In the article you will find 3 detailed master classes, each of which tells how a Waldorf doll is sewn for children of a certain age group. The Waldorf doll was developed by teachers specifically for Waldorf children's institutions: schools and kindergartens. It was created on the basis of folk dolls and pedagogical research, designed to help the harmonious development of children.
Requirements for sewing Waldorf dolls
Traditional Waldorf dolls are created from natural materials, which is very important:
- sheep's wool;
- cotton jersey;
- woolen, linen or cotton materials are used for clothing;
- hair is made from wool or cotton yarn.
They sew dolls on their hands, observing the anatomy of the human body. So, children's dolls correspond with their proportions to their peers, children, adult dolls - to adults.
This helps children from an early age to see the correct picture of the world, not distorted toys. This also applies to animals, which are also sewn in the Waldorf style. All of them have proportions, colors of their prototypes.
The eyes of the dolls are indicated by dots, and the mouth is indicated by a small semicircular line. Waldorf teachers are sure that it is necessary to create dolls for a specific person, taking into account his age, temperament, physique.
Here are the toys they recommend for children of different years:
- From birth to 3 years - these are nodular, dolls: pillows, babies, butterflies, and also made of threads. They should be soft, made of jersey or flannel. Too bright colors are unacceptable, use delicate pastel colors. Such dolls should be simple, have a ball-shaped head and movable arms and legs. Facial features are not indicated, but caps are sewn onto the head instead of hair.
- For kids 3-5 years old Waldorf doll puts on clothes. The head is made embossed, eyes and mouth are embroidered on it. The physique of such toys can be either thin or heavy. Dolls are thematic, suitable for a certain type of occupation. So, toys for sleeping are made in an envelope, that is, swaddled. You can sew a hat for the doll or make her hair. Than a child from this age group is older, the themes are more complicated by the shape of the toys. If children already know how to put on and take off clothes, then for a Waldorf girlfriend you need to sew for her. The size of these toys can be different, so for walking it is more convenient to make a small one to put in your pocket.
- Children over the age of five Waldorf doll should have shaped hands - with a thumb and feet - with steps. Facial features are embroidered: eyes and mouth, nose are made protruding. The hair is shaped so that the child can comb it, do hairstyles. Clothes are sewn using hooks, lacing, buttons. Then the child will train their arms by untiing and stretching the whole thing. Under the guidance of elders, the toddler can cut and sew items of clothing for his toy girlfriend.
Waldorf doll for a child from 0 to 3 years old
This will be helped by a Waldorf doll, corresponding to kids of a given age. As you understand, these toys are simple.
This butterfly doll is perfect for very young children, it is designed for babies from 3 months.
A bell is sewn into its cap, which plays the role of a rattle. At the end of the headdress there is a ring, which the child will check "for a tooth". Therefore, everything needs to be sewn and fastened very securely so that the baby cannot tear off some small parts.
The doll is stuffed with wool, so the child will be happy to hug her, so soft and warm. The parts of the body of the toy are movable, you can entertain your beloved child by showing how the butterfly doll waves its handle, sits down, bending its legs, hugs.
Prepare everything you need, these are:
- sliver - non-spun wool of a sheep;
- for the torso - soft tissue;
- cloth for overalls measuring 42x26 cm, and for a cap 18x15 cm;
- narrow lace or braid;
- square knitted fabric 12x12 cm;
- bell;
- wooden ring;
- thread and needle.
This is how a Waldorf doll begins to be created, a pattern will help to make it exactly in size.
Enlarge the template on the screen so that the middle part of the cap - the dotted fold line - is 13 cm.
Let's start cutting. Place a piece of jersey for the head in front of you so that its scars are vertical. Sew together two large sidewalls on the hands with a back seam needle, or on a typewriter in a small zigzag. Also sew the top on the wrong side, tighten the thread.
Take a long, narrow strip of wool, starting at one side, and roll it into a tight ball, about the size of a tennis ball, 5 cm in diameter.
On a work surface, place three strips of wool in the shape of a 6-sided star so that they cross each other. Place the rolled ball in the center. Throw the wool over it from one side, tie tightly at the neck level.
We create a doll further for the development of a child from 0 to 3 years old. Place the head of the toy in the sewn body jersey blank. In this case, the seam should be at the back, face in front. At the neck, tie it with a thin braid, look at the photo, how much wool should remain. If you have more of it, holding the bulk with your hand, carefully pluck out all excess. In this case, you do not need to trim. Sew the bell securely to your head.
Cut the cap out of the fabric, sew on the side. Put it on the doll's head, stitch along the edge straight to it. To do this, the cap must be either tucked up or sewn to its bottom with a braid.
As mentioned earlier, for such small children, the eyes, mouth, nose are not indicated on the face of the Waldorf doll. Sew a wooden ring to the end of the cap.
Place a piece of soft fabric in front of you, place a jumpsuit pattern on it.
Please note that the fold of the canvas should be on the shoulder parts. The back and front are identical, differing only in the size of the cutout. Sew along the dotted lines on the wrong side. The pattern shows where the cutout for the head should be, mark it with scissors, turn the product through this hole onto your face.
We do the palms and feet as follows: roll 4 small balls of wool, put in the designated places. Sew here with a needle and thread, or tie with tape. Its ends must be securely fixed by stitching them together.
Gather the neck with a string using a basting stitch. Do not tighten it yet, do so after placing the Waldorf doll's head here. Then fix the head with another seam, but more reliable, which is called a forward needle. In this case, you should get a kind of collar.
Everything, an educational toy for babies is ready. For the older children, we will make another one.
