rose garden

I had been making plush dolls using oshi-plush books and patterns generously shared for free, but I wanted a doll with my ideal proportions: a perfectly round head and a cute, perky bottom. So I created this pattern.

The more patterns there are, the easier it is for everyone to get closer to their ideal plush, right? With that in mind, I’m sharing the pattern I created and explaining how to make it.

※The finished size can vary considerably depending on the type of fabric used.

Contents

Pattern

Instructions

Head

Body

Joining the head and body

Sculpting the buttocks

Finished doll

Pattern

This tutorial makes a blank, unclothed doll base, so the optional pattern pieces are not used.

This pattern was made by an amateur and is not guaranteed to be perfectly accurate or precise.

You can use a sewing machine, but the areas where several fabric layers overlap and become thick may be quite difficult for a household sewing machine.

The starfish-shaped body and appliqué-style ears are intended for people who want an easier construction method. If people say that they do not understand how to assemble them, I may write separate instructions.

Print the pattern on A4 paper.

Claiming the pattern as your own or using it commercially is prohibited.

Personal use and alterations are permitted.

You do not need to report that you used it, but the creator would be thrilled to see your finished doll.

(Translator note: Get the actual pattern files from the blog post to make sure they are the correct size! Printing instructions are included at the end of this document.)

Tools and Materials

Hand-sewing thread Red thread is used in the tutorial so the stitches are easy to see, but the creator normally uses white.

Sewing clips Used instead of pins to keep stacked fabric layers from shifting. Ordinary pins are also fine.

Scissors: cutwork scissors Used to cut fabric and thread. Fabric shears and thread snips are also fine.

Extra-fine fabric marking pen Used to trace the pattern onto the fabric.

Sewing needle

Needle threader Useful for passing thread through the needle eye, but optional.

Skin-colored plush/boa fabric

Polyester stuffing

Crab spoon A narrow seafood spoon that is very useful for inserting stuffing. Optional.

Craft hemostats Useful for turning pieces right-side out and inserting stuffing. Optional.

General Instructions

Place the fabric so that the direction of the pile runs downward, then trace the pattern pieces onto it.

Complete the facial embroidery before tracing and cutting the doll pattern.

Cut the fabric along the pattern’s cutting lines.

To make assembly easier, make small clips at the indicated alignment marks. Be careful not to cut through the stitching line.

Use backstitch for all permanent seams. Use running stitch only for temporary basting.

Sew along the marked stitching lines.

Head

1. Sew the facial darts

Sew the two triangular darts on the face piece.

2. Make the ears

Place two ear pieces right sides together and sew them as shown.

After sewing, trim away the seam allowance without cutting the stitches. Turn the ear right-side out.

Repeat for the second ear.

3. Baste the ears to the face

Place the ears onto the right side of the face piece as shown.

Match each ear to the alignment mark at the side of the face and to the facial dart. Baste the ear in place inside the seam allowance.

4. Attach the chin to the face

Place the chin and face right sides together and sew them.

Match:

the corners of the chin’s stitching line with the side alignment marks on the face; and

the center alignment mark on the chin with the center alignment mark on the face.

5. Sew the back of the head

Sew the two darts on each back-head piece.

Place the two back-head pieces right sides together. Sew them as shown, leaving the marked opening unsewn for turning and stuffing later.

6. Attach the upper forehead piece

Open the two back-head pieces out to the left and right.

Match the center alignment mark of the back head with the center mark on the more sharply curved forehead piece. Place them right sides together and sew.

Insert any of the following into this seam before sewing, when needed:

an ahoge or flyaway hair piece

spiky hair

back hair pieces

7. Attach the front head and face

Place the face and the more gently curved forehead piece right sides together and sew.

Match:

the corners of the forehead piece’s stitching line with the side alignment marks on the face; and

the center alignment marks of both pieces.

Insert the bangs into this seam before sewing.

Next, sew the chin to the back of the head. Sew only as far as the indicated alignment mark on the back-head piece, as shown in the photograph.

Repeat on the other side.

To help the head turn cleanly and hold its proper shape, either:

trim down all seam allowances without cutting the stitches; or

make several small clips into the seam allowances.

Do not turn the head right-side out yet. Set it aside inside-out.

Body

1. Sew the stomach dart

Sew the dart on the front torso/stomach piece.

2. Attach the arms to the front

With the right side of the stomach piece facing up, sew the left and right arms to it as shown.

3. Sew the back pieces

Sew the darts on the two back pieces.

Place the back pieces right sides together and sew them as shown, leaving the marked turning opening unsewn.

