Customer Reviews (3)

Great Beginner Dollmaking Book!
I love this book!I am a beginner sewer and dollmaker and I found this book to be easy to follow and understand.I can't stop making the adorable pocket dolls Jodie teaches in this book. TEACH YOURSELF CLOTH DOLLMAKING has a lot of cute little dolls, in color, featured throughout the whole book, created by different students and readers who used Jodie's patterns.It is fun and inspirational to see the many different kinds of dolls created from the same pattern.What I like most about the book is how the reader/dollmaker can create their own individual doll with it's own little personality.If you are new to dollmaking like I am I highly recommend this book!Easy to follow and easy to do!

A wonderful place to start making dolls!
This book is a wonderful place to start to learn how to make soft dolls.The patterns and instructions are well written and easy to follow.After following the author's patterns, new ideas were easy to incorporate.Ihave made angels and dolls for all of my family.Every Christmas, an angelinspired by this book looks down from eight different trees.I highlyrecommend this book for anyone wanting to start making cloth dolls.

Fabulous for beginners
This book is a godsend to those who want to learn about cloth dollmaking.Each step of making a doll, from basic sewing, to making the face or hair, to choosing fabrics and making clothing is covered in great detail. There are also patterns included for several dolls, each slightly more advanced than the one before it.The patterns cover several types of dolls - simple pancake dolls, a baby and 2 toddler dolls, and fantasy type dolls.It's definitely worth owning, even if you are an experienced dollmaker ... Read more

Product Description
From simple cloth to elegant bisque, dolls of every description are embraced in this charming tribute to a cherished craft. After opening with an engaging history of dollmaking, this fine instructional reviews the full range of materials, equipment, and techniques used in making patterns, cutting, sewing, and stuffing dolls. The book shows a selection of traditional and modern dolls from around the world. 300 color illustrations.Amazon.com Review
This comprehensive volume packs an incredible array of dollmaking techniques into 144 pages, ranging from naive peg dolls and starter dolls to posable character dolls and elegant, sculpted figures in elaborate clothes. Following full coverage of the basics (equipment, fabrics, stuffings, patterns, wig-making, components, and accessories) is an excellent presentation of techniques, including determining proportion; producing articulation; creating all sorts of faces, hair, and clothing; and producing dolls that utilize armatures or molds. All the dolls shown are charming and beautifully made, and all use relatively inexpensive and readily obtainable materials. At the end of the book you'll find a helpful cutting guide and a number of scale patterns. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

The Complete Book of Dollmaking and Techniques
This is A Complete Book of Dollmaking and she uses many Techniques,It is a good sorce of information to get you started on makeing dolls
Pamela Peakehas a few techniques to try. I think this book is very good for some one who knows nothing about makeing dolls whos interested in learning.

The Complete Book of Dollmaking
a good sorce of information to get you started on makeing dolls
What I like is she has a few techniques to try. I think this book is very good for some one who knows nothing about makeing dolls whos interested in learning.

cranky reader with attitude
I was intensely irked by this book. The descriptions looked good on the page, but the actual directions were vague and lost me at several crucial junctures. Some of the dolls are nice to look at, but others are just coarse. It feels like someone wanted to cash in on some percieved dollmaking thing, and couldn't stop nattering. There are many books on separate topics from this book - cloth dolls are admirably covered by Eloise Piper and Susanna Oroyan, art dolls are all in Susanna Oroyan's several books, play dolls are in Miriam Gourley and Jodie Davis' various books.

Skip this one, and check out some other books that actually cover the topic better.

Very Disappointed
I bought this book with high expectations, but was very disappointed.The directions were vague and sometimes impossible to understand for the one doll I attempted.Although this admittedly covers many techniques, and thepictures of the dolls can be inspiring, the technical writing of directionsleaves much to be desired.Check it out at the library if you want to lookat the pictures.There are much better books out there.

quite the book, lets you know what you need to know
great step by step doll making. easy to follow. good for any one who wants to learn how to make dolls. ... Read more

Product Description
As with all the acclaimed "For the First Time"[registered] books, this book teaches the basics of doll making, with a wide selection of dolls ranging from cloth and wooden dolls; life-size figures and those as small as clothespins, to dolls as ornaments. The techniques are all provided in an easy-to-follow question and answer format and are accompanied by a project. Above all, every page encourages crafters to break the rules, use their imagination, and find ways of making each doll special. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

doll making book
Excellent book.Explains all steps clearly.Very good.Would order again as a gift.

