Making Dolls and Doll Clothes

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THE

ABOUT

MAKING DOLLS

AND

DOLL CLOTHES

BY

CATHERINE ROBERTS

Illustrated by the Author

EDITED BY HELEN HOKE

GARDEN CITY BOOKS

Garden City, New York

BY ARRANGEMENT WITH FRANKLIN WATTS< INC.

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http://www.oldfashionedhomemaking.co

m

1951

GARDEN CITY BOOKS

Copyright, 1951, by franklin Watts, Inc.

PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES AT

THE COUNTRY LIFE PRESS, GARDEN CITY, N.Y.


CONTENTS

Chapter 1 POPPETS AND BABES 9

Chapter 2 COTTON BABY AND PING-PONG

PATSY 11

Chapter 3 PAPER DOLLS 41

Chapter 4 THE DOLL HOUSE FAMILY 59

Chapter 5 THE RAG DOLL 75

Chapter 6 MODELED RAG DOLLS 97

Chapter 7 CHARACTER DOLLS 109

Chapter 8 DOLLS WITH HARD HEADS 128

Chapter 9 DOLL-DRESSMAKING AND

DESIGNING 147

Chapter10 DOLL ACCESSORIES 166

Chapter 11 TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES 178

Index 189


POPPETS AND BABES

s long as there have been little girls in the

world, there have been dolls. We know this is so because

scientists have found many dolls in strange and forgotten

places. By studying these dolls, historians and scientists

have learned a great deal about people who lived thou-

sands of years ago.

Some of these dolls are very odd-looking. One doll,

made from a flat piece of wood, belonged to a little girl

who lived in Thebes, Egypt, four thousand years ago. We

call it a tfPaddle Doll" because it looks like a short, small

paddle. The curved blade is the body and the small handle

is the head. Attached to the head are many strings of tiny

beads. No, they are not supposed to be hair. In those days

fashionable women shaved their heads and wore thick

heavy wigs braided into hundreds of stiff little pigtails that

fell down to their shoulders. The Paddle Doll's bead wig

looks just like tiny pigtails. Designs were painted on the

9

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An ancient Egyptian Paddle

Doll about 4000 years old.

Blue beads make the hair

and the dress is painted on

the thin wood.

doll to look like the trimming that decorated the slim, flat

dresses of that time. Undoubtedly this doll was considered

very elegant and lovely, although she looks strange and

awkward to us.

Other Egyptian dolls, equally old, look a good deal

more like the ones we are used to seeing. They were

carved in wood, with movable arms, and had real hair

glued to their heads. You can see them today in New

York's Metropolitan Museum of Art and will find them

not too different in size and shape from the wooden dolls

Grandmother's mother had.

As long ago as twenty-five hundred years, there were

shops in which nothing but dolls, toys, and dolls' furniture

were sold. There were so many of these shops at one time

in Athens, Greece, that the street where they were located

was called the Street of the Dolls. All kinds of dolls could

be bought there: fat ones and thin ones, pretty ones and

plain ones. Some had movable arms. Others had both arms

10


and legs that could be swung back and forth. Many of the

dolls had their clothes modeled right on them, while others

had to be dressed at home.

Dolls made of all kinds of materials have been found

in faraway lands. Bone, ivory, stone, and wood were carved

to look like real people. Straw, reeds, leaves, and cloth

were wrapped or braided or twisted into doll shapes. Clay

was modeled and baked to produce lifelike dolls.

In this country, long before any white men had come

to live here, Indian children had dolls made from corn

husks, corn cobs, birch bark, leather, pine cones, and wood.

They saw their first European doll in 1584, when one was

given to a little Indian girl by an Englishman who had

sailed to this country with Sir Walter Raleigh. The Eng-

lish had come to explore and to settle in this country. With

them was an artist, John White, who came to draw pictures

of all the new and wonderful things white men had never

seen before. One of his pictures showed an Indian child

holding a beautiful English doll in one hand and a baby's

rattle strung with bells in the other hand. That picture was

taken back to England and preserved among the records of

the expedition.

It is only recently that we have used the word "doll."

For a long time dolls were called "poppets" or "babes" or

"babies." Sometimes in reading old books one comes across

other names, such as "mannikin," "idol," "image." Ask

Grandmother what she called a doll. She will probably tell

you she called it a "doll-baby," but that, naturally, it had

11


A pair of extremely old dolls found in "Mediterranean countries.

7he left one is of baked clay and is crudely painted. She wears a

bowl on her head. The other doll is an old Roman rag doll made

of linen and stuffed with reeds. He is in pretty good shape for

being i500 years old.

12


'Many different materials were used to make dolls: left, bone, middle, clay; right, ivory.These also are very old.

its own personal name. During her childhood all dolls had

names. Sometimes the dolls came with names given to them

by the manufacturer. Usually a particular and special name

was selected for each doll by its young owner.

Many of the dolls now in museums are still known by

the names given to them long ago. The names of others

have been lost and now they just have labels which say

"Wooden Doll" or "China Doll" or "Composition Doll."

That is the way museum people and doll collectors iden-

tify old dolls. The label tells what they are made of, which

sometimes also tells about how old they are. Wooden dolls

can be very, very old or just medium old. Composition

and china dolls can be anywhere from 125 years old to

very young dolls made just this year.

13


Celeste and Louise, a pair of French bisque dolls dressed in the

height of fashion. Made about 1870, each doll had her own trunk

and a wardrobe of a hundred and twenty-five pieces.

14


Bisque dolls are another kind of china doll that col-

lectors love to get. Bisque is a fine pink-toned china that

has been used for doll heads for the past ninety years. It

is quite different from the regular kind of china doll head,

which is pure white and has painted hair and features.

Celeste and Louise, shown on the opposite page, are two

French bisque dolls made near Paris, France, about sev-

enty-five years ago. They were made in a large factory

where dozens and dozens of people did nothing but make

doll bodies and doll heads. After the head, body, arms, and

legs were put together, the supervisor examined each doll

to see that every curl was perfect, that the heads turned

easily, and that the arms and legs moved correctly. Celeste

and Louise passed these tests very satisfactorily.

They were then sent to Paris to be dressed as Young

Ladies of Fashion. Special dressmakers worked long hours

to make beautiful clothes, hats, shoes, gloves, and shawls

for the dolls. Skilled craftsmen made tiny eyeglasses, fans,

pill boxes, watches, and jewelry. Others made pocketbooks

and umbrellas. When finished, everything was packed into

miniature trunks that had curved tops, each with one doll's

name on it. The small bonnets and hats were packed into

their own boxes. Each doll had a special traveling case to

carry her shawl, umbrella, handkerchief, bottle of eau de

cologne, and book. Thus equipped, Celeste and Louise

were ready to begin their travels.

Soon after they were on display in a Paris doll shop, an

American gentleman from Boston came in to find presents

15


for his granddaughters. The beauty and charm of Celeste

and Louise and their exquisite wardrobes immediately cap-

tured his attention. He bought them and had them spe-

cially packed for the long sea voyage across the Atlantic

ocean to America.

When Celeste and Louise were unpacked in the front

parlor of the tall brownstone house in Boston, they were

greeted with cries of admiration and joy and excitement.

They were examined from head to toe. Each dress, each

piece of jewelry and pair of shoes was tried on, taken off,

and tried on again. Since the dolls were exactly the same

size, they could exchange things, so each had twice as many

clothes as was originally intended.

The grownups were having just as much fun as the chil-

dren. Because the lovely clothes came from Paris, the

fashion center of the world, they were of great interest to

Mother and Grandmother and all the aunts. Pretty soon

it began to seem as if Grandfather had brought the dolls

for the women instead of for little Mary and Susan. For

them, the fun of receiving these beautiful gifts was disap-

pearing because the dolls had to be handled so carefully.

In fact, the dolls were put away, to be taken out and played

with only on very special occasions.

Mary and Susan really didn't mind not having Celeste

and Louise for everyday play. The girls had more fun with

the wooden peg dolls their grandmother had given them

last year. They could wash their wooden faces, spank them,

or carry them around by one leg, without harm. They

16


could dress and undress them as often as

they wanted to without worrying about fine

lace and exquisite embroidery becoming

soiled or damaged. All in all, they agreed,

Grandfather was a darling to get them such

terribly expensive gifts, but it was much

more fun to have common wooden poppets to

really play with.

These wooden poppets, or Penny Wood-

ens, as they are sometimes called, are among

the most fascinating dolls ever made. Their

legs and arms could be moved into very life-

like positions. Their heads and bodies,

carved in one piece, could survive the roughest

treatment. Their painted faces suffered, it is

true, from too many washings or from being

left out in the rain, but that was not too

serious an injury. Someone in the family could always

repaint the face when needed. Best of all, they cost so little

that almost any child could afford to have a family of them.

An uncle or a brother who was clever at whittling could

make a Penny Wooden in a very short time. In New

England, if the men of the family were not so talented, the

poppets could be bought for a penny in any Cent Shop.

Cent Shops were the most delightful of all old-time

stores. Most of the things sold in them were just for chil-

dren; candy and cookies, displayed it} tall glass jars with

fancy glass tops, small dolls made of wax or china, inex-

17



pensive toys, and, of course, the Penny Woodens, were

just some of the things you could get.

It was an adventure to be allowed to go to the Cent Shop

all by oneself. When the door opened with a tinkle of its

little warning bell, there was a delicious smell of cinnamon

sticks, gingerbread men, licorice drops, and hoarhound

lozenges. There in a little glass case all by themselves were

the penny dolls. On the shelves behind were ranged the

more expensive dolls that cost five, ten, fifteen, or twenty-

five cents each.

It took time to decide just how to spend a penny. You

could get five peppermint drops, or one gingerbread man,

or a wax baby, or a Penny Wooden. The decision was

Very important because it might be a full month or more

before you got another penny.

The wax babies were small and pretty. So were the

china ones. But they were made all in one piece so that their

arms and legs could not be moved. That made them hard

to dress. The more expensive wax and china babies had

movable arms, but even the tiniest wooden one had both

legs and arms that moved.

On a special shelf were the doll heads of various sizes.

They were made of glossy white china and had shiny black

painted hair, blue eyes, pink cheeks, and tiny rosebud

mouths. Sometimes, but not often, you could find a china

head with brown eyes, and once in a very great while you

might even get a gray-eyed doll head.

These heads were really more than heads, for the neck

19


1. "Braided flax doll. 2. French dolls with china

heads, legs, and arms, kidskin bodies. 3. Penny

wooden dolls, two inches high. 4. 7wig with

acorn head doll. 5. Wooden mixing spoon

dressed up. 6. Very fancy doll made from corn

husks.


and shoulders were molded in one piece with the head.

Mother or Aunt Mary usually bought them; made the

body, arms and legs of cloth; then glued the head onto the

body. In larger stores, one could buy bodies already made,

as well as china arms and legs to sew on to a homemade

body.

