Every child should have a doll which creates opportunities for role play, letting children's imagination run free.
In this first picture, this Lovely Mia is made from an old jersey Tee shirt, some scrap material and filled with Carded wool. She can also be filled with washed stuffing from an old pillow if necessary. Most importantly she was free, not costing a single penny, just a little recycled material, elbow grease and love.
"Sun-Child Dolls have been given many names, Steiner Doll, Waldorf Doll, but to me they will always be Sun-Child Dolls and there is no right or wrong way to make them. Parents all over the world would make a doll with what ever materials came to hand and that is how the Sun-Child Doll was born, with love and care, made especially for creative play. Its a great joy to make a toy together as a family activity, making that doll even more special. A memory for every season!"
"Cotton Cute"
Mia likes Flowers video
Mia Doll-Making Tutorial
Things you will need:
An old Tee shirt (if the fabric is thin you will have to use 2 layers)
A Sock
Carded wool or some washed polyester filling from an old pillow
Some strong string
Needle, thread and 3 pins
Embroidery thread
Some old pretty scrap material
Red crayon
Scissors and a sewing machine (the sewing machine is optional because it can be hand sewn with back stitch)
or
A Cotton Cute Mia's Doll Making Kit,
At the Cotton Cute Shop Doll making kits are available with all the tools you need, using certified carded wool and high quality interlock Jersey/specialist doll-Making fabric at the Cotton Cute Shop
Download Free Mia Pattern to Print
You will need 2 x A4 Paper
Making the head
Follow the Diagram Below to make a Dolls head, or follow Making a Basic Dolls Head Tutorial in full
To Sew a little nose. Place a couple of pins in a cross. pushing the wool upwards then sew around crossing at the centre, picking up the wool with your needle. Follow the diagram.
A short video tutorial for sewing a dolls nose is available at Cotton Cute's Basic Dolls Head-Making Tutorial
Cutting and Sewing Mia Pattern
Print the pattern and cut out the pattern. stick the two sides were marked together The head should be the approximate size of the head in the pattern. But remember each doll is different so draw around your own dolls head to make sure.
Lay the Body of the Pattern on doubled fabric and place your dolls head facing the fold and draw around the head leaving 2 cm extra at the top and bottom and then draw around the body pattern Marking the area around the neck, the top and bottom of the Dolls head to make sure you dont sew it closed
Sew on the lines, remembering to not sew over the neck area or the top and bottom of the head marked in red. Use Jersey Stitch, if using a sewing machine If your sewing by hand, sew around pattern twice using Back Stitch
Assemble the Head and body
Cut around the sewn fabric leaving a 0.5 cm seam and turn the body and head fabric so that the seams are facing inwards. Sew a running Stitch around the top and bottom of the sewn head fabric. Place it over the dolls head, tying tight with a knot at the top and bottom. then tie the neck tightly with a doubled string, knot with a treble knot and tie off.
Make a seam at the neck of the with a running stitch. In preperation to secure head temporarily, leaving the threads untied
Filling the Dolls Body - Fill the hands and feet with wool tightly to give them some weight and then stuff the arms and legs to how you would like it. This Mia is filled with stuffing quite loosely, in her legs and arms because i wanted her to move her limbs like a floppy doll. Roll a ball of wool for the tummy and stuff the rest of the body, leaving space to insert the lower neck of the doll .
Tighten and knot the running stitch at the neck prepared to secure temporarily and when happy that you have enough stuffing, Use Ladder Stitch to sew the fabric together around the neck at least 3 times.
The Little Details
a) The Hands and Feet - First do a running stitch around the wrist and pull each tight and knot. then back stitch twice around the wrist, knot and tie off. Do the same to the other wrist and ankles. You dont have to tie the wrists and ankles if you dont want as Mia is also beutiful with plain hands and feet.
b) Cute little Belly Button
To give Mia a belly button, you make it exactly the same way as the nose, exept smaller. pushing the wool upwards with the needle at each stitch
Tiny Jump suit pleats
You can make little pleats at the back, which is so cute and looks like mia is wearing a jump suit even without clothes. To make the pleats fold 5 tiny pleats and run a stitch through 5 times then knot and tie off
Now we need a little face.
Mias Face is absolutely adorable and dont worry no mia is the same, but the placement of the eyes and mouth is very important Below is the technique that is used especially for Mia
Make sure your eyes are straight and your mouth is just where you would like it by placing a pin for the eyes and mouth marking the eye with a pencil
The Dolls Eyes - Thread needle with embroidery thread and put through the lower part of the marked dot for eye placement, and pull the needle out at the top of the head Rethread the needle with the thread hanging out of the eye, French knot, for this dolls eye was thread was wound 5 times around the needle. And then pull the needle into to the upper part of the Dot you marked. To make the second eye, hold the dolls head upside down and complete the same process
Tighten both threads gently to slightly indent the eye line. Knot twice with a triple knot and tie off.
The Eyelash, follow the instructions to make your eye lash, if you would like a Mia that looks like in the Video. Mia is also cute without the eye lashes too. Its best to show this in a diagram as its quite impossible to explain.
Mias smile
The Mouth and Blusher
Choosing were to place your mouth is just as important. use a long needle and gently press on the area that you would like to place your mouth. When you are happy replace the pin.
To put a little smile on your Doll, place a pin slightly higher on both sides of the middle pin.
Thread the Needle with Double Embroidery thread. Push the needle through the right hand pin and pull the needle through to top of the head, leaving a long thread hanging from the entry point of the mouth. Rethread needle with that thread
Push the needle through were the other pin is at the corner of the mouth and pull right through to top of the head, making sure the embroidery thread catches under the middle pin.
Tighten as desired and knot twice with a triple knot and tie off. When complete remove middle pin. And your Doll should have a little smile
The best way to rub in blusher is to rub a little crayon on a peice of cloth and then rub the cloth onto the dolls cheeks in circular motions.
Mia's hair.
However you do your dolls hair, it transforms the complete doll.
Mia hair had been made by cutting long thin strips of fabric and plaiting 3 strips together . The plat was then pinned to the head in a nice pattern and sewed on firmly using back stitch.
A free tutorial and Pattern to make Mia's suit and Lovely Hair at Mia's Suit Tutorial and Mia's Hair Tutorial.
At the Cotton Cute Shop Doll Making Kits are available with a choice of different shades and a variety of different colours in Cotton Velour fabrics for her suit and hair packed in a wonderful Eco friendly Packaging, all chosen with that extra care.
Hope you will join Cotton Cute again soon!
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