Hello friends, this is Jennifer Long from, Bee Sew Inspired, fabric designer with Riley Blake Designs and a professional Doll and Quilt pattern designer.
Felt Nutcracker Doll
To me, the Nutcracker represents the nostalgia of the Holiday Season! I grew up training to be a professional ballet dancer, so to me – the Nutcracker is embodied in my Christmas memories!!!
Think Land of the Sweets and Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy!!!!
Let’s get creative! Just gather the supplies below, then download the pattern and pdf templates or machine embroidery files. Don’t forget to share your Ballerina Doll on social media using the hashtag #BSImakersclub and tag @beesewinspired.
What You Need:
Tools
- Download the Nutcracker Felt Doll Machine Embroidery Pattern at http://www.beesewinspired.com/download-codes and use the code “NUTCRACKERITH”
- Download the Nutcracker Felt Doll Sewing Pattern at http://www.beesewinspired.com/download-codes and use the code “NUTCRACKERSEW”
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Sewing or Embroidery Machine
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Sharp scissors and curved applique scissors
Materials
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Scraps of Wool Blend Felt (use the code “BEESEWINSPIRED” at checkout for 10% off your first purchase at Benzie)
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White Wool Blend Felt
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Embroidery Floss
Instructions:
1. Cut out your skin tone base making sure it is big enough to hoop and also big enough to create the full height of the nutcracker doll. This layer will act as a base for the entire doll.
2. Trace the facial features of your doll and hand embroider the eyes, eyebrows, nose, cheeks, and teeth.
3. Applique the mustache, beard, and hair. You can use decorative stitching to create more texture in those elements.
4. Working from the bottom layer, now applique the jacket, the placket down the center front of the jacket and the shoulder pads.
5. Once you’ve added the Nutcracker’s pants, add the decorative buttons, and finally his hat. You can create fun stitching patterns on his legs.
6. Add a layer of Heat N Bond Extra firm Interfacing to create a nice stiff flat felt doll. Add a back layer of felt to your doll for a nice clean finish. Stitch around the perimeter of the doll to keep all the layers together.
7. Create the Nutcracker’s boots and candy cane in the same manner.
8. Sit back and enjoy watching the kids play!
PS. These would also look great in the Christmas tree!
Thank you for joining me today on the Thermoweb Blog! I hope you can slow down this holiday season and enjoy some fun, creative time! If you loved this tutorial, please sign up for the Bee Sew Inspired newsletter at http://www.beesewinspired.com. Thank you Jennifer Long.
Jennifer Long grew up training to be a professional ballet dancer. She taught ballet and ran her own dance studio all the while sewing and designing costumes for herself and many of her collages and students. Jennifer is married and lives on a rural acreage in Prairie Canada with her husband and 4 children. She sold her studio to raise to raise her children and wanted to find dolls and toys for her children with healthy body images. She immersed herself Modern Rag Doll design and soon found she had a unique set of skills for Doll Making from all the years of costume design and aesthetic skills from the dance training. Her love of color and fabric has led her to become a professional Modern Rag Doll Designer and Quilt Pattern Designer designing not only under her own label (Bee Sew Inspired), but also for authors, fabric designers and International Companies around the world! Jennifer remains passionate about teaching and is the founder of two FREE educational FB groups Inspired Doll Making and Inspired Quilt Making. Come join her on this creative journey!!!