The china parts were made in Germany and shipped

to this country in great packing cases that held hundreds

of each size. They were sold all over this country and were

very much cheaper than dolls are today. Most of these

china dolls were "lady" dolls to be dressed in grown-up

fashions. They were the mamas of the doll family. The

doll in the picture, page 18, with its homemade body, arms,

and legs, is an unusual "little girl doll" of the 1840s.

The children of the doll family usually were homemade

of cloth or wood. Dolls were frequently made by grown-

ups for their children. Then, of course, children themselves

have always increased their doll families by making some

of their own.

Many different kinds of materials and objects were

pressed into service. A hank of flax could be braided to

look like a doll, or an acorn could be stuck on the end of a

twig to serve the purpose for the time being. Skillful fingers

could contrive really elaborate dressed dolls, using corn

husks and silk for the working materials. A string tied

around a rolled up rag or a piece of wool or cotton batting

transformed a common material into a very acceptable

"doll-baby."

21


It is fascinating to make dolls for yourself. There are

so many different ways of doing it and so many different

kinds of materials to use. Dolls can be made and dressed

without a bit of sewing: little ones that can be turned out

quickly from odd scraps of materials, and more elaborate

ones that are round and soft, and paper dolls whose dress-

maker costumes are cut, shirred, and pleated just like real

fabric clothes.

The following chapters describe how to make a number

of different kinds of dolls. There are easy ones and more

difficult ones. There are patterns and directions and draw-

ings to make doll-making easy for you, no matter what

kind you want. Making dolls and their clothes is fun! Let's

start right now!

22


COTTON BABY AND PING-PONG PATSY

ave you a tiny soft baby doll just the

right size to fit into a doll-house-size baby carriage, one

that is even soft and small enough to be held in the arms

of the mother doll? You can't buy a doll like this, but you

can make one in about fifteen minutes.

The picture on the next page shows one. It is a Cotton

Baby, looking for all the world like a sweet little four-

month-old infant. I call her a Cotton Baby because that

is what she is made of: soft, white absorbent cotton.

Absorbent cotton, sometimes called surgical cotton, is

perfect for making this kind and many other kinds of dolls.

You can buy it in a drugstore or dime store. The two-ounce

package will supply the makings for several kinds of babies.

How TO MAKE THE COTTON BABY

Unroll part of the cotton from its blue paper wrappers

Cut off a piece 21/2 in. long. Separate this piece into three

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COTTON BABY. 1. "Roll up

cotton and tie. 2. Cover top with

thin layer of cotton to make

head. Tear pieces up from

bottom to make arms. 3. Bend

pieces under and tie in place with

thread. Hair and features are

made with water-color pencils.


layers. Use two layers for the Cotton Baby and keep the

third layer for another doll.

Roll up one layer rather loosely. Tie a piece of white

string around the roll about 1/2 in. from one end. Tie this

quite tight to make the neck. The short knob becomes the

head; the longer piece is the body. It should look like the

sketch % 1 shown at the left.

'Head

Use the second layer of cotton to cover the head. If it

seems too thick, make it thinner by pulling off a thin layer.

Cover the head with this thin layer and tie it on by wrap-

ping thin string around the neck, as shown. Tie the string

twice to keep it from coming undone.

Turn the smoothest part of the head toward you. This

part will be Cotton Baby's face. Lay her on the table, face

up. Be sure table is clean.

Arms

Starting at the bottom on the right side, gently tear a

strip of cotton out and away from the body part. Do not

tear it off completely but leave it attached to the body at

the neck. This piece, which should be not quite 1 in. wide

and about 1/8 in. thick, will make the right arm and hand.

25


Double the arm-piece under until the end of it touches

the body. Wind string around the arm-piece, as shown,

and anchor it by tying it at the neck. Do not wind the

string here as tightly as you did to make the neck. It should

be just tight enough to give a nicely rounded little arm

with a fat little hand at the end of it. The left arm is made

in the same way.

Fluff out the bottom of the doll by gently separating the

cotton. It will look like a pretty little white dress. The ends

of the head covering can be made to disappear by lightly

stroking them down until they blend with the body.

Face

The easiest way of giving the Cotton Baby eyes, mouth,

and hair is to put them on with Venus water-color pencils.

(These pencils come in boxes of various sizes holding

quite an assortment of colors. It's a good idea to get a sup-

ply of colors because they'll play quite an important part

in future doll-making sessions. They can be sharpened to

very fine points and used in place of paints simply by dip-

ping the pencil points in water before drawing with them.)

Azure blue is nice for the eyes, scarlet for the mouth, sepia

for brown hair and eyes, and golden ochre for blond hair.

Have very sharp points on the pencils you use. Dip the

tip of the pencil in water, then touch it to the cotton. Do

not try to draw on the cotton because the wet pencil tip

26


will drag the fibers and make a mess. One dot is usually

sufficient for the eye on a doll this tiny. If, however, it

seems too small, make another dot right beside it so that it

touches the first dot. The second eye must be made exactly

the same size and on a straight line with the first eye. This

is surprisingly difficult to get right. In fact, it is the hardest

thing there is to do in making this or any other doll.

The mouth, made with the scarlet pencil, is actually a

little line. Touch the side of the wet pencil tip to the face.

Use the side of the golden ochre pencil for the hair. Wet

the tip each time before adding another little line of yellow

to the head. These will turn out very unevenly but that

makes the hair look more natural. You can get the effect

of a tiny curl or two on the baby's forehead by making a

series of little dots in curly lines. Remember, when work-

ing on absorbent cotton, to just touch the surface with the

pencil. Never try to draw a line. That can be done on

other materials, such as cloth or papier-mache or clay, but

not on absorbent cotton.

That's all there is to making the Cotton Baby. She is

very pretty just as she is and will look very sweet and at-

tractive in the doll-mother's arms or lying in her crib.

Why not leave her there and make a second Cotton Baby

for the carriage? This one will need a little cap and jacket

or shawl to keep her warm while riding. These little gar-

ments are easy to make. The patterns are right here for

you to follow.

27


A very pretty cap can be made from a small bit of lace-

paper doily. Cut a piece from the edge of the doily the

same size and shape as the cap pattern. Be sure to cut the

two slashes shown in the pattern. They are needed to make

the cap fit snugly to the head. Put a small drop of Duco

cement on the part marked A. Lap edge marked B over

and press onto the cement dot at A. Hold this seam to-

gether with your fingers for a moment or two to give the

cement a chance to start sticking. The square flap that now

sticks out is to be cemented down to cover this back seam.

Put three dots of cement along the inside bottom edge and

28


bend the flap down. Press it smoothly onto the back of the

cap. Hold it in place for a moment.

Since this Cotton Baby is going to stay in her carriage,

you might as well stick her cap on for keeps. Put a few

drops of cement along the inside of the bottom of the cap.

Put the cap on and press it to the head. Hold it in place a

moment so the cement will grip.

Caps of woven material that is fine and soft can be made

by this same method. Handkerchief linen, lawn, or batiste

turns out prettily. Cut it with a very sharp scissors. The

edges do not need hemming.

Another pretty cap can be made from a piece of cotton

lace edging. The lace should be one inch wide and long

enough to fit over the doll's head from jaw to jaw. Care-

fully cut off the top edge of the lace (not the fancy edge,

for that makes the front of the cap). Cutting the bound

edge makes fitting to the head easier. Put a thin line of

cement along the three cut edges of the lace, smoothing it

with the flat side of a toothpick. Lay the lace on the doll's

head with the fancy edge framing the face. Press the ce-

mented edges to the head with the fingers. If the lace does

not quite meet at the back, cover the gap by pasting on a

small oval cut from another piece of lace.

Shawl

What kind of wrap shall she wear? Baby princesses

wear delicate shawls until they are six months old. Cotton

29


Baby's shawl can be made from a piece of thin silk or cot-

ton in a soft, pale color. It should be 21/2 in. wide and

41/4 in. long. Fold it in half the long way and cut it as

shown above. Open it and put it on the doll. See how

nicely it fits her tiny neck without bunching up. Cross

the ends over her chest and draw them to the back under

her arms. Pin the ends together with a tiny safety pin. The

triangular back of the shawl will cover the pin.

Carriage Blanket

A little carriage blanket, cut from matching material,

would be pretty. Make it 3 in. long and 21/4 in. wide. Pull

out three or four threads from all four sides to make a

fringed edge.

Jacket

Perhaps you would like a wee jacket for the baby doll.

This is somewhat harder to make, but if you follow the

30


pattern for it carefully and accurately, the jacket will turn

out very well. A very thin material of yellow, blue, or pink

would be charming. Maybe the Doll House is drafty, so

this jacket could be worn by the first Cotton Baby. It

would dress her up nicely for visitors to admire.

Trace the jacket pattern on very thin paper. Cut it out.

The material for the jacket should be 31/2 in. long and 3 in.

wide. Fold it in half so that it is 13/4 in. long and 3 in. wide.

Pin the paper pattern to it so the shoulder line of the pat-

tern is even with the fold line of the material. Cut out the

jacket, then cut it up the center front from bottom to neck-

line. Make tiny slashes with the scissors just where the

sleeves meet the body. The slashes make it much easier to

paste the seams together.

Rub a narrow line of cement along the edge of one side

of the sleeve. Lap the other edge over the cemented line

and press it down with the fingers. Join the second seam in

the same way. Let the sleeves dry before putting the side

31

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PING-PONG PATSY is made with a hand-

kerchief, ping-pong ball, and a roll of cot-

ton. She can have two faces, a sleeping

and a wide-awake one. She's easy

32


seams together. Make the side seams by lapping the front

side over the back. Keep the seams as narrow as possible.

Press them together with the fingers and allow the cement

to dry thoroughly before putting the jacket on the doll. If

the sleeves are a little bit too long, either turn them back

into tiny cuffs or cut the bottoms off to the desired length.

How TO MAKE PING-PONG PATSY

A somewhat larger doll is quickly made with a ping-

pong ball and a lady's handkerchief.

Place the ball in the center of the handkerchief, which is

then pulled down tightly around it. Wrap thin white

string around the folds, both to keep the ball in position

and to give the doll a neck. Keep all the folds and gathers

to the side and back so that there will be about half an inch

of smooth space for the face. Knot the string.

Face

You can make this doll without spoiling the handker-

chief by giving Ping-Pong Patsy removable eyes and

mouth. Tiny circles cut from dark blue paper and a small

half-circle cut from red paper will make acceptable fea-

tures. Paste them on with library paste. You can peel them

off very easily. To make permanent features, use coloring

33


"Baby" faces must always be drawn or painted on the lower half

of the doll's face to make them babyish!

pencils for the eyes and mouth. This color will not wash

out.

The position of the features is most important on such

a round-headed doll. Hold a string around the middle of

the head the same way the equator goes around the earth.

This is the guideline for placing the eyes. With a sharp-

pointed lead pencil, draw a very light line about 1/8 in.

long just under and touching the string. The second eye-

line is 3/8 in. away from the first one. Draw the eyes and

mouth as shown.