4. Attach the arms to the back

Open the sewn back pieces out to the left and right, with the right side facing upward.

Attach the arms to the back as shown.

5. Attach the legs

Sew the two darts on each leg.

Place one leg and the back body right sides together and sew them. The leg edge with the longer, gentler curve should face the outside of the body, toward the underarm/side.

Attach the other leg in the same way.

6. Join the front and back body

Place the front and back body pieces right sides together and sew them as shown.

As with the head, either trim down all seam allowances or make several small clips into them. Do not cut the stitches.

Turn the body right-side out. The body is now complete.

Joining the Head and Body

Keep the head inside-out.

Insert the right-side-out body into the inside-out head.

Match the center alignment mark on the chin with the center alignment mark on the stomach. Sew the head and body together.

Turn the entire doll right-side out through the opening in the back.

Stuff the doll through the opening.

Insert the stuffing in this order:

tips of the feet

arms

torso

head

Continue adjusting the overall shape as you stuff.

After stuffing, close the turning opening with a ladder stitch or invisible stitch.

The doll is finished at this point unless you want to sculpt a divided, rounded bottom.

Sculpting the Buttocks

1. Insert the needle at the crotch and bring it out around the lower back/waist.

2. Insert the needle through the crotch again.

Arrange the thread so that it passes along the center of the buttocks, then bring the needle back out at the waist.

3. Insert the needle again very close to where it emerged at the waist, then bring it out through the crotch.

Pull the thread until the buttocks have the degree of roundness you prefer.

Tie off the thread securely.

Your doll now has a cute, perky bottom.

Finished Doll

The blank doll body is complete.

It can also wear clothing made for capsule-toy dolls.

Add facial embroidery and hair, and bring your favorite character to life as a plush doll with your own hands!

Let's enjoy the oshi-plush life!!

Translator addition - Printing the Pattern

If you do not have access to A4 size printer paper, you can still print the pattern accurately using US Letter sized paper. (8.5” x 11”)

The pattern images are designed to be printed on A4 paper in landscape orientation at 100% scale. Do not print the PNG files directly from a web browser, since browsers and image viewers may resize them unexpectedly.

Download the patterns from the original blog post here: https://note.com/_tomo_neko_/n/n830be1a1d9a0

Convert the PNG Files to an A4 PDF

The following method uses LibreOffice Draw, which is free.

Download both original pattern PNG files from Tomoneko’s post.

Open LibreOffice Draw.

Open Page → Page Properties...

4. Set the paper format to A4 and the orientation to Landscape. Click Apply/OK.

5. Insert the first PNG using Insert → Image. 6. Set the image size to:

Width: 29.7cm

Height: 21.0cm

Note: Mine defaults to display in inches. You need to type "29.7cm" exactly.

7. Next to "Align", select "Centered" and "Middle"

8. Add a second page by clicking Page → New Page and repeat these steps with the second PNG.

9. Export the two-page document using File → Export As → Export as PDF.

The resulting PDF should contain both pattern sheets at their intended A4 dimensions.

Printing on A4 Paper

Open the PDF in Adobe Acrobat Reader (which is free to download).

Select Print.

Choose:

Paper size: A4

Size: Actual Size or 100%

Do not select Fit, Shrink, or Scale to printable area.

Printing on US Letter Paper

Adobe Acrobat Reader can divide each A4 pattern sheet across multiple US Letter pages.

Open the PDF in Adobe Acrobat Reader. (You may need to right-click and select Open with Adobe Acrobat) Do not print it from a web browser, since browser printing may alter the scale.

2. Select Print.

3. Under Page Sizing & Handling, choose Poster. 4. Set:

Paper size: US Letter

Tile Scale: 100%

Overlap: approximately 0.25 in/6 mm

5. Cut marks and page labels may be enabled if helpful.

6. Print the pages, trim where necessary, align the overlapping sections, and tape them together.

Do not select Fit, Shrink, or any option that reduces the page size.

Before cutting fabric, confirm that the assembled pattern page is the correct A4 size: 29.7 cm wide x 21.0 cm tall

Printer and browser settings can sometimes retain an old scaling percentage, so always check that the print scale is set to 100% or Actual Size.

Since this was my first time embroidering, I used this video to help me get started:

I struggled at first with figuring out how to secure the thread. What has worked best for me so far is tying the thread ends together on the back whenever possible. That seems to hold them securely enough.

I also learned that I need to trace my pattern much more carefully next time. Some of the lines were faint or imprecise, which made the embroidery harder than it needed to be.

