Fabric Art

Updating this website, I stumbled upon these doll patterns, and decided to make them available again. All of these patterns are free to print and use. But… these are OLD patterns from ~15 or more years ago, designed to print on 8.5″ x 11″ paper, but at a very low resolution. (I’m working on improving … Continue reading "Free Cloth Doll Patterns Are Back!"

In 2000, I met other dollmakers online, and participated in art doll swaps. What is an art swap? A “art swap” is when artists make several pieces of art – usually identical or nearly alike, though each design is unique, and individually crafted with love. Then, each artist sends the required number of items (the … Continue reading "Teal Magic Art Doll – From a 2000 Art Swap"

Last year, I began making sock dolls. I was inspired by the book Stray Sock Sewing. Here’s how I made my sock dolls for the Wild Art Dolls swap in July 2010. Sock Doll Supplies You will need one sock, some batting or stuffing, Fray-Check, and your basic sewing supplies. (Needle, thread, scissors, and a … Continue reading "How to Make Sock Dolls – Step-by-Step"

A sock doll swap is an exchange of dolls made from socks. In this 2010 Wild Art Dolls exchange, the dolls had to be made from socks and three of them had to fit inside a flat-rate Priority Mail envelope. Three of us participated. Here are some of the dolls: My dolls were almost identical. … Continue reading "Sock Doll Swap – Jul 2010"

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 … Continue reading "Ambermoggie — doll artist interview — part two"

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 … Continue reading "Ambermoggie – doll artist interview – part one"

This is a 2005 interview with Italian doll artist Stefania Morgante. This is a very informative interview, and you may want to print it out to read offline. Q. What kinds of dolls do you make? A. Italian…? I don’t know; Italians tell me that I make American dolls and the Americans say that I … Continue reading "Stefania Morgante – doll artist – interview"

Q. Did you play with paper dolls as a kid? Do you have a favorite vintage paper doll that still makes you smile? A. Yes, yes… the Ginghams little girls from the 70s, and Betsy McCalls from my Grandmother’s magazines. I made a paperdoll of my Grandmother in her honor, it is called “Amazing Grace”. … Continue reading "JJ Buch – 2005 Paper Doll Artist interview – Part 2 of 2"

In January 2005, I had the great good fortune to interview paper doll artist JJ Buch. She’s one of my idols, because her art has a very clear “voice” and her concepts are consistently innovative and often delightfully witty. Here’s the interview*, on two pages: Q. How did you get started with paper dolls? A. … Continue reading "JJ Buch – Paper Doll Artist interview – part 1 of 2"

Q.  What’s your greatest influence today?  Do you get your ideas from other dolls, other art, or something else altogether? I read Soft Dolls & Animals, Art Doll Quarterly, and I belong to several internet doll lists. I love all of these, but things and people influence me the most. Things?  Well, here’s an example:  … Continue reading "Alice C. W. Dennis – doll artist interview – part 2 of 3"

Do you have a collectible Barbie® doll with “green ear”? Here’s how to remove most of it safely. I haven’t found any product that removes ALL “green ear” and does it safely. Also, I wrote this article years ago, so there may be better products for this kind of project. My Barbie / Green Ear … Continue reading "How to Remove ‘Green Ear’ from Barbie Dolls"

Altered dolls usually (but not always) start with ready-made, store-bought dolls. They may be modified or even deconstructed to make a different art doll or mixed-media figure. These can include anything from themed, customized BarbieTM dolls, to Raggedy Ann gone wild, to McD’s doll toys that are made into jewelry or chess pieces. However, that … Continue reading "Altered Dolls"