Patsy is really a double-faced doll! Draw the "sleeping"

face on one side of the head, the wide-awake one on the

opposite side. Draw the hair as shown on page 32. You can

change her appearance by turning her cap around. 34


Body

Ping-Pong Patsy really needs some kind of stuffing. Ab-

sorbent cotton will fill her body out nicely. Unroll cotton

and cut off a piece about 6 in. long. Roll this up and put it

inside the folds of the handkerchief, pushing it up close to

the neck. The cotton is held in place with two tiny safety

pins. They are pinned through from the right side in back.

They will not show if they are set up and down instead of

crosswise because the folds of the handkerchief will con-

ceal them.

Cap

The pattern for Patsy's cap is very much like the one

you used for Cotton Baby. This one takes a piece of mate-

rial 31/2 in. long and 21/2 in. wide. Trace the pattern

35


shown on page 3 5 and use it to cut out the shape needed.

Put a line of small cement dots along the very edge of the

side marked A. Turn this edge back over the cement dots

in a narrow fold and press it down with the fingers. This

pasted-down hem frames the face. Cement A to B, then

cement C down over them.

Hair

It would be fun to put real-looking hair on Patsy. You

can do this with fine knitting wool. Choose a nice shade of

brown, or a gold color. A 5 in. piece will be enough. Cut

this piece into 1/4in. lengths.

Now squeeze a thin line of cement right across the top

of the head. Spread the cement with a toothpick so that it

comes forward slightly to make the hairline at the fore-

head. Place the small pieces of wool, up and down, all

across the cemented area. Pull the pieces at the center of

the forehead down slightly so that they're a bit longer than

the others.

While the cement is still wet, gently pull one or two of

the side pieces back just enough to give an irregular line.

You know how a real baby's hair grows with a little point

or two in the center and a few wispy ends at the sides of

the forehead? That is the effect that you want to get on

Patsy. It is not necessary to put hair on the rest of the head

because it won't show. Cement the cap on.

36


Cape

If Patsy wears a circular cape, she won't need arms. Cut

the cape from a piece of colored material, using a saucer

to guide you in drawing its outline. Fold the circle of mate-

rial in half once, and once again. Cut off 1/4 in. of the

point. This makes the neckline. Open the circle and cut it

from the bottom up to the neckline to make the front

opening. Put the cape on Patsy and hold it together with

a tiny safety pin. You could cut a little circular collar from

a lace-paper doily to dress up the cape. Cement this in

place with a dot or two of Duco.

37

Circular cape is simple

to make. Told circle

twice and cut off point

to make neckline. Cut

up front for opening.


Jacket

You can make either a jacket or a dress for Patsy from

the same pattern. For a dress, make the jacket pattern

38


longer. You will need material 5 in. wide and 71/2 in. long

for the jacket; 5 in. wide and 13 in. long for the dress.

Trace the jacket pattern and then cut it out.

Fold the material in half across the short measurement.

Pin the pattern to the material, having the shoulder line

meet the fold line of the fabric. Cut it out, then make the

center slash from bottom to neckline.

Sew the seams together with running stitches. The way

to make them is shown in the small sketch along the side of

the pattern drawing on page 38. Turn back a narrow fold

along the edges of the jacket or dress opening and hold it

in place with very small running stitches. Hem the bottom

in the same way.

Dress

If you've made the pattern dress length, put it on Patsy

backwards and hold it together at the neckline with a small

safety pin. Tie a piece of colored knitting wool around her

waist for a belt.

The sleeves of jacket or dress are loosely stuffed with

absorbent cotton pushed up inside them to make arms. Let

a small piece of cotton extend below the bottom of each

sleeve to give the effect of hands.

Now that you know the trick of making these simple

dolls, all sorts of ways of changing them will pop into your

head. See how many different ones you can make.

39



PAPER DOLLS

'id you know that long ago there used to

be very elaborate paper dolls which were manufactured

exclusively for grown-ups?

Those paper dolls were made in France and were quite

expensive. Both men and women played with countless

numbers of them. They were printed on sheets, sometimes

colored and sometimes only in black and white so that the

purchaser could color them himself. As you can see in the

drawing, which was copied from one of those old sheets,

the arms and legs were printed separately to be cut out and

attached to the body with strings. When the strings were

pulled, the arms and legs moved. This made the figure

look as if it really was dancing. They were called "pan-

tins" and were printed by the thousands in many different

styles of costumes.

Another kind of paper doll made just for grown-ups

was called a "mannequin”. These were designed to show

41


the new fashions in women's clothes and were also very

popular. One of these mannequins and her wardrobe is

shown below. She was printed and sold in England in

1800. There are two things about her that are very in-

teresting : she is shown in profile (most paper dolls then,

as now, were shown front view) and she was eventually

given to a child as a toy. Children were not allowed to play

with the mannequins and pantins because they were too

delicate and too expensive.

However, little girls loved the paper mannequins so

much that by 1840 special paper dolls were being manu-

factured just for them. These new-style paper dolls were

portraits of famous women of the time; a singer, actress,

An English paper mannequin with the latest fashions of

1800.

42


ballet dancer, or beauty. Their costumes were copied from

the real clothes worn by the people they were supposed to

be. They were printed in lovely colors and made to look as

real as possible.

The wonderful thing about these paper dolls was that

almost anyone could make equally attractive ones for her-

self. Any kind of paper could be used for the purpose;

fancy wrapping paper, magazine pages, writing paper, old

letters and envelopes, scraps of wallpaper. Paper is such

fascinating stuff to work with that once again the grown-

ups started playing with paper dolls, only this time they

excused themselves by saying they were making them for

their children!

Men, too, liked to work with paper. For the most part,

however, they confined their playing to making cutouts.

Hans Christian Andersen, famous writer of fairy tales, not

only made a paper doll the heroine of one of his stories

(The Little Tin Soldier) but sometimes cut out paper

dolls for his young friends. One of these paper dolls is now

displayed in the museum in Odense, Denmark. This paper

doll is funny looking to modern eyes, but no doubt Ander-

sen and his young friends were delighted with it.

Remember, when you were very little, how someone cut

out a string of paper dancing dolls for you to play with or

to hang on the Christmas tree? The operation was quite

mysterious to you then. He folded the paper so quickly,

gave a few rapid cuts and snips with the scissors, then

dramatically unfolded the cutout and displayed a whole

43


Joined string of paper dolls cut from folded paper.

string of little dolls, although he'd only cut out one! That

was magic that delighted you both.

Once when I was working on such a string my grand-

mother asked me why I didn't make little paper dresses to

put on each doll! She showed me how to do it and they

were so pretty and so much fun that perhaps you, too, will

enjoy making ones like them.

How TO MAKE A PAPER DOLL STRING

If you are good at drawing, you can make your own

pattern doll. But it might be a good idea, this first time, to

trace the pattern doll shown on the next page.

Transfer the tracing to heavy brown wrapping paper,

then cut it out.

The pattern doll measures 3 in. wide and 43/4 in. tall.

Dolls smaller than this pattern are much too difficult to

dress successfully.

44


'Modern pattern for a string of "dressed-up" paper dolts.

iece of heavy white or cream-colored

paper. Good quality shelf or wrapping paper will do very

well. If the paper has creases in it, iron them out just as

you would from a handkerchief.

45

Select a nice clean p


We know that each fold must be 3 in. wide and 53/4 in.

tall. The number of folds you make in the paper will deter-

mine the number of dolls you get. It is quite difficult to cut

through more than six folds.

To make a string of six, measure off a piece of paper 18

in. long and 6 in. wide. Along both sides of the long edges

mark off 3-in. points to guide the folding. Make accordion

(back and forth) folds. Do not fold the paper over and

over.

Lay the pattern doll on the folded paper so that the

edge of each hand just touches the outside edges of the

folds. Carefully trace around the pattern doll. Cut out

along the traced line except around the outside edges of

the hands. If these edges are cut, you will have six separate

dolls instead of a single string of dolls holding hands.

finishing the Dolls

Unfold the dolls. Now they are ready to have faces,

hair, socks, and shoes put on them. Each one can be differ-

ent. Use colored pencils or sharply pointed crayons for

this work.

For the eyes, just make tiny blue, brown, or gray circles

and fill them in. A tiny half circle drawn in red makes the

mouth. A thin, light brown line makes the eyebrows. Hair

colors may vary as you like.

A light pencil line across each leg, slightly above the

46


ankles, will indicate socks. Color the slippers brown, black,

red, or green.

Now make the backs of the dolls match the fronts by

filling in the hair, socks, and shoes.

Dressing the Dolls

One dress pattern will do for all the dolls. Trace and

transfer it to heavy paper. Cut it out and use it to guide

the drawing of each dress. These dresses have a back as

well as a front, so lay the pattern on a piece of folded

paper. Use a striped or printed paper. Trace around the

pattern. With the paper still folded, cut out the dress. You

will have two identical pieces for the first doll.

47


Cut out double dresses for each of the other dolls, using

different colored papers for each. They could be polka-

dotted, plaid, plain, or you could draw little designs on

them with pen and ink or colored pencils. When each doll

has a dress (front and back), the pasting begins.

Place the string of dolls face down on a clean piece of

paper. Spread a thin layer of library paste or vegetable

glue across the shoulders and waist of the first doll. Smooth

the paste so there will be no lumps. Fit one dress piece (lay

its matching front aside so it won't get mixed up with the

others) to this doll, placing the shoulders of the dress even

with the shoulders of the doll. When the dress is in the

right position, make it stick to the doll by rubbing your

forefinger across the pasted areas. If any paste oozes out

at the sides, wipe it off immediately with a piece of cleans-

ing tissue.

Each of the other dolls has the back of her dress put on

in the same way. Turn the string of dolls over and put the

fronts on to match the backs. Carefully wipe away any

paste smudges before they dry.

Trimming

When the dresses are all pasted on and dry, you'll want

to add those bits of trimming that give individuality to

each. Look at the illustrations shown with the pattern. The

Peter Pan collar and cuffs may be cut from white writing

48


paper. Belts are very narrow strips cut from dark-colored

papers. Wider belts may be made from silver or gold or

colored scotch tape. A lace collar may be cut from a piece

of paper-lace doily. Tiny bows and flowers are sometimes

found in magazine illustrations. Cut them out for use

here. Make-believe rickrack braid can be made by cutting

very narrow strips of colored paper with a pinking shears.

Remember to cut double amounts of everything so that the

backs of the dresses will be as attractive as the fronts.

Applying paste to these tiny trimming pieces is some-

thing of a job. Wrap a very small piece of cotton around

the end of a toothpick to use as a paste applicator. Turn

the trimming piece face down and rub paste on the back of

it with the applicator. If the piece should slip as you're

pasting it down, thus leaving a smear of paste on the dress,

gently rub the smear off with cleansing tissue. If allowed

to dry on the dress, it will show up as a white stain, which

is not attractive looking.

Stringing

When the dolls are all dressed, they may be hung from

the branches of the Christmas tree or the edge of the man-

telpiece for the whole family to enjoy. With a needle, put

a small loop of black sewing thread close to the top of the

head of each doll. The tips of the loops may be tied to the

tree branches or scotch-taped to the edge of the mantel-

49


piece. The loops are periodically invisible and the dolls

will look as if they are dancing on air.

