Making linen doll bodies

I want to share some of my creative process in this post.  When I design a new doll body shape I trace my patterns and cut them from card stock.  I have an idea for a new doll so I choose the body design and carefully trace an outline onto a doubled length of natural 100% linen.  I place the vertical line of my pattern on the straight grain running parallel to the selvedge (the warp.) This is a matter of personal taste. The placement will affect the shape of the body once it has been stuffed.  It’s fun to experiment with different placements on warp or weft or bias using the same fabric and pattern piece!

 I place a pin in the center of each piece to prevent shifting when I stitch around the outlines.  I don’t cut any individual pieces apart until after I have stitched all the parts for the body parts I have traced. Once I’ve stitched my outline using a 2.0 mm stitch (12.7 stitches to the inch) I cut the body parts apart with an allowance of  3.2 mm (a generous 1/8 inch.) To turn the parts and stuff them I use a variety of tools, but my favorites are an assortment of hemostats.  

Today I have been stuffing a series of ‘skins’ I stitched up a few days ago - one will be an 18 inch doll and one will be an upside down best friend doll.  I like to work in the sitting area of my home studio with all my favorite tools in front of me.

I used to baste my turned edges before I stitched them, but now just use my quilting pins and work around them until I have enough tacked that I can remove the pins.  I know this is not the ‘right way’ but it works well for me!