The Steadfast

Tin Soldier

y t o f ollow
eas life
With s a n d
tion
instruc atterns.
size P
By Paloma Rocha
 The Steadfast
Tin Soldier

. Size: 7-8” approximately

Please, read all of

the instructions before
starting your
project.

Tools
. Embroidery needle
. Pencil or felt marker.
. Scissors.
. Chopstick or pointy tool.
. Pinking shears/ scallop shears.
. Tweezers or pliers.
. Embroidery scissors.

Materials
. White felt (2”x 4”).
. Flesh tone felt (6”x 7”). .Pipe cleaners.
. Red felt (3”x 3”). . Artist pastels (red or pink).
. Light brown felt (10”x 4”). . Stuffing.
. Black felt (5”x 8”). . Embroidery floss.
. Dark pink felt (2”x 4”). . Tulle.
. Scraps of light pink and light yellow felt.

2
 Felt
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 a page 12, 13, 14, & 15 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 dolls 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
 Embroidery stitches
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. Blanket stitch: The blanket stitch is both decorative and functional. Use this stitch to accentuate an
edge or to attach an appliqué.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. 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.
These illustrations will help you with any unfamiliar stitches.

1. Applique stitch 2. Overcast stitch 3. Straight stitch 4. Satin stitch

2 in

1out
Keep thread
at right angle

5. Blanket stitch 6. Back stitch

1out Working
2 in direction
3 out 2 in
1in 3 out

Carry needle 1 stitch

Working beyond previous stitch
direction

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

le
circ
Entwice

Working
direction

4
 The dancer
Headband Appliqué
Running stitch
stitch
Hair
Head front
back

Face
Tulle
flowers
Flower
Overcast
Pink stitch
French knot

Brown
straight
stitch Paint
Brown the cheeks
back Red Opening for
stitch Red back stitch stuffing Stuff
Satin stitch

Carefully place the hair front onto the face as shown and adjust the face so that it´s centered
correctly and pin in place. Attach the hair to the face with appliqué stitches worked with
two strands of brown floss. Stick the headband onto the hair front and sew it on, using two
strands of light pink yellow floss.
Draw the face with a felt marker or a pencil. You can practice the motive a few times on a
paper before working on a doll.
Thread an embroidery needle with two strands of brown embroidery floss and sew the eyes
and lashes onto the face piece. The eyes are made using a few curving backstitches, and
the eyelashes with two small straight stitches for each eye. Make doll´s brows by sewing
a tiny straight stitch for each one. Re-thread the needle with red floss and embroider a
small, curved mouth with a few backstitches. Now, stitch the lips, using horizontal straight
stitches positioned very close together.
Place the felt flowers onto a tulle flowers. Lightly glue the flowers to the headband. Using
two strands of light pink thread, embroider three French knots in the center of the each
flower, as shown.
Align the two head pieces together, right sides out. Thread an embroidery needle with two
strands of floss and sew the two head pieces together with a overcast stitch. Stop stitching
when opening is small enough for stuffing. Fill it with toy stuffing and stitch it closed. Knot
thread and cut off excess.
Add a bit of color to it cheeks using an artist pastel or powder blush. Rub the pastel on a
piece of paper and then apply the resulting powder with a soft brush.
5
 Pipe
cleaners

Fold
in half

Appliqué
Overcast Fold
stitch cast
stitch in half Over tch
sti
Fold
Pipe cleaner in half

Fold
in half

Position the ballet shoes so that it overlaps the leg and attach with a small, neat appliqué
stitch. Fold the arms and legs shapes in half. Thread an embroidery needle with two strands
of matching floss and overcast stitch around the edges using small stitches, leaving the top
open. Make the same with the two arms and the two legs. Use pliers or an old scissors to
cut 1 or 2 pipe cleaners: two 4” and one or two 3” long. Fold the long pipe cleaners in half.
Using the picture as a guide, push the limbs onto the pipe cleaners.

Opening for stuffing

Stuff

Overcast
stitch

Pin or glue the legs and the arms in place on the wrong side of the body back.
Align the two body shapes together, so the arms and legs are sandwiched in the middle,
and thread an embroidery needle with two strands of embroidery floss. Stitch the pieces
together around the edges of the body using overcast stitch, sewing through all four
layers of felt in the arms and legs areas, leaving a gap open. Pad with toy stuffing, using a
toothpick to distribute it evenly, then sew shut.

6
 Doll front
Doll front

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

Doll front Doll front

Position the head so that it overlaps the body. Using an 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

Tie a
Straight knot Pink
stitch French knot

Running
stitch

Tulle Pull to
(3-4 Sheets) tighten

7
Use a straight stitch to secure a ribbon in the center of the each legs back. Put the ribbon
around the leg, using the picture as a guide, and tie a bow.
Align 3 or 4 sheets of tulle. Run a gathering stitch through the center of the tulle from end
to end. Pull the thread to gather the tulle, and then sew it on the waist area.
Place a felt flower onto the waist, as shown. Using two strands of light pink thread,
embroider three French knots in the center of the flower.

