Tutorials
www.kitronik.co.uk
Zippi Doll
Kitronik Ltd – How to make a Zippi doll
Parts List
In order to make your Zippi doll you will need the following:
A blue, green, red or yellow Electro Fashion flashing LED kit containing:
 Sewable Battery holder
 Battery
 2 x LEDs
 Conductive thread x 2 metres
A Kitronik Electro-Fashion Sewable Tilt Switch
10cm Zip
Felt 14 x 14 cm
Fleece 20 x 30 cm, 2 off
Button
Polyester wadding
Normal sewing thread
You will also require the following equipment:
Round nose pliers
Sewing machine
Needle with medium/large eye
Large tapestry needle
Pins
Ruler
Optional items for decoration – not an exhaustive list:
Extra buttons
Ribbon
Felt for enhancing the eyes
Wool for hair
Fabric for clothes
Sequins, beads etc
Once made please remember that this is not a toy, and is not suitable for small children to play with.
www.kitronik.co.uk
Page 1 of 12
Tutorials
www.kitronik.co.uk
Zippi Doll
Step by step guide to making your Zippi doll
Step 1
Carefully cut out the paper final design template (see
template at end) around the Zippi body. Cut out the
mouth hole accurately – fold the paper in half to start the
initial cut.
Pin the template securely to one piece of fleece, making
sure that the right side of the fleece (fluffy side) is facing
upwards.
Mark around the edge of the template with pencil or
tailors chalk – including cut out for mouth.
Cut out around the design carefully. Also cut out the
mouth hole accurately – fold the fleece in half to start the
initial cut.
Remove the pins and the template/pattern.
Repeat for the back without the cut out for the mouth.
www.kitronik.co.uk
Page 2 of 12
Tutorials
www.kitronik.co.uk
Zippi Doll
Step 2
Take the 14cm square of felt and the zip. Position the zip
horizontally, 7cm up from the bottom of the felt square
with the zipper to the right.
Place the cut out fleece with the mouth opening on top of
the zip and felt with the 7cm longest side of felt to the
bottom.
Line the mouth cut out with the zip teeth, making sure
that the zipper is to the right hand edge of the opening.
Be careful not to move the zip.
Pin all three layers in place near the zipper teeth.
Sew around the zip using a sewing machine set at straight
stitch length 3.
Keep the stitching 3mm from the edge of the fleece.
Start at the corner furthest away from the zipper.
www.kitronik.co.uk
Page 3 of 12
Tutorials
www.kitronik.co.uk
Zippi Doll
Sew 2/3rds of the way down the zip and stop, leaving the
needle down.
Raise the presser foot and undo the zip.
Lower the presser foot.
Continue sewing around the zip, making sure your needle
is left down when you turn the corners.
When you are ½ way up the other side, stop sewing and
leave the needle down.
Raise the presser foot.
www.kitronik.co.uk
Page 4 of 12
Tutorials
www.kitronik.co.uk
Zippi Doll
Do up the zip.
Lower the presser foot.
Continue sewing around the mouth until you reach where
you started sewing.
Remove the zippi doll and pull loose threads through to
the back.
Knot and trim.
Using a small sharp pair of scissors, cut away the
rectangle of felt from behind the zip teeth – be careful
not to cut the zip teeth.
www.kitronik.co.uk
Page 5 of 12
Tutorials
www.kitronik.co.uk
Zippi Doll
Step 3
Identify the LED legs.
The easiest way to identify the positive and negative
leg is by the length of the legs (see diagram left). The
long leg is the positive '+' and the short leg is the
negative '-'.
The other way of identifying the negative ‘-’ leg is by
the flat edge on the LED (see diagram left). This can be
very useful if you have formed your leg into eyelets.
Decide where the LEDs (eyes) are going to be and using
a large tapestry needle poke a hole 1.5mm above and
1.5mm below the centre point of the eyes (3mm gap).
Repeat for the other LED.
Push the LED legs carefully through these holes from
the fleece side, so that the legs come out on the felt
side.
Important – make sure the longer +ve leg (this is the
longer leg) is in the top hole.
www.kitronik.co.uk
Page 6 of 12
Tutorials
www.kitronik.co.uk
Zippi Doll
Using small, round nosed pliers, coil one of the LED legs
around the end of the pliers to form a small circular
shape.
Place this flat on the felt, making sure the LED is flush
with the fleece on the front.
Repeat for the other LED.
For more detailed instructions on this step see our
basic e-textile circuit tutorial.
Sew on any additional decoration at this stage, button
for nose, wool for hair, etc.
Step 4
Attach the battery clip to the felt using a small piece of
double sided adhesive tape – make sure it is not over
the zip, near the edge of the felt or touching the LED
coiled legs.
Attach the tilt switch to the felt using a small piece of
double sided adhesive tape.
Position the switch vertically with the legs nearer the
zip if you want the eyes to light up when he is upright.
If you want the eyes to light up when he is lying down,
place the tilt switch legs away from the zip.
www.kitronik.co.uk
Page 7 of 12
Tutorials
www.kitronik.co.uk
Zippi Doll
Make sure the stitching is planned for the circuit. (See
picture to the left).
Using conductive thread sew between the components.
You will need 3 separate lines of stitching:a: +ve battery to one side of the tilt switch
b: the other side of the tilt switch to all the +ve LED
legs
c: -ve LED legs to the –ve side of the battery
Ensure the thread is really secure and not touching any
components or crossing over other stitch lines. Use
small running stitch.
It is important to create tight and secure connections at
the point where the thread attaches to the battery
holder and LEDs. The thread must be attached tightly to
these items, so that a good electrical connection is
established.
Each joint should be stitched through a number of
times, each time it should be pulled tight, to ensure this
is the case.
When complete, test the circuit with a battery.
Continue to step 5 if it works, it not refer to our fault
finding in e-textiles resource.
www.kitronik.co.uk
Page 8 of 12
Tutorials
www.kitronik.co.uk
Zippi Doll
Step 5
Fold the bottom edge of felt up to meet the top edge of
the felt.
Pin in place.
Measure in 1cm in from the right zip edge and 2cm in
from the top right edge – join these two marks with a
pencil line.
Repeat for the other side.
Using the sewing machine, sew up this diagonal line,
across the top and diagonally down the other side, to the
other end of the zip.
Secure the ends of the stitching.
Carefully trim the felt back to 0.5cm from the stitch line.
www.kitronik.co.uk
Page 9 of 12
Tutorials
www.kitronik.co.uk
Zippi Doll
Step 6
Take the other piece of fleece and place so that the right
side of the fleece (fluffy side) is facing upwards.
Place the front side of the Zippi doll face down on the
fleece and pin in position.
Machine stitch around the edge of the Zippi doll 0.5cm in
from the edge.
Leave a gap of 6cm to the right hand side of the head –
this is so you can turn the doll the right side round and
stuff – mark the start and end of the gap with double pins
so you don’t forget to stop when sewing.
Use a stitch length of 3. Take care that the fleece does
not get snagged underneath the needle by going slowly
and leaving the needle down and raising the presser foot
when going around curves.
Reverse stitch at beginning and end of the gap.
www.kitronik.co.uk
Page 10 of 12
Tutorials
www.kitronik.co.uk
Zippi Doll
Step 7
Turn him the right way round through the hole and turn
through ears, arms and legs.
Stuff the body using fluffed up polyester wadding.
Sew up the gap using ladder stitch.
www.kitronik.co.uk
Page 11 of 12
Tutorials
www.kitronik.co.uk
www.kitronik.co.uk
Zippi Doll
Page 12 of 12