He's going to steal your heart! Here he is! Cupid! This pose-able little doll stands 12 inches high. He is really simple in construction. If you can sew a pancake doll, you can sew this Cupid! This pattern can be adapted for an easy baby doll pattern, too! Cupid will play with your heart in many ways. He can be just "fishing around" like the little fellow with the fishing pole in his hand or really running away with your heart like the standing version. The movement of his arms and legs is accomplished with a few stitches of heavy Carpet & Buttonhole thread. Whatever his pose, the question he poses is, " Will You Be Mine?" Happy Valentine's Day!

Materials Needed:

• ¼ yard muslin for body
• Fiberfill stuffing for body
• 1 square of white felt for wings
• 1 square of red felt for quiver & hearts
• Doll Hair or Yarn
• ¼ inch button for belly button. ( Cupid MUST have a belly button since he is in the buff!)
• Heavy Duty Carpet & Button Hole Thread
• Doll Pattern - Click HERE(cupid1.gif) and HERE(cupid2.gif) to see and download or print the pattern.
  PRINTING NOTE: The pattern may print smaller or larger on different computer/printing systems. We have included a 1" scale bar on each pattern so that you can reduce or enlarge the pattern using a photocopier if needed.

Instructions:

1. Arms & Legs

Let's begin with the arms and legs. The simplest way to sew these kind of parts is to mark the pattern directly on the fabric and sew before cutting. Be sure to leave open the area indicated so you will be able to turn the piece and stuff it. To close you will simply hand stitch. Use a small stitch setting on your machine. Trace two legs and two arms on a piece of muslin that is two layers thick. Sew around outline and then cut out, trimming to about 1/8 inch seam allowance. To turn the thumb you might chose to first put a dab of Fray Check on the tip of the thumb and let it dry. This will allow you to trim the fabric very close to the stitch line without having it fray or tear. Once arms and legs are turned, begin stuffing with small amounts, firmly filling the toes and/or hands and continuing to stuff the rest of the limb. To get that smooth firm look to your doll, you need to firmly pack the stuffing a bit at a time. Once the limb is firmly stuffed sew the opening shut by hand.

2. Constructing the Body

Begin by tracing the pattern directly on your fabric. You will need to cut the patterns out giving yourself a ¼ inch seam allowance. It is very important that you be as accurate as you can to maintain the shape of the body. Sew the front seam of the body front together. Do the same for the back pattern, being careful to remember to leave the opening for stuffing. Once you have the front and back panel sewn, press open the seam so he won't have a rumpled tummy. With right sides together, match and pin the front and back together. Now you are simply going to sew around the entire piece. Turn inside out and stuff. Be sure to carefully stuff the neck as this will be needed to secure the head. Once the body is firmly stuffed, hand sew the back opening closed.

3. Making the Head

When laying out the head pattern, be sure to place pattern on the fold of the fabric. Cut out head and sew on the stitch line. Be sure to iron out the crease in the " front" of the doll head now. You don't want a crease running down the front of his face. If the crease in your fabric is stubborn you can remove it by simply dabbing some white vinegar in it and iron. Crease will vanish!

Sew, by hand, a running stitch around the bottom ¼ inch of the head piece. Now stay with me here! The piece should still be wrong side out. You are going to pull the head down over the shoulders so that the running stitch you just made is around the neck. Line up the seam in the head piece to the back seam of the body. Pull the thread and gather. What just happened is that you formed the bottom of the head. Arrange the gathers so it isn't bunched on the face front or "chin" area and secure to the neck. Do this carefully as this is what will keep the head firmly attached to the doll. Now pull the head fabric up, which will be turning it right side out. You should now have ended up with the raw edge of the fabric being neatly turned inside the head. Sew the second running stitch ¼ inch from the top of the head. Begin to stuff the head fabric around the neck. Continue to fill the head. Once the head is firmly stuffed, pull the thread of your running stitch to close the top of the head. Secure with a few stitches to ensure that your Cupid won't get a headache by having your gathering pop!

The face can be drawn on the doll either before or after it is sewn on the body. Whenever you do it, be sure that the eyes are about at the halfway point of the face. I did the face after the head was sewn and stuffed.

The nose is simply a circle ( I used a quarter as a template). Cut out circle and sew a small running stitch 1/8 inch from the edge. Begin to gently gather the circle, adding tiny bits of stuffing as you close the circle into a tight ball. Knot securely and trim off any excess fabric or stuffing. Sew nose to face. You may choose to use a button or simply draw on the nose instead of making the fabric nose.

4. Attaching Arms and Legs.

To make the Cupid pose-able you will need a long needle and really strong thread. I used a "doll sculpting needle" which is about 4 inches long. The thread I used is called "carpet thread."

Notice how the body has little points at the shoulders and hip? That is like a "cap" that will help you position the limbs. Lightly mark the Attachment points on the arms and legs. Securely knot a double strand of thread that is about 24 inches long. You want to make this long enough so that you don't run out of thread before you are done lacing it through the body twice.

Beginning with the inside of the arm, sew through and then back out the arm. Now you are going to sew through the body to the other "arm pit." Continue through the second arm. You should now be on the outside of the second arm, kind of where he would have a vaccination or where the other mark is. Run the needle back through the arm and through the body all the way threw the first arm. Make sure that the arms are positioned in the "socket " and pull the thread tight. Knot and secure. Don't be afraid to pull tight. If you have really tough thread like carpet thread your won't have any problems with breakage. You should now have moveable arms! Do the same for the legs.

Sew on the Belly Button!!!!!!! Give Him A Heart!

5. Wings

Transfer the wing pattern onto the white felt. Don't cut yet! You will want to sew the pattern on a double thickness of felt. Once you have sewn the wings, simply cut it out of the felt, leaving about an 1/8 inch seam allowance. The wing is then tacked on the cupids back. When doing this kind of sewing you might find it easier to trace the pattern onto tracing paper and sew right through the paper and the felt. Doing this helps eliminate marks on your finished piece. Once sewn, the paper will simply tear away.

6. Quiver

Cut the quiver pattern from the red felt. Form into a cone and secure with either hot glue or a few stitches. Then attach to a length of ribbon which is tied over the shoulder. My arrows are toothpicks with felt hearts glued to the tips. The fishing rod that dangles the heart is a barbecue skewer with a piece of carpet thread glued to it as well the heart that Cupid caught!

7. Hair

I used blond curly doll hair that is available just about everywhere. If you still can't find doll hair you can use yarn to make a cute blond coif!

Hope this doll will win your heart! He's bringing you my best wishes for a wonderful Valentine's Day!

Hugs & Hearts!

Diane Lewis

If you have any questions please contact me at: Lewis-Popcorn@classic.msn.com