Rag dolls do it yourself

The history of the rag doll has been around for several centuries. For our ancestors, it was not just a toy, but also a magic amulet. As soon as a child was born in the family, such a toy was surely put in his cradle. It was believed that the doll charm protects the baby from evil spirits and the evil eye.

As a rule, such charms were faceless, since there was a belief that evil spirit could not move into a doll without a soul (without a face). It is easy to make a rag doll with your own hands, the main thing is to make the patterns correctly and choose the material.

Russian folk rag dolls in traditions and rites

Almost every family also made traditional dolls for ceremonies. They were made, as a rule, from the materials that were at hand: from pieces of cloth, straw, moss, dry grass, tree branches. Each such doll had its own “duties”: “The ten-armed girl” was given to the young wife in order to manage her homework, “Fertility” brought wealth to the family, and “Goat” was made on the Christmas holiday and brought prosperity to the house.

The tradition of creating rag dolls is still alive today: it is a wonderful toy for a child, and an interior decoration, and some craftswomen manage to create real works of art.

How to make a rag doll with your own hands: a master class

Textile dolls are definitely a beautiful creation. Making such a toy for her child, mom puts all her love, warmth and tenderness into her creation.

Materials required for work:

• fabric of two colors (monophonic and with a print);
• threads of one tone with fabric;
• sewing machine (or needle, if you decide to sew a doll by hand);
• scissors;
• pattern paper;
• thick knitting threads for making hair;
• a filler (synthetic winterizer, holofiber, cotton wool, etc.);
• elements of decor dolls: bows, ribbons, buttons, etc.

How to choose the right fabric?

When choosing a fabric for the manufacture of products need to consider a few important points. First, it is better to take natural fabrics for sewing body rag doll: chintz, satin, calico. You can also use synthetic material, but be sure to make sure that it does not pour in and stretch. Secondly, it is advisable to choose beige fabrics to match the color of the body.

If you did not manage to find a suitable color, then you can use the old and proven grandma's way: to dye the fabric in the desired color using brewed tea or coffee:

1. For this you need to brew strong black tea (it is better to take packaged) and dip the fabric in the solution for 15-20 minutes.
2. After that, get it, slightly squeeze and spread out on the table to dry.

Technology staining with coffee is the same. Just keep in mind that when using it, the tone is more saturated, and the fabric itself for a long time retains the light aroma of coffee.

Manufacturing technology rag doll do it yourself:

On paper we print a pattern pattern (you can draw it yourself on the album sheet).

Cut out the elements of the pattern and transfer them to the fabric. It is necessary to cut out 4 elements for arms and legs, and 2 each for the body and head.

Cutting out the body of the doll, not forgetting to leave the seam allowances of 0.5-1 cm. If you want your doll to be in the shoes, then when cutting the legs, you need to use two colors of fabric.

We fold the parts of the arms and legs in pairs with the face inside and sew on a sewing machine or manually.

We twist the sewn extremities onto the front side and fill it with filler (but not too tightly).

We connect the head and torso, not forgetting to leave two holes on the side for arms and legs, and one on top (to fill the doll with filler).

Turning the workpiece on the front side.

Put your hands and feet to the body and gently stitched, bending the fabric inside.

Through the upper hole we fill the workpiece with filler and carefully sew it with a secret seam.

The blank for our rag doll is ready, it remains to "revive" it and dress it up.

Creating hairstyles for rag dolls:

1. To create a hairstyle, we need thick monochromatic knitting threads (choose the color at your discretion).
2. Using a narrow plate or notebook, we wind the thread onto a thread, then remove the skein and cut it on one side.
3. It is better to sew the obtained strands in the middle (across), using a strip of fabric of the same tone. We have a great wig!
4. It remains to sew it to the head of the doll. So that the hairstyle is neat, for convenience, mark the line of sewing on with a pencil.

There are many options for creating a unique image of our textile doll: it can be funny pigtails or tails with colorful bows. It all depends on your preferences.

Face design rag doll

It remains to make the face of the doll. There are several options:

• it can be painted with acrylic paints;
• embroider;
• use felt pieces or ready-made parts for decoration (they are now easy to get in specialized sewing shops).

The cheeks can be rounded with a pink pencil or ordinary blush. And the doll’s facial expression and mood will depend on your idea.

Tailoring for textile dolls

And, of course, our beauty needs to be dressed up. For sewing a dress, you can use a ready-made pattern or draw it yourself. To finally determine the style of clothing, look at the pictures of finished products in the magazine. And to give individuality to your creation will help the various elements for decoration: beads, buttons, lace, sequins, etc.

Rag pupae are very soft, absolutely safe for the child, it is pleasant to fall asleep with such a toy or to take it with you on long trips. And how much effort and love my mother put into her creation! In addition, the pupa can be sewn together with the baby, because such exercises develop fine motor skills of the child, his imagination and are an excellent opportunity for the realization of all creative ideas.

Show your imagination and skill, then your rag doll will definitely be bright and unique, and efforts will not go unnoticed!