Embroidering the Face

I started by outlining the bangs. After that, I outlined and satin stitched the eyebrows, followed by the eyelashes.

Then I went back to satin stitch the bangs... and wow, I struggled to keep all those little zigzags aligned. Kurama’s hair is really not beginner-friendly. (;w;)

Embroidery floss colors (mostly for my own reference)

Bangs: 891 Eyebrows: 326 Eyelashes: 3371 Pupils: 895 Iris-main: 701 White Highlights: 3865 Pinks of face: 352

One thing I would change next time is the order in which I work. I think it would be better to outline as much of the design as possible before filling anything in. Kurama’s right eye (on my left while I was working) started getting smudged from all the handling.

I also need a better method for tracing the design onto the embroidery sheet. 😭 Next time, I may try lightly tracing it with a felt-tip pen so I can get cleaner, more visible lines. 🥲👍

Helpful Tools

Thimbles and needle pullers have been a godsend throughout this process. 💗

I keep a relatively comfortable thimble on my ring finger because that is the finger I naturally use to push the needle. I totally forgot the brand, but it might've been Clover?? If they even make thimbles?? I also have small silicone needle pullers that help when the needle gets stuck in a particularly dense area.

I’m trying not to rely on the pullers too much, though. Pulling the needle through tight spots can put a lot of pressure on the fabric, and I don’t want to stretch or distort Kurama’s face. (;w;)

Finishing the Face

Now that most of the face embroidery is complete, I only have the bangs left to finish.

The whites of the eyes were surprisingly difficult. The tiny white shines were even harder! I think PiyoPicco recommends embroidering the shines first, so I may try that order next time. 🤔

I also wish I had used two strands of embroidery floss for all the satin stitching. 😭 Using a single strand took forever, and I’m worried that making so many individual stitches caused me to poke too many holes in the fabric. At this point, I’m just hoping everything stays together. 🥹

Overall, though, I’m really happy with how the face came out! I think it clearly reads as Kurama, and the eyes look very cute.

What I’ve Learned So Far

I'm starting to think a 10cm doll might be even more difficult than a 20cm, since there’s much less room for error… Maybe a 15cm doll would have been the ideal beginner project? 😅 Or hell, even a 20cm lol. At least I think the 10cm doll will be done quicker! (Right..?)

Now I'm nervous about the construction... I think the body won't be too difficult thanks to Tomoneko's tutorial, but I'm really worried about Kurama's hair! I don't have a solid plan for the back, nor the poofy part on top. (;w;) I will do my best... (╥ ω ╥)

Tutorials and References

These are the main tutorials I’m using:

Tomoneko’s 10 cm doll pattern and blog post: https://note.com/_tomo_neko_/n/n830be1a1d9a0

PiyoPicco’s face and hair video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCDkMLzIL5Q

PiyoPicco’s 10 cm doll video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-3ZXzwGVIM&list=PLv0XliZ3rZoAFUq7Pi7ID9gyhH5Rz4Ans&index=11

I’m also referencing PiyoPicco’s first oshi nui book whenever I can, although reading a sewing book in Japanese is difficult!

Speaking of translations, I’ve translated Tomoneko’s blog post into English and was given permission to share it here! I’m also working on translating PiyoPicco’s book, but that project is going to be much slower and more difficult (and may need to remain private). がんばる！！

The finished 10 cm dolls in these tutorials are so cute, but also so tiny. I’m a little nervous about how this is going to go.

Preparing the Fabric

I received a bunch of tools with my 20 cm doll-making kit, and I still don’t know exactly what all of them are. The kit included some marking pens, which I hope are water-soluble or otherwise removable...

It also included a translucent white material. At first, I assumed it was supposed to go behind the fabric as an embroidery stabilizer, although I wasn’t completely sure.

To cut out the fabric, I used a new pair of very small, pointed Fiskars scissors. They made it much easier to cut the fine details, although this kind of careful cutting is rough on my shaky hands.

The fabric also shed quite a bit while I was cutting it, but a lint roller made cleanup easy.

At first, I tried assembling everything without the mystery backing material because it seemed too thick for what I was doing. Getting the layers lined up in the embroidery hoop was extremely difficult.

I had been trying to conserve material, but I learned that I need to leave plenty of extra fabric on all four sides. Otherwise, there isn’t enough fabric available to wrap securely around the hoop. The skin fabric still felt too loose, but there wasn’t much more I could do with the amount I had left around the edges.

I did the best I could! (;w;)

Eventually, I took the hoop apart and tried lining everything up again with the papery backing included. I managed to get all the layers seated in the hoop. It still looked a little strange, but it seemed more workable.