• Finding the Right Side of Knit Fabrics
• Determining Stretch
• Iron Setting
• Cutting
• Templates
• Copying Details
• Tracing
• Disappearing Markers
• Avoiding Distortion
• Erasing
• Precision Sewing
• Doubled Pieces
• Remarking

The easiest way to find the right side of a double knit fabric is to look at it under a magnifying glass. The right side will appear smoother than the wrong side. On a thick fabric like Ponte, the right side will also feel smoother than the wrong side.

For some types of fabric, such as robe velour, the wrong (shiny) side of the fabric is sometimes the right side for dollmaking.

It is important that the fabric used for a doll match the stretch of the fabric that the doll was designed for. Ponte has a stretch of 30% in both directions. A fabric with more stretch will give a fatter doll. A fabric with less stretch will give a thinner doll. A fabric with different stretch in each direction will give strange results.

To determine the stretch of a fabric sample, make two marks with a disappearing marker 10 inches (or 10 centimeters) apart. Then stretch the fabric and measure the distance between the marks. Repeat in the crosswise direction.

If the original marks were 10 inches (or 10 centimeters) apart you can just subtract 10 from the stretched distance and multiply by 10 to get the percentage of stretch. For example, a stretched distance of 18 would be 18 - ten = 8 X 10 = 80%. Similarly, a stretched distance of 17 - 1/2 would be 75%

If a double knit fabric is wrinkled, press it first using a steam iron set on permanent press.

Always use super sharp scissors or a sharp rotary cutter. (You can get replacement blades for the rotary cutter.) A dull scissors or rotary cutter will make a rough, uneven cut.

Never let anyone use your fabric scissors or rotary cutter for anything else. Cutting paper with them a single time will dull the edge.

If you are going to make a lot of dolls (and we hope you are), it is easier to use a template than a pattern. A template also gives an exact sewing line for precision sewing.

A template is a pattern piece with no seam allowances glued to heavy cardboard. You can use a manila file folder, a shirt cardboard, the back of a pad, or a piece of illustration board from the art supply store. The sewing line is at the outside edge. The template does not include seam allowance.

You trace around the template with an air-soluble (purple) marker and then again with a Dream Seamer to mark both the sewing line and the cutting line. The sewing line allows you to sew very precisely, even if you are a little careless about cutting.

(A Dream Seamer is a little brass button with a hole in the center. You put the tip of the marker in the hole and trace around the template a second time to get a cutting line exactly the right distance from the sewing line. You can get a Dream Seamer in most quilt shops. Dritz has a similar device available in fabric shops.)

After you trace around the template, be sure to copy any construction marks to the fabric. You will need them to line up the pieces. The construction marks are placed just inside the sewing lines on the pattern. Copy them so that they are just outside the sewing lines on the fabric.

For easy tracing, use a window during the day or a light box at night. You can get an inexpensive 11 by 14 inch clear plastic picture frame at the dime store. Remove the cardboard backing, hold it in your lap at an angle with a light behind it, and do your tracing. (Suggested by Joan Ditchik.)

The disappearing ink marker usually takes two or three days to disappear, but in high humidity, it can be gone in a few hours. To preserve the marks overnight, put the doll skin in a self sealing plastic bag. Press out all the air before closing the bag.

Fabric tends to move when you try to mark it. To hold it still, use the sandpaper marking board described under Tools.

Another technique is to make a series of dots. It doesn't pull on the fabric and cause distortion that way.

To erase the disappearing marker if you make a mistake, or have finished with a piece, use a slightly damp paint brush or a cotton swab. Do not lick the doll—lipstick and chocolate kisses are very hard to remove. Dry with a hair dryer before marking again.

You will find it much easier to precision sew straight seams by following the sewing line instead of trying to stay a precise distance from the edge of the fabric. Just bring your needle down on the sewing line and follow the purple brick road.

For doubled pieces, trace the templates on the wrong side of a single thickness of fabric on the marking board. Then fold the fabric under (right sides together) when you move to the cutting mat. Hold it in place with Wonder Weights or pins and cut both pieces at once. Finally, trace the sewing line and construction marks on the wrong side of the second piece.

If the facial features have faded or become distorted, erase them as explained above. To redraw them on an already stuffed head, trace the face features from the pattern piece onto a piece of light weight pellon with an indelible marker (Sanford's® Sharpie® Extra Fine Point Marker is good). Let the pellon dry completely. Then put it on the doll's face and trace the features with the disappearing marker. The disappearing marker will go right through the pellon and onto the doll's face. (Suggested by Judy Mahlstadt.)