Charming Dolls: Make Cloth Dolls with Personality Plus; Easy Visual Guide to Painting, Stitching, Embellishing & More

INTRODUCTION

For thousands of years, women have been making dolls for their children to play with. As kids we played and played, often until our dolls became torn and tattered. Sometimes the fascination for dolls never leaves us, even as we mature and grow older. Dolls are so much more than a toy—they lift our spirits, remind us of simpler times, drive our imaginations, and liven up our home decor.

Making art dolls is a passion of mine. Art dolls are not made for children but for people who are children at heart, like you and me! There are no rules and no right way to make them. Be playful and experiment; try something new and different. Let go of perfectionism! As children, we made art from pure joy and experimentation. Now is the time to find that spirit again. Art dolls should come from your imagination, so get out of your comfort zone and let loose!

I began making Halloween dolls because I really love the holiday. As a child, it meant free candy, fun, and an escape from the usual homework and duties. I learned many crafting skills over the years, including how to use common, easy-to-find materials and make them special. My first doll of this kind was a goofy witch. She was cute, and I was hooked!

In this book, you will learn how to sew primitive playful doll shapes, paint faces with ease, use several mediums for extra texture, and embellish. The sky’s the limit!

SUPPLIES

■ Muslin: Plain muslin is the base for all the dolls’ heads and torsos. This simple beige fabric is perfect to sew and paint on, and the muslin will not be visible when the doll is complete.

■ Fabric scraps for the arms, legs, and backing: Any cotton fabric is good. Pick fabrics that will go with your doll or complement it. Consider holiday fabrics, vintage floral sheets, modern designs, white on white, fabric that looks like animal print, plaids, stripes, denim, and batik. Check your stash of scraps!

■ Pencil: Use a plain ordinary pencil, not a mechanical one.

■ Black thread: Black thread is used for primitively stitching the dolls; it is part of the playful, cute look. Other thread colors get lost in the painting process. Use matching thread for the arms and legs.

■ Walking foot / quilting foot: This foot is perfect for free-motion stitching. Most sewing machines now have this attachment. If your machine doesn’t, you can also sew with a regular sewing foot; however, a regular sewing foot doesn’t have the same playful stitching capabilities.

■ Sewing machine: Any sewing machine will do. I don’t recommend that these dolls be stitched by hand.

■ Scissors: Sharp fabric scissors are best.

■ EZ Point & Turner (by Sue O’Very Designs; Famoré Cutlery) or safety pin: Turning arms and legs right side out is much easier with these tools.

■ Polyfil stuffing and stuffing tool: The dolls do not use a lot of stuffing. Many bags of stuffing come with a wooden stuffing tool.

■ Acrylic paints in a variety of colors: Most brands of paint are very similar to each other. Use what you like.

■ Paint brushes in 2 or 3 sizes: Use small brushes for details and large ones for spreading out more paint.

■ Palette or paper plate: It is important to keep your paints separate, especially when watering down the paint.

■ Pastels: I use the Cray-Pas 25-color set (by Sakura Color Products Corp.). Inexpensive pastels are perfect. Pastels add great color that is much more dramatic than colored pencils.

■ Colored pencils (at least 24): Colored pencils are easy to use, especially in small areas. The color can be light or intensified with layering.

■ Pencil sharpener: Keep your colored pencils sharp!

■ Fixative spray: I use Workable Fixatif (by Krylon), a spray that sets paint, colored pencils, and pastels. The spray protects the doll’s face and