loosely tie a knot in the leg and move the knot to where you wish the knee joint to be. Tighten the knot, but not too tightly and keep the leg seams straight and in the back. Very lightly stuff the top of the leg. Tack (see glossary) the stem to the center back seam at the top of the leg. Repeat for the other leg, making sure the knotted knees are even.
- Optional string joints for the legs - Hand sew the joint, using a needle and thread that matches the color of the legs. Leave a thread tail about 6" long for tying off and start at the back seam of the leg where you wish the knee joint to be, take a few small stitches in the same place to anchor the thread. Sew a small running stitch (see glossary) evenly all around the knee, meeting the beginning thread tail at the back of the knee. Pull the thread to draw the knee tightly in. Wrap the thread once around the joint and then tie the threads together at the back of the knee. Very lightly stuff the top of the leg. Tack the stem to the center back seam at the top of the leg. Repeat for the other leg, making sure the string knees are even.
