Introduction: Cutie Patootie Baby Dolls (made From Nylons)!

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About: Where there's a will, there's a way! Never give up, never give in...BE the good you want to see in the world. :)

These addicting-to-make, adorable little baby dolls are easy, super soft and cuddly, and everyone will want one!

You can stocking-stuff them (they're perfect for all sorts of holidays and occasions), give them to your friends and family, or simply make them for your own happiness and enjoyment. And the best part is--they're made from a cheap pair of nylon socks!

Let's get rolling...

Step 1: What You'll Need...

Here's what you'll need to make this adorable little baby doll:

Polyester Fiber Fill

A pair of knee-high or anklet nylons (with toes)

Black thread

White thread (thinner is preferable)

Hand-held needles

Black round beads

Fleece in different colors (or fabric of your choice for the clothes)

Sharp scissors


Not pictured:
A hot glue gun and glue sticks

Pins

Step 2: Preparation

To prepare your fiber fill, you will need to take out a handful and gently pull it apart with your fingers to make it looser.

To prepare the nylons (if they're balled up), stretch them out slightly (vertically and horizontally).

Step 3: Creating the Arms

Before you do anything else with the nylon sock, be sure to take off the parts that will be for the arms and nose of the baby.

ARMS:

You will be filling the two corners of the nylon sock's foot (the closed off base where your toes would go) with small bits of fiber fill to create arms. To do this...

1. Take a quarter-sized (or slightly more) pinch of fiber fill and ball it up in your hand.

2. Roll the nylon down to the foot (as if you were putting it on), and stuff the fiber fill ball into one corner of the toes.

3. Twist that section off containing the fiber fill.

4. Using white thread, wrap around the twist several times, pulling tightly to create a pinch.

5. Cut the nylon directly under the wrapped/pinched area you just created. You don't need a knot to secure it. Don't worry, it won't unravel. :)

6. Repeat steps 1-5 for the opposite corner. See pics for clarity. NOTE: This will leave you with a little "scrap" piece in-between the cut-out corners. YOU NEED THIS SCRAP PIECE for the next step. :)

Step 4: Making the Nose

Now make the nose out of this scrap piece.

NOSE:

1. Cut a straight line to cut off the toe area completely. You are simply cutting off the part with abnormal lines to create a straight edge at the base.

2. Find a place on the scrap piece you just cut off to put your fiber fill in.

3. Pinch a small amount of fiber fill (roughly a dime-sized amount) between your fingers and roll it to make a little ball.

4. Press this into the scrap piece, wrapping the nylon around the fiber fill like you did with the arms.

5. Twist, and wrap thread around it in the exact way you just did in the previous step with the arms.

6. Cut underneath the twisted and wrapped area.

Set your arms and nose aside.

Step 5: Size It Up for Hair

Now is the time to tie off where the hair will be.

Go inward 1" from the side you just cut in the previous step. (See pic for clarity.)

Tie it off in the same fashion you just did for the nose and arms.

This will become the baby's hair at the end.

Step 6: Fill 'Er Up!

It's time to stuff the baby's body and head.

1. Turn the nylon over so the open end is facing you.

2. Take a large amount of fiber fill and press it into the opening down into the base (where the hair is tied off at). Keep filling it up until you fill up about 4" (of a knee-high nylon), or the entire remaining area of an anklet nylon sock.

3. If using a knee-high, cut the excess off after filling, leaving a little seam allowance.

Step 7: Sew the Base

Hand sew a seam together using an over-and-through stitch. (See pics for clarity).

This will keep all that wonderful stuffing in. :)

Use your hands to roll and shape the baby as needed.

Step 8: Isolate the Head

Working from the toes (the hand-sewn seam) side, come up about 1.5" and tie it off with thread. Every time I say "tie it off" in this 'ible, it will refer to the way you've been doing it for the arms, nose, etc.

The only difference this time is you will not be tying it as tightly. This will leave a nice circular head on top of the body.

Step 9: Make an Adorable Baby Butt

Ever heard the expression, "softer than a baby's bottom?" It's just a fact...baby butts are cute (and apparently soft). Here's how to give your baby a little tush...

1. Thread your needle with white thread again (if it doesn't still have enough thread from before).

2. Insert the needle through the side of the "neck" of the baby (where the thread is wrapped there). Push the needle up diagonally into the middle of the seam you created at the base. (See pics for clarity.)