Doll making is one of my passions
Doll making has been a creative passion of mine for years.This book gives many examples of different dolls to make.If you love doll making for yourself or for a gift you'll enjoy this book.

Dolls homely, techniques helpful
These dolls are not my style, but the lessons are good and progressive. I will apply them to other types of dolls. She even shows you how to make your own shoes to fit any dolls. One tip that she gives I disagree with; she makes fingered dolls by placing a folded pipe cleaner in each finger, which makes the hands look elongated. A more natural hand is made by making the hand then using small running stitches on the outside.

Unleash your inner primitive folk artist!
This book is a thorough course in the basics of doll-making. I do think the title is a bit broad, since this covers the folk style of doll-making exclusively. The instructions and color photos are excellent.

The Doll Making Basics section is almost a complete course in itself. The techniques are general in nature, and could be used in designing your own dolls. Almost every page has multiple color photos that are very helpful. The directions for making a cloth doll illustrate in detail how to sculpt fingers, toes and faces. Next, the basics of making a wooden doll are shown. Hairdos, clothing, shoes and embellishments round out this section.

The crafts skills that you will use the most are sewing (hand and machine) and decorative painting. A big heaping of creativity and personality help out, too.

The projects are arranged in order of difficulty, and each doll is designed to teach a different aspect of doll-making -- using patterns, mixing wood & cloth, sculpting faces, adding a beard, making an ornament, painting methods, and more.

Due to the clear instructions and photos, and the emphasis on learning new crafts techniques, this is a reference book that you can use again and again. It's a great example of how craft techniques should be taught.

Inspiration for the beginner
This is a beautiful book filled with photos, clear instructions and inspiration for making a personable first doll.Instructions guide one through the basics of making the dolls presented and the skills needed to move beyond. The range of dolls presented provides a jumping-off point for creatively making a doll of your own. I have dipped my fingers into doll-making for a long time but after reading this book, I am ready! ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (3)

The thrill of going the next step in paperdolls
I am so totally taken with this book...I have always wanted to go beyond the traditional flat paper cutout dolls. This book is truly the answer...Not only are you given a list of materials need, to complete your project. You are given step by step instructions that make your endeavor a fabulous success. Doing the projects has opened doors to so many ideas for creativity. I always knew that "paperdoll" could be so much more dimensional and creative than just paper and scissors...Three cheers for someone being creative and artistic...Taking the traditional paperdolls to a level that opens a world of creativeness and artistic beauty that I never would have dreamed could be possible. Many thanks to you Rhonda for sharing your wonderful talents with those of us that dare and wish to go beyond the traditional paperdolls.

Beautiful book, relatively useless for a beginner
The dolls made of paper clay, wood, foam, wire and paperand other items featured in this book are exciting and beautiful. The book is beautiful. The author is obviously quite talented as an artist.Unfortunately, I found the instructions are woeful in terms of helping a beginner. The author assumes the reader knows what a "wooden ball-top mug peg" is, what "push molds" are. For a beginner, some of the instructions are sketchy and difficult to understand. For instance, although steps of construction are numbered, in one case, there was nothing to inform the reader that she/he was trying to make a head out of a square of paper and some stuffing material. I give the book two stars for beauty and one for usefulness to a beginner like me. If you are new to this type of art, it might be a good idea to look carefully at this book at a store before purchasing to determine whether it would be helpful to you.

"Paperclay" dolls, not "paper" dolls
While this is a lovely book for the advanced crafter, I don't consider paperclay a true "paper" medium.Most of the recipes here call for items far beyond what I was hoping to see, such as beading wire and wire cutters, clay or paperclay, molds, cornstarch, and cheesecloth.You get to make dreamcatchers and modeled papier-mache dolls, but only half a dozen of the nearly 30 projects appealed to me as actual "paper dolls."The others have an advanced "Way of the Doll" feeling, but for the money, I'd rather buy several Dover paper doll books and create my own projects.This book gives instructions for re-creating specific art dolls but is intimidating rather than encouraging of individual creativity (even specifically disallowing commercial sale of the projects described within, because they are NOT "jumping-off" ideas, but copyrighted finished products). And though the author is trying to expand the definition of "paper doll," even an elastic word or phrase can be stretched past the breaking point, as has happened here.