8
 The soldier
Appliqué
stitch
Running
stitch

Opening for
stuffing
Stuff
Golden
running
stitch

Golden
French
knot
Brown
back
stitch

Brown Red
straight back stitch Overcast Paint
stitch stitch the cheeks

Carefully place the hair front onto the face as shown and adjust the face so that it´s centered
correctly and pin in place. Attach the hair to the face with appliqué stitches worked with
two strands of brown floss. Place the hat front onto the face as shown and adjust the face so
that it´s centred correctly and pin in place. Attach the hat to the face with appliqué stitches
worked with two strands of black floss. Keep the stitches small so you´ll barely see them
when you´re finished.
Draw the face with a felt marker or a pencil. Thread an embroidery needle with two strands
of dark brown embroidery floss and sew the eyes and lashes onto the face piece. The eyes
are made using a few curving backstitches, and the eyelashes with a small straight stitch
for each eye. Make doll´s brows by sewing a tiny straight stitch for each one. Re-thread the
needle with red floss and embroider a small, curved mouth with a few backstitches.
Using the picture as a guide, embroider four French knots using two strands of golden
floss. With a felt marker, draw two curves connecting the French knots, as shown. Thread
a needle with four strands of red embroidery floss, and stitch through the curves with a
backstitch. Pin the feather in the center of the hat, as shown. With yellow thread sew a line
of running stitches down the center of the feather.
Align the two head pieces together, right sides out. Thread an embroidery needle with two
strands of floss and sew the two head pieces together with a overcast stitch. Stop stitching
when opening is small enough for stuffing. Fill it with toy stuffing and stitch it closed.
Add a bit of color to it cheeks using an artist pastel or powder blush.
9
 Appliqué
stitch

Appliqué cast
Fold stitch Fold Over tch
in half sti
in half
Fold
Overcast Pipe cleaner
stitch

cleaners
Pipe
Fold
in half

Carefully position the sleeve so that it overlaps the hand . Pin the sleeves in place and
attach with a small, neat appliqué stitch (refer the pictures for placement).
Position the boot shape so that it overlaps the leg and attach with a small, neat appliqué
stitch.
Fold the arms and legs shapes in half. Thread an embroidery needle with two strands of
matching floss and overcast stitch around the edges using small stitches, leaving the top
open. Make the same with the two arms and the two legs. Use pliers or an old scissors to
cut 1 or 2 pipe cleaners: two 4” and one or two 3” long. Using the picture as a guide, push
the limbs onto the pipe cleaners.

10
 Black
back
stitch Stuff

Appliqué
stitch
Golden
French Overcast
knot stitch

Thread an embroidery needle with black floss and backstitch a line across the coat front,
as shown. Embroider four French knots to suggest buttons. Position the coat shapes on the
pant shapes, as pictured and pin them in place. I have included a template of the complete
body (see page 15). You can use this template as a guide to get the positioning of the coat
and pants right. Sew the coat and the pants together using appliqué stitch and two strands
of red floss.
Pin or glue the legs and the arms in place on the wrong side of the body back.
Align the two body shapes together, so the arms and legs are sandwiched in the middle,
and thread an embroidery needle with two strands of embroidery floss. Stitch the pieces
together around the edges of the body using overcast stitch, sewing through all four layers
of felt in the arms and legs areas, leaving a gap open.
Pad with toy stuffing, using a toothpick to distribute it evenly, then sew shut.
Sew the head to the body, follow the same instructions as for the dancer (see page 7).

11
 The dancer

Headband
(cut 1)
Light pink

Hair front (cut 1)

Brown Tulle flower Felt flower
(cut 3) (cut 4)
Pink

Hair back (cut 1)

Brown

Embroidery template
(real size)

12
 Arm (cut 2)
Flesh tone

Face (cut 1)
Flesh tone Tulle
(cut 3 or 4)

Body (cut 2)
Dark pink

Legs (cut 2)
White

Shoes (cut 2)
Ligh pink

13
 The soldier

Hat back (cut 1)

Black

Feather (cut 1)
Light yellow

Hat front (cut 1)

Black

14
Hair (cut 1)
Brown Coat
(cut 2) Legs (cut 2)
Red White

Boots (cut 1)
Black
Pants (cut 2)
White

Face (cut 1)
Flesh tone
Hand (cut 2) Sleeves (cut 2)
Flesh tone Red

Body
template

15
Please, visit my etsy shop:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/Noialand
for more downloadable PDFs.

©2013 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.