3. Pull the needle through until the thread is taut. NOTE: You will be using the neck area a lot for inserting the needle...this will hide all the ugly knots (etc) from the base of the thread.

4. Push the needle through the exact area you just went through, then wrap the thread nearest the needle around the needle tip roughly 3 times in a counter-clockwise motion, then pull the needle the rest of the way through again. This will create a nice knot to hold it all in place.

Important NOTE: the counter-clockwise technique of wrapping the thread around the needle to create a knot, I will be calling "needle wrapping" for the rest of the 'ible. Whenever you read "needle wrapping" or "needle wrap", do exactly what you just did in #4 to secure the spot you're in. Sometimes this will be accompanied with pushing the needle through a wrapped piece of thread to give it something to "hold" on to.

5. Pull the string from this position down along the designated backside of your baby (where a butt crack would be). From the middle of the seamed base, to the middle of the neck area.

6. Insert your needle somewhere along this line of string and go upwards to the middle area of the seam (where you already were). Needle wrap before you pull the needle all the way through to secure it.

7. As you pull the needle through, tug a little bit on the thread (pulling a little tighter than usual) to give it shape like a little bottom.

8. Go one more time in the spot in the middle of the seam, and back up toward the middle of the neck, and pull the thread taut. Secure it here by putting the needle tip behind one of the wrapped neck threads, and then needle wrap it.

Step 10: Add the Nose

Now is the time to decide where your face will be on the baby. It's cuter to have the head appear to be slightly turned than directly facing you. This gives it a little more life and character.

Simply hot glue the nose on to the middle of wherever your face will be (make sure to pull of any loose glue strings).

To make it look like the head is turned (either slightly or dramatically), put the nose off-centered so it faces the side of the body more (on either side).

Make sure the area you wrapped (on the nose piece) is the side you glue down so the wrapping won't show.

Hold it tightly, pressing into the face to secure.

Step 11: Create Eyes

1. Decide where your eyes will be. Use pins to mark the areas.

2. Insert the threaded white needle into the back of the baby's head through the neck area. Go diagonally upward, coming out where the pin is in the front of the face for the first eye.

3. Thread the bead onto the needle. NOTE: Make sure to use a needle that is longer but has a thin eye so your bead hole can easily slide right over the needle and onto the string. Additionally, make sure your beads are big enough. I accidentally got too small of beads (mine are called "seed beads"), so I improvised by using two on each eye.

4. Insert the needle tip into the eye area horizontally, going directly over to the other eye area before pulling taut (which will slide your bead right into place on the first eye).

5. Thread the second bead onto the needle.

6. Insert the needle in the second eye's area and diagonally go back down to come out the neck again.

7. If you used proper eye beads (and they aren't too small), you can pull a little tighter on the thread before securing. This will indent the eyes into the face nicely.

8. Put the needle tip behind one of the neck threads, then needle wrap to secure.

Step 12: Add Eyebrows (and Optional Eyelashes)

1. Thread your needle with black thread now.

2. Mark where you want the eyebrows to go with your pins.

3. Coming up through the back of the head at the neck again, pull your needle to just horizontally outside of the pin for the first eyebrow. (See pics for clarity.) Pull the thread taut.

4. Now insert the tip of the needle into the spot where the pin is, then pull it through to the spot where the second eyebrow's pin is.

5. Insert it again into just horizontally outside of the pin for the second eyebrow and come back out the back of the head at the neck again if you aren't adding eyelashes. Pull taut, bring the needle tip around a wrapped neck thread, and needle wrap to secure. Trim your thread and re-knot the bottom of it for the next step.

If you are adding eyelashes, see #6...

OPTIONAL: 6. To make eyelashes...INSTEAD of coming out the back of the head at the neck after making the final eyebrow, come straight down from the outer edge of the second eyebrow to the outer edge of your first eyelash (for the closest eye to your eyebrow). Insert the tip of the needle into the eye area, then either back out to make a second eyelash in the same way, OR over to the second eye spot. After you move on to the second eye's eyelashes, repeat the eyelash directions for one or two eyelashes (just reversed from before), and then pull the needle out the back of the head at the neck. Secure it with the needle wrapping technique. Trim your thread and re-knot the bottom of it for the next step.

