How to make a cuddle doll - Part 2

Ok - as promised, here is the next part where we see the doll coming together.

Now we ready to stuff the legs. I use a combination of wool batting and Merino wool knops to get a soft, cuddly stuffing.

The legs are then gathered at the waist and sewn onto the body. Then the feet are made by running a small gathering stitch around the 'ankles'.

The arms are then sewn with neat stitches onto the legs.

Now it is time to make the hands. The hands are sewn on the sewing machine with a stretch stitch and then trimmed to shape.

The hands are now firmly stuffed with more wool and tied with lined thread.

Next the hand is rolled in a length of wool batting and this is used to stuff the arm.

The hand is sewn in place at the sleeve.

We are nearly finished! For this doll I wanted to experiment with some embroidery stitches for sewing on the hat. Here I am using herringbone embroidery stitch. 

Here is the finished doll. I hope you have enjoyed reading about the way the doll is made. Please feel free to contact me if you are interested in attending a workshop or have a request for a special doll in mind.

I have one more workshop before Christmas, starting on 6th November.

Best wishes

Sam

How to make a Waldorf Cuddle Doll - Part 1

In this post I am going to explain how to make a Rainbow cuddle doll. I love rainbows and I love cuddle dolls, so putting the two together has been something I have wanted to do for ages.

I will do this post in two parts, as I think it will be rather long. I have tried to take photos as I worked through each process.

The first step in making this rainbow cuddle doll is to dye the fabric. I took a good quality double raised flannel and cut it into strips the correct length to make the hat, arms and legs. 

This shows the fabric during the dying process being dipped into the second colour - blue and yellow into green.

This is the fabric after dyeing, drying on the washing line. It is in the same order as the doll (and a rainbow). Red/orange will be for the hat, yellow green for the arms, dark green, blue purple for the legs.

The next step is to make the head and 'heart' of the doll. The heart is the part the child will hold onto when they cuddle the doll. This needs to be firm but not as firm as the head.

I start by making a tube which is gathered and secured at the top. This tube is then filled with sheep wool. The top is stuffed very firmly to make the head and the bottom, less so to make the heart.

The tube is then secured at the bottom and linen thread is tied around to form the neck.

The face is then shaped with more linen thread.

Now it is time to sew the body. This is made in two parts - the arms and the legs. They are made from a simple rectangle shape. Above I am marking out the feet and getting ready to sew.

I also sew the arms leaving a gap to put the doll's head through (sorry no pictures of this). I also cut the other side of the arms so that the head can fit through.

 Next, I am going to embroider the face. I usually do the eyes first and then the mouth, making sure they form an equilateral triangle.

 Here the face embroidery has been done and I have tried a hat on for size.

Ok  - in the next 'How to make a Waldorf Cuddle Doll" post you can see how it all comes together.

best wishes

Sam

Brynja for me

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The last few winters I have tried to knit at least 1 item each for my little family (admittedly Fil only gets gloves or a hat).
Usually, I start with the kids and by the time it is my turn Spring is on it's way and the project is put away for another year.

This year I decided to start with me!

I made the Brynja by Helene Magnusson. The 10 ply merino knitted up really quick and the thought of doing the lovely colour change pattern at the top kept me motivated through the second sleeve.

getting ready to Steek

This project is knit in the round and then the front is cut open (called Steeking) and a knitted border added for the button holes.

starting to cut

My kids were very entertained by the idea of me CUTTING the knitting I had just completed. I have come to love it  - and it adds some drama to the making of a cardigan!

Fil made me some lovely wooden buttons. He strung them up so the oil could dry.

So, here I am in my new cosy cardigan and still plenty of knitting time until Spring.

I am planning to knit something for Evie next. Apparently she wants exactly the same so we can be matching! I'm not really one for matching clothes but I guess that is a compliment in many ways.

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As for Steeking - I have already started my next 'Steeked' project - a blanket.

Joining in with Matariki Crafting at Tartankiwi.

Colourful Wool

This week the kids were keen to dye some wool. It's a pretty simple process to make colourful wool using things you probably already have in your kitchen.

Here's how we did it.

You will need;

Pure wool in a light colour

Water

Vinegar

Food colouring

First of all you will need to wrap the wool into small skeins. You can use the back of a chair, a book or the kids found a basket handle worked really well. Tie the skeins loosely in a couple of places.

Next soak the yarn for a while in some warm water. Try to limit the temptation for the kids to stir it at this point as it can get very tangled. yep.

When the yarn has soaked a while take a small saucepan and heat some water with a glug of vinegar in it to a low simmer. Add drops of food colouring. I have the primary colours and we have fun mixing them. Less is more I think as the colours take really strongly.

Next add your wool. You can put the whole thing in or let some hang over the edge so you can make it another colour. As the wool simmers gently it will very quickly start drawing up the colour from the water. Sometimes it will make the water completely clear again. Lift the yarn occasionally to check the colour and when you like it take it out and rinse under cold water. You can put it back in again into as many colours as you like.

Dry the wool by pressing in a towel and then hang up to dry.

Enjoy!