Halloween

Balloons

s y t o follow
ea d life
With n s a n
tio By Paloma Rocha
instruc atterns.
size P

1
 Balloons
Please, read all of
the instructions before
starting your
project.
. Finished size: 6/9”
. Difficulty level: Intermediate
Runtime: 3 hours.

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

Materials
Bat balloon
. Dark gray felt(14”x 5”).
. Pale gray felt (3”x 4”).
. Lilac felt (4”x 2”).
. Scraps of black and white felt.
. Pom-pom trim (gray and violet).
. Safety eyes (8mm).
. Baker twine.
. Stuffing.
. Embroidery floss.
. Tiny bat button.
2
Pumpkin balloon
. Pumpkin & orange felt (16”x 5”).
. Scraps of black and white felt.
. Pom-pom trim (orange and green).
. Safety eyes (8mm).
. Baker twine & stuffing.
. Embroidery floss.
Devil balloon
. Red felt (16”x 5”).
. Peach felt (3”x 2”).
. Scraps of black and white felt.
. Pom-pom trim (Red).
. Safety eyes (8mm).
. Baker twine & red ribbon.
. Stuffing.
. Embroidery floss.
 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 from page 11 to 12 of this pdf, and cut out templates using scissors. Trace templates
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 ornaments 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
 How to make:

x2
2 3 4
x2 Sew using iqué
Appl h
back stitc
stitch
x2
or your x2
1 x2 sewing
x8 machine.

Glue the
7
5 6 inner
ears
Eye hole t Fren
placement Ins
e Straigh c
knot h
ey r t stitch
es
Fold in
Overcast
stitch half

Back
stitch

8 9
Sew using
back stitch or your
sewing machine,
leaving 1/4 inch seam
allowance.

10 Turn right
side out

11
© Paloma Rocha 2017

Stuff

Overcast
stitch

5
 © Paloma Rocha 2017

a
Sew on
t
but
Kno
t 13

12
Glue Stra
ig
stitc ht
h

Overcast
stitch

14

Paint
the cheeks

Running
stitch

16
Straight Straight
stitch Fren stitch
c
knot h
© Paloma Rocha 2017 Glue
the ghost
in the basket
or or
Fren Back
c Ove
knot h Back Fren
ch stitch rc
stitch knot stit ast
ch

15
Stuff

6
 Sew using
18 back Ins
x2 e
stitch ey r t
x2 or your es
x2 sewing
machine.
Eye hole
x2 placement
20
19
17

23
iqué
Appl h
22
Back
stitc © Paloma
stitch Rocha 2017

21

Sew the baloon and basket,

follow the same instructions
as for the Bat Balloon.

24
© Paloma
Red Rocha 2017 26
ribbon

25
Sew the devil balloon and basket,
follow the same instructions
as for the Bat Balloon (from step
1 to step 13) using the
Overcast Sew the tail
Devil baloon templates .
stitch to the bottom