Step 13: Give 'Em a Pucker

Time to add the mouth.

1. From the middle/back of the head at the neck, insert the needle tip.

2. Push the needle through to the front of the head where the mouth will go.

3. Pull the thread taut. Go up or down a very little amount, then insert the needle back into the head. (See pics for clarity.)

4. Come back out at the neck (where you went in at in #1).

5. Pull the thread tighter before securing. This will give the mouth a little indent.

6. Secure with the needle wrap technique.

Step 14: Create Cute Little Ears

1. Using the tip of your needle, pull out a little fiber fill from the head into a designated ear area. Do this by inserting the tip of the needle into the head where you want your ear to be, then gently pull the tip toward the ear area. This will move the fiber fill in that direction.

2. Repeat #1 on the other side to form two ears.

3. Using your needle and thread, insert the needle tip behind the top of the first ear, and push it through to the front of that ear (so from the back of the head horizontally through to the front of the head).

4. Then come vertically down and insert the needle tip into the bottom front of the ear and out the back of the ear again.

5. Tie the thread "tail" (from where the knot is at the end of the thread) to the thread that is behind the needle. Knot it. Then trim the excess thread off, leaving only little knots behind each ear.

Please see the pics for any uncertainty, or leave a comment below to ask me a question if the pics don't explain it well enough.

6. Repeat steps 1-5 on the second ear.

Step 15: Dressed to Impress

This is your chance to get creative!

You can create little rompers, overalls, a jumpsuit, a dress, a full-body sleeper or winter outfit, etc etc...the sky's the limit! You can also embellish it any way you want (beads, little flowers, little scarves, jewelry, etc). Or you can make a little diaper and call it good. ;) It's up to you--have fun with it!

I simply created as I went. I cut out my different fleece pieces by wrapping the fabric around the baby until I had enough to cover the body. Then I hot glued anywhere was needed to keep my design in place. (This will be especially necessary to hot glue the "collar" of the design around the baby's neck). Also, make sure to hot glue creases, etc. You'll be able to tell where you need to glue. :)

To make "pants," simply sew the front of the fabric to the back of the fabric in the middle between the baby's legs. Do our needle wrapping technique to keep it in place.

Step 16: Add the Arms

Sew the arms to the body just under the neck area.

NOTE: There is a diagram on picture #3 to show you what I mean. You can repeat the rectangular path of sewing as many times as you feel necessary to secure your baby's arms on properly.

1. Insert the tip of the white threaded needle into the part of the arm that you originally wrapped to pinch off the arm. Go through that area and then out the other side. Then go back through it again. Pull taut. (This presses that scrunchy stuff down so it's not visible when you sew the arm to the body.)

2. Insert the needle tip through the first designated arm area on the baby's body. Go directly horizontal out the second designated arm area of the baby's body. Pull taut.

3. Insert the needle tip from the front of that second arm, to the back of the second arm (meaning from the front of the baby's body to the back of the baby's body through the arm). Then go horizontally through the back of the baby's body to the back of the other arm (which was arm number one).

4. You can tie it off here, or go one more time in that "rectangular" shape you created to secure the arms to the body even more.

Step 17: LAST BUT NOT LEAST...

Last but not least, give that baby a hat!

Make any kind of hat you want, in any way you choose.

NOTES & SUGGESTIONS:

1. I prefer the ears to stick out of the hat (but you can choose to forgo the ears in the previous step, and cover them up altogether with the hat's brim).

2. Make sure the hair sticks out of the hat at the top. Do this by folding the hair (that you created in step 5) forward to make "bangs." Add your hat, securing with hot glue. Then play with the bangs until you get the look you want.

YOU'RE DONE!

It's really easier to DO than to explain! haha :D Go and make a BUNCH! My kids (ages 7-12, including a 9-year old "manly man" boy) thoroughly enjoyed these! Who knew!? hahaha

And please share your creations, comments, and questions below.

Have fun and many blessings!

Step 18: You're DONE!

You're done!!

It's really easier to DO than to explain! haha :D

Go and make a BUNCH!

My kids (ages 7-12, including a 9-year old "manly man" boy) thoroughly enjoyed these! Who knew!? hahaha And please share your creations, comments, and questions below. Have fun and many blessings!