However, the doll projects are both photographed and, inexplicably, illustrated in drawings.The drawings could be photocopied and cut out to make interesting (and quick!) paper dolls. ... Read more

Product Description
Readers will learn how to turn their stumbling blocks into stepping stones through this unique approach to dollmaking. Author Noreen Crone-Findlay will show them how to open doors to creativity, healing, and wholeness by making dolls that express their feelings, desires, and ideas. By going on a mystical journey, filled with metaphor, magic, and special friends, their souls will be reshaped and restored. Readers will create dolls by various means, including sewing, knitting, embroidery, crocheting, and weaving and learn about flat dollmaking, a new approach to making sturdy, jointed paper and card stock dolls. Includes more than three dozen dolls, clothing, and accessories, complete instructions, and full-size templates. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Someone what I was looking for.
This is not a book on how to make plush dolls; this is a book on how to make jointed paperdolls.The ideas for embellishment are OK, but all in all I was dissapointed.I was looking for a more creative stuffed doll book.

Some of the patterns were very nice, however, if you're looking for paper doll patterns or for pleasant looking faces.Many of the patterns, with a little adjustment, can be made into a plush doll.The book did have a very nice weaving technique, though.

Also, the 'spiritual excersizes' leave a lot to be desired.To me, they seemed to be how a non-Wicca person sees Wicca.Too much emphasis was placed on the dolls and the person creating them for healing purposes.
This is one book any library won't weep without.

Wanted more on discovering and making MY soul dolls ...
I had high hopes for this book, but instead of inspiring my OWNcreativity and soul journey, I found the book filled with patterns and detailed instructions for making the AUTHOR'S soul dolls.It just ain't the same unless they're your own!I appreciated the paper doll pattern and fabric clothing, but I don't knit or own a sewing machine, so I was left just admiring the author's talents.Very detailed instructions - 14 steps to make a tassel doll, for example, with pipe-cleaner type hands - but the pages of numbered steps were rather numbing.I was also annoyed that every doll had "Soul Mate" in its name:Pocket Soul Mate Dolls, Skater Soul Mate Doll, Forgiveness Fairy Soul Mate Doll.(Name reinforcement can go too far.)Although it didn't work for me, this could be a great book for someone already comfortable with sewing, knitting, and weaving doll clothes.And I did enjoy some of the author's other art-therapy techniques, such as starting a Coloring Pages journal and using big fat crayons to "take a holiday from words."

disappointingly slight
I was not impressed with this book on either a spiritual or artistic level.The spiritual exercises were obvious and thin, and the dolls themselves didn't do much for me.I didn't learn much from this book.Perhaps my expectations were too high because I was hoping for something similar to Cassandra Light's _Way of the Doll_.I did think that some of the exercises and dolls would be useful for a class or group where you didn't want to go into too much detail on either the dollmaking or spiritual exercises.In particular, some of the paper dolls techniques were nice and would be easy to do for people without a strong craft background. A beginner to crafts or spiritual exercises might get more from this than I did.

Good for a Group
The book is charming, with lots of ideas for creating one-of-a-kind dolls.DEFINITELY not your usual Raggedy-Annes or floppy nonentities. If I were leading a women's retreat, either for my church or for a women's group, then I would want to use this book to help others exercise their hands and their souls at the same time.For me, harried mom of a toddler, who makes her dolls on the run, while coping with wind, toads large dogs and spraying hoses, however, the book did not offer much. Buy it if you have the time and inclination to do a lot more thinking than sewing.

Soul Mate Dols
I did not know what to expect when I ordered Soul Mate Dolls by Noren Crone-Findlay. After it's arrival I became totally intrigued. First of all, Noreen is so in tune with nature that she thanks the trees for the paper on which the book is printed. Each chapter is a story in itself. In the Basic Flat Soul Mate Doll chapter, learn not only how to cut anduse the templates provided, but also how to weave on a simple loom made with ordinary household materials, how to draw a face without being intimidated and how to make your own wooden knitting needles!Chapter Two is The Power Story. Enter the realm of creativty and unleash your inner spirit. Read the delightful story of Mollie Whuppie, delight in Soul Mate doll chairs in the shape of animals and flowers, make a pocket doll and her pouch or crochet a tiny hat.Chapter Three delves into dreams, journals and doodling. Here you can make a bendable doll out of chenille stems or wire, knit an Ancient Dancer or soar and dance with cardstock dolls. I especially liked how Noreen gives you permission to be child-like in the creative approach.Chapter Four is emotion where our emotions can be recognized and immortalized.Both happy and sad feelings are explored through these dolls. Even a very simple tassel doll can be given to someone just as a thank you. You can construct a little kitty yarn dolly for the cat person in your life.Chapter Five is Magic mixed with Whimsey. How about a mermaid , a fairy or an elf. The Magical Children can be easily personalized with a tiny photo of your child's face.In Chapter Six, we find ourseleves developing a relationship with the Wise Old Person within us. How about carving a head from an avocado pit or making a paper kimono?Soul Mate Dolls is mind expanding, funny and mystical.Noreen Crone-Findlay gives us the tools to use our hands to reach into our hearts and souls. ... Read more