Standing Doll String

If you want these dancing dolls to stand up by themselves,

they will have to be made much stiffer. Make two

identical strings of dolls and paste them together before

dressing them. This will make them firm enough to stand

when the string has been joined to make a circle.

Another way to make them stand is to put “bones” in the

dolls. Pipe-stem cleaners are pasted on the backs of one

set of dolls. Pipe-stem cleaners are pasted on the backs of

one set of dolls. A 41/4 in. length of cleaner is pasted

down the middle of the doll from forehead to heels. Two

11/2 in. lengths are pasted along the arms. The second set

of dolls is then pasted on to cover the bones. The exciting

thing about this method is that the arms and legs can be

bent into dancing poses. You can make May Pole groups

or square dancing sets that look very natural.

The paper dolls made to play with are really the most fun.

They can look just exactly as you want them to. You can

copy your own favorite party dress or the prettiest clothes

of your friends. You can dream up wonderful designs that

no manufacturer would ever think of. With no expense at

all, your paper doll can have as fabulous and extensive a

wardrobe as the ones that used to go with the real fashion

dolls of olden times.

50


The marvelous thing about the dresses you can make for

your own paper dolls is that they can actually look like

real gowns, with folds and pleats and draping just as your

own clothes have. Dressing a doll this way is fascinating.

It takes time and requires a lot of planning and patience,

but each finished costume is so attractive that you’ll want

to start making another one right away.

HOW TO MAKE REAL SCULPTED PAPER DOLLS

The first step is to make the doll itself. Design your own,

or use the pattern doll on page 52.

Draw the pattern doll on heavy white writing paper.

Before cutting it out, paste on paper to lightweight

cardboard like the pieces the laundry puts in Father’s

shirts. The paste must be very smooth. When the paste is

dry, cut out the doll and draw in the features.

Do not draw in any hair. Let her stay bald so that all sorts

of different hairdos may be designed later to go with

individual costumes.

Use the pattern doll for all dress and costume designing.

Trace its outline on another paper piece of white paper.

Design the dress right over this figure. Start with an easy

costume like the jumper and blouse you wear to school.

After you have drawn the perky puffed sleeves, snug

bodice, and pleated skirt, draw on tabs at the shoulders

and at each side of the waist as shown in the small sketch

on page 54.

51

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ng.com

Trace this design to make your

own paper doll. By making her

bald it is possible to change her

hair-dos as frequently as her

dresses. Be sure to put hitching

tabs on each hair-do.


Dressing the Doll

Now the really exciting part begins. Make a fresh trac-

ing of just the costume on another piece of paper. Leave

out the head, arms, and legs, but be sure to include the

tabs. Cut it out. This is the very important foundation pat-

tern.

The first sketch may now be cut up to give you patterns

for the separate parts of the costume. The second sketch,

the foundation pattern, is the part upon which the various

final parts are pasted.

The idea now is to make the doll's costume look like a

real dress actually having pleats, folds, and fullness. The

way to get that effect is to cut the individual parts larger

than the foundation sleeve, bodice, or skirt. Then the edges

of the larger pieces are pasted to the edges of the founda-

tion. Because they are larger, the paper bows out in curves

and folds and looks most realistic.

Since only the sleeves of the blouse show, that is all of

the blouse that has to be made. Cut two pieces from a

single sheet of cleansing tissue (it looks just like sheer mus-

lin on the doll). Cut each piece 1/4 in. larger than the foun-

dation sleeve. Put a narrow line of paste along the bottom

of the sleeve on the foundation pattern and another line of

paste along the armhole. Gather the top and bottom edges

of the tissue between the fingers so it will look as if it had

been shirred. Place one shirred edge along the armhole line

53



of paste. Press these edges down firmly. Place the other

gathered edge along the paste line at the bottom of the

sleeve. Press down. Because the tissue was longer than

the foundation, it bows out and looks like real puffed

sleeves. A very narrow strip of white paper may be pasted

along the bottom of the sleeves to cover the raw edges of

the tissue. Or use a colored strip to match the jumper.

The next step is to make the skirt. Cut ¼ in. longer than

the skirt length of the pattern, and 7 in. wide. Make a

little box pleat in the center and a number of narrow

pleats on either side of it. Rub a line of paste right across

the waistline of the foundation and down each side edge

of its skirt, but not across the bottom. Lay the pleated

skirt on the foundation. Press down the top edge to the

waistline of the foundation. Press down each side of the

skirt so that it sticks to the sides of the foundation. Only

the backs of the pleats will stick to the waistline, so put

tiny dabs of paste between each fold that has popped up

at the waist and press the folds down. Clean off any bits

of paste that may have oozed out.

Cut the bodice 1/8 in. wider at sides and bottom than the

pattern. Use the same kind of paper you used for the skirt.

Cover the back of the bodice with a thin coat of paste. Set

the bodice very carefully on the foundation so that its

armholes will cover the upper edges of the sleeves and

the bottom will cover the top edge of the skirt. Gently rub

it so the paste will take hold. A narrow strip of black


paper pasted across the waistline will look like a belt, as

well as cover the seam line if it did not turn out smoothly.

Trim off the sides of the skirt if they extend too far.

Loosen the skirt pleats by slipping your finger under

the bottom of them to make them swing out as your own

skirt does. Gently pull out the sleeve tissue if it has become

flattened. Be sure that the dress has hitching tabs at shoul-

der and waistline to hold the costume on the doll.

It is great fun to try your hand at making various hair

styles and hats. Magazine illustrations can be copied ex-

actly, or you can just use them to guide your own design-

ing. Actual pieces of ribbon, fabric, feathers, and tiny arti-

ficial flowers can be pasted on the hats to decorate them.

When you are designing your own costumes, always

follow the same procedure; trace the doll, then make your

design on this tracing, not forgetting to put on the neces-

sary tabs which will hold the dress on the doll. Make a

fresh tracing from the completed design and cut it out to

be used as the foundation. Study the design before cutting

out the various parts. Plan colors and trimming. Paste the

skirt and sleeves on, then the bodice, which should cover

the edges of the sleeves and skirt. Last of all comes the

trimming. By working in this order, your costumes will

always turn out successfully.

A good deal of skill and time has gone into the making

of these elaborate dolls. It is a good idea to have a special

box in which to keep them, so they'll stay fresh and un-

damaged. A candy box will do. Cover it with a pretty gift

56


wrapping or wallpaper to show that it holds something

very special and valuable. Keep your collection of papers

and trimmings in a separate box. Use an elastic band

around each box to keep it smooth and neat.

You can be very proud of these paper dolls. Who can

tell but that perhaps some day, years and years from now,

these dolls will appear in a museum to delight both chil-

dren and grown-ups with their beauty and fine workman-

ship? Just in case that might happen, write the doll's name,

your name, and the date you made it on the back of each

piece.

57


A doll house bride and groom

made of paper.


THE DOLL HOUSE FAMILY

he most attractive little dolls can be made

for your doll house. Crepe paper, absorbent cotton, and

pipe-stem cleaners are the things you'll need besides scis-

sors, paste, thread, and needle.

The charming thing about these dolls is that they can be

bent into all sorts of natural poses without any difficulty

whatsoever. Their crepe-paper clothes, for the most part,

are put together with paste. Only occasionally do you

have to sew anything. Of course, you can use other kinds

of paper, too, for costumes and trimmings. As you work

along with them, all sorts of interesting ideas will occur to

you. Sheer fine fabrics can be used on these dolls and,

since the dolls are so very small, the tiniest scraps that can-

not be used elsewhere will do nicely here.

How TO MAKE DOLL HOUSE DOLLS

Pipe-stem cleaners are used to make a frame or skeleton

for the doll. Six regular-size cleaners are needed for the

59


full-size dolls; four for the child-size. The method of twist-

ing the cleaners is shown in Figures 1,2, and 3 of the dia-

gram. One cleaner is looped and twisted to make the head

and body. The second cleaner makes the arms and hands.

Two cleaners, twisted together, are used for each leg. Fol-

low the drawings step by step.

When the frame is done, place a small wad of absorbent

cotton in the head loop. Then cover the entire head with

a very thin layer of cotton and bind it to the neck by wind-

ing thread around it tightly. Place small wads in the loops

of the hands and feet. Cover the head, hands, and feet with

60


peach-colored crepe paper. Bind each part at neck, wrists,

and ankles with sewing thread. The frame should look like

Figure 4.

Pad the shoulders and chest with thin strips of cotton.

The shoulder strips should be about 1/2 in. wide and 2 in.

long. Lay them across the shoulders, having the ends come

down to the waist. Tie them there with a binding of thread.

The chest strip, 1/2 in. wide and 3 in. long, is wrapped

around the body and held on with a binding of thread.

Cover the legs and arms with crepe paper cut into strips

1/4 in. wide. Starting at the ankles and wrists, bind the

strips spirally up each leg and arm. Tie at the top with sew-

ing thread. Cover the body the same way, using a strip 1/2

in. wide. The doll should look like Figure 5.

The child-size doll is made exactly the same way, but

should be about 11/2 inch shorter than the grown-up doll.

The diagram and dress pattern on page 70 will guide you.

This basic doll can be made into many characters by

means of different hairdos and clothes.

A favorite pair is a bride and groom. Let's make the

bride first.

THE BRIDE

Water-color pencils are used to draw on the eyes and

mouth. Dip the tip of an azure-blue pencil in water, shake

off the excess, then draw two small circles for the eyes. Fill

61


in the circles. Don’t press hard, or the pencil tip will tear

the soft paper face. A semi-circle in red will give the bride

a pleasant, halfway smiling expression.

It is wise to practice using these water-color pencils on

pieces of crepe paper before you actually use them on the

face. Lay a scrap piece of the paper over a wad of cotton

and then try making different kinds of features. When you

feel that you have the knack of it, draw the eyes and mouth

on the doll.

Wig

Let’s plan a blond bride. There are two ways of making her

hair: with crepe paper according to the pattern shown here,

or with strands of fine pale yellow yarn. The crepe-paper

wig is easier.

Cut pale yellow paper to the size and shape shown. The

curved edges of it are finely slashed to make it look like

hair. Cover the top, sides, and back of the doll’s head with

a thin, even coat of library paste. Paste the wig on as

shown, molding it to the head. If the bob is too long, trim

the ends carefully with a very sharp scissors.

The yarn wig is a bit more difficult to make but it does

look very natural when done. Cut twelve 21/2 in. lengths of

very fine yellow wool. You may need more lengths, but

62


twelve is enough to start with. Place a line of Duco cement

from the forehead straight back across the top of the head.

Lay the center of each strand on the line of cement, so that

the strands touch each other completely. Start at the

forehead and continue back to the crown of the head,

pressing the strands down against the cement. The ends fall

down on either side of the face. Turn the doll around so the

back of her head is toward you. There will be a spot on the

head that is still bald. Put a thin coat of cement on this bald

spot. Press some more stands of wool straight up and

adown on the cement. The end of each new strand must

touch the last strand of top hair.

