Crafting Cloth Dolls

Crafting Cloth Dolls

Crafting Cloth Dolls features complete, step-by-step instructions for 10 exquisite fabric dolls. Patterns spotlight designs by top artists, including Barbara Chapman, Elise Peeples, and Brenda Gehl, and talented newcomers such as Annie Moon. Everything you need to know to create original dolls is here–how to form the body, paint the face, make and style hair, and costume the doll. With glorious full-color photographs of 100 dolls and detailed color drawings throughout, these pages are bursting with creative inspiration for both beginning and experienced dollmakers. Lesson planning and resource lists are included.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Crafting cloth dolls
Most of the dolls I make are simplistic. These dolls are from award-winning dollmakers and are more detailed than I usually make. If you like details when you make your dolls (faces, clothes, body styles) you will enjoy the many patterns in this book. The instructions are easy to follow and well laid out. Beginning with a supply list there are different sections for creating the dolls hair, body, costume and accessories. The finished dolls in the book are unique.

5 Stars For your inner whimiscal side
I have enjoyed this book for sewing whimsical and fun dolls,Great for beginners , This book is a thorough course in the basics of doll-making.

But also great for using the techniques that are general in nature, and then grow and soar using your own designing techniques

5 Stars Another fine guide for cloth dollmakers by Miriam Gourley!
Doll artist and author Miriam Christensen Gourley has written another great book on cloth dollmaking. I loved her first volume, but the dolls and patterns in this one are just as, or maybe even more fun than in the first book!

There is something in “Crafting Cloth Dolls” suitable to all sewing skill levels. Beginners will be pleased with the well-illustrated instruction and more advanced dollmakers are offered more challenging subjects, as well as good clay over cloth instructions.

Gourley has an excellent writing style and offers clear-cut, well-illustrated instructions and helpful tips and techniques, from wigmaking to shoemaking. Everything in this book makes sense!

Highly recommended to dollmakers looking to learn, polish their skills or be inspired by good dollmaking craft.

4 Stars A great book for more experienced dollmakers
I knew I would enjoy this book even before I opened it, as Miriam Gourley’s previous book on cloth dollmaking was so good. The earlier book had more basics in it, I feel this book is for more experienced dollmakers who want to be a bit adventurous. Miriam includes some interesting sections on home-made felt and felting, armatures, cloth doll construction and painting effects. For me, the best part was the 10 cloth doll projects at the back of the book, ranging from a simple cloth doll to a policeman to a doll with felted clothing. I loved the charm, diversity and sheer adventurousness of these projects. Definitely worth buying if you have any interest in cloth dolls at all.

5 Stars Beautiful Book
I really like the book “Crafting Cloth Dolls” for several reasons. It is loaded with color photos of dolls ranging from the simple, painted on faced muslin body styles to complicated, wire armature bodied dolls with clay and needle sculpted faces. A basic doll body pattern is included as well for users to create and expound upon.

Doll techniques covered include armature making, dyeing doll hair, wig making, shoe making, fairy wing making, face painting, and drafting doll clothing patterns. A technique for needle sculpted faces and a button joining technique were drawn and explained.

Patterns with body and clothing templates, supply lists, and clearly written instructions are included with the book to make 10 different styles of dolls. The dolls include Tulip (the doll on the cover), a tomato man, a constable, medieval knight, Japanese woman (from Japanese “Little Peach” fairy tale), simple rag doll, felted doll, felt body doll with paper clay mask, whimsical doll made of wire clothed with embillishments, and a very elegant maid doll.

The final pages of the book include a source sheet to locate the various doll artists that contributed to the book and order their respective patterns.

With so many doll making techniques abounding, this book cannot possibly cover them all; however, the patterns and easy to follow instruction with this book make it an excellent addition to the beginning doll makers library and an excellent source of inspiration for the more advanced doll maker.

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