Have Your Cake and Heat It Too
Air-dry clay is a perfect medium for dollmaking. The results are beautiful, there is no need for baking or firing, and let's admit - sculpting is relaxing and fun. There's one problem: it takes many hours to dry the clay.
You'll have to wait overnight at a minimum. If you're busy the following day, then your dolls will go on the "back burner" until you'll have time to continue. But there's a sweet solution: A food dehydrator and a cake topper!
Pin Up Boots
These Victorian boots got a nice finishing touch, thanks to a few pins and some black paint.
3-D Fabric Eyes For Cloth Dolls
Needle sculpting a cloth doll head creates a fully-defined nose and mouth. Wouldn't it be nice to add a little POP to the eyes?
Here's a tutorial that demonstrates how to "sculpt" fabric eyes. The result will be a whimsical, charming, and unique face.
Drafting Doll Garments the Easy Way
For custom-fitting clothes for your doll, bring her into the kitchen.
Grab some paper towels, and get drafting!
Hear’s a Great Way To Attach Ears To a Cloth Doll
Listen Up!
What's the easiest way to attach ears to a cloth doll? Use a paper clip! It's so easy, and you won't see any stitches. Let me show you how.
Smitten With Mittens
If you've tried your "hand" at cloth doll making, I'm sure you've seen different ways of making hands.
Let's talk about the kind of hands that have all the fingers sewn together like mittens. They're not just for beginners!
Shirring Fabric for Dolls
Shirring is a great technique to spruce up any old fabric while adding some serious visual interest without a lot of effort.
Think of it as "cheating surface embellishment." It can be a relaxing pause when you're in dollmaking mode, but not quite sure where your doll is going. Shirring is a great way to create "something from nothing" without thinking or planning too far ahead.
Making Cartoon Curls
While evaluating a vintage Betty Boop sewing pattern I found online, I've decided to use Paperclay to make Betty's hair, rather than yarn or fiber.
After all, she's got these wicked spiky curls and she is a cartoon.
The Iris Map