Product Description
Here are seven original designs to suit the skills of any crafter from the ra west beginner to the most sophisticated talent. Whether for play or display, they will become keepsake dolls that are sure to be cherished. Line, full-color, and two-color illustrations. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

A Delightful Introduction to Dollmaking
E.J. Taylor's book is a quiet little gem and a lovely and unintimidating introduction to dollmaking. The clear instructions and and beautiful line drawings encourage the reader to attempt several types of dolls including a polymer clay doll, rag doll and a stocking doll as well as others. Simple straight-forward instructions for pouring a wax doll are even included. Anyone considering making a doll would do well to invest $10.00 for this low-key but very charming and helpful book. It remains my favorite on the subject.

Excellent
If I had to choose one book on dollmaking it would be this one!It teaches you how to make a variety of dolls with a variety of materials and once you have mastered the basic skills you are prepared to move on to make yours original.It is very easy to read and follow.The author chose simple yet beautiful examples of his work and simple instructions even for the beginner.This is a must have for all doll makers.

Beautiful book by world reknowned NIADA artist.
E.J. Taylor has written a useful text for dollmaking.The book can also be enjoyed for the beautiful line drawing illustrations and full color photographs.There are doll patterns to fit any level of experience or talent.The result of making any one of these dolls will be the creation of a very personal piece...and the growth of the new dollmaker as an artist. ... Read more

Product Description
Make beautiful and unique dolls without buying expensive equipment and materials. Papier mache and paper clay are inexpensive, versatile, and air dry in just a few days. Sculpting is easy - just roll out the clay and apply it to an armature, let it dry, and paint. Then complete with hand-made hair and a costume. When finished, your one-of-a-kind figure will compare to art dolls that sell for GBP100 or more. Every step of the process is explained and illustrated in full detail. Learn how to make hair, bodies, armatures, costumes, and how to sculpt heads and faces, arms and hands, and legs and feet from papier mache and paper clay. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Dollmaking with Papier Mache and Paper Clay
This book arrived quickly and is as nice as described.The information is very helpful for beginners learning to work with paper clay.Lists of basic tools and paints to start with help you save money.Lots of great advice, good ideas and step-by-step photos and illustrations.It's like a classroom in a book!

Excellent reference book
This book is an excellent reference source for working in papier mache and paper clay.The photos and instructions are very detailed. I have recommended this book many times and bought it as a gift.Beautiful photos and lots of inspiration.

FABULOUS, GREAT INSTRUCTIONS!!!!
DOLLMAKING WITH PAPIER MACHE & PAPER CLAY HAS COMPLETELY CHANGED MY IDEA OF HOW TO BOOKS. THIS BOOK IS NOT ONLY HOW TO MAKE DOLL CRAFTS, BUT HAS OTHER BRIGHT & BEAUTIFUL CREATIONS TO MAKE; SUCH AS A LARGE 26" RABBIT & AN ADORABLE GOAT.COMPLETE,EASY TO FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS ARE GIVEN. I LOVE THIS BOOK.

a delightful and long awaiteddollmaking book!
This book is illustrated with many magnificent and easily followed directions.You can really make a doll that is more meaningful then all others because you have made it with your own hands.The authors step by step instructions are so simple to follow!Your finished product is your own masterpiece, thanks to Doris.Bravo, Doris.

Okay for Paper MacHe
I'm not really interested in Paper MacHe but I've been a dollmaker for quite some time and am very interested in learning more about Paperclay. There is another book that is supposedly the best for Paperclay - "Sculpting Doll in Paperclay" by Robert McKinley but it's sold out and difficult to find - so I opted for this one. I found this book to be fairly similar in techinique to many other dollmaking books in other media. There wasn't all that much that made it stand apart. I guess if you're very interested in Paper MacHe, then this is the book for you.If you're wanting to learn more about Paperclay techniques, skip this book and look for the one by McKinley instead. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Dollmaking: the best approach
The late Robert McKinley touted by his peers as the very best in his field, believed that the art of one-of-a-kind dollmaking should be shared with any and all who wished to know.In this his first of two books, Bob takes you step by step through his process of creating just that; a work of art; whether you are novice, intermediate, or master.He encourages you through each step, telling you that happy accidents DO occur and where to go from there. Bob also encourages one to take what he has set down in this book as building blocks to create your own techniques and style. A must have for anyone wishing to know sound basics for creating a one-of-a-kind doll.

