A Tutorial on How I Embroider my Doll Faces

So many people have shown interest in the recipe for the dolls! I wish I had written a more professional looking recipe for them. I have a few edits to make to those posts that will clean them up a little.

But I digress. I wrote that I embroider the faces and add a nose and ears but did not go into any detail about doing so. So, I used a doll I just finished to note the steps that I take to make my faces.

For this doll, I used blue embroidery thread for the eyes, some white for the sparkle, golden brown for the eyebrows, and dark pink for the mouth. The nose and ears are skin toned yarn.

The first thing to add is the nose. Using skin colour, I insert a long darning needle through the base of the neck at the back of the doll and have it coming out in the centre of the face where the nose will be. I leave a tail perhaps 10 cm long sticking out the back of the neck to tie a knot in later. The nose is only 1 stitch wide. I sew over the top of the stitch, then back under it, over it and under it, always using the same hole. The nose is usually about 4 wraps in size.

Come out at the centre of the face

The nose is 1 stitch wide

Go in and out of the same hole 4 times, then bring the needle out on one side for the ear.

Then I take the same needle and yarn and bring the needle out right beside the hairline on the left of the face as it faces me, to make the ear. Make a long stitch, perhaps 3 rows in length, and come out at the same hole you started in. Do not pull this stitch tight yet. Now, put the needle under and around the yarn that will form the ear 4 times. Now gently pull the stitch so it is snug. Put the needle into the bottom of the ear and come out at the top, then do the same on the other side. Now you have the bulk of the ear and 2 long stitches that run right along the side of the ear. Without breaking the yarn, insert the needle into the head and bring it out on the other side of the head to make the other ear. Once this ear is finished, push the needle and yarn through the head to come out near the starting point on the back of the neck. Tie a knot, and tuck the yarn ends into the inside of the dolls head.

The ear is 3 rows long

Insert the needle and yarn 3 or 4 times as in the picture. 

Make a long stitch across the front and back of the ear to finish it off.

Now I make the eyes. Using embroidery thread, and a smaller embroidery needle, insert the needle and thread into the doll about 1 stitch to the right of the nose and 1 stitch above the nose. The eye will be 1 stitch wide. Using the same hole, sew over and under that stitch 4 or 5 times so you have a nice sized eye. Pull the needle and thread through the stuffing so it comes out on the other side of the nose on the same row. I leave 3 stitches between the eyes usually, but that depends on the size of the face on the doll. Embroider the second eye to match the first, then I go back to the first eye to do one more stitch, back to the second eye for another stitch, then I insert the needle so it comes out in the hair and cut the thread close so the cut ends disappear. Using white thread, sew a small stitch in both eyes to make them sparkle! Hide the cut ends the same as for the main eye colour.

The head is upside down in the picture. One eye is finished and the second eye is ready to be embroidered.

The eyebrows are 1 1/2 stitches wide, and they slant slightly. They are 2 repeats of the same stitch going in and out of the same holes, as the eyes.

The mouth is about 2 stitches wide, centred under the nose and about 3 stitches below the nose. I made a "U" stitch and then bring the needle up under the bottom of the U to catch the thread and hold it in place, then insert the needle in a slightly different place at the bottom of the smile and make a small knot. Bring the thread out somewhere else on the head and cut the thread so the ends are hidden inside.

The mouth is 2 stitches wide but is really just one long stitch which is caught at the bottom 1 row lower than the stitch entry points.

This doll needed some bangs added. Sometimes they need this and sometimes they don't! You will be able to tell on your own doll if it needs a little filler near the hairline. I use the hair colour yarn and make a few long and short stitches to form the bangs.

Final touch, use a red coloured pencil and add a little smudge of colour to the cheeks. Now you have a little princess doll with a load of character!

I hope you enjoy making some of these little dolls and that you find my tips and hints helpful!