I used to be a victim of stuffing but no more!! I think stuffing well is one of the hardest things to learn. It makes such a difference for something to be stuffed well. A smooth texture with an all over evenness gives your doll such a professional touch. I would like to share a few stuffing techniques with you.

When the project calls for stuffing to be in a specific area like hands, fingers and noses then a STUFFING FORK can be helpful. You lay a small amount of stuffing in the ditch between two of your fingers. Lay the stuffing fork on top of the stuffing the long way over stuffing laying in the ditch and close over it with your thumb. Turn the handle of the fork so that the fibers catch - keep turning until the outside fibers eventually wind themselves over the entire end of the fork forming a long Q-Tip type shape. It should be even and compact.

Gently glide the fork up into the finger or other desired area. Hold from the outside and back the tool out. Your finger, nose, etc. will be neatly stuffed - firm and permanent. When you are doing this you need to be sure you keep a constant upward thrust until you reach the desired location so your stuffing does not fall off the fork.

I use a combination of STUFFING FORKS and hemostats to stuff my projects. I find one does not replace the other and that various sizes are necessary depending on your project. If I have a long leg to stuff then I use a good size piece of stuffing and shove it down into the foot with a hemostat. Then I follow with a compacting shove using a STUFFING FORK. I always compact my stuffing in the center where the bones would be. This creates a little hole and as you put your next piece of stuffing in - it fits down into the hole and you continue this process until your leg or arm is stuffed. I prefer to use a stuffing that has a lot of spring in it - I personally use Fairfield's SOFT TOUCH SUPREME. Use large pieces of stuffing. The fewer pieces of stuffing you have the less opportunity you will have to create cellulite!

I am going to give you a little diagram of how to stuff a leg properly so there is no break at the ankle. No matter how you pose your doll there will be tremendous pressure at the ankle. If you can avoid filling the foot and then proceeding into the leg right at the ankle you will have a much stronger ankle and a stronger leg. Check it out!!