When the cement is dry draw all the strands together at the

back of the neck. Tie them with a piece of matching wool,

then cut off the ends quite close to the tied part. This makes

a little pompon that looks just like a little bun.

63


Gown

The bridal gown is one of the most striking costumes

you can make. It can be made of white, ivory, or any pale

pastel crepe paper. Only five pieces are necessary to make

it: two sleeves and a bodice, and a straight skirt which is

shirred at the waistline. In cutting out the various parts, be

sure that the crinkled grain of the paper runs up and down.

The skirt requires a piece of paper 9 in. long and 4 in.

wide. Gather the top of the skirt (along the 9-in. edge)

with a needle and thread. Pull the thread just tight enough

to fit the waistline of the doll. Tie the gathering thread

with a double knot. Put the skirt on the doll and bind it in

place by winding the thread tightly around the waistline.

This wrapping thread goes over the gathers. Tie it se-

curely. Paste the back seam of the skirt, lapping one edge

over the other.

Hold the doll upright with her feet flat on the table to

test the length of the skirt. Trim off the bottom if it is too

long. Stretch the bottom edge of the skirt by gently pull-

ing small sections of it sideways. This will make a series

of small puffs around the bottom which are very pretty.

Cut sleeves and bodice according to patterns on page

65. The grain or crinkle of the paper must run from

top to bottom of each piece. Use a needle and thread to

gather the bottom of each sleeve. Gather the tops between

the points marked A and B. The sleeves can be made to

look fuller by gently stretching the center part. Tie the

64


7be doll house bride's dress pattern.

bottoms of the sleeves to the wrists, wrapping them on like

the top of the skirt. The tops of the sleeves are pasted to

the doll's shoulders. Paste the seams together by lapping

one side over the other. The lap should be as narrow as

possible.

The front and back of the bodice are identical. Rub a

thin coat of library paste all over one side of each piece.

Carefully fit one piece on the back, smoothing it to remove

wrinkles and making sure that the piece covers the tops of

the sleeves and the top of the skirt. Fit the front on in the

same way.

Accessories

Narrow white satin ribbon may be tied around the

waist, finishing it with a bow and streamers at center back.

65

SLEEVE PATTERN


Tbe doll house groom's suit pattern.


Fold the ribbon in half, lengthwise, and tie a piece of rib-

bon around each wrist; make a double knot and then cut

off the ends.

The neckline may be finished either with a little flat col-

lar cut from a lace-paper doily or with a tiny lace ruffle.

For the latter, cut a strip 1/4 in. wide and 3 in. long. Gather

it to fit the neck. Put it on with the ends meeting at center

back. Tie securely.

The nicest kind of veil for the little bride is made from

silk or nylon tulle or net. A piece 4 in. wide and 6 in. long

will do nicely. Lay it on the head so it will fall to the chest

in front and flow gracefully down in back. Hold the veil in

place by pinning it with two very short straight pins stuck

right into the head. By slipping a tiny pearl bead on each

pin and sticking a number of them in side by side across

the top of the head, you make a pearl coronet which is very

beautiful.

Paint silver or white slippers on the bride.

THE GROOM

The groom doll is made exactly like the bride, except

that you might want to make his complexion darker. If so,

you can cover his face and hands with light tan crepe

paper. Also, the shape of his eyes and mouth are made

somewhat different from those on the bride. Study the

picture of the finished pair on page 58 to see the difference.

Brown water-color pencil is used.

67


Suit

The pattern for the groom's suit is on page 66. Black

crepe paper is used for trousers and coat/ white writing

paper for the shirt. Since only the front will show under

his suit, it is cut without a back.

Paste the edges of each trouser leg together to make

tubes, which are then slipped up onto his legs. Keep the

seams on the inner side of the legs. Paste the tops to the

body at the waistline.

Paste the shirt on, lapping the bottom of it over the top

of the trousers. His collar is a narrow strip cut from shiny

white paper, just long enough to go around his neck. Paste

it on with the ends meeting at center front. Paste on the

tiniest snip of black paper to look like a tie.

The sleeves are made into tubes and slipped on the arms.

Paste the tops of them to the shoulders.

The coat is put on last. Rub a thin coat of paste along

the edges of the armholes, across the top of the back, and

across the top edge of the front shoulders. Start with the

back and carefully fit it to the body, smoothing out any

wrinkles and lapping the armholes over the edges of the

sleeves. Lap the front shoulders over the back. Bend back

the lapels. Paste the coat together in front at the waist. A

tiny snip of white paper may be pasted to the left lapel to

look like a carnation. Paint the groom's feet black. Use the

same poster paint to give him hair, unless you want to

68


make a brown wool wig. This is not too hard to do and it

certainly looks handsome when finished.

"Wig

The best yarn to make a wool wig for a man doll, is a

strand unraveled from an old piece of knitting. When

ripped out it is nice and curly. Cut the yarn into small

lengths somewhat less than 1/4 in. Put a thin coat of Duco

cement all over the head and press the tiny bits of wool on

until the head is covered with them. Right now they'll

make him look like a Hottentot, but after the cement is dry

you can barber him. Cut the wool off close above the ears

and at the back of the head. The top hair should be just a

bit longer.

The bride and groom are now ready for display, and

what an exceedingly handsome couple they make! The

Bride's skirt is stiff enough to allow her to stand without

support. Link the groom's pipe-cleaner arm through hers

and he, too, will stand upright.

COSTUME CHANGES

Both the bride's and the groom's clothes can, with a few

changes, be turned into everyday outfits.

69

Brought to you by

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aking.com

7he doll house father's every-

day jacket pattern uses tube

sleeves like those of the groom.

The doll house child takes

only a few minutes to make

with pipestem cleaners and

crepe paper.

70


Make the bride's dress knee length, of colored paper,

add a flat white collar, and it becomes a schoolgirl's frock.

By making the skirt a bit longer (about halfway down the

leg) and not quite so full, it turns into a fine gown for a

mother doll. For her, a tiny necklace of pearls will be a

good finishing touch. A dress made exactly like the origi-

nal, only in gray paper and with a wide flat collar of stiff

white paper added, turns the doll into an enchanting little

Pilgrim Maid. Add a black cape to complete the picture.

The pattern for the groom's suit can be the basis for a

number of daytime outfits. The trousers are always cut the

same way. The jacket pattern is shown on page 70. Try

cutting it from a tweedy looking writing paper and use

with gray or brown crepe-paper trousers. You will have a

very fine country outfit. If the man doll is to appear just

in slacks and a shirt, cut a duplicate of the shirt front for

the back and cut sleeves of the same paper, using the

jacket-sleeve pattern. A narrow black or brown strip of

paper around the waist will serve as a belt.

These easy costume changes transform the dolls into

mother and father characters.

DOLL HOUSE CHILDREN

The child-size dolls are made in the same way but are

1 1/2 in. shorter. Cut little one-piece dresses for them. They

are really too small to wear anything fancy. A nice way to

71


trim the dresses is to paste very narrow cotton lace around

neckline and bottoms of sleeves. If the lace you have is too

wide, cut it to the width you need. Use cement for pasting

it down. Tie a piece of colored yarn around the waist to

pull in the fullness of the dress. Paint socks and shoes on

with poster paint.

PLANNING A DOLL SHOW

These tiny dolls are fun to make. They take so little

material and are completed so rapidly that making dozens

of them for a Doll Show would be a most interesting proj-

ect to work on. Why not have a Doll Bee with a group of

friends? You could trade materials, trimmings, and ideas

and help each other prepare the dolls for the Show.

Such a project should be planned in advance. A central

idea or theme is necessary to give the Show importance.

Suppose your town is going to celebrate its hundredth

anniversary. What could be more exciting than to prepare

groups of dolls dressed as Founding Families and their

descendants? A hundred years of fashions offers all sorts

of possibilities for doll costumes. Everyone will co-operate

by giving you lots of stories and anecdotes that can be

turned into doll group presentations. These dolls are ide-

ally suited for this kind of use because, after costuming

them, they can be bent into action poses to suit the theme.

If you do plan anything like this, you will want dolls

72


that can stand up by themselves. They can be made to do

so by using self-hardening clay to model good supporting

feet for your actors.

Make a small oval of the clay about 3/4 in. long, 1/2 in.

wide, and 1/4 in. thick. Press this on the table so that the

bottom is absolutely flat. Press each doll foot into a clay

lump, then smooth the sides of the lump up and over the top

of the wire ankle. The clay will dry very hard, and then it

may be painted. It is heavy enough to hold the doll upright

without other support. The clay feet are certainly not

dainty looking, but with the men dolls it doesn't make any

difference, and the skirts of the women dolls will partially

conceal them. Oddly enough, large feet look rather appeal-

ing on doll children.

73



THE RAG DOLL

he rag doll belongs to a family noted for its

great hardiness, sweet disposition, and comfortable per-

sonality. While not as beautiful as the bisque and china

branches of the family, the rag doll clan possesses both

charm and an amazingly durable constitution.

The term "rag doll" is used to describe any doll that is

entirely made of cloth of some kind. One naturally thinks

of a rag as being an old, worn, or discarded piece of mate-

rial, but this does not apply to all rag dolls. Metropolitan

museums have collections of rag dolls made (heads, bod-

ies, and limbs) of the finest silks and satins and dressed in

gorgeous velvets and brocades. Made by artist doll-mak-

ers, these rag dolls proudly proclaim the fact that their

branch of the family has aristocrats as well as common

folk. Perhaps your museum has one of these beauties.

But it is the common everyday rag doll, the lovable,

huggable, soft darling for everyday use that is most ap-

75


76



pealing to us all. She's easy to make and easy to dress. In

her own individual way, she is also quite pretty.

How TO MAKE A RAG DOLL

The drawing of Prudence, a finished rag doll, shows just

how attractive this kind of doll can be. On the preceding

two pages you will find the pattern for making this doll.

The pattern is in two parts to give you a doll which will be

8 in. tall.

In tracing the pattern, draw the top part first. Then

place the tracing paper on the second part so that the

bottom of the shaded area of the body will just touch the

top of the shaded area of the legs, and finish the tracing.

Cut out the pattern and indicate the dotted lines that

appear on the original pattern drawings.

Material

The best material from which to make a rag doll is a

strong, firmly woven cotton that is not too heavy. Muslin,

percale, longcloth, or sateen work out very satisfactorily.

A half yard will be enough to make several dolls. Ab-

sorbent cotton, cotton batting, or wool batting make excel-

lent stuffing materials. Soft rags or old silk or nylon

stockings are sometimes used for stuffing, but the final

effect is apt to be bumpy and uneven. 78


Needle, thread, thimble, and scissors are the tools with

which the doll is put together. It is possible to sew the doll

body on a sewing machine, but you will be much better

satisfied with the results from hand sewing, because you

can go around curves and in and out of sharp angles much

more smoothly. Use tiny back stitches and sew directly

along the penciled line.

