HOW TO MAKE A COMPOSITION ZISA DOLL

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Gary Skinner
5 years ago
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filament. This tutorial, with illustrations and step-by-step explanations, allows you to make the soft retro style doll shown above.

1 HOW TO MAKE A COMPOSITION ZISA DOLL WITH STUFFED FELT BODY AND 3D PRINTED HANDS AND HEAD A composition doll is made of different materials, in this case the body and limbs are sewn in felt and then padded, while the head and hands are 3D printed using PLA filament. This tutorial, with illustrations and step-by-step explanations, allows you to make the soft retro style doll shown above. The website also offers patterns and tutorials to create your own Zisa Doll wardrobe

Materials, tools and equipment needed: For the 3D printed head and hands: A 3D printer or nearby 3D printing service About 200 gr PLA filament of the desidered skin colour Sander and abrasive sponge

2 Materials, tools and equipment needed: For the 3D printed head and hands: A 3D printer or nearby 3D printing service About 200 gr PLA filament of the desidered skin colour Sander and abrasive sponge Acrylic paints and brushes for facial details For the padded felt body: Vinyl glue A sewing machine. About 50 square cm. (eg. 35x150 cm.) of soft, 2 mm thick wool felt, of the desired skin color. The felt must be strong enough so as not to stretch when stuffed. Embroidery sewing thread of the skin colour. Kitchen string. Sewing and embroidery needles. A long upholstery needle. 4 two-hole buttons of the skin color, with sufficiently wide holes. Tailor s scissors, nail scissors, and thimble. Pen or chalk for marking. 4 hair extensions or about 100 grams of wool yarn to make the hair, color and thickness of your choice. Padding material for stuffing

The product you purchased contains 4 files: 2 PDF files to be downloaded and printed on A4 paper (with a home printer or external printer service; can adapt to

2 STL files for 3D printing the head and hands with a home 3D printer or external 3D printing service; you will receive these by e-mail soon after the purchase.

The hands are 8 cm tall and also hollow; they should take approx. 3 hours to print. Images shown are from the slicing software the comes with a 3D printer.

3 The product you purchased contains 4 files: 2 PDF files to be downloaded and printed on A4 paper (with a home printer or external printer service; can adapt to USA letter size), one is this tutorial and the other is the pattern to sew the doll s body. 2 STL files for 3D printing the head and hands with a home 3D printer or external 3D printing service; you will receive these by soon after the purchase. Above: the STL file for the head. The head is 13 cm tall and hollow; it should take approx. 6 hours to print. Left: the STL file for the hands. The hands are 8 cm tall and also hollow; they should take approx. 3 hours to print. Images shown are from the slicing software the comes with a 3D printer. Estimated printing time depends on the level of definition desired; the smaller the height of each printing layer, the longer print time but shorter the finishing time in the post production phase

4 Above, the 3 printing process of the head and hands 4

5 After the 3D printer has finished, smooth the head and hands with the aid of a sander (low speed) and an abrasive sponge. Your patience will be rewarded with a finished appearance

Now you can proceed to paint the facial details:

Start with the eyes, first covering the oval orbit

6 Now you can proceed to paint the facial details: Use acrylic colors, preferably mixed with a good quality of vinyl glue (this allows the paint to adhere well to the PLA). Start with the eyes, first covering the oval orbit with white and painting over twice

When the white paint is dry, draw an iris at the center

7 When the white paint is dry, draw an iris at the center of each eye. To give a three dimensional effect, add white dots. With a fine brush and brown color, carefully draw the upper contour of the eyes and eyebrows. A slight outline in relief is there to help you draw the eyebrows in the right place

While eye color dries, draw the mouth following the outline in relief.

Draw in the pupil with black color, at the exact center of each eye.

Complete with a white reflection dot on each eye, just to give a

8 While eye color dries, draw the mouth following the outline in relief. Blend with a lighter color towards the center of each lip. Draw in the pupil with black color, at the exact center of each eye. Paint a large enough circle. Complete with a white reflection dot on each eye, just to give a lighting effect. Now the head and hands are ready and you can continue by sewing the body

9 Body pattern pieces The cutting scheme shown includes the four A4 pages with all the pattern pieces you ll need to make the body of your Zisa doll. Each piece includes seam allowances. Markings in red show the points where you will attach the limbs. Each piece includes its label and the number of copies that must be cut. Capital letters are reference points to help you follow the instructions following. First page, above left: Leg (cut 4) Arm (cut 4) Sole (cut 2 pieces to sew under the feet) Second page, above right: Body side (cut 2) Front body (cut 1). Capital letters indicate assembly points between front, sides and back body. Third page, bottom left: the two pieces needed to make the wig base; capital letters will guide you to assemble them together; the lateral wig is used to cut two pieces. Fourth page, bottom right: Back body (cut 1); capital letters indicate assembly points between front, sides and back body

After cutting out the paper pattern, pin the pieces on the felt, as

10 After cutting out the paper pattern, pin the pieces on the felt, as shown below. You need to fold the felt so that you ll get four Arms and Legs pieces, two Head and Body Side and Sole pieces, and one each for front and back body. Each piece has a 7 mm seam allowance to facilitate the seam, corresponding to the width of a standard sewing machine foot-press

11 Transfer the markings With a pen, pencil or chalk, mark the limb joints on the right side of each leg, arm, and body side. Also transfer the two notches that will match up with the shoulder seams

12 Assemble the Body The Body consists of: two sides and one front and one back piece. Following the capital letters in the pattern, match the front and back body pieces at the shoulders and groin Pin together

