Here is where we bring your creation to life. I love this part because it is so much fun trying to reproduce what I have drawn on paper.
Granny doll face: fabric and floss knot eyes with rusty wire glasses; wide prim pinched nose; double pinched mouth with red homespun fabric; flax hair
Garden doll face: flower petal hair, button eyes, floss nose and mouth, blushing cheeks
You will need to have your drawing of your doll as your guide. The first step is to decide what you would like her to look like. There are so many different styles of faces and different ways to make a face—the possibilities are endless. I’ll tell you how I proceed.
I always start with the eyes. In my drawings, I show you many different eye styles, but these are not the only possibilities. If you have another idea, that is great—use your own design. (Note: If you would rather draw your facial features on instead of sewing them on, you will do this after the next grunging and sanding step.)
Eyes: floss, fabric squares with floss knots, buttons, floss X’s, triangle for pumpkins, knots, pencil drawn
Noses: prim pinched, wide pinched, fabric, floss stitches, drawn, triangle for pumpkin
Mouths: knots, straight stitch floss, fabric squares, floss stitches, double pinched, prim pinched, fabric with knots, drawn
Now draw the nose. I have given many different styles and looks for noses, but you can design your own. Remember: this is your doll; you are the designer.
The mouth is next: there are so many different ways to do mouths. It all depends on just how prim you want your doll to look. Look at my drawings for ideas or create your own. Maybe you saw a doll in a magazine or in an antique store that left a lasting impression on you. Use that doll as inspiration.
BUTTON EYES
Once you have the face designed on paper, it is time to put that face on your stuffed doll. Let’s say you want button eyes. Find two old buttons; I like to use different sizes of mismatched buttons. Place the buttons on her face to decide just where you want to attach them. Remember this is primitive and they do not have to be level with each other or spaced any certain way. Anything goes!
Thread your needle with three strands of black DMC floss and knot the end. Sew the button in place by going from the back of the head through to the front, just like you would sew a button on a shirt. It might be hard to push all the way through the thickness of the head, so a thimble and needle nose pliers come in handy. Push the needle through using the thimble and grab the needle with the pliers as it comes out the opposite side. Attach both eyes this way. Go back and forth a few times through the button so it holds good and tight. Secure with a knot on the back side of her head.
Keep an eye open for buttons. If you come across a jar of old buttons in an antique shop or flea market, buy them. Save all your extra buttons too. Ask your mom or grandma if they have a button jar. Spread the word to friends that you are collecting old buttons. You will love what comes your way.
Another primitive eye style uses fabric with a knot in the center. Use little scraps of leftover fabric that you saved. Make a small square shape; the size will depend on how big or small you want her eyes to be. Thread your needle and knot the end of your thread. The size and style of knot depends on the look that you want. (You could even use a French knot if you want a fancier eye. I prefer a regular knot for my primitive dolls.) Start at the center of your square and carefully push your needle through and come out the back side of her head, then knot the thread on the back side. That is all there is to it: a simple knot and fabric scrap eye.
OTHER SIMPLE EYES
Floss stitched eyes are fairly easy. Use three or more strands of cream color floss for horizontal stitches, then stitch vertical stitches on top of those with black floss.
Or make fabric eyes by using squares or triangles which you attach with tiny stitches, around the outside of the shape, to hold the small piece in place.
Simple floss X’s are super easy.
Tiny buttons with floss stitches all around the button (like on a Raggedy Ann doll) are also cute.
You can add eyelashes by adding stitches above the button, using cream floss on a black doll and black floss on a grungy doll.
I will show you two different styles for the two dolls I am making.
FLOSS NOSE
The first nose style is very simple. On my Garden Doll I used all six strands of a dark brown floss. Make small tiny stitches, your needle going in and out without going all the way through to the back side, just picking up the face fabric. Tiny stitches this way and that—there should be no rhyme or reason or pattern to these stitches. When you have the amount you like, take the needle and thread all the way through to the back side and knot it.
PRIM PINCHED NOSE
The second nose style is on my Granny Doll. This is a bit trickier. The technique is called prim pinching and it takes some practice, but remember we don’t want perfection in primitive dolls. For this style nose, match the floss color to the fabric color. Here I used dark gray floss, all six strands for strength.
Start at the top of the back side of the head, push the needle through slightly off center. Once through, carefully go back into the head and come out slightly off center about 1⁄4 inch away. Go in and out, back and forth, coming out on the opposite side and pulling the thread taut so the fabric puckers a little. Continue this way until you have the length of the nose you want. Then knot the thread by going through to the back side as before.
You can define the nose even more. When you have the nose length you want, take your needle and go to the side to create the wide part of the nose. You do the prim pinch sewing the same way, only to the side instead of up and down. When the nose is the width you want, knot the thread on the back side of the head.
FABRIC STUFFED NOSE
Garden Flower
You can use any kind of fabric, from painter’s tarp to calico, and any pattern or color fabric, cut into any shape. Start with an oval shape for your first stuffed nose. Decide where you want it on the face. Match the floss to the nose fabric and make tiny stitches all around the piece. I leave a tiny opening and stuff the nose before I stitch it closed. This makes it stand out a bit from the face and I like the look.
FLOSS MOUTH
A floss smile is the simplest mouth. Choose a floss color you like and use all six strands of floss. Take tiny stitches in and out through the face fabric, not through to the back side. If you want a smile, start on one end and make stitches on an angle, then stitch in the same way back up to the opposite side of her face. For her bottom lip, do the same but make the bottom lip smaller. For a primitive look, I try hard to make my stitches uneven. This way and that way … think and stitch like a child and have fun.
You can make your doll’s mouth wide so it looks like a big smile or you can make a tiny little mouth. You can make a wide open mouth and add floss teeth, a great idea if you are making a pumpkin doll.
A more challenging mouth is called double prim pinched. This is just like the pinched nose. Your needle goes in and out, pulling the thread taut to make the fabric pucker. First form the top lip, then the bottom lip. Then take the thread all the way through to the back side and knot it as before.
For a real prim look, you can add red homespun to her mouth. Tear the fabric to the correct width and length. Be sure to make it wide enough to wrap around the pinched lips.
Then take tiny stitches using red embroidery floss. Poke your needle right through the pinched lip to securely attach the red fabric. Knot the thread at the end of the mouth.
MORE MOUTH IDEAS
For a very simple mouth, simply stitch a rectangular strip of red homespun in place.
Use little black squares for a snowman mouth.
Or just use black knots or just a straight line of your choice of color floss.
As you can imagine, the more you practice with your drawings the more ideas you will come up with. The idea here is to make your doll’s facial features in your own way, a way that touches your heart, a doll that speaks to what you are feeling on the day you are creating her. You might even choose to do no face at all, maybe just sew a patch somewhere on her face. My faces depend on my mood—and if I am in a silly mood you can be sure my doll has some silly teeth!
Two Front Teeth