Custom Doll Guide: Beginner's Must-Read Cotton Doll Face Design Series

Part 1: Embroidery Basics

In this first section of our custom doll guide, we'll cover the embroidery basics that will set the foundation for your cotton doll face design. Embroidery is not the same as digital drawing — it involves stitching, which has its own unique set of rules and challenges. Here, you'll learn the fundamental differences between drawing and embroidery, why stitch width matters, and how to work within factory color limits.

• Why thin lines often fail in embroidery
• Understanding realistic color limits for factories
• Essential tips for creating simple, safe drafts that translate well to embroidery machines

Part 2: Common Design Mistakes

Even if you have the basics down, there are common design mistakes that can derail your progress and lead to costly sampling errors. In this part of the custom doll guide, we'll identify those pitfalls and teach you how to avoid them with simple, actionable steps. Learn how to fine-tune your designs to ensure they're optimized for embroidery and won't waste your time or money.

• Overloading colors on a small face (why less is more)
• Thin line art vs solid color blocks (the benefits of bold designs)
• Over-detailed eyes and highlights (simplify for better results)
• Placement mistakes causing misalignment or wandering eyes

Part 3: Expression & Optimization

Now, it's time for the fun part of your custom doll guide journey — giving your dolls personality! In this section, we'll teach you how to adjust your designs to create the perfect expression for your doll. Learn how small tweaks, like adjusting eye-to-mouth distance, optimizing eyebrow colors, and simplifying highlights, can make a huge difference in your final design.

• Adjusting proportions for cute vs mature looks
• Eyebrow and hair color harmony for a balanced design
• A checklist to ensure your draft is factory-ready and optimized for embroidery

Once your face is optimized, we move to the Digital Draft stage in our production line.