How to Choose Fabric for Your Cloth Doll

When choosing fabric for your cloth doll, you may have some limits.

If the doll may need to be washed in the future, you’ll want to use washable materials and preshrink them if necessary.

But what if your doll doesn’t have to be washable?

Well, 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.

Or… well… ANYTHING!

Also, nobody said that your dolls’ legs and arms and faces all have to be made with the same fabric. (Or even that they must have two arms and two legs. I’ll bet that – like me – you’ve had days where you might have wanted an extra hand. Or arm. lol )

Also, if your art doll is for show more than for actually playing with, the skin can be something other than fabric. Like twisty paper. Or layers of raffia that you’ve fused to muslin so the “skin” holds together and the muslin doesn’t show. Or a paper grocery bag. Or autumn leaves. Or even dollar bills, fused to muslin to make a big enough piece of “fabric.”

Nobody said your doll’s clothing has to be tasteful, or – at the other extreme – stereotypically shocking with black lace and a boa, either.

Of course, sometimes you MUST make a good trashy doll, just for the sake of having her around. Or an Elvis impersonator doll, for the male counterpart. (Or, in my case, Voodoo doll Barbie.)

Nobody said that your doll has to wear clothing made of fabric, either. Feathers might work. Or foil. Or maybe you’ll carefully melt some old CDs or computer disks (ventilate very well if you heat them or – even better – outdoors) and give her a high-tech breastplate.

When you’re making a cloth or mixed media doll, you have many, many options.

Don’t be limited by rules in your head. And don’t be limited by rules from famous dollmakers or even your teacher.

Note: Cloth doll goddess Elinor Peace Bailey once made an amazingly insipid doll, just to break her own anti-rules.

The point is, when you plan your doll, think big.

Think original.

Break the rules.

Be outrageous.

But mostly, be your most creative self.