- 1). Draw the shape of the eyes you want to embroider on the doll. Use pencil or chalk so that you can brush away mistakes and make sure to get the face symmetrical.
- 2). Cut a length of floss about twice the length of your forearm. If you are using six-strand floss, separate out two or three strands and ply (twist) them together.
- 3). Double the thread and thread the folded point through the needle. Pull the thread through until the section of thread with the cut ends is shorter than the section with the folded point. Do not knot either end of the thread.
- 4). Pierce the left end of one of the lines you've drawn for the face with the tip of the needle, then push it back out again at a point no more than 1/8 inch down along the line. Pull the thread most of the way through, using your thumb to catch the loop formed by the longer end of the thread so it doesn't get drawn through the fabric.
- 5). Draw the needle back through the loop and then pull the thread taut. This creates a closed end that is more secure and less bulky than knotting the thread.
- 6). Take the needle back down through the same hole it came up through, then up again a short distance further along the line. Draw the thread down into a loop that you can catch around the tip of your thumb, keeping the loop from being drawn all the way through the front of the fabric. Draw the needle through the loop from back to front, then pull the thread taut.
- 7). Repeat step 6, following the line of the design. When you reach the end of a line, tack down the end of the last loop in your chain, knotting the end once through the tacking stitch to anchor it. Cut the thread until there is a 1-inch tail, then use the blunt end of the needle to tuck the tail through to the back of the fabric.
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