13 Sew the shoulders Sew the groin Shown are the front and back body sewn together

14 Now pin each body side to the front and back body pieces. Start from the notch indicated in the pattern and go all around the contour Machine sew

Fill the Body Reverse the body right side out

15 Fill the Body Reverse the body right side out Fill with padding. The padding should be dense and compact, which is why it is necessary to choose felt that is strong enough to keep its shape. Make sure the padding reaches all areas of the Body

16 Insert the head Insert the 3D printed head into the hole defined by the neckline of the assembled body. Make little rotational movements to allow the little collar below the neck to fit snugly

17 Insert the spout of the vinyl glue bottle into the space between the 3D printed head and the body neck and apply a line of glue around the neck circumference. Clean the excess glue with a paper towel

Sew the arms Pin and sew the two arms, using

allowance. Cut a V-shaped notch in each angle.

18 Sew the arms Pin and sew the two arms, using two pieces for each arm. Sew from wrist to wrist, using the sewing machine s foot press as a guide for the seam allowance. Cut a V-shaped notch in each angle. Turn the arm right side out

19 Complete the arms Fill arms with padding. Use a large crochet needle or other tool with a rounded end to help you push the padding into all parts. Insert each hand in the. Insert a line of glue between the hand and the wrist felt. Secure the glued area with a string and clean the excess glue When the glue is dry, remove the string

Sew and fill the legs Pin and sew the two legs, using two pieces for each leg.

Start from the front tip of the foot and sew around to the heel.

Cut a V-shaped notch in the angles and corners and turn the leg right side out.

20 Sew and fill the legs Pin and sew the two legs, using two pieces for each leg. Use the sewing machine s foot press as a guide for the seam allowance. Start from the front tip of the foot and sew around to the heel. Leave the bottom of the foot open to insert the sole in a later step. Cut a V-shaped notch in the angles and corners and turn the leg right side out. Stuff the leg from the open sole. Make sure the filling is compact, so the legs will be able to support the standing Zisa doll

Above you see the soles, make sure they are

For a sturdier sole (for a self-standing

21 Above you see the soles, make sure they are mirrored to form a right and a left leg. For a sturdier sole (for a self-standing doll), glue a layer of heavier felt to the inside surface of each sole. To the right and below: Pin each sole to its leg and start to sew closed. Leave a small opening through which to add extra padding to ensure the leg is very dense. Then sew to close the opening

Assemble the doll You need: 4 skin coloured buttons

Pass the string through one of the button holes

Pass the string again through the other hole, this

Insert the two ends of the string in the eye of the

Pass the needle through one arm from outer side to

22 Assemble the doll You need: 4 skin coloured buttons 1 upholstery needle Kitchen string Here you see how the pieces fit together. Make sure arms and legs are in the right position. Pass the string through one of the button holes from the reverse side forward. Pass the string again through the other hole, this time from the front to the reverse side. Insert the two ends of the string in the eye of the needle. Pass the needle through one arm from outer side to the inner side. This has to be placed in correspondence with the red rounded markings in the paper pattern

Attach the arms Pass the needle through the

holes, first from the inside outwards and

23 Attach the arms Pass the needle through the body in correspondence with red markings in the paper pattern. Make sure the hands are positioned in the right direction. Pass the needle through the second arm. Remove the string from the needle. Pass one string end through both button holes, first from the inside outwards and then from the outside inwards. Tie the string and make a strong knot between the button and the arm. Cut the string, leaving some length. A drop of glue will prevent the string from coming out of the hole. Wait until the glue dries before continuing

24 Attach the legs Follow the same procedure you followed in attaching the arms

25 Now your Zisa Doll is ready to have a beautiful wig!

26 Prepare the wig-base: Above, the three wig-base pieces that will be sewn placing them side by side over the sewing machine foot-press and using a zig-zag stitch to unite the edges (as shown on the right) Below, the wig adheres perfectly to the doll's head

The doll's hair can be of pure wool or synthetic

Either way, the pieces must be stitched to form a

Then, machine stich the extension (or several

27 The doll's hair can be of pure wool or synthetic material. Either way, the pieces must be stitched to form a long extension, like the one shown on the left. Then, machine stich the extension (or several overlapping extensions) all around the outer edge of the wigbase. Stick a strip of double-sided adhesive tape to the top of the head and then attach the wig in position

28 Starting from the nape of the neck and proceeding upwards, hand sew strips of hair to the wig base

Continue sewing hair in concentric circles.

Cut the bangs straight and trim around the

29 Continue sewing hair in concentric circles. For a central part, gradually shift from circular rows to the center line. Now you can give Zisa her first haircut! Cut the bangs straight and trim around the shoulders and back

30 Zisa is almost ready. She's really cute, isn t she? Tie the hair in a ponytail and, keeping the double adhesive in place, gently insert glue between wig and head, If the glue drains on the hair or body, immediately clean with a damp cloth

When you have finished to insert the glue,

remove. Your composition Zisa Doll is born!

31 When you have finished to insert the glue, press the wig firmly on the head and secure with a wide elastic strip. Leave the elastic strip on overnight, then remove. Your composition Zisa Doll is born! Now give her a beautiful wardrobe!

MATERIAL REQUIREMENTS:

MATERIAL REQUIREMENTS: This pattern contains a pattern for a 30-inch doll. The doll may be made of flesh, tan or peach broadcloth, percale or any plain cotton material. Use six strand cotton for embroidering features and straw