7
1. Using the template on page 11, cut the all the balloon pieces .
2. Place two balloon pieces together and begin stitching at the top point all the way to the
bottom, leaving the bottom open. Repeat this step four times.
3. Add the next pieces, again matching the top points and then stitching top to bottom.
Put this section aside. Stitch the remaining two pieces together in the same manner.
You´ll now have two sections the front and the back of the balloon.
4. Using the picture as a guide, arrange the face felt piece on the balloon front. Tack the
face down with a pin or a dot of fabric glue to keep it in place while you sew. Using the
matching sewing thread and needle, appliqué stitch around the edges. Keep the stitches
small so you will barely see them when you are finished.
5. Carefully, make two tiny holes with the tip of a very sharp pair of embroidery scissors.
After that, insert safety eyes and connectors at back.
6. Embroider a curved mouth with black floss and a few back stitches. Embroider the nose
using a French knot. Add the eyebrows and tiny eyelashes at the outer corners of the eyes.
7. Glue the inner ear pieces onto the outer ears using a dot of craft glue. Fold the ears
using the picture as a guide and sew the bottom.8. Position the ears and wings in place on
the balloon front, as shown.
9. With right sides facing, pin the ears and horns. Align the two bat balloon shapes
together, so the ears and wings are sandwiched in the middle, and thread an embroidery
needle with two strands of matching embroidery floss. Stitch the balloon shapes together
using back stitch or your sewing machine, sewing through all layers of felt in ears and
wing areas and leaving the bottom open (you´ll be going through quite a few layers, so go
slowly and carefully). Turn the balloon the right side out.
10. Stuff firmly using toy stuffing
11. Pin the bottom shape in place. Carefully attach the circular bottom piece using overcast
stitch and two strands of floss.
12. Glue a cardboard on the bottom shape of the basket (if you want, you can glue a
cardboard on the basket side too). Sew the basket side to the bottom using overcast stitch
and two strands of matching floss, overlapping the ends of the side toward the finish.
Overcast stitch the short ends of the side felt shape.
13. Make a knot on the ends of four pieces of twine. Place four pieces of twine around the
balloon and sew them in place, as shown. Leave enough space between the balloon and
the basket for the tiny ghost.
14. Using running stitch and two strands of matching floss, attach pompom trim to the
balloon and basket, as shown. When you have sewn all the way around, trim excess
pompom and sew a few stitches over the end. To paint the cheeks, rub a pink artist pastel
onto a piece of paper and then apply the resulting powder to the face with a soft blush.
15. Using the template on page 11 cut the ghost pieces. Embroider the face using the
picture as an inspiration (there are three options). Align the two ghost pieces together,
right sides out, and sew together with overcast stitch, leaving a gap open. Stuff with toy
stuffing.
16. Glue the ghost in the basket using fabric glue.

8
Pumpkin balloon
17. Cut the felt pieces (see page 12).
18. Place two balloon pieces together and begin stitching at the top point all the way to the
bottom, leaving the bottom open. Repeat this step four times.
19. Add the next pieces, again matching the top points and then stitching top to bottom.
Put this section aside. Stitch the remaining two pieces together in the same manner.
You´ll now have two sections the front and the back of the balloon.
20. Carefully, make two tiny holes with the tip of a very sharp pair of embroidery scissors.
After that, insert safety eyes and connectors at back.
21. Carefully, position the mouth and nose shapes on the balloon front. Thread an
embroidery needle with two strands of matching floss and appliqué stitch the pieces onto
the balloon.
22. Add the embroidered details, using the picture as a guide.
23. Sew the balloon and basket following the same instructions as for the Bat balloon
(from the step 9 to step 16).

Devil balloon
24. Sew the Devil balloon and basket following the same instructions as for the Bat balloon
(from the step 1 to the step 16).
15. Cut a length of red ribbon, cutting the ends at an angle to help prevent fraying. Pin or
glue one of the ribbon ends on the wrong side of the tail shape. Align the two tail shapes
together, so the length of ribbon es sandwiched in the middle, and thread an embroidery
needle with two strands of floss. Stitch the pieces together around the edges of the tail
using overcast stitch.
16. Sew the tail to the bottom of the basket using red floss.

9
10
 Bat balloon

Basket/
bottom
(cut 2)
© Paloma Rocha 2017 Lilac/
Face /Dark gray
(cut 1)
Gray
Balloon
(cut 8)
Dark gray Cardboard Ear (cut 2)
Dark gray

Wing
Gra t 2)

(cut 2)
(cu
y

Black
Ear

Basket
(cut 1)
Lilac

2)
Ghost (cut
White

11
 Bat balloon
Basket
© Paloma Rocha 2017 (cut 1)
Orange

Balloon Basket/
(cut 8) bottom Cardboard
Orange/Pumpkin (cut 2)
Orange

Mouth Nose
(cut 2) (cut 2)
Black Black

Devil balloon

Tail (cut 2)
Red

Face
(cut 1) © Paloma Rocha 2017
Peach
Balloon
(cut 8)
Red
Basket
(cut 1)
Lilac

Horn Basket/
(cut 2) bottom
Black (cut 2) Cardboard
Red

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.