Very pale pink or cream-colored material are best for

the doll body. If white is the only thing you have to work

with, you can tint it to look more like skin. Beige or peach

tinting dye will produce nice tones. Follow the instructions

on the packages. I like to use tea for tinting. Four or five

cups of strong tea will give a light sun-tanned tone that is

most attractive. Wet the material in clear water first, then

wring it out as dry as possible. Pour the hot tea into a

bowl and submerge the wet material in it. Stir the fabric

around with a spoon and hoist it up and down in the tea

to make sure that every bit of it is soaked with the tea. It

takes only a few minutes to get the desired color. Rinse the

material thoroughly in cold water. Iron the material while

it is slightly damp.

Cutting and Stitching

Pin the paper pattern to two thicknesses of material in

order to get a front and back at the same time. Trace

around the edges of the pattern with a sharp-pointed soft

79

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A variety of faces to be drawn, painted, or

embroidered on the rag doll. Copy, or de-

sign your own. Embroidered eyebrows are

done with Outline Stitch, which is done by

making short, diagonal stitches close to-

gether as shown in top needle sketch. Satin

Stitch for mouth and eyes are straight

stitches set side by side. See lower needle.

80


pencil. Unpin the pattern. Baste the two pieces of material

together with short running stitches, 1/4 in. inside of the

outline. Then do the final stitching directly on the penciled

line. Leave a 2-in. opening on one side of the doll in order

to turn it inside out and to put in the stuffing. Rip out the

basting stitches.

When the stitching is completed, cut out the doll. Don't

cut too close to the stitching, but keep about 1/8 in. away

from it. Before turning the doll inside out, make a tiny

slash at each side of the neck, under the arms, and between

the legs. These slashes make it easier to get a good flat seam

on the right side.

It is much more difficult than it sounds to turn a doll

inside out. Do the legs first, then the arms and head. These

are then pulled through the side opening. The fabric may

become wrinkled, but don't worry about that. The stuffing

will smooth out the wrinkles.

Face

The doll's face should be put on next, because it is much

easier to do this before the doll is stuffed than afterward.

There are several ways in which this can be done: with

crayon, with embroidery stitches, with textile paints, or

with tiny beads.

Embroidered features last the longest. They are not hard

to do and are very pretty. Crayon and paint are fairly

81


permanent. Bead features, though extremely gay and at-

tractive looking, will break off unless the doll is handled

carefully. In making any face that requires sewing (em-

broidery or bead work), be sure that the needle does not

go through and sew the back of the head to the front. In

order to avoid this, hold the first two fingers of your left

hand inside the head to keep the front and back separated

while you are working.

Different kinds of faces are shown on page 80. Trace

and transfer them to the cloth face, using a sharp-pointed

hard pencil. The features are colored in the style you

choose. When embroidering, use outline stitch for the thin

line; satin stitch for the eyes and lips. The way to make

these stitches is illustrated with the face drawings. Short

single stitches are used for making eyelashes.

Stuffing

In stuffing the doll, begin with the legs and arms. Tear

off small pieces of cotton or wool and push them down into

the legs. Use the eraser end of a pencil to poke the pieces

down. Keep the stuffing as smooth and firm as possible.

When the leg is stuffed to the top (the dotted line shown on

the pattern), sew across from seam to seam. The same kind

of seams are needed at the tops of the arms. These seams

make it possible to move the arms and legs back and forth.

Stuff the head three-quarters full. Push a lollipop stick

82


or wooden meat skewer halfway into the head stuffing and

halfway into the chest. This makes the "neck" and will

keep the head from wobbling back and forth as it would

if it had no support. Fit the rest of the stuffing firmly

around the stick, filling out the neck and shoulders. Stuff

the body, keeping it smooth and quite firm. When you

have finished stuffing, draw the side opening together and

sew with small, closely set stitches.

In the drawing, you will see a dotted diamond across

the front of each foot. This indicates where a tuck must

be taken to make the foot bend forward in a natural posi-

tion. Take a tiny stitch on the top line, another stitch on

the bottom line and pull the thread tight to draw the lines

together. Do this right across each foot, then knot the

thread securely.

Wigs

Hair for the doll can be made of several different mate-

rials. A wig made of wool or cotton jersey, or the leg part

of cotton socks, is very nice looking. The pattern on page

84 can be worked out for bangs, no bangs, pigtails, long

or short bob. If you choose to have bangs, cut the narrow

strip marked A, make fine vertical slashes along the bot-

tom, then sew the piece across the top of the head as shown

in Figure 1.

Cut large wig pattern and place center arrow at center

83



top of forehead. Stitch across front of head, along dotted line,

as shown in Figure 2. Lap the fabric back, like Figure 3, and

sew down flat.

Cut the hair to the desired length and make fine vertical

slashings all around. The ends of the jersey wig may be

curled by dampening them and rolling them up on straight

pins. Secure the rolls with extra pins and allow the fabric

to dry before removing them. Trim the bangs.

If you want pigtails, cut wig 2 in. longer than pattern.

Make six evenly spaced slashes from the bottom of the wig

up to the neck. This gives three pieces on each side which

can be braided. Tie the ends of the braids with little pieces

of colored wool to look like hair ribbons.

Rug yarn or heavy knitting wool can also be used for

effective-looking hair. Each strand must be sewn on in-

dividually. The bottom layer of strands, each 6 in. long,

is put on first. (See page 86.) The top layer of 8-in. strands

is sewn from forehead to back of head. Use enough strands

to entirely cover cloth head. Trim to length desired. Leave

it long if you are going to braid it.

Underwear

Panties and a pretty slip are the first pieces of clothing

to make. The patterns for these are on page 88. Use any

soft white cotton such as lawn, nainsook, or batiste.

The panties are cut in one piece, from folded material.

85

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SHOE PATTERN

Lay "fold" edge of pattern along the fold of material and

cut out. Hem the legs first, then sew up the side seams and

finish off the top with a narrow hem. This may be done on

a sewing machine, but it looks much prettier done by hand.

Elastic sewing thread is whipped to the top hem with fairly

loose overcast stitches. When the elastic thread is all the

way around the top, pull it a bit to gather in the top of the

panties. Tie the ends of the elastic in a square knot and trim

off the ends.

To make the slip, fold the material in half and lay the

side of the pattern marked "fold" along the fold of the

material. Then cut out the first piece. A second piece is

86


cut the same way. Sew up the side seams of the slip. Make

a narrow hem at top of slip and a 1/4-in. hem along the

bottom. Whip elastic thread to the top of the slip, just as

you did for the panties.

Both the slip and panties will look much more dainty if

you trim the bottoms with narrow cotton lace. Lay the lace

flat on the hem (see page 88), and sew it on with overcast

stitches. Now turn the lace down and flatten the sewing

with your fingers.

Shoes

The pattern for the doll's shoes, on page 86, should be

transferred to cardboard, cut out, and used to trace around

the edges. Shoes are not difficult to make, but they do re-

quire nice tiny even stitches. Each shoe has two pieces: an

upper, marked A, and a sole, marked B. Cut two of each.

Lay the upper on the sole, matching the Vs. Join them

along the outside edges with closely set overcasting stitches.

Lap C over D and sew down flat. Felt, wool jersey, and

thin kid from an old pair of gloves are all excellent mate-

rials for doll's footwear. They must be sewn with matching

colored thread.

Try the shoes on the doll. If they are a bit longer than

the feet, stuff out the toes of the shoes with tiny bits of

cotton. Cut two very narrow strips of the shoe material to

make straps. These should be about 1 in. long. Sew them

on, having the ends meet at the back top edge of the shoe.

87


88


The straps must be snug around the ankle. If 1 in. is too

long, cut the excess off so they'll fit perfectly.

Dress

Right now, just in her underwear and slippers, isn't she

one of the most attractive little dolls you've ever had? You

can tell at this point just what kind of a name to give her.

Shall it be Aramantha Susan Peabody or Prudence Cabot

or Sue Ellen Pritchard? Let's call her Prudence for the

time being.

The dress Prudence is wearing in her portrait on page

74 is easily made. As you can see on the pattern (page 90);

the bodice and sleeves are cut in one piece. The skirt is a

straight piece that is shirred around the top and sewn to

the bodice. My Prudence wears a gown of lavender and

white striped lawn, trimmed with lavender velvet ribbon.

Any soft fine cotton fabric will do very nicely. It could

be plain colored, or plaid, or checked, or printed with a

tiny floral design. Ribbon, narrow rickrack braid, bias tape,

or lace could be used for trimming. It's such fun to figure

out just how you're going to make and trim the dress.

Trace the bodice pattern and transfer it to heavy paper.

Write the doll's name and the date on the pattern. This is

a basic pattern which can be used for any number of differ-

ent dresses and fancy costumes, so don't let it get lost.

Fold the material in half. Place the pattern on it so that

its top edge meets the fold line of the fabric. Cut it out.

89


7he puffed-sleeve bodice is cut

according to pattern above. Shirr

between the points marked A

and B. "Before finishing shirring,

try on doll to see that head and

arms will go through when bod-

ice is done. Sew side seams.

90


Make the narrowest hem you can around the neckline and

the bottom of the sleeves. Now gather the sleeves between

the points marked A and B on the diagram. Before knotting

the gathering thread, test the shirring at the neck to see if

you've allowed enough room to put the bodice on over the

doll's head. Test the sleeve .bottoms to see that they're

wide enough to allow the hand and arm to go through

them. When these adjustments have been made, knot the

thread. Sew the sides together, on the wrong side. Turn the

bodice inside out.

The skirt measures 16 in. around the bottom and is 43/4

in. long, including the turnup for the hem. Gather the top

and draw in enough to match the measurement around the

bottom of the bodice. Be sure to leave 1/4 in. at each side

to seam the skirt together. It is a very good idea to secure

the shirring by running a line of machine stitching along

it. If you cannot use a machine, sew a row of small back-.

stitches to hold the gathers in place. Seam the side of the

skirt. Iron the skirt and press the seam open so it will lie

flat. A doll's electric iron is just right for this.

Join the bodice to the skirt like this; turn the skirt inside

out and the bodice upside down. Slip the bodice inside the

skirt until the two edges meet. Sew the two parts together,

having the side seam of the skirt meet one side seam of

bodice. Use small running stitches, and go around the

waistline twice. Knot the thread securely.

Turn up 1/2 in. along bottom of skirt and hem with tiny

stitches. Iron hem before putting dress on doll.

91


The waistline of the dress is not quite as snug as you

may think it should be. This was planned on purpose,

because it is easier to put the dress on the doll when the

waist is a bit loose. The belt or sash that she'll wear can

be put on tight enough to give her the wee waist that looks

so very pretty.

Neckla ce

A necklace of small beads will complete her costume.

Choose a color bead that contrasts nicely with the color

of the dress. The necklace can be removable if you make it

the following way: thread one bead and slide it down to

within 2 in. of the end of the thread; tie the thread in a

double knot around this bead, then thread as many more

beads as is necessary to make the necklace the length you

want. Then knot the thread around the last bead and break

it off 2 in. away from the bead. The thread ends can be tied

in a small bow at the back of the neck.

