This project designed by Barbara Johnston.
Dress this angelic doll any way you'd like, then add wings to her outfit using adhesive-backed Velcro.
Materials:
fabric
polyester fiberfill
pellets for weight
cardboard
hair materials
Steps:
- Draw a pattern for your doll. You'll need an arm, a skirted body a side-profile head (figure A) and wings. Fold fabric in half. Trace all of the components of the doll pattern onto the folded fabric. Trace one of the head pattern, one of the body pattern and two of the arm pattern.
- For all body parts, stitch around the tracing line through both layers of fabric using a 10 to 12 stitches-per-inch stitch setting, leaving a small opening for turning and stuffing. Cut out pieces following 1/8 inch outside the outline of the seam.
- Turn and stuff head firmly through opening. Leave open and set aside.
- Turn and stuff arms (figure B). Stitch arms closed. Set aside.
- Turn body. Turn bottom edge under slightly and baste hem in place (figure C). Set aside.
- This is a pedestal doll and it will need a base to match the size of the base of your body pattern. To make a base, cut out two oval shapes from cardboard, making one approximately an inch smaller than the other.
- Trace around the larger oval on a single layer of fabric. Stitch around the traced line in a long gathering stitch. Center smaller cardboard oval on fabric oval. Tighten the fabric around cardboard by pulling on gathering stitch threads.
- Turn over fabric-covered cardboard base, and use a pen to lightly mark each quarter position. Use the quarter-position marks to help line up the base with the skirt of the body. Pin the base to the skirt at three of the quarter marks, then hand-stitch the base to the open-skirt portion of the body.
- To make a beanbag weight for the doll body, fold over a piece of scrap fabric and draw a square that will fit inside the doll body. Stitch on the drawn lines of the square, leaving an opening for stuffing. Stuff square with polyester pellets. Stitch to close. Set aside.
- Insert small amount of polyester fiberfill through the side opening in the body and push it down towards the skirt base. Insert the beanbag weight through the side opening in the body and slam the base of the doll onto a table surface a couple of times to work the bag down into the stuffing. Stuff the remainder of body firmly using polyester fiberfill. Stuff neck and upper body very firmly. Stitch side opening shut.
- Insert long neck of body into opening in the head (figure D). Work head onto neck by twisting it back and forth. Pin in place, turning the edge of the opening under, and hand-stitch to secure.
- Attach arms to doll at the shoulders. Pin in place first, thumbs pointing toward the front, then hand-stitch to secure. Embellish doll with yarn or thread hair, and dress her in any desired costume.
Basic Wing:
Materials:
template material - Mylar works well
pre-quilted commercial padding
metallic thread
pinking shears
floral wire for stabilizer - optional
Steps:
- Fold quilted padding in half. Trace angel wings onto folded padding and pin around perimeter to secure (figure E).
- Using machine presser foot as a guide, sew through both layers along traced line with metallic thread. To further embellish, stitch two more rows of metallic thread inside the first outline.
- Stitch along existing quilting to further embellish if desired. Cut wings 1/4 inch outside of initial outline using pinking shears. Stitch thin ribbon to wings and tie in bow if desired. Attach wings to doll back using adhesive-backed Velcro.
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