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

Publisher: Amy Barrett-Daffin Creative Director: Gailen Runge Acquisitions Editor: Roxane Cerda Managing/Developmental Editor: Liz Aneloski Technical Editor: Debbie Rodgers Cover/Book Designer: April Mostek Production Coordinator: Tim Manibusan Production Editor: Jennifer Warren Illustrators: Shirley Hudson and Mary E. Flynn Photo Assistant: Lauren Herberg Cover photography by Shirley Hudson Photography by Selina Hudson, unless otherwise noted Published by C&T Publishing, Inc., P.O. Box 1456, Lafayette, CA 94549 DEDICATION To my daughter, Selina, and my husband, Dana, my true eternal loves! ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I want to thank my sisters, Angie, Cecilia, and Julie, and my brother, Vince, for all the fun, great times we had growing up. There was never a dull moment! Imagination was our greatest assetno matter what supplies or how little money we had, we all made the most of it. Each one of you brought something different to the table. Childhood would never have been so wonderful if I didnt have all of you! I am thankful for you all.

I also want to thank my great friend Sue. You are the best! You are so talented, and you always make the most amazing dolls. You make me laugh all the time, you inspire me, and I treasure our times together. A big shout-out to all my friends at the craft shows, quilt shows, and doll club, too! I want to give a special thank-you to my daughter, Selina, who took almost all the photos for this book. You are very talented! You have so many ideas and tackled them all. I couldnt have done this without you! Hugs and kisses! 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 toythey 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 skys the limit! SUPPLIESMuslin: 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 doesnt, you can also sew with a regular sewing foot; however, a regular sewing foot doesnt have the same playful stitching capabilities. Sewing machine: Any sewing machine will do. I dont recommend that these dolls be stitched by hand. Scissors: Sharp fabric scissors are best. EZ Point & Turner (by Sue OVery Designs; Famor 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 dolls face and torso from smudges.

It can be found at most grocery superstores and craft stores. Hot glue gun and sticks: Hot glue is the easiest and quickest way to attach arms and legs, add embellishments, and more. Any kind and brand are good. Ribbons, trims, yarns, and lace: Scraps of these are perfect for dolls. Check your stash! Embellishments: You can use ephemera, buttons, tulle, glitter, clear tacky glue, old jewelry, flowers, wool, sticks, straw, wool, felt, and the like. DOLL BASICS The basics provide all the steps in creating the art dolls.
Feel free to use your own creativity, too.Draw the Doll on Muslin There are several pattern pieces for the dolls in this book.

Choose the appropriate ones for the doll you want to make. NOTE Drawing your own designs on paper or directly on muslin is highly encouraged. You can use my patterns as a guide to draw your own doll designs. Draw your custom patterns on paper first so you can erase, add new lines, and change as you go. Remember that the doll will be stuffed later. If the head is skinny now, it will be even skinnier when stuffed! Press the muslin flat.

Cut the muslin pieces about 1 larger than the doll pattern on all sides. This makes it easier to pull and push the fabric as you are free-motion sewing. Trace the doll pattern onto paper and cut it out. Lay the pattern piece down and trace all the way around the shape with a pencil. The pencil line is your sewing line. Choose a backing fabric for your doll; fun fabrics that match the theme of your doll are best.