Introduction: Making a Rag Doll
This instructable is about how to make a rag doll. These rag dolls are great gifts and can be made from scraps leftover from your other projects. My wife searched through many rag doll patterns until finally making her own. This is the pattern she came up with.
Step 1: Tools/Materials
Materials
Scraps of cloth
Polyfil
Thread
Paint Pens/Sharpies
Elastic
Yarn
Cloth Flowers
Glue
Tools
Scissors
Pins
Safety Pin
Sewing Machine
Step 2: Cutting Out Patterns
Cut out the paper pattern. Take the cloth you are going to use for the body and fold it in half. Pin the paper pattern to the cloth you are going to use for the body. Cut the cloth along the pattern. Pin the pattern for the arm/leg in the same way you did the body and cut it out. You will need four of these. Two arms and two legs.
Step 3: Sewing and Stuffing Doll
Step 4: Sewing Dress
Now for the dress. You will need to start with a sleeve and sew along the curve. Then sew the sleeve to the other side of the dress. Then sew the other sleeve to the other side of the dress. Follow the pictures if you are confused. Once all four pieces of the dress are connected you will want to sew the neck. Fold the cloth in and sew along the neck. Then take the elastic and attach it to the safety pin. Then feed the elastic through the neck. Tie the elastic off and sew the sleeve to the dress. Do the same for the bottom of the dress as you did the neck. Fold over the cloth where the arms will go and sew them. Finally sew up the sides of the dress and put it on your doll.
Step 5: Decorations
You add anything you want to personalize you doll. We decided to use brown yarn for the hair. Take you yarn and wrap it around a dvd case. Then remove the yarn and find the center of it. Sew along the center with a thread of similar color. You attach the hair either vertically on the head so the seam/part will be in the middle or you can place it horizontally to give it a different look. This doll's hair was put on horizontally so we could give it bangs and a ponytail. Place some glue on the head of the doll where the seam will be and carefully place the hair on the doll. Then using a needle and thread hand stitch along the seam the hair to the head. The combination of glue and thread give is a secure fit. Once you are done sewing cut the loops in the hair in whatever style you want.
We also added a fabric flower to her hair with some glue.
The face was sketched in pencil and them drawn in sharpie. Try drawing a few faces on paper before you commit to a more permanent medium. We prefer paint pens because they do not bleed. The two other dolls we have in the picture were done with paint pens.
Step 6: Finished
Now you are finished and have an amazing gift you can give.

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10 Comments
11 years ago on Introduction
I just love these old-fashioned cutie-pies!
What a priceless gift!!!
5 months ago
Do you find that the smaller neck on the large doll is kind of floppy? I have seen some people put a popsicle stick in to reinforce it but I'm not sure if I want to do that. Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated! So cute!
6 years ago
Thanks, it's great! It helps me a lot.
11 years ago on Introduction
What can I do for curly hair? I want to make a simple one for school purposes.
Reply 8 years ago on Introduction
Knit the yarn and rinse it in warm water, then let it dry and unravel it.
Reply 8 years ago on Introduction
Use the yarn for hair as normal, then untwist the strands. You may want to use thicker yarn for heavier curls.
Reply 11 years ago on Introduction
I will ask my wife.
8 years ago on Introduction
hi, what is the name of fabric you used to make the doll?please let me know :D
10 years ago
This is the pattern I used for my rag doll, I saw it on the Internet! If you want to make clothes see my rag doll clothes!
Love it!
11 years ago on Introduction
That is such an adorable doll :) So simple and cute!