I have found a few hints for stuffing dolls and plushies along the way. Today I will be hitting the how to embroidery with the ladder stitch to close your dolls and plushies.
The ladder stitch is a basic movement of the needle going back and forth on the edge of the fabric- catching just a bit of each side.
When pulled tight the thread will kind of gather the edges together, almost looking like it was a true seam.
Some hints when sewing the ladder stitch-
* Use a stronger thread. I use a hand quilting thread which is a bit thicker than regular thread. It has handle the pull or gathering against it and won’t snap and make you say choice words.
* Place the opening needed for turning {this is where you close using the ladder stitch} somewhere a little hidden. I like to choose under the arm, just above the leg first. The top of the head is an ok spot too– but it might have a curve to watch out for.
* Keep your stitches small and close together. Anywhere this is a little hole, your stuffing will sneak out. Noone likes a furry stitch!
* Iron down the opening with the seam allowance tucked under. This will help you find the right fold to stitch and make your life sooooo much happier when stitching!
With all that in mind- you are ready for your
ladder stitch:
The Ladder Stitch in Action~
For more embroidery stitches you should check this embroidery page out.
If your fingers are taking hit with the needle end— check out how you use a thimble video~
Some of my favorite stitches include the Chain Stitch, Whip Stitch, Sampler stitches.
If you are ready to give the ladder stitch a try and sew some dolls and plushies- Hop on over to my shop to search my patterns. There is a variety of style, size and characters.
What kind of stitches are your favorite when sewing dolls and sewing stuffed animals?
Do you have a go-to stitch? Let me know in the comments so I can give it a try.
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Great tips and pics! Thanks for sharing! I’ve pinned to my Plushie board and think this will be very helpful for those sewing in support of The FLUFF Project at Hopeful Threads!
The instructions show a closed stitch, but how do you actually do it?
I am having trouble with my stuffing showing –fuzzy stitches–what am i doing wrong?
Linda- possibly the stuffing isn’t quite pushed inside when you are stitching it closed. make sure it is before taking that stitch. You can push it inside quite a bit and then after stitching play with it a little bit to put it back into position.
Linda- possibly the stuffing isn’t quite pushed inside when you are stitching it closed. make sure it is before taking that stitch. You can push it inside quite a bit and then after stitching play with it a little bit to put it back into position.