The variety of toys sold in stores these days is amazing. Beautiful dolls, complete with whole little worlds with houses, cars and collections of clothes, of course, attract the attention of both children and adults. But no matter how hard the toy manufacturers try, simple rag dolls made by themselves will never lose their charm and attractiveness due to the fact that they contain a piece of the soul of the person who sewed the doll. In addition, making rag dolls with your own hands is very exciting, and you can do this together with the children, opening them to the interesting world of needlework.
In ancient times, in Russia rag dolls were sewn not only for entertainment. Along with dolls intended for children's games, doll amulets and ceremonial dolls were common, including the Pancake week, which was customary to be burned for the festival of the same name. They tried to sew the dolls as carefully as possible and put them in beautiful clothes. As materials for the manufacture of dolls served not only fabric, but also all kinds of natural materials. It was believed that the doll brings joy, peace, and luck to the house.
The most affordable way to try sewing dolls in our time is to make a doll yourself from pantyhose. This will require materials available in every home or sold at every turn. In the end, any woman has old unnecessary tights. Depending on the shape and size of the doll, the amount of materials needed varies. You can sew a large doll with a rigid wire frame, or you can make a small doll that does not require a "skeleton". Patterns for making a doll with your own hands from tights are not required, because the head, face and body of such a doll are formed right in the process of its manufacture. In addition to pantyhose - the material from which the shell will be made, the “skin” of the doll — you will need a synthetic winterizer for stuffing, thread, a needle, scissors, fabric for clothes and various “finishing” materials for eyes and hair. There are a great many workshops on making DIY dolls from pantyhose that describe the whole process. The result is very different dolls: cute, funny, perky, cute. You can use any of them. The appearance of the doll, in the end, depends only on the author’s imagination and on how much effort he put into his work.
In the manufacture of dolls there is such an interesting direction as the Tilda doll. This is a special subspecies of textile dolls. They are sewn according to the author's patterns Tony Finnanger, an artist from Norway. These rag dolls with barely marked facial features, having a fairly recognizable color scheme, look very cute and attractive. And it is quite possible to make Tilda dolls with your own hands. Linen and cotton serve as materials for such a doll, which can be specially tinted to obtain the desired color. Moreover, for these purposes, most often used coffee or tea. Tilda doll patterns can be found in special books, which the author of this direction has published more than a dozen, or on the Internet. The stuffing of the doll consists of holofiber or synthetic winterizer, and the hair can be made from soft yarn. Despite the fact that Tilda dolls were originally designed by the author, no one forbids showing imagination in their manufacture and adding their own details without changing the ideas of Tony Finnanger.
Making dolls yourself from pantyhose or fabric is a fascinating creative process and a wonderful hobby. Homemade dolls can fit perfectly into the interior, giving it coziness and home warmth. The doll can reflect the inner world of the author, bearing in himself his features. And, of course, any child will like to play with the doll that his mother or he sewn. The world of DIY dolls is beautiful, you just need not be too lazy to look into it.