Wounds: A Zombie Doll Mini Tutorial

Okay let’s talk about wounds; you know, cuts, abrasions, gashes, bites, severed limbs, bloody contusions, etc. All of this grosses me out beyond belief in real life, like to the point that I scream when I get a paper cut and can’t watch violent movies. However, when it comes to zombie making I get excited about the wounds on my creations. Seriously I’m always looking for a new wound to add to my repertoire and I find it relaxing to create zombies with their bloody wounds. That’s weird, right?! I know, but I can’t help it. Anyway, I often work using recycled wool so I sew my wounds then sometimes add gore with red acrylic paint.  I tried something a little different the other night when I was making the zombie for my partner.  I created layered wounds using wool pieces and machine sewing them. 

After making my swap zombie I wanted to play around with creating more wounds so I made a zombie for my zombie shelf.  I think I actually went overboard on the wounds but I had so much fun experimenting that I couldn't stop. Here’s what I did.

I pulled out my white, pink and red wool scraps then began cutting the scraps to create wounds. For my doll I cut a body piece in white wool then cut out the same shape in red. I pinned the wounds to the red wool and stitched them into place using my machine.

Once that was finished I layered my white wool piece on top of the red (with the right sides facing up) then pinned it together.  I flipped my fabric sandwich over; using the outline of the wounds I had already sewn, I stitched around the wounds about ¼” out from my original lines.

Then I turned the piece back over and began to cut into the white wool to open up my doll’s wounds. A seam ripper worked really well to create a hole that I could get my scissors into.

 I used different combinations of my wool scraps to create fleshy looking wounds, bones and bloody gashes or bites. I haven’t hit it with acrylic paint but I’m thinking about it. 

As I was working I started to think about zombie wounds and began wondering what everyone else does to gory up their zombies. So, what do you do for zombie wounds and how do you create them? Do you have a favorite type of zombie wound or a trademark wound that you always include on your dolls? I’d love to hear about it.