https://www.cutoutandkeep.net/projects/russian-dolls-2 • Posted by Search Press
Sizes: If you are making the whole family of dolls, make the smallest first, then form each doll to be slightly bigger than the last one. My smallest doll is 3cm (1¼in) high, and the tallest is 7cm (2¾in) high.
Sizes: If you are making the whole family of dolls, make the smallest first, then form each doll to be slightly bigger than the last one. My smallest doll is 3cm (1¼in) high, and the tallest is 7cm (2¾in) high.
Basic ball, egg or body shape Many of the figures in this book start off as a basic shape. Take a small handful of fleece. Pull out the wool fibres into a long strand, then curl it tightly into a bundle. Place the item on a working surface such as a needle felting base, an old cushion or foam block. Needle the wool repeatedly with your felting needle, making sure the needle goes in and out with a straight up and down movement, and that you keep moving the piece around to work at it from all sides. Add more wool in stages, layering and needling in thin strands to achieve the desired size and shape. With continued needling it should start to form a coarse looking, fairly firmly packed shape. Check your sizing and also if the shape is firm enough. The finished shape is important for the final result so it is worth a little extra effort to refine the shaping at this stage. Keep comparing with the photograph of the finished project and amend as you go. Using the needle felting instructions, needle a fleece bundle into an egg shape with a flattened end for standing. Check that the doll is firmly felted enough and stands up straight and set it aside.
Continue with the other dolls, gradually increasing them in size. Cover each doll with its bright merino base colour.
Needle a circle for the face on each doll, with skin tone merino. Add a colour frame around the face, then brown hair, blue eyes and red mouths.
Finally add the dots in merino to contrast with the base colours.