How Do you Do That? 

Fingers and Hands

                  The hands that are templates with no seam lines will come out better than hands with seam allowances.  Why?  Because when you trace on the wrong side of doubled fabric and sew on the drawn line you get the exact shape.  It is best to trace templates onto fabric with disappearing fabric pens or pencils. 

                  You need finger turning tools.  Hemostats and tweezers can be used if fingers are large but when working with tiny hands and fingers you must have a turning tool.  I highly suggest you make the small investment and make your turning tools from copper tubing. You can make your own turning tools easily.  Hobby shops sell railroad tracking; it is a copper tubing with a solid rod and a hollow rod, which can slide into each other.  This is for connecting the railroad tracking together.  It works perfectly for turning small fingers; I recommend you use the tubing.  If you do not have turning tools and you want to give it a whirl without the copper tubing at the very least you will need a small straw.  Coffee stirring straws are ideal for this. You will also need a blunt object that can fit into the hole of the straw. The straw will work but it is not as stable.  The copper tubing comes in different sizes and are inexpensive.  You will not know how you lived without them once you have a set. 

These turning tools can be used to turn small parts and pieces in patterns.  It is just amazing; the smallest of parts can be turned with ease.  Practice first, try making up a bunch of small tubes and turning them.  Then when you go to do your first set of hands it will be less frustrating.

1. Trace two hands onto the wrong side of doubled fabric.

2. Sew around the traced lines; leave opening. You must go slowly when doing hands.  Most of the time I will turn my sewing machine wheel by hand.

3. Cut out and clip curves and between fingers.  Use sharp scissors .  Clip right up to the seam but do not clip the seam

4. Use your turning tools or small straw and turn the fingers and thumb.  Slide the hollow turning tool into a finger.

5. Press the blunt object into the hole.

6. The biggest mistake people make is pushing the solid rod into the tube rod with force.  The hollow and the solid rod make a good clamp.  It is not meant to force the turning of the fingers.  Gently start by slipping the fabric up and over the solid tube with your fore finger and thumb. Slip the fabric of the finger up the shaft of the blunt object while maintaining pressure on the hollow tube.

7. Turn all fingers & thumbs; finish turning hand right side out.

8. Next prepare pipe cleaners.  You need 10 pipe cleaners. I like to cut them 3 times the length of the fingers.

9. Fold over 1/3 of the length and twist together.

10. Insert the round end of the pipe cleaners into each finger. 

11. Gather pipe cleaner ends together if you are attaching  hand to an armature. Wrap the ends  of pipe cleaners around the wire arm armature. Wrap masking tape around pipe cleaners and arm armature.  If you are only wiring the fingers twist the ends together, snip off ends if the extend beyond the wrist and use masking tape to bind the ends together.

12. Work stuffing into the hand. Lightly stuff the knuckle area.

13. Next stuff the back and palm of hand, make sure that the stuffing is all around the pipe cleaners.  Do not make the hands pudgy.

Basic Mitten Hand Instructions Hands

1. Trace 2 hand templates onto the wrong side of doubled fabric.

2. Sew the hands on the drawn line. Leave openings.

3. Cut out leave 1/8 seam allowance.

4. Clip between thumb and hand up to sewn seam be careful not to snip seam.

5. Turn right side out.  Stuff hands lightly. Work a little stuffing into thumbs.

6. Sculpting the fingers. Thread a needle with flesh color matching thread. 

7. Insert needle into at the base of the middle line guide. Inserting the needle in one side of the hand and out the other, reinsert needle come out at the top of the stitch on the other side. Proceed up the hand.

8. At the tip of the finger loop the thread over the top of the hand, insert needle back to the other side. 

9. Reinsert needle into previously stitched area, come out at the top of next finger tip.

10. Loop over finger tip, start working your way down the hand. 

11. At the base of finger reinsert the needle in same area, move to the last guide line starting at base of the finger.  Sew your way up the area. Knot off.

12. Color the finger nails with color pencil or paint if desired.