Highly Recommended!
This is a wonderful book for all doll artists.
It shows step by step the process the late Robert McKinley
used to complete one of his dolls. Excellent!

A Must Have for Aspiring Doll Artists
If you want to learn to sculpt the human figure -- buy this book! I had struggled for a very long time to learn to sculpt, then I found this book. The very next figure I did was radically better. While I have evolved my own "hand", my basic technique is based on the fundamentals I learned in this book.
This book covers every aspect of the dollmaking process. From sculpting the head and hands, drafting a body pattern, constructing the body and armature, to drafting and constructing the costume and finishing the base. Every stage of creation is documented in step by step photos of a single doll, which is an especially invaluable feature unique to this title.
I was fortunate enough to have met Bob briefly and this book captures not only his working methods but also the giving nature of his personality. We are all of us fortunate indeed that this book was written, and that this information is still available to anyone willing to learn and grow as an artist.

Invaluable
I bought this book many years ago, while Bob was still with us. It has come apart at the binding, bears coffee cup stains, finger prints and all the other badges that come from a book that is used, referenced and become indispensible. Bob's voice is intimate and joyful, as he instructs and suggests, and even it were not an invaluable addition to any dollmaker's or sculptor's library, it remains as a record of creation from one of the finest dollmakers we've had. If you cannot create your own artist doll after buying this book, give up doll making. ... Read more

Product Description
This comprehensive guide for beginners and experienced doll makers shows how to create many different kinds of handcrafted dolls from natural materials. Handmade dolls with their simplicity of expression and design leave children’s imaginations free, rather than being confined by perfectly finished dolls made of artificial materials. Instead, these dolls encourage the magic of creative play and bring children the gift of imagination in which they see themselves as “makers.”

Included are:
· Ten designs, including soft, baggy, angel, pouch, sack, and limbed dolls
· Twelve basic clothes patterns and ethnic variations
· Tools, techniques, and materials
· Safety guidelines and sewing methods
· Recycling tips and where to get materials ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

A Wonderful Book that has a newer version!
I own and use this book.It is very well-written and helpful.I was a complete novice before reading it, but am now working on my fourth Waldorf doll.The author gives very clear, easy to follow instructions.I highly recommend her suggested method of starting with easier dolls first while learning techniques, then working your way up to a large, difficult doll.

Maricristin Sealey has a new book out now, Making Waldorf Dolls, which has much the same content without the markup the used resellers are trying to charge for this version.

The quintessential Waldorf doll-making book
Even after having made Waldorf-inspired dolls from kits, I found that the instructions in _Kinder Dolls_ to be clear and direct and quite useful.The books contains instructions for making every sort of soft Waldorf doll imaginable, from the wee dollhouse dolls to a child's first formless knot doll to a cuddly sack doll to the full sized (16 inches or so tall) "Waldorf doll" that many are familiar with.In addition, patterns are included for many sorts of clothes, with lots of ideas for various ethnic multi-cultural permutations.I found that the instructions were easy to follow and easy to adapt.I highly recommend this book for Waldorf parents or anyone wanting to make a beautiful natural-fiber doll for their child.

Full of details for new dollmaker
This book is a wonderful resource for cloth doll making.As a newbie, I found the book full of complete instructions and options for personalizing.In fact, it was hard to decide where to start!

One thing -- it would be nice if the book used photographs -- I haven't touched a Waldorf doll before and felt like I was working "without a net" sometimes.But, the dolls I've made are beautiful and loved by my children.

Great guide to making dolls
Although this book has a Waldorf slant to it, it is really for anyone interested in making soft dolls for children.The dolls are not difficult to make and some can be made within a couple hours.Patterns range from a tiny little 2 inch baby to larger, dressable dolls with all sizes in between.There are patterns for dolls suitable for infants, toddlers, and older children. There is even a pattern for dollhouse dolls! There are no photos, but lots of line drawings and full-sized patterns for both dolls and clothing. In addition, from the basic ideas/patterns given by the author I have been able to develop my own dolls and clothes.Every child I've made a doll for has loved it--and none of those children has ever been in a Waldorf school!The dolls are soft and huggable and adorable. Some of the materials used to make the dolls, such as tubular gauze and wool stuffing are difficult to find but the author includes a list of mailorder/internet sources.In the US, one source of these materials is the Magic Cabin Dolls catalog/internet site. ... Read more