Wool Felting & Crafts Ideas Gallery - Handmade Presents

13. If you wish to have a nose for your doll, just make a little ball now and sew it onto the middle of the face about 1/2 cm below the eye line. Traditional Waldorf dolls would be without a nose, but I found that, these days, most people choose to have a doll with a nose.

14. Now, to finish the head, we cover the shaped inner head with a skin coloured interlock knit fabric. This fabric is an extra strong fabric which is designed especially for doll making. Cut into the fabric twice, at the top, as shown in the picture. Only cut it as far as the top of the head. If you cut too low it will show on the forehead.

15. Fold the fabric neatly on top of the head.

16. Then secure it, as shown in the picture, and fold the front bit over.

17. Sew it neatly using a catch stitch.

18. Now using extra strong thread again, go around the neck with a running stitch, pull the thread tight then tie it around the neck a couple of times as tightly as you can.

Now the head is almost finished!!!

19. Fill the body with wool, using small pieces at a time, so it is all nice and even . Keep shaping the body as you go. With the help of a wooden spoon make the limbs quite firm. Then sew up the openings with catch stitches.

20. Now the only opening on the body should be the neck. Put the head into position and fill the body and the shoulder area a bit more if required. It is a bit difficult, but using something thin like a chopstick will make this job easier. When you are happy with the shape, gather the neckline together with a running stitch, pull it tight, and sew the head to the body with a catch stitch. First, go around the neck with bigger stitches ( going a bit into the head ), then again with smaller, fine stitches. For this use again extra strong thread.

21. Choose the position of the eyes and the mouth by inserting some glass headed pins into the right positions. Keep moving them until you are satisfied. It is a very important part of the doll.
The shape and the size that is chosen for the eyes and the mouth will very much characterise the doll.

22. For sewing the eyes and the mouth you can use embroidery thread or ordinary sewing thread.
Secure the thread in the back of the head, then bring the needle through the head to the pin marking the eye.When one eye is ready, go over to the other eye. When finished, fasten off the thread at the back of the head.

23. There are many ways to make the hair or a wig for a Waldorf doll. One of the easier ways is to crochet a cap.For the doll shown, I used curly buckle for a cap, but mohair yarn works well, too. For this method you need to know how to crochet a chain stitch and a double crochet stitch.

The size of the cap will vary depending on the size of your particular doll head, so keep checking each row against the head of the doll. Adjust the number of stitches to fit the doll, as you go along.

First, go round in a circle working with a double crochet, then, when you can cover the top of the head completely, use a chain stitch without increasing the stitches.

24. Using an extra strong thread, sew the cap onto the head, first on the edge, then round and round in an inward spiral until you reach the centre. If your Waldorf doll is a boy, then the hair is done. If it is a long-haired girl, you need to attach some long strips of yarn to the cap.

For this, cut the yarn at twice the length you want the hair to be. Fold it in half, then attach it to the cap using a half hitch in the centre at the fold. Go all around the edge leaving 1/2 cm gaps, then make 2 parallel lines in the middle.

To finish, fill the two sides of the head as thickly as you wish.

All the Waldorf dolls I make have multistyling wigs.

25. The doll is ready, all she needs is some pretty clothes.

My doll making kit also includes some patterns for clothing.

Waldorf dolls (also called Steiner dolls ) are dolls that are handmade with loving care, using natural materials. The skin is interlock knit fabric designed specially for doll making. The stuffing is wool, that makes it lovely, warm and soft. Their appearance is intentionally simple to allow the child’s imagination and creativity to develop. Waldorf dolls are available in different styles to suit different ages.

Doll making gallery/tutorial for Waldorf dolls with a ready-sewn body

In this gallery I am showing the method I use for custom-made dolls. All of the body is sewn together by sewing machine, and then only needs stuffing. The main part of the gallery shows how to make the head for a Waldorf doll.
If you wish to go ahead and make a Waldorf doll in this way, you can request a ready-sewn body to come with the doll making kit.

1. The ready-made body. Everything has been sewn together - you only need to stuff it, and stitch up the openings at the back of the legs and at the top of the arms.

2. For the inner head I use white cotton jersey. Some people use tubular bandage for this. The size of the piece of fabric you require will depend on how large you want the head to be and on how stretchy the fabric is. Sew a tube ( make sure that the lines of the fabric go from top to bottom ) and gather one end of it with a running stitch all around, pulling it tight then turning it inside out.

3. To start the head roll a firm, solid ball.

4. Lay a couple of long strips of wool in a star shape on top of it.

5. Gather the ” arms ” of the star under the ball firmly.

6. Pull the white tube over it while holding the neck part of the wool as tightly as you can. With a running stitch go around the neckline (just underneath the ball ) then wrap the thread around it a couple of times as tightly as you can. For this you need an extra strong thread.

7. Make sure that the neck is in the middle. Look carefully at the shape of the head and choose the side that is the most suitable for the face. Tie a very strong thread horizontally all the way around the head a couple of times, about half way or a bit lower, between the neck and the top of the head. Pull it tight. This will be the eye line. After this, do the same vertically from the top of the head down to the chin along the sides of the head.

8. Where the two threads meet secure them by sewing an ” X ” across them. When you have done one side push your doll making needle through the head bringing the thread across from one side where the threads meet to the opposite side. Secure the other side as well.

9. At the back of the head, pull the thread all the way down to the neck with a crochet needle.

10. Sew the threads on the side together to make sure they stay in position.

11. At the base of the neck there should be some wool hanging out. With a running stitch pull the bottom of the white fabric together. It needs to be semi-firm. If there is not enough wool there fill it with some additional wool.

12. With a very strong thread make it as tight as you can, especially just below the head. This is important for stopping the head from wobbling.

Please click here for part 2