All of my sewing patterns need to be closed with a ladderstitch after stuffing. When I made my first dolls back in the day ladderstitch terrified me. But once you’ve grasped the basics it’s straight forward enough.

On all my patterns I suggest you sew a guide line of stitches 5mm from the edge of your fabric on the length of your stuffing hole. As my patterns all work on a 5mm seam allowance this means that your guideline will be at the same depth as your other stitches.

So when you do your ladderstitch it will not bulge or dip in from the rest of your stitches which will help to hide it. Also if you have stuffed your keepsake / soft toy really firmly some interfacings will pull away from the fabric when you do your ladderstitch. Which can ruin an otherwise perfect keepsake / softie, which is so frustrating and upsetting.

So how to ladderstitch perfectly?

Start sewing from just before the end of your original seam. Use a doubled up piece of cotton for extra strength.

Dip your needle in and out of the fabric on the left of the closure hole just outside your guideline that you have created

Take the thread across horizontally to the right-hand side, dip in and out just outside your guideline.

Return with a horizontal movement to the left and dip in and out.

Continue to repeat until you have a neat ladder shaped line of stitches. Keep your horizontal lines truly horizontal to the vertical line of the keepsake / soft toys opening and do little stitches when you are dipping in and out, then you’ll get a neat finish. Gently pull on your stitches to pull the opening completely closed, and tie closed.