Dragons

t o f o llow
easy life
With a n d
tions By Paloma Rocha
instruc atterns.
size P
 Please, read all of
the instructions before
starting your
project.
. Finished size: 6” and 5”.
. Difficulty level: Easy/intermediate.
Runtime: 3 hours.

Tools
. Embroidery needle.
. Pencil or felt marker.
. Scissors.
. Chopstick or pointy tool.
. Embroidery scissors.

Materials
Dragon 1 Dragon 21
. Turquoise (7”x 7”). . Pale green (7”x 4”).
. Pale blue felt (4” x 6”). . White felt (4” x 3”).
. Scraps of green and aqua felt. . Scraps of leaf and olive green felt.
. Stuffing. . Stuffing.
. Safety eyes (8mm). . Safety eyes (8mm).
. Embroidery floss. . Embroidery floss.

How to embroider in felt

To embroider the designs, first trace the embroidery template on the thin tracing paper
or a tissue paper and pin this paper on the felt shape, as shown. Using large needle and
embroidery floss, sew along the pencil lines. Then, carefully, tear away the paper to remove
it, using a pin to remove any little pieces of paper.
2
 Felt can basically be divided into two types: wool felt or washable felt. Wool felt is
recommended for these ornaments. These quality materials help dolls look their very best.

Cutting out shapes

Print the pages 11 and 12 of this pdf, and cut out templates using scissors. Trace tem-
plates onto felt using a felt marker or pencil and cut out on the line. Cut carefully so edges
are vertical, not slanted.

Cutting tiny shapes

Remove paper
pattern

Paper pattern
Felt
Cut

Cut out the paper pattern roughly and attach it onto felt. Roughly cut out the felt around
the pattern, which will be easier to maneuver and cut to final shape without removing
paper.

Sewing and embroidery

These dragons are embroidered and stitched together with embroidery floss.
In case you´re not familiar with one of the stitches, you can practice the stitches a few
times on a felt scraps before working on a doll. None of the stitches are difficult, but can
take some practice to get perfect. Always keep your stitches and the space between them
the same length. Be consistent with your sewing tension.
Or, if you want to keep embroidery to a minimum, you can sometimes glue on certain
elements, instead of embroidering them.
You can experiment and use your imagination to customize the project.
3
 1. Applique stitch 2. Overcast stitch 3. Straight stitch 4. Satin stitch
2 in

1out
Keep thread
at right angle

5. Lazy daisy 6. Split stitch 7. Back stitch

1out Working
1out direction

3 out 2 in
2 in

Carry needle 1 stitch

beyond previous stitch

8. French knot 9. Ladder stitch 10. Running stitch

le
circ
Entwice

1. Appliqué Stitch: Stitching a felt piece onto a felt surface. Place the appliqué on the background felt.
Make tiny stitches perpendicular to the edge of the appliqué.
2. Overcast Stitch: Simple stitch over the edge of the felt. Also called whip-stitch, is used to attach two
pieces of felt. This isn´t a decorative stitch, so always use floss that matches the color of the felt and make
the stitches small and neat.
3. Straight Stitch: Use a simple straight stitch to create a motif.
4. Satin Stitch: The satin stitch is composed of parallel rows of straight stitch and is often used to fill in
an area with floss. The make very nice eyes and noses on softies.
5. Lazy daisy: Make a small loop and then anchor it with a single stitch at top for the decorative stitch
that resembles a flower petal.
6. Split stitch: Each stitch always emerge from the center of the previous stitch, to split the floss in half.
7. Back Stitch: This simple stitch creates a solid line so it´s great for outlining shapes or creating text.
A backstitch gets its name because you create it moving the needle a stitch backward before moving it
forward to create the next stitch.
8. French Knots: The French knot produces a rounded knot that can be used to create a series of
decorative dots. To make it, bring the needle up at the point at which you want to make your French knot,
hold the thread and wrap it around the needle twice, as shown. Bring the needle back to the starting point
and put the point back through the fabric very near where it emerged (be careful not use the same exact
hole) . Pull the needle to the back of the felt and pull taut. To make a bigger knot, wrap more twists of
thread around the needle and/or use more strands of floss in your needle.
9. Ladder stitch: The ladder stitch is used to attach separate parts such as a doll’s head. It’s called the
ladder stitch because the stitches look like a ladder until you pull the stitches tight to close the seam. Pull
every four or five stitches as you stitch. When the thread is tightened, the stitches should be virtually
invisible.
10. Running Stitch: The running stitch is simple to make. Make this stitch by weaving the needle
through the felt at evenly spaced intervals. Just be careful to keep the length of your stitches and the space
between them same length.
4
 Dragon 1:
3
1 Ap
p
French stitliqué
knot
2 ch

Back Stuf
stitch f

Eye hole
placement
Inser t
eyes

5
© Paloma Rocha 2017
4 O
dar verca
ts ( st
wr stit Straight
ong ch
sid stitch
e)

ht
t r aig
S ch
stit

French
knot
Straight
stitch

6
7

5
 Overcast 8
stitch

9 10

Stuf
f

Overcast
Overcast stitch
stitch

© Paloma Rocha 2017

Sew
the wings Paint
the
cheeks

12

11

1. Print the pattern pieces on page 11 onto paper and cut out to make templates. Trace
templates onto felt using a felt marker or pencil and cut out on the line.
2. Embroider a curved mouth with two strands of dark gray embroidery floss and a few
back stitches. Make the nose holes using two French knots, as shown.
3. Using the picture as a guide, arrange the snout felt piece on the head front. Tack the piece
down with a pin to keep it in place while you sew. Using the matching embroidery thread
and needle, appliqué stitch around the edges leaving a gap open. Lightly pad the snout with
a little toy stuffing, using a toothpick to help you to get padding even.
4. Carefully, make two tiny holes with the tip of a very sharp pair of embroidery scissors .
5. Insert safety eyes and connectors at back.

