Tuesday, January 11, 2011

New doll looks on in irritation as preparations are made for doll making class

Here's my newest doll, made from Dixie's Izannah workshop pattern.  She's waiting patiently for clothing, but she might have to wait for a while...

...because her mother has volunteered to teach a 10 week doll making class to a bunch of little girls in her kids' homeschool co-op.  Apparently, her mother has lost her marbles.  Here are some rag doll bodies for the kids to stuff and give faces and clothe.

Here are some wigs.  This is a dizzying shot.  It captures how I felt after sewing them.

Gourds for making gourd dolls.

Origami dolls to make on Japanese Girls Day, which happens in March.

I found these little guys in my stash.  They should come in handy.

Doll books - my favorite genre of picture book.

I can't tell if she looks serene or annoyed.  Here are some of my other doll making ideas for the kids: yarn dolls, corn husk dolls, pipe cleaner fairies, jointed paper dolls with brads,  spool/bead dolls, gingerbread man/lady cookies to decorate, wooden spoon dolls, wool roving angels, kachina dolls made from sticks, storyteller dolls made from clay.  If anyone has any suggestions for successful doll making projects for kids (aged 7-13...yikes!), I'd love to hear about them.

7 comments:

  1. Oh, Elaine, you are a saint! ( thinking back to my Den Mother days...) But I'm sure the gals that attend really want to be there and I'll bet they have been eyeing your dolls every time they come to your home, just dreaming that you would do this! Bet they can hardly wait! Good for you, and them!

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  2. I would say she looks bemused that you took this project on! I think she's thinking, boy of boy, Elaine has no idea what she's gotten herself into.

    You are a sweetheart to go to all this trouble to make these little girls happy! They'll keep their dolls forever and always remember their time with you.

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  3. Hey, can I sign up from Australia, that looks fun! They are a lucky bunch of girls. What about painting clothes directly on the cloth doll bodies with watered down acrylic paints? Recipe for disaster maybe, but lots of fun.

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  4. Elaine,
    Wow, you'll be super busy! All the photos look great. I think your new doll's expression is saying she has a lot on her mind, but in her demure way, she'll handle things just fine!

    I've tried to get my kids (10 & 12) to work with paperclay. The love it! An early intro to paperclay will allow them sculpt trinkets/animals to go with the dolls. Just a thought.

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  5. Clothespin dolls would be easy. Faces/hair could be done with markers (fine tip dots for eyes, nose and tiny mouth). Use fabric scraps and snippets of lace for clothing.

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  6. Applehead dolls? You might need to start the heads early on so you have some drying time...assuming they want to make dolls that look a bit elderly LOL...

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  7. Thanks for the moral support and suggestions, everyone! I'll need both!

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