Bleuette in Cloth!
Online Cloth Doll Class
by Judi Ward
© June, 2005

Chapter 4
JOINTING THE HEAD TO THE BODY

Attaching doll heads this way is soooo fast and easy!!! You can even do it on simple, flat tab heads, by cutting an X in the back of the head, and then following the directions below. Usually, once you attach a head this way, no matter what kind, you will never go back to the tedious stitching it on.

BUT, you say…The stuffing will come out!!! No, it doesn't come out if you stuffed the head properly and forced the stuffing up into the center of the head really hard, right before doing the attaching. NOTE… If the head pulls down too far when you do the attaching, there is not enough stuffing in the head. Add more….

If you can't get the neck into the head at all, you may be one of the 3 people in the world who can actually stuff too much!!! Take some stuffing out.

Little Bleuette is a young child and does not have a long neck. The picture directions are easy to follow and most of the directions for this technique will again be in pictures with text below them.

Needle pictures below. You can use many types of needles for sculpting and jointing. Thin for sculpting, fat for jointing.

Here are some of the needles I use. 3 1/2" and 5" sculpting needles.

Jointing needles that I use. Either single or double point work.
My double point needle is 8" long. The single point needle is 6" long.

Also pictured is the roll of nylon cord that I use and have used for over 30 years! This cord is now available in bead and jewelry making stores. Sometimes in smaller rolls though.

The neck edge pushed to the inside.

Thread 20" of jointing cord onto a thin needle. Pass it through the neck from side to side, about 3/4" down from the top.

The cord coming out both sides of the neck.

Put the needle up through one side of the opening in the head, and out the top of the head. I am very right handed, so I invariably do my right side first. That is of course the dolls left side.

The needle coming out of the top of the head.

Repeat for the left side.

Pull the neck up into the head…Back view…

Front view.

Tie the cords tightly (A square knot) at the top of the head.

Turn

Turn

Turn

Straight ahead.

Tipped up.

SOOOOO, CUTE! AND SOOOO, POSABLE. Just wait til you get your doll all together. You will have a ball posing and dressing her.

Now, you have the head and body all together, so it is time to do the mild, easy, face sculpturing and placement off the features and painting.