6
6. Overcast stitch the darts on front and back head pieces with two strands of matching
floss, making sure to sew them up on the wrong side of the felt.
7. Place the scales in place, as shown. Using turquoise floss, sew each piece to dragon with
a long straight stitch across the center of each scale shape. Randomly, cover the back with
several French knots. Make the brows by sewing a tiny straight stitch and, if you like, add
little eyelashes at the outer corner of the eyes.
8. Align the two under-legs pieces and sew the top of them together using overcast stitch,
as shown.
9. Stitch together back legs and under-legs, using the picture as a guide.
10. Align the two dragon shapes together, so the tail scales and ears are sandwiched in the
middle and thread an embroidery needle with two strands of matching embroidery floss.
Stitch the shapes together using overcast stitch, sewing through all layers of felt in ears and
tail areas, leaving a gap open. Fill it firmly with toy stuffing. I like stuff the head, tail and
legs while I sew. When you think you’ve put enough stuff in your dragon, add a bit more
and stitch it closed.
11. Sew the wings on the back using the picture as a guide.
15. Paint the cheeks using a bit of powder blush.

7
 Dragon 2:
French Eye hole
knot Back placement
stitch 4
3
2 Ap
p
stitliqué
ch

1
Stuf
Straight f Straight
stitch Overcast stitch stitch
darts (wrong side)
6 7
5
© Paloma Rocha 2017

Inser t Overcast
Straight
eyes stitch
stitch

Paint
the cheeks
9 Stuf
f

11
Ap
p
stitliqué
ch

Ap
10 p
stitliqué
ch

8
 Back
stitch
13 Back 14 Stuf
f
stitch

12 © Paloma Rocha 2017

Overcast 15
stitch

Doll front Doll front

16
Doll back Doll back

Ladder Ladder
stitch stitch
Doll back
Doll back Ladder
Couture Ladder Doll front stitch
Doll front stitch
Doll back
Doll back

Doll front Doll front

1. Print the pattern pieces on page 12 onto paper and cut out to make templates. Trace
templates onto felt using a felt marker or pencil and cut out on the line.
2. Embroider a curved mouth with two strands of dark green embroidery floss and a few
back stitches. Make the nose holes using two French knots, as shown.
3. Using the picture as a guide, arrange the snout felt piece on the head front. Tack the piece
down with a pin to keep it in place while you sew. Using the matching embroidery thread
and needle, appliqué stitch around the edges leaving a gap open. Lightly pad the snout with
a little toy stuffing, using a toothpick to help you to get padding even
4. Carefully, make two tiny holes with the tip of a very sharp pair of embroidery scissors .
5. Insert safety eyes and connectors at back. Make the brows by sewing a tiny straight stitch
and, if you like, add little eyelashes at the outer corner of the eyes.
6. Overcast stitch the darts on front and back head pieces with two strands of matching
floss, making sure to sew them up on the wrong side of the felt.
7 & 8. Place the scales in place, as shown. Using turquoise floss, sew each piece to dragon
with a long straight stitch across the center of each scale shape.
9. Align the two head pieces together, right sides out. Thread an embroidery needle with
a two strands of embroidery floss and sew the two head pieces together with a overcast
stitch. Stop stitching when opening is small enough for stuffing. Fill it very firmly with toy
stuffing and stitch it closed. Paint the cheeks using a bit of powder blush.

9
10. Appliqué stitch the tummy on the body front, as shown.
11. Position the egg shapes on the body pieces, as pictured and pin them in place. I have
included a template of the complete body (see page 12). You can use this template as a
guide to get the positioning of the egg and tummy right. Sew the egg and the body together
using appliqué stitch and two strands of white floss.
12. Sew the wings on the dragon´s back.
13. Embroider the egg design (see page 2).
14. Align the two body pieces together, right sides out. Thread an embroidery needle with
a two strands of embroidery floss and sew the two body pieces together with a overcast
stitch. Stop stitching when opening is small enough for stuffing. Fill it very firmly with toy
stuffing and stitch it closed.
15. Position the head so that it overlaps the body. Using a long embroidery needle and
two strands of floss, attach them together using a ladder stitch through the head and the
neck and going round and round till the head is secure. If the head seems wobbly, go back
around one more time with the ladder stitch.

10
 Dragon 1:

Wings
(cut 1)
Green

Dragon (cut 2)
(cut 20)

Turquoise
Scales

Snout
Ears (cut 1)
(cut 2) Pale blue
Pale blue

© Paloma Rocha 2017

Underlegs (cut 2)
Pale blue

11
 Dragon 2:
Scales
(cut 16)

Ears
Head (cut 2)
(cut 2)
Pale green
Olive

© Paloma Rocha 2017

Snout
Tummy (cut 1) Body (cut 2)
(cut 1)
Green Pale green
Olive

Egg (cut 1) Wings

White (cut 1)
Green

Body
template

12
 Designed by:

Noia Land
©2017 Paloma Rocha.
www.noialand.com

©2017 Paloma Rocha.

This pattern is intended for personal use only
and not for commercial resale. Photocopying,
emailing and the other copying to share these
instruction is strictly prohibited by law without
the designer´s written permission. Thank you
for respecting the designer´s copyright.