COSTUME CHANGES

Charming Prudence can have many more dresses if you

use the basic bodice pattern with different kinds of skirts.

Suppose you have a pretty piece of pink chambray you

want to use for a dress with a circular skirt. Cut and finish

the bodice as before. Then lay a bread and butter plate on

a single thickness of the fabric. Trace around it and then

92


cut out the circle. Fold the circle in half and in half again.

Cut off the point 1/2 in. away from the top fold. Curve the

cutting line slightly so that a perfect circle is taken out of

the center. This is the waistline. Fit it to the bottom of the

bodice. If it is too small, trim it just the slightest bit. If too

large, gather it slightly to fit. The shirring looks best when

placed at the back.

Sew the circle to the bodice. Make a narrow hem around

the bottom of the skirt. Three bands of narrow white rick-

rack around the bottom of the skirt, and one band around

the neckline and sleeve bottoms, will give the dress a fresh,

spick-and-span look that is most attractive. A white kid

belt would be pretty, or a piece of the white rickrack tied

around the waist would finish it nicely.

A fairy Princess Gown

A party gown or Fairy Princess costume can be made

from white or pale yellow organdie. Use the same bodice

pattern. Cut a circular skirt from a double thickness of

organdie, using a dinner plate as a guide in drawing a per-

fect circle. Cut out the waistline just as you did in the pink

chambray. Silver ribbon or silver tinsel make beautiful

trimmings for these gowns. String enough small pearls to

make a circle the size of a quarter. Tie the ends together and

place on the doll's head for a little crown. A tiny bracelet

of pearls can be tied on each wrist. For fancy costumes

such as these, silver painted or white kid slippers look best.

93


An Everyday Dress

A pleated skirt with the same bodice makes a very at-

tractive daytime dress. Checked gingham (use only the

very smallest size check) or a small pattern plaid gingham

looks very well when pleated. Make the bodice as usual.

For the skirt, cut a straight piece of material about 4 in.

long and 13 in. wide. Make a small box pleat in the center.

Make 1/4 in. pleats, side by side, on either side of the cen-

ter, so that the top of the skirt measures the same width as

the bottom of the bodice. Then pin the pleats in place. In

this instance, the skirt will be seamed at the center back.

Cut off any excess material. Stitch along the top of the

skirt to hold the pleats in place. Put the bodice on and

hold the skirt up to it to determine the correct length. Hem

the skirt but do not seam it together. While still unseamed,

iron the pleats in place; then sew up the seam. Join the skirt

to the bodice as usual.

Bias binding tape (it comes already folded for use) can

be sewn around the neckline and bottom of sleeves. A nar-

row black kid belt will look well.

BABY RAG DOLL

Prudence can be changed into a real baby doll very eas-

ily. By covering her head with a mass of short curls and

94


giving her a real baby dress you can make her into a sweet

little baby.

Six-strand embroidery floss (used with a long-eyed

needle) is worked into French knots. Draw the floss all the

way through the fabric. Then, holding the needle close to

where the floss came out, wind the floss several times

around the needle. Insert the needle into the fabric quite

95


close to where the floss came out. Let the needle tip come

out again a short distance away and draw the thread

through. These knots should be a good deal looser than

those used in fine embroidery. Set the knots close together

so they'll entirely cover the head.

The baby doll's dress shows only the top. Make it long

enough so that it will cover her feet. Use soft, fine white

material. Shirr the sleeves and neckline as shown by the

dotted lines on the pattern and trim the edges with narrow

lace. You know how to cut and put on a tiny diaper.

A DOLL 'S CLOSET

By this time you've thought of several more ways of

working out dress designs of your own. They don't take

long to make, and they're such fun to make and use.

A good way to keep the dresses fresh is to provide the

doll with her own trunk or wardrobe chest. Use a shoebox

covered with wallpaper or cretonne for a trunk. To use the

box as a wardrobe, stand it up on its end. Put a pencil or

a thin wooden stick inside the box to act as a rod upon

which to hang the dress hangers. Measure the width of the

box and cut the pencil or stick to fit. Thumb tacks, pushed

through from the outside, will hold the rod in place.

The dime and variety stores have pretty little colored

plastic hangers for small-sized doll dresses. If each dress

is kept on its own hanger, it will stay fresh much longer.

96


MODELED RAG DOLLS

'ometime ago a special kind of doll came to

this country from Italy. These dolls were so beautiful that

grownups bought them just to look at. They could sit on

dressing tables and beds in the most lifelike way. Some of

these dolls live in dolls* houses and delight hundreds of

little girls who are lucky enough to own them.

Made entirely of felt (which means that they are really

rag dolls!), they have fat, dimpled arms and legs, and

adorable faces. Despite the fact that the heads are made of

the same felt as the bodies, the faces are rounded and

modeled like those of the bisque dolls. There is a very

special manufacturing trick involved in making these faces

which the home doll-maker can never duplicate. But the

charming roundness of the rest of the doll serves as an

inspiration in making a more realistic rag doll.

By cutting out the arms, legs, body, and head individu-

ally, it is possible to get the realistic shape which is so at-

97



tractive. The head is made from three separate pieces. It

is quite round and even has a cute little snub-nosed profile.

How TO MAKE A REALISTIC RAG DOLL

The patterns necessary for this doll are shown on page

100. The arms and legs are cut in "profile/' which results

in the seams being along the center front and back of

each leg instead of at the sides. One hardly notices these

seams when the stuffing has been put in. The body shape is

very natural looking.

The head pattern calls for two pieces for the front and

one piece for the back. The center seam which runs down

the front of the face makes it possible to give the doll a

real profile. When firmly stuffed, this seam is hardly vis-

ible.

Trace and transfer the pattern to heavy paper. Use fine,

firmly woven cotton material to make the doll. Pin each

pattern piece to a double thickness of the material. Trace

around the outside edge of the pattern. Remove the pat-

tern and baste the two pieces together to keep them from

slipping out of place while the final stitching is being put in.

Sew along the pencil outline, either by hand with back-

stitches, or on the machine. Cut the piece out about 1/8 in.

outside the line of sewing. Turn the piece inside out. Finish

the arms, legs, and body before doing the head.

Stuff each section just as firmly as possible, using either

99


PATTERN FOR BONNIE. 1.

BODY: cut two. 2. FACE: cut

two. 3. LEGS: cut four. 4. ARMS:

cut four. 5. FOOT BOTTOM: cut

two. 6. BACK OF HEAD: cut one.

100


absorbent cotton or wool batting. The drawings show how

to place the arms and legs against the body. Turn in top

edges of the arms and legs and hem them to the body. Set

the stitches close together to make a strong seam. Secure

the end of the sewing so that there is no possible danger of

it starting to rip out.

Sew the two front pieces of the head together with the

tiniest of backstitches. This line of sewing must be perfectly

straight and even. When the seam is finished, turn the piece

inside out

101


The pattern for the head shows exactly where to place

the eyes and mouth. Punch pinholes along the lines show-

ing the eyes and mouth on the pattern. A sharp-pointed

pencil tip will just fit into each hole. Lay the face piece flat

on the table and fit the paper pattern on it so the edge of

the pattern exactly matches the seam line of the face. Put

the pencil point into each pinhole and make a dot on the

cloth. These dots will guide you in embroidering or paint-

ing the features. The face should be put on before the front

of the face is joined to the back head piece.

Head

Sew the face and back of head together, leaving the bot-

tom open for stuffing. If the back circle is a little too large,

shirr the edge slightly to make it fit. Turn it right side out.

Roll a tiny bit of cotton into a ball and place it in the nose

to accentuate it. Place a large flat piece of cotton inside and

against the face. Stuff the rest of the head tightly and

smoothly.

Push a 2-in. piece of lollipop stick halfway up into the

head, and halfway down into the chest. This will keep the

head from wobbling. When the head is sitting firmly on

the shoulders (and right in the middle), sew the bottom

of the neck to the body. The edge of the fabric must be

turned in, of course, before sewing. Use thread that

102


matches the color of the material and make the tiniest

stitches possible so that, if the doll ever wears a low-necked

dress, the seam will be practically invisible.

Hair

You can make your own wig like the ones on pages 84

and 86 or buy a commercially made wig from a doll hos-

pital. They are attractive, and not expensive. They can be

sewn or glued on. If you buy a wig, take the doll with you

to be sure you get the right size.

Shoes

At the same time, you might be able to get a pair of

shoes to fit the doll. If they're a trifle too big, the toes of

them can always be stuffed with a bit of cotton. However,

if you want to make your own shoes, the pattern for them

is given below.

'Bonnie's shoe pattern.

Cut two soles and two

uppers. Put shoes to-

gether by sewing the

bottom edge of the

upper to the outside

edge of sole with small

overcast stitches. Cap A

over B and sew

down. 7rim with

bows.

103


CLOTHES

Now she looks so real you will want to name her. Let's

call her Bonnie.

The patterns for Bonnie's dress and apron (pages 106-

107) are simple and easy to follow. The dress closes in the

back and will need some kind of a fastening to hold it to-

gether. The smallest size snap fastener is best for this

purpose.

A pretty little hat would complete her costume. You

could buy a straw one and trim it to suit yourself, or make

one from the same material you used for the jacket. Lay

the hat pattern (page 105) on a double thickness of mate-

rial. Cut it out. Cover the one brim with a thin coat of

Duco cement and fit the second brim on top of it. Wipe

away any cement which may ooze out from between the

two brims. When the cement dries, the brim will be stiff

and will hold its shape well. The cement also keeps the

edges from fraying. Cut along the solid line on pattern.

Lap A over B until the edge meets the dotted line. Secure

the lapped part with a few tiny stitches. Set a narrow rib-

bon around the hat as shown and tie it in a tiny bow at

center back. Let long ends stream down.

Bonnie is a fine-looking doll, isn't she? Her chubby legs

and graceful arms are as close to a real-little-girl shape as

one could want. Her face is pert and attractive and her

outfit as good-looking as your own Sunday best. 104


In case you may want to take her out in the rain with

you, why not make her a raincape?

RAINCAPE

Cut a circle from red shower-curtain plastic (you can

buy it in the dime store, and 1/2 yd. will do). Use a dinner

plate as a guide. Fold the circle in half and in half again.

Cut off the point and cut from the bottom up to the neck-

line. If the neckline is too small, trim it to the desired size.

A tiny snap fastener will hold the cape together. Sew it on

with matching thread, up close to the neckline. A rain hood

is easily made by cutting an oblong 4 in. by 3 in. from

the same plastic. Fold it in half the long way and sew from

the fold down to the bottom, close along the edge. This

makes the back seam. Turn the hood right side out. Turn

the front edge back 1/4 in., on the right side, and tack it

105

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BONNIE'S DRESS AND APRON

PATTERNS. Shirr along dotted

lines at top and bottom of

sleeves, top of skirt, and top of

apron skirt. Set sleeves into bodice.

Sew up side seams. Join to skirt.

