.𖥔 ݁ ˖๋ ࣭ ⭑ bead-jointed doll tutorial ꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱₊˚⊹
what it says on the tin, a step by step for a ball-jointed doll ^^ not including the clothes, it’s best to look up patterns or other existing clothes tutorials and size them down. also i kinda just throw shit together when it comes to the clothes so i don’t even know how i’d begin to explain it. apologies if there’s any vagueness
- a sheet of paper/card/other material + scissors
- fabric, the amount varies with how large you want the doll to be.
- stuffing (can use actual stuffing, scrap fabric, string, yarn, etc. best to pick something soft though)
- OPTIONAL: markers to colour the fabric, watercolour/paint/et cetera to dye the string/yarn
Cut out your templates. Upper arm, lower arm, upper leg, lower leg, torso, and head. You can tweak the size and shape to fit what doll you want to make ^^ Don’t include seam allowance in the templates because it could make it harder to get symmetrical shapes
Using your templates, take your fabric and mark out your limbs using a pen. Ideally, it would be some sort of fabric chalk or washable marker, but if you don’t have anything that will wash out of the fabric, just make sure the lines match up exactly when you sew. Then, mark out roughly half a centimetre of seam allowance around the template outline. Cut using the seam allowance.
You need 4 upper arm pieces, 4 lower arm pieces, 4 upper leg pieces, 4 lower leg pieces, 2 torso pieces, and 2 head pieces.
Sew up your pieces. A sewing machine would work here, but if you don’t have one, then a secure running stitch will do. Leave the top of the piece unsewn so you can turn the piece inside out.
Depending on the size of the piece, it might be a bit finicky, you might need to use a pencil or small stick or such to push the fabric into position. Rolling the end also helps when you get to the smaller curving parts. Then, stuff the piece up to the open top, leaving a small space to easily sew up the top.
Stitch up the torso, leaving the neck/top part open to turn inside out and stuff it. Only stuff it halfway, then cut out a strip of card to help with stability with the head. Place it into the torso halfway and finish stuffing it.
Sew the head pieces together, leaving the neck piece unsewn like the torso. Stuff and use a pen or your finger to create a space for the strip. Place the head on the strip and sew the neck of the torso onto the neck of the head.
Add the bead to the limb. The lower leg and arm only need one bead at the top, whilst the upper arm and leg need a bead on the top and bottom. I find it easier to create the limbs first (as in attaching the upper arm to the lower arm, upper leg to the lower leg, etc) before connecting them to the torso.
Sew through the end of the limb where the bead is going, then put the needle through the middle of the bead. Sew back through the original puncture, creating a looping motion (see image). Do this several times until the bead is tightly secure. Repeat this process with the secondary limb until the bead is securely attached to both parts.
When sewing the bead to the torso, ensure that the limbs are pointing the right way. I find it easiest to ensure this by sewing to the torso in a diagonal/cross motion so the bead is not perpendicular. As the limbs are mostly positionable, they can be slightly twisted if askew.
There’s another way to sew the bead to the limb which looks cleaner and fits better (see additional resources section at bottom of the page), I just prefer this way because the beads I have contain too large of a hole and it looked weird, plus i liked the ragdoll-y movements of the looser method. The alternative method is best with wooden beads or beads with smaller holes imo.
After adding the limbs to the torso, you should have a blank figure with manouverable limbs. Mark out where the eyes will go and see the buttons onto the space. You could also embroider/sew a facial expression onto the face, add cheeks/eyebrows, etc.
Take your yarn and if you want, use paints/watercolour to dye it a good colour. If natural, you can do this with watercolour or food colouring. If not, you need special dyes or acrylic paint (see additional resources section. I haven’t tested this though so i can’t say how efficient it is).
Cut your yarn/string into more manageable strips. Sew into the head and then place your string or yarn piece inbetween the puncture and exit positions. Take your needle and push it back into the puncture position, creating a loop. Make sure the yarn is inside the loop before pulling it tight. Repeat continuously until you have the head covered.
It’s best to do this separately for the front and back hair, and to ensure that the hair strings are too long so you can cut it to the desired length and shape after it has been sewn up.
Create any clothes or accessories you need for your doll ^^ The doll should still be manoeuvrable with clothes, though it may be slightly harder if the fabric of the clothes is stiff or too tight.
- collection of free clothing pattern sites -> https://www.reddit.com/r/freepatterns/s/OPdB50TgiM
- dying acrylic yarn with paint, in case you also only have acrylic yarn but have acrylic/plastic-based paints to dye it with -> https://thefrugalcrafter.wordpress.com/2014/02/15/how-to-dye-acrylic-yarn/
- cleaner bead attachment -> https://vm.tiktok.com/ZNRv4mhh9/
the person who runs the account in the link above also sells patterns/doll-making guides if you want something more professional lol. i’ve never acc seen them bcs i haven’t bought them so like i can’t speak as to what it contains but their dolls look rlly nice so that’s an option
