Halloween- VooDoo Doll

Things you will need-

• Hessian sack or similar rough woven fabric
• Paper
• Pen
• Pins
• Scissors
• Sewing machine (or needle and thread)
• Large needle
• Wool or yarn 
• Buttons
• Pencil or blunt knitting needle
• Polyester stuffing or alternative (ie: tumble drier lint or straw)
• Tweezers (optional)

First draw out a basic pattern on a piece of A4 paper. The doll will be much easier to make if you give it a wide neck. Once you are happy with your pattern cut it out and don't forget to include a seam allowance. 

Fold your fabric in half so that you have two layers of material one on top of the other and either draw around the pattern with a pen or if you prefer pin your paper pattern to the fabric. 

Cut out your fabric making sure you cut the bottom layer as well as the top and pin the two pieces together. With hessian both sides of the fabric are the same but if you are using a fabric that has a right side and a wrong side you want to pin the fabric with right sides together. 

Stitch around the edges of the doll using a straight stitch. Leave a gap at the top of the dolls head so that you can turn it right side out later. Once you have completed your straight stitch go around the very edge of the fabric with a zig zag stitch to stop the material fraying. A sewing machine will make this process a lot faster but if you don't have a sewing machine this can also be done by hand, it will just take a lot longer. 

Turn your doll right side out so that the seams are now hidden on the inside of the doll. This is a bit tricky so be patient. A pair of tweezers is a huge help to pull the fabric out. 

Now you can stuff your doll. Use the end of a pencil or knitting needle to help push the stuffing down into the ends of the legs and arms. 

Once you have finished stuffing your doll you will need to stitch the top of the head closed. Double up your thread and tie a double knot in the end. Pull your needle through the fabric and before pulling it tight thread your needle between the two strands of thread. This will ensure that the thread stays in place and isn't accidentally pulled through the loose weave of the fabric. 

Hand stitch the hole closed, don't worry too much if your stitches are messy as this is going to get covered up by the dolls hair later. 

Next stitch on the eyes. I used two mis-matched buttons but you can use matching buttons or beads if you prefer. 

Adding hair to the doll is similar to latch hooking a rug. Take a strand of wool and thread it through your needle as per the photo below.  

Next push your needle through the dolls head but don't pull the wool all the way through. With the loop of wool on one side of the fabric and the tail ends of the wool on the other side place the tail ends through the loop and pull tight. 

Repeat this process until you are happy with the amount of hair your doll has. 

Take your black wool and stitch on a mouth. I used a straight stitch but you can use a cross stitch if you want a different effect. 

Now you can either leave your doll as it is with a face or you can add extra detail to the rest of its body. I used the black wool to add large stitches around the neck, arms and legs. I also added a cross roughly where the dolls heart would be. 

Please note this voodoo doll is for entertainment and decorative purposes only. Please do not attempt to do horrible things to other people with it.