Monday, February 27, 2012

Cookie The Fox: Free Doll Pattern

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I finally found a few minutes to sit down and get this pattern drawn up for you guys.  This was my first foray into actual pattern making so hopefully it will be easy to follow Smile  Also a little warning this post is super heavy in pictures, but I think it’s pretty necessary in order to properly show you how to put this together.  I’ve included a link to download the PDF pattern pieces, so you can print it out and make it as much as you want.  Please do not sell the dolls you make from this free pattern or sell the pattern.  Make all you like for family and friends and share the pattern, just make sure to link back and give us credit, ok? 
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1.First cut out your pattern pieces and then cut them out from fabric.  I used an orange for the main body pieces and white for the lower face part, ear tips, tail tip, and bottom leg part. 
2. Place the lower face part onto the face piece and using a zig zag stitch stitch all the way around.  Do the same with the ear tip pieces.
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3. Mark the facial features on your face.  I used a fine line sharpie, but you could also use a washable quilting pen.  If using doll eyes, carefully cut a tiny hole using the very tip of your scissors.  It should really only be the size of a pin hole.  Take a doll eye and carefully push the point through the hole, wiggling as you go to make the hole big enough. 
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4. On the back place the washer on the doll eye and evenly force it down to the base.  Your eyes will now be secure.  Be sure you have them where you want them, because it is near impossible to remove the washer.
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5.  Embroider the nose and mouth.  I use a back stitch for the mouth and satin stitch for the nose.
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6.  Lay the face piece right sides together on top of the body piece, matching the neck areas.  stitch across.  Do this with both face pieces and body pieces. It will look like this:
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7. Lay one top tail piece on top of one bottom tail piece, right sides together and stitch.  Do the same with the other two pieces. It will look like this:
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8. Place both stitched tail pieces right sides together and stitch around the sides leaving the bottom open. Flip right side out.
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9.  This is a little trick I do for finicky pieces like arms.  I trace the pattern piece to the fabric and stitch around that before cutting it out.  After I stitch it I cut it out close to the seams.  This keeps me from missing any spots on small pieces.  Do this for both arms.  Flip the pieces right side out.
10.  I don’t have a picture but sew the bottom part of the leg to the top part of the leg and then stitch the the front of the leg to the back right sides together and flip right side out.  It’s the same way you did the tail.
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11.  Stuff all of your finished pieces.  I like to stuff mine pretty firmly.  You should have two legs, two arms and a tail.
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12.  Take the head and body that you stitched earlier and lay the raw edge of your arm pieces along the raw edge of your body right where the head and body meet.  Pin and stitch.
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13.  On the back body/head piece cut a small slit about 1.5 inches up from the bottom, big enough to insert the tail.
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14.  Insert the tail through the slit and folding the body in half stitch over the tail. Like this:
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15.  Place the front of the fox body on top of the back pinning carefully and making sure that the arms and tail are inside.  Stitch around the sides and top leaving the bottom open.  I like to double stitch to make it safer and sturdier. Flip the whole thing right side out.
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16.  On the bottom insert the raw edges of the legs into the opening, turning the raw edge of the opening in as you do.  Pin and stitch across.
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17. Stitch the two pieces of the skirt pattern together along the short side, right sides together.
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18. Hem one of the long sides, by folding a 1/4 inch up and stitching.  Then fold up another 1/4 inch and stitch that.  At this point you can either make a casing along the top for elastic or use lingerie elastic as I did and hem the edge first and then stitch your elastic to the top edge stretching it as you go to make it fit. Like so
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19. Stitch the two short raw edges together leaving a 1 inch section in the center unstitched for the tail if you desire.  Flip it right side out.

Now put your skirt on your finished fox doll and give it to a cute little friend to love.  Please link back to us if you make this.  We would love to see lots of cute Cookies floating around out there!
Download the PDF here
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