Easy Peasy Joining for Round Amigurumi Parts
Ever had an amigurumi with her head on crooked? Or one that wobbled around? What about an ami that did a face plant because her head was too far forward?
We’ve all been there, whether we have been crocheting amigurumi for years or we are on our first doll.
In spite of all the seamless options out there for joining amigurumi parts, there will come a time when you have to attach two 3-dimensional pieces that just don’t flow together.
A Square Head on a Round Body
Let me see if I can reconstruct the situation: You have a body that needs a head and a head that needs a body. You can hold them together just the way you want them, but you can’t seem to get them sewn together the same way you held them there!
If one of them was open, you could use a mattress stitch and basic math-based join to put them together, but alas, they are both closed.
Pinning the head in place isn’t working either because it keeps coming apart while you sew!
It’s like working out the age-old puzzle of fitting a square peg in a round hole.
The good news is that this is much simpler than the peg/hole debacle, and it will work on even your craziest-shaped amigurumi part.
What You Need
- Straight pins (it helps if they have different colored heads)
- Your sewing (tapestry) needle
- Your headless amigurumi
That’s it! No math!
Step 1: Smoosh your head on where you want it.
Hold the two pieces together exactly the way you want the head to go on. Look at where the two pieces come together. Using the straight pins, mark the place on the head where it meets the body, and the same place on the body where it meets the head.
Use the same color pins for clarity.
Step 2: Keeping your pins lined up, pin another place on the head and body in the same fashion. Go around the head in the this fashion, pinning as you go, making sure the previous pins are all still touching when you mark the next set of points.
Tip: Pin FIVE or more points on a round piece to ensure it will not be attached in a square! Try a pentagon or hexagon.
Step 3: Pull them apart and look at your handiwork. The shapes on the body and head should be the same. Adjust the pins a little until they are the as close to identical as you can get them.
Step 4: Starting at one of the pins, sew a mattress stitch (just like you would on an open seam) in a straight line to the next set of pins. Remove your pins as you get to them, rotate the piece, and work another straight line to the next set of pins.
Step 5: Work like this all the way around, bind off when you reach your starting point.
Video Tutorial
I cut and edited this section from the Elephants in Love pattern video so you could see a walk through of the process of joining amigurumi parts with this method.
And there you go! Without struggling through pinning the head in place and without scary crochet math, you have your amigurumi head attached just where you want it!
Joining amigurumi parts can be a lot easier than we all make it out to be. Sometimes it is just a matter of marking your pieces and sewing in straight lines.
Here are a few great FREE patterns that would benefit from this attachment method, especially for getting the head in the right place.
Try this method on a few patterns and let me know your results! If you have any other advice to add to this method, please leave comments!
Yarn on,
Kati
Kati is the designer behind Hooked by Kati. With thousands of patterns sold around the world, Kati prides herself in creating innovative, easy-to-follow amigurumi patterns. She has designed for several publications, including Crochet!, Crochet World, Simply Crochet, and I Like Crochet. Kati finds her inspiration in science fiction, video games, and numerous visits to the zoo — all passions she shares with her husband and two boys.
Oh wow! This might actually work for me!
Update: This worked so beautifully for me. I’ve been putting off attaching my dog’s head for days now and finally sewed it on today. Probably the neatest joining I’ve ever done. Thanks tons, Kati1
dommage que les explications ne seont pas en Français
Thank you very much
very good explanation.
as i hate sew parts it will be a good help
It all makes sense after I watch the video lol Thanks so much… Now I just have to wait for Amazon to deliver my colored pins!
Katie, these are great tips! As a crocheter AND knitter, I use a ‘keep it still’ weapon as well – knitting needles! I stab it through with 3 or 4 knitting needles, and they hold it nicely until your joining is completed! I am working on your Vincent the Dragon now. I’ll post pictures when done! Thanks, Aunt Bev
Great idea!!
Thank you Thank you Thank you!!!
I wish I had known this when I struggled with my first doll. but it is nice to know it now. I won’t dread making another, now.
I always struggle with sewing. This def seems like a better way to do it, thanks for the tips ????