Knight and Squire Tutorial – Part 2 – Knight

Whether there is a dragon that needs taming or a kingdom that needs protecting, you’ll surely want a knight, or better yet, several, to keep the lands safe. And, it’s very important to have a supply of squires, willing and eager to learn the skills necessary to become a knight. 

This tutorial has 3 parts:
Part 1 – Getting Started
Part 2 – Crafting the Knight (below)
Part 3 – Crafting the Squire 

Part 1 – Getting Started – Can be found HERE.
In Part 1 you get the pattern and supply list, along with instructions for cutting out the felt and how to add the optional face and boots/gloves.

READ ALL INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE YOU BEGIN TO PREVENT MISUSE OF MATERIALS

IMPORTANT: When sewing pieces together, whether using a running, blanket or whip stitch, seam should only be 1/8”. If you make seams larger, the clothes will not fit. The small seam allows the clothing to lay better on the dolls. If you want to make the seams a little larger YOU MUST CUT THE PATTERN PIECES OUT A LITTLE BIGGER. You might want to experiment by making a pair of pants out of inexpensive felt and try sewing them on a doll before you cut out all your pattern pieces. 

DIRECTIONS FOR MAKING THE KNIGHT
Read Part 1 – Getting Started

PANTS:
Lay pants on work surface. Lay rope doll on pants piece so the slit is between the legs.

Using 2 strands of floss, blanket stitch the inseam of one leg, beginning at the bottom of the leg. You will be sewing the pants to the doll, and they will not be removable.

Do the other inseam.

Using a whip stitch and 2 strands of floss, sew up the front seam of the pants.

Using 2 strands of floss, sew a running stitch around the waist of the pants and pull to gather snuggly. Tie off.

SHIRT:
Slide shirt over head so slit is in the back.

Pin one side and sew up the shirt side and down the arm using a blanket stitch and 2 strands of floss.

Sew the other side.

Using an overcast stitch and 2 strands of floss, sew up the slit in the back.

TABARD:
Using pattern as a guide, mark the seam lines on the tabard. (Small sections in parentheses A and B.)

Using a blanket stitch and 3 strands of floss, sew around the neck opening.

Using 3 strands of floss, blanket stitch the bottom front and back.

Using 3 strands of floss, blanket stitch the shoulder sections.

Fold tabard in half matching side stitching lines.

Using a blanket stitch and 3 strands of floss, stitch under one arm. Sew through both the front and back to the joining line, joining the front to the back.

Do the same to the other side seam.

Place the tabard on the knight with the slit opening in the back.

Using an overcast stitch and 2 strands of floss, sew up the tabard opening.

HELMET:
Using a blanket stitch and 3 strands of floss, stitch along the bottom edge of the helm and along the inner circular edge.

Pin the wrong side of the helm together. Using a blanket stitch and 2 strands of floss, sew together along the seam line.

BELT:
Using a running stitch and 6 strands of felt, sew around the 4 edges of the belt. This is a single layer of felt. The stitching is used for decorative purposes only.

Pin the belt over the tabard. It should make the tabard gather a little.

Using 6 strands of floss, use a satin stitch to create the buckle. You should go through the 2 layers of the belt and the tabard.

NOTE: After the wee ones played with the knights for a while we found that the helmets were often taken off and went missing. Also, they were getting stretched out being taken on and off. Because these dolls were not designed to be dressed and undressed, we decided to glue the helmets on. Certainly not necessary but it’s worked for us. If you would like to do this, put the helmet on and pull it down so the helmet is touching the upper head. Put a dot of crafting glue under the helmet on the front and back and squeeze until the glue sets.

SWORD:
Cut a 3 inch piece of pipe cleaner. Color does not matter since it won’t be seen.

Pin 2 sword pieces together. Using a running stitch and 2 strands of floss, begin at the blunt end of sword, sew down one side of the blade, around the point, and about an inch up the other edge. Place pipe cleaner in sword, making sure the end goes into the tip. Finish sewing up the other side, and the short edge, encasing the pipe cleaner.

Following the pattern, position the blade on the handle. Using a running stitch and 2 strands of floss, sew the blade to the handle along the bottom, sides and across the top, creating a square.

Fold the handle over on itself to the overlap line. Pin in place. Using an overcast stitch and 2 strands of floss, sew the handle closed, being careful to only sew through the 2 layers of the handle. The knights hand needs to slide into the handle.

Try the sword on the knight’s hand. The fit should be snug so it does not fall off, but it needs to be able to slide on and off. Often, if the opening is too tight, you can stretch the felt a little by gently tugging. Sew across the edge of the handle touching the blade. You will be going through bother layers of the handle and the sword. Use a running stitch and 2 strands of floss.

When you find that the sword fits properly, using a blanket stitch and 3 strands of floss, sew around the outer edge of the handle. This will stop it from stretching out of shape.

SHIELD:
Pin shield front to shield back. Using a running stitch and 2 strands of floss, sew the 2 pieces together.

Pin shield piece to front of shield. Sew on using a running stitch and 2 strands of floss.

Using the pattern as a guid, position handle on back of shield. Using an overcast stitch and 2 strands of floss, sew handle in place making sure not to go through the front of the shield. NOTE: When you sew on handle, it will cause the shield to curve. This is correct.

Part 3 – Crafting the Squire.

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