Waldorf doll for children 3-5 years old
They will surely like the Splyusha doll. With such a toy, it is easier to put the child into bed, saying that the doll is already asleep, you need to follow her example. Then the child will understand that the doll is sleeping, so she closed her eyes.
You will get a Waldorf doll of this type for which you will not even need a pattern. And you need to stock up on this, take:
- natural strained wool;
- cotton velor;
- knitwear, and children's tights can be used for the neck and head;
- floss;
- threads with a needle;
- pins;
- scissors.
Fluff the wool, fold the fibers in a pile, fold them in half, tie them with thread just below the middle to indicate the head. Put the cut off part of the tights on it, tie it at the neck, sew on the back on the hands. Embroider the eyes and mouth using a floss.
To make the facial features even, draw them first with disappearing markers, why embroider according to these markings. We will not repeat ourselves, considering how to sew a head for a Waldorf doll. In the previous paragraph, this was discussed. The only thing that distinguishes this part is that you need to roll a small ball of wool, put it in place of the nose under the knitted blank. You can outline the eyes by clicking on each.
This Waldorf doll is made with hair, but for now, just one bang is enough. For her, wind the wool by twisting your palm or several fingers with it, cut the yarn on one side. Sew on your bangs on your forehead.
For the hood, slide a rectangle of fabric over the doll's head, wrapping the edges over her face. Tie some thread under the neck.
Cut off the excess, sew the hood with a blind seam, first to the face, then to the neck.
Pull 2-3 turns of thread around the throat to secure the hood securely. From the same fabric from which it was cut, cut out a rectangle for the jumpsuit. Fold it along the share, you get such a tuba.
Using a pair of compasses or a mold, round the bottom of the jumpsuit with the side seam in front. Stitch the bottom.
Lay the jumpsuit in front of you, starting at the middle of the large side seam, sew to the neckline, gathering the fabric in small folds. They will help create the effect of swaddling handles.
But so far we are not sewing the head with the body, but only trying on, looking at how much wool needs to be added to the place of the body.
Fold the top of the jumpsuit, fix it with a thread and a needle. If necessary, add the wool and now stitch the head to the body.
All that remains is to rub your cheeks with a wax pencil to add a blush to them, and your DIY Waldorf doll is ready.
Waldorf doll for children from 5 years old
For this age group, you need to sew a toy so that the head is not just round, with anatomical features. Hair is no longer limited to one bang, but lush and long.
Here's what you will get to work:
- non-spun wool - sliver;
- flesh-colored jersey;
- a needle and thread;
- scissors;
- a ball of yarn;
- disappearing ink marker;
- paper for clothing patterns.
Arrange the non-spun wool in the form of rays, as shown in the photo. Place a ball of yarn in the center. Start a sliver behind it, tie it with a thread at neck level.
Place this blank in a tube made of light-colored knit.
Wrap the thread under your chin. We lift its free ends up, tighten here, tie in two knots to make a constriction in this place.
We take another thread, use it to tighten the face, placing it crosswise.
At the intersection of these threads, sew a couple of times with a needle.
Then stick the needle from the side into the head blank, remove it from the other side. Secure the thread here with a couple of stitches.
Take the end of the thread from one and the second temporal part of the head, lead them up, tie here.
Taking the free thread from the back of the head, lower both ends to the neck, one slightly to the right, the other slightly to the left.
We withdraw the needle and thread from the side of the head, tighten on both sides under the neck.
Sew on the resulting triangle like this.
We tighten the threads from the deflated occipital and cervical constrictions, tie their ends. To further form the Waldorf doll, you will need a pattern.
Reshoot it, attach it to the flesh-colored jersey, outline, cut with a 5 mm allowance on all sides.
Resize the pattern of the doll's head, note where the fold of the fabric should be.
Lay the head pattern on a flesh-colored fabric, cut out, sew this blank, leaving the bottom edges free for now.
Slide this piece over the doll's head so that the seam is on top. This is necessary for a more accurate fit. Trim off the excess corners first, then stitch in those slots.
The line should be above the hairline.
Tie a thread around your neck, twist 2-3 turns here. Cut off excess wool at the bottom, hem the inner fabric first, turning its edges inward, then the top one.
Waldorf doll will have beautiful hair soon. To do this, draw a line of hair growth with your own hands, draw rows from it to the crown.
Take a needle and thread of a suitable color, embroider along the basting.
Make stitches from the neck, while do not tighten the thread, leave its end free. This is the length of the doll's hair. Make the hairline so uneven for now.
Continue to extend the length of your hair and style your bangs.
Turn the stitched blanks for the body, arms and legs out there, stuff the arms to the shoulders and slings with wool.
Sew above the feet to mark them. After stuffing the legs with wool to the end, make one seam at the top of one and the other leg. Stuff your tummy.
Pin the handles on the back of your neck, sew them here so that the front of your hand can be pulled up to one another.
To attach the hands well, and they do not break in the neck area from the fact that the child will stretch them, sew here in the same way as in the photo.
Insert the head blank into the neck hole, pin together.
Sew the shoulders in small stitches, then sew the neck and body.
Stuff the body with wool through the side holes, sew the handles.
Waldorf doll will be ready soon. Mark with pins the location of the eyes and mouth, embroider them with threads of a suitable color. In this case, the nodules should be hidden at the temples under the hair.
Cut the bangs, smear the cheeks of the doll with pink eyeshadow or blush.
This is how you can make a Waldorf doll, all that remains is to sew clothes for her, make shoes.
Check out the intricacies of making a Waldorf doll head.
If you have time, watch a detailed workshop that explains how to sew a doll for toddlers.
