Posts by: Aisling Dart
The first rule of cloth doll making is: BREAK THE RULES! Nobody said the skin fabric has to be pink. Or muslin. Or brown. Or whatever. Your doll’s skin can be purple. Or green. Or paisley. Or white lace over silver lame that you’ve fused to muslin. Nobody said that your dolls’ legs and arms [...]
Not sure how to choose the right cloth doll stuffing? Here’s the punch line: Buy the best doll stuffing (ex: fiberfill, polyfill, batting, cotton wool) that you can afford. The cheap stuff may look the same in the bag. It may even feel the same if you squeeze it. You may think, “I’ll bet this [...]
Should you preshrink fabrics (or prewash them) before making a cloth doll? Yes… and no. It depends upon what’s important to you. Why not to prewash or preshrink fabrics Fabrics, especially cottons, never look quite so “fresh” after prewashing. The sizing* and surface finish wash off, so the fabric doesn’t look as smooth. In most [...]
Some swaps say, “Documentation will be provided,” or something like that. Here’s what that means: The person organizing the swap will provide a list of everyone who participated in the swap, mailart call, or whatever. In some cases, that list may be just people’s names. In others, it’s each person’s name and address. (If you [...]
When organizing an art swap of any kind, postage can be a Very Big Headache. Here are some tips to keep the postage problems to a minimum. Different people send items that are varying sizes and — more importantly — different weights. Even in a cloth doll swap, you never know who’ll embellish their dolls [...]
When you’re participating in a doll swap through an online group or community, the numbers may confuse you. Here are some tips to help you understand how doll swaps work. Aisling’s note: I posted this explanation at the WildArtDolls group at Yahoo Groups, where people regularly swap dolls. EQUAL-FOR-EQUAL When a swap is 3-for-3 or [...]
Homemade dolls’ faces are easy to make, even with little or no sculpting skills. Whether you want to make a doll’s face, a doll’s head, or a mask for a doll, you can make it yourself in under an hour. Sculpting skills are not necessary. Here’s what you need: An existing doll that’s the right [...]
This is the second page of a two-part interview with British dollmaker Ambermoggie. Q. If you were stranded on a deserted island and could take just a few supplies with you, what would you need to make dolls? A. If I were stranded on an island the items I’d need would be wool, wire, a [...]
Aisling’s notes: Sukie–also known as Ambermoggie–has been a friend of mine for several years, and I’ve admired her dolls and figures for even longer. I was delighted when she agreed to an interview, because I know how busy she is. One of these days, I hope to visit her studio in England. Q. Your dolls [...]
These are free patterns for personal use. These are original, copyrighted designs. If you would like to feature them on your own website, you MUST include my copyright, and also provide a clickable link to follow to this website, http://www.WildArtDolls.com, from the page with the pattern. If you’d like to reproduce these patterns for a [...]
