attaching beards

[bensjen]

Hi all. I've been making gnome dolls for the kiddos, and am having trouble with the beards. I like to use wool roving, just because it looks good, but am not sure how to stitch it on so that it's hidden. it's easy for hair, because it's usually under a hat. For some of the smaller dolls, I just glue it on, but I don't much like that. I've just stitched it on to some of the bigger ones, and tried to hide the stitches in the beard or under a moustache, but that's hard to do, and they don't seem very firmly attached. Sometimes the wool pulls out in small fibers.
I'd also like to make some without hats with hidden stitches for the hair.

Anyone have any suggestions for me?
Thanks!

[Leersia]

What kind of material are you using for the faces? I might suggest that you get a felting needle and felt the roving right into the fabric. Might be worth a try anyway, esp. if you are using felt for the dolls!

[JenniferC]

A felting needle will also work if the doll is made of cotton, but stuffed with wool, you can felt it into the wool stuffing inside using the needle, or I've seen gnome dolls that have the beard sewn into the collar of their clothes, so that it sits right below their chin if that makes sense?