Here are some brilliant time and 'tear' saving ideas!

Planning and preparing ZZZzzz!
Sounds boring I know but it is something I learned from my patchwork course. The discipline to take my time and plan things out before racing off at top speed without checking pattern templates against the grain of fabric, marking them out  & pinning properly or sewing slowly and methodically and checking the stitches before continuing.

Side splitting
Sew all seams twice to prevent splitting when turning/stuffing. Using a sewing machine stitch length of 1.5 (on face, fingers and toes) and 2.0 around the rest of the doll body will give a good strong seam.

Slow Down!
Hey I can say this with impunity. I was so keen to see how the project would turn out; I would speed on at full throttle and end up frustrated and disappointed. Be ‘one’ with your sewing machine. When listening to the sound of your machine as you sew, aim for methodical-muncher rather than fly-girl racer!

If you are new to your sewing machine, learn to feel comfortable with it. Practice with some odd scraps of material and learn to sew slowly. Learn about your machine and why sometimes the stitches are too tight or too loose with changes in tension.

Sewing the Pattern Pieces:
With small or tricky pattern pieces it is usual to sew around the template first before cutting out the shapes from the fabric, sometimes leaving a gap for turning and stuffing and sometimes cutting a slit in an area of the pattern piece for turning and stuffing. The slit will be in an area hidden by another piece when the doll is sewn together.

Pressing versus ironing:
If you are going to press your seams remember that doesn’t mean iron. Ironing involves moving the iron around the material and this will stretch and distort the shapes you are working with. Pressing means just that, pressing the iron down on the material and then lifting it up again without moving it across the piece. Finger pressing involves running your thumb across the seam to press it sufficiently so that it lies flatter for the next lot of sewing.

Cutting line versus sewing line: One thing that took an age to dawn on me was that it is the sewing line and not the cutting line that determines the finished shape and size of your piece of work. However, if the cutting line is crooked or too near to the sewing line, splits, holes and distortions may appear in your work, so take care when cutting out your shapes and sewing them together.
Remember that the thickness of pen you use for your templates will affect the size of your pattern pieces. If the line is thick, the pieces will be cut less evenly. Using finer tipped pens results in a cleaner, crisper marked line for your pattern shapes.

Check twice, cut/sew once:
It is so important to keep checking your work as you go. Then mistakes can be rectified immediately and not agonised over when it is far too late or too difficult to do anything.

Preventing fabric fraying whilst stuffing
Once you have sewn, clipped and turned your pattern pieces RSO, hand baste/tack the seam allowance around the openings before you stuff. This prevents fraying and provides a nicely creased edge for sewing together once you've finished filling.

Stuffing Tips
You need to use a good quality stuffing material. Ordinary toy filling has a rather matted texture, whilst super soft poly filling which breaks away in wisps is the best to use.

When stuffing your doll you need to fill from the OUTSIDE INWARDS, so that it is smooth against the outer skin of the doll. Insert your finger or stuffing tool to create a well or cavity inside the stuffing you have already inserted and into which you can push more of the stuffing. In this way the more compacted, lumpy stuffing is in the centre of the doll where it cannot be seen, whilst the softer layer of stuffing fibre is around the outer edge.

Some dollmakers suggest using small pieces of filling and teasing it out before using it, others suggest using large pieces of stuffing since if it is small it will be more likely to clump and lump. Consequently it seems for a smooth finish you need large a pieces as much as possible and smaller pieces where necessary. 

You should also stuff VERY FIRMLY. Pre-wrap any ARMATURE before inserting into doll.

Be careful not to burst your stitches, though. A short machine stitch of 2.0 or 1.5 is recommended. Hand stitch openings closed using ladder stitch.

Stuff the BODY firmly from bottom to waist. Then insert half a drinking straw or a folded in half and twisted chenille stem wrapped in polyester wadding into the upper body and neck. Fill carefully all around this armature. 


Pointed/ protruding profile NOSES and CHINS can pose problems as stuffing them can pucker the surrounding fabric or the stuffing can become redistributed into the head making the nose flatter than you intended. Some dollmakers suggest inserting clay into the nose and filling with polyester wadding after the clay nose has dried and hardened.
Other dollmakers suggest filling any protruding parts, first (i.e. fingers toes, ears, nose etc). However, the filling is likely to re-disperse as you stuff. Stuffing outside inwards is a better bet, inserting your finger or stuffing tool inside the HEAD to create a cavity into which you can push more of the stuffing and in which the NECK can later be inserted. You can always then tease small pieces of the filling into those tricky areas such as the nose when it can be supported by the surrounding filling.

Try to avoid sharp tools that may pierce through the fabric. Chopsticks, stuffing forks, dowel rods and Hemostats are the popular choice. (see tools)

If you want some give in the arms and legs, fill LEGS and ARMS very firmly to right above the knees and elbows, then very lightly stuff the rest. Never stuff closer than 1” to ½" from the end of the arms and legs if they are to be sewn across at the tops. 
ANKLES: Place the last piece of filling fibre for the foot so that it is large enough to fill the heal and up the back of the leg to prevent floppiness.

Too much stuffing in the HANDS looks unrealistic. 'Place' rather than ram in the stuffing. 
Use chenille stems (pipe cleaners) wrapped with a wisp of stuffing for each separate finger.
Fill WRISTS firmly as you need strong wrists on your doll.

Stuffing the BUST can also be a rather frustrating challenge at times. To make it easier you may consider using little chenille pompoms, or you may prefer to stuff the breasts like the nose, after you have filled the surrounding area. You may also consider temporarily tacking the breast stuffing in place to prevent it 'popping out' or becoming redistributed as you continue to stuff the torso. 

Discipline 
There are certain rules that have to be met before you can let your imagination loose. Once you have mastered these, the rest falls into place naturally.

Designing Cloth Dolls

There are only so many ways to make a soft doll body.
When I did a Graphic Design course we were constantly reminded that:
"There's no such thing as an original idea" or in other words, people take their ideas from many sources to create their own designs. 
So, design can come from anywhere and anything. Once you have that initial spark, make yourself a design board out of plain white card and cover it with pictures, fabric swatches, textile samples, sketches and anything else which that initial spark of the idea conjures up. Put this board up in your hobby room and let your creative juices flow.

REMEMBER there is a difference between taking someone else's patterns and claiming them as your own and using someone else's designs as an influence for your own design development. Musicians and fashion designers, for example, are always being asked who were their influences. 

If you do use someone else's patterns to make a doll, it is good practice to acknowledge the Designer. Copyright protects the written text and drawings/templates of a designer's original patterns.