How to make a Christmas angel

This is my original design. Feel free to use it to make your own dolls, or use these instructions as a springboard to come up with something uniquely your own.

1. Make the doll's body:

Transfer the doll's face (and include her shoulders and waist) onto a small piece of pre-washed and dried muslin. Cut a matching size piece of muslin to use for the back of the doll. Using a needle and thread, hand sew around the edge of the transferred image, but leave the bottom edge open. Make tiny quilting stitches spaced as closely as you can when you sew.  Then stuff the doll with polyfill and hand sew the bottom edge. With sharp scissors, trim around the sewn edge leaving about 1/8" margin, and apply "FrayCheck" to seal the cut edges so they will not fray.

2. Make the dress:

Cut two pieces of fabric for the dress. Sew them RST, then turn RSO and press. Fill the dress with polyfill. Insert the doll into the dress and stitch her into the dress using needle and thread. Any size or shape works for her dress - experiment and see what you can come up with!

3. Embellish the dress and add angel wings:

Cut a free-form cape and/or wings out of organza, tulle, or other transparent fabrics. Hand tack them onto her dress and add vintage buttons or other emellishments as desired. Here's a trick that's handy: Use a heat gun to slightly melt her cape and her wings info "ruffles" and free-form shapes if you'd like. All cotton fabrics will not melt - so you will need to use polyester or poly blends that will melt when heat is applied. Do this outside or in a room with plenty of ventilation!

4. Make her crown:

Free hand sketch and cut a tiny crown out of vintage papers - one that is long enough to fit around your doll's head. Laminate both sides of the crown and trim close to the edge (eg cut away the excess laminate). Use clear packing tape to finish the crown just large enough to fit snugly over the dolls head. Use a tiny bit of E-6000 to glue the crown to her head.

You can modify your doll design for other holidays or occassions, such as for Halloween -- give her a witches hat;  For a ballerina --sew on a little tutu and some skinny ballerina legs; For a bride - give her a veil...

Have fun!