"Hem skirt. Sew on sleeve bands at

bottom. Hem neckline and back

opening. Hem sides and bottom of

apron. Join apron front to center of

belt along belt's dotted line. Join

apron skirt to belt. Put on shoulder

ruffles along dotted line each side

of apron front.

106


107


in place. That's all there is to making a rain hood. It

doesn't have to be sewn to the neckline of the cape, though

it can be if you want it that way.

COSTUME CHANGES

The same kind of cape and hood, cut from red sateen or

flannel, would give Bonnie a Red Riding Hood costume.

This time, the hood must be sewn to the neckline of the

cape. She can wear it over her regular dress, but give her

a little white apron to wear, too. A piece of white lawn or

handkerchief linen will make a nice apron. Cut it so that

it's 4 in. wide and 21/2 in. long. Make narrow hems at each

side and a 1/4-in. hem along the bottom. Gather the top

until it is about 21/2 in. wide. A piece of white tape 8 in.

long will do for the waistband and strings. Sew the apron

to the center section of the waistband. Tie the strings in

back in a perky bow.

You can make Bonnie an ankle-length dress of black

cotton, give her a longer white apron without the ruffled

bib top, add a triangular white organdie neck scarf, and

you will have the beginnings of a French Provincial cos-

tume. Make a large black bow with long ends and pin it

to the top of her head. Give her five or six necklaces, each

of different color beads, and put a wide red belt around

her waist under the apron. Bonnie will now have to change

her name to La Belle Marie. 108


CHARACTER DOLLS WITH

WIRE SKELETONS

ne of the most interesting kinds of dolls to

make is the kind having its own personal skeleton. Made

with a copper-wire frame, the body has to be shaped

around the wire skeleton, then covered with a "skin" of

some sort. This is the type of doll that fine doll-makers

make for private collectors and museum displays. It is not

especially difficult to make. It just takes time and patience.

How TO MAKE A CHARACTER DOLL

7he Skeleton

Buy a coil of 14 or 16 gauge copper wire. It costs about

fifteen cents and you'll find it in hardware stores and dime

or variety stores. One coil will make several dolls.

109


110 Copper Wire Skeleton for Character "Doll.


Cut off two 26-in. lengths with a wire-cutter. Twist

these two pieces together, as follows: At the exact center,

bend the twisted wires in half to make a loop. Cross the

wires 1/14 in. below the top of the loop. Twist the wires

around each other twice. The loop makes the head arid the

twists make the neck. (See diagram.)

Bend the long ends of the wires out sideways until they

are at right angles to the neck. Lay a wooden ruler flat on

the table and press the wires along the top to make them

perfectly straight. Now slide the ruler to the right until

the 1-in. mark is directly below the neck twist. Bend the

left wire piece down sharply around the side of the

ruler to form the shoulder. Do the same to the right

wire piece.

Draw the two long pieces together to make a triangle.

Three twists make the waist. Bend the remaining wires out

sideways and 3/4

in. from the center twist bend them down

sharply to make the hip bone. The long pieces are now

the legs.

The arms and hands are made from two 12-in. pieces of

wire, twisted together into one strand. Place the center of

the arm piece at the bottom of the neck twist. Hold the

arm piece in place along the shoulders by wrapping it on

with a 4-in. single piece of wire. Wind this piece from the

edge of one shoulder across to the edge of the other shoul-

der. Cut oft any excess length of the binding wire. Bend

the ends of the arm piece back to make narrow loops. These

are the hands.

1 l l



Bend the bottom of the leg wires forward to make the

heels. These forward-bent pieces are turned sideways to

make flat loops which become the feet. Hold the skeleton

upright with the loops flat on the table to test the evenness

of the legs as well as the angle of the feet.

The skeleton is now about 91/2 in. tall. It's amazing how

very human looking it is at this point.

The Flesh

The head, hands, and feet are "fleshed" with absorbent

cotton. Loosely roll a 1 1/2-in. wide strip of cotton until it

fits the head loop without falling out. Insert it in the loop

so it extends on either side of the wire about equally. Cover

wire loop itself with a thin, 1/2-in. strip of cotton placed flat

along the loop. To do this, carry the strip up from one

side of the neck, over the head, and down the other side

to match. Wrap thread around the neck several times to

hold the ends of this strip in place. Take a square of cotton,

about 1/8 in. thick and large enough to entirely cover the

head, and smooth it on. Bind it into place with thread

wrappings around the neck. Pull these wrapping threads

very tight to make a well-defined neck.

Small rolls of cotton are use to fill and shape the hand

and foot loops. Squares of cotton are then bound onto

each hand and foot in the same way that the head was

covered. The hands, of course, are kept much more slender

113


than the feet. Wrap the binding thread tightly to produce

nice wrists and ankles.

Fill the body loop with a firm wad of cotton large

enough to fit the loop snugly. It should protrude more in

front than it does in back. Hold it in place by winding the

body with thread two or three times.

Tear off thin strips of cotton about 12 in. long and

1/2 in. wide. These are used to wrap the arms and legs.

Starting at the ankle, a cotton strip is wound up the leg in

a spiral bandage fashion. The edges of the strip must over-

lap each other to entirely cover the wire "bones”. Continue

wrapping up and around the hip bone and secure the end

of the strip by wrapping it to the waist with thread. A sec-

ond wrapping is put on the same leg, starting it slightly

above the ankle. A few wrappings of thread around the

end of the strip will hold it in place. Do the other leg the

same way.

The legs may look rather thin at this point but wait until

the arms and body are covered with cotton "flesh" before

putting on any extra padding.

The arm wrappings are started at the wrist, carried up

to the shoulders, and then crossed diagonally over the

chest where they are bound to the body. A second very

thin layer is put on the arms.

For the chest, two strips of cotton 3 in. long and 1 in.

wide are used. Fit one over each shoulder and cross the

strips diagonally in front and back. Wrap body, starting

under the arms, with long strips of cotton. A better shape

114


is produced if the body strips are wound spirally. Carry

the strip down between the legs and back up the body

again.

The doll is pretty well "fleshed" at this point. Look at

her critically. Are her arms and legs too thin? If so, add

one or more thin layers of cotton. Does her chest seem too

flat? Build it out with small cotton pads. These extra pieces

may be held on the doll with wrapped thread. The thread

must not make indentations. Wrap it just tight enough to

keep the cotton from falling off.

Ski

When the silhouette of the doll satisfies you, she is ready

for her "skin." Silk crepe de Chine or flat crepe in an egg-

shell color makes the nicest kind of a skin. The material

should be fine but not sheer. Avoid using any synthetic

fabric like rayon or nylon. It ravels too easily and is too

springy to work with satisfactorily.

The doll's skin is made in individual parts; legs, arms,

body, and head. The patterns for them are shown on page

116. The arm pattern is made in one piece with the seam

running along the under side of the arm. The foot is to be

covered separately, then the leg cover put on with its seam

coming down the center back of the leg. The body and

head covers are made with seams along the sides.

Trace and transfer to heavy paper each piece of the

115


116

JOSEPHINE'S body pattern to

cover the cotton flesh on the wire

frame. Be sure to cut arm and

leg covers on folded material so

only one seam will be necessary.


pattern. Place edge of the arm pattern marked FOLD

along a fold of material. Cut out two arm covers.

Use matching sewing silk and make tiny backstitches.

Sew along the dotted line shown on the pattern. Turn the

sewn part right side out and fit it to the doll's hand.

Smooth the rest of the arm cover up over the arm and pin

it in place, using fine needles to avoid making holes in the

fabric. Place it so that the edges come along the inside of

the arm. Hem the front edge of the arm cover to the back

edge, turning it in as much as necessary to get a nice

smooth, snug fit. Baste the tops of the arm covers directly

to the absorbent cotton of the doll's shoulder. Do not turn

the edge of the top in. This would make a ridge and show

through the body cover.

The feet are covered next. Lay the foot piece on top of

the foot and sew together along the bottom of the foot and

the back of the heel. Turn in the bottom edge of the leg

cover and lay the piece on the front of the leg. Pin it into

position. The back seam of the leg cover must be very

straight. Adjust the cover carefully before beginning to

sew it on. Lap one edge over the other, turning the top

edge in enough to get a smooth, even fit. Hem it down

with tiny invisible stitches. Baste the top edges of the leg

covers to the cotton padded hip of the doll.

If, in drawing the arm and leg covers together, any

unevenness of the cotton flesh shows up, fill the hollows

with thin bits of cotton. This is easy to do as you go along.

Sew the front and back pieces of the body cover together

117


across the bottom at the place marked with a dotted line.

Turn it to the right side and fit this seam between the doll's

legs. Pin the back and front in place. Hem the front edges

to the back edges along the sides from the hip to the arm

pit. Start at the bottom and work up. Examine the body

critically as you go along. Perhaps the hips or buttocks

need filling out. Slip flat pieces of cotton in smoothly to

get the desired fullness. Keep the waist as tiny as it was

originally. It gives an exaggerated look to the doll's body,

especially when compared with the thick bodies of com-

mercially made dolls. This exaggeration is very desirable

in dressing the doll because so many costumes call for

enormously full skirts set on tiny waists. Such costumes

look beautiful and graceful on this doll, whereas they are

bulky and awkward on a thick-waisted doll.

The shoulders and bosom of the doll may require some

extra padding. Fill out those areas with flat pieces of cot-

ton as you sew the shoulder seams together. The front of

the shoulder laps over the back. When that is completed,

turn in the edges of the leg and armholes and hem them

in place.

7he Head

Sew front and back of the head cover together along

the dotted line. Turn right side out and fit on the doll's

head. If the covering is a bit loose, fill it out by inserting

118


thin pieces of cotton. The head must be kept as smooth as

possible, especially over the face part. Hem the sides to-

gether, first the left, then the right. The bottom edges of

the head cover are turned in and hemmed to the front and

back of the doll. The doll is now ready to have her face

put on.

7he Face

Textile paints are worth buying for painting the features

of this lovely doll. Read the instructions carefully and ex-

periment with the paints on scraps of the same material

before actually doing the doll's face. This practice period

also gives you an opportunity to determine what colors

you want to use. Soft colors, of course, are more attractive

than hard or dark colors. Try them out for yourself ahead

of time.

The drawing on page 120 shows the method of finding

the right places for the eyes and mouth. It is very important

that they be placed correctly, because their position, to a

large extent, determines the apparent age of the finished

face. When the eyes and mouth are too high, the face looks

old; when too low, the face becomes infantile. Then, too,

if the eyes are too close together or too small, the doll ac-

quires an unpleasant expression.

By laying two threads, one vertically and one horizon-

tally, across the doll's face, it is easy to determine the ex-

119

Brought to you by


Left: method of finding correct positions for

Josephine's features. Below: cover area A

with close lines of Outline Stitch. Sew

strands of floss along dotted line of area B.

"Draw strands up and sew to top of head.

Curly topknot made of large, hose French

knots. Thread is wound around needle

many times, as shown.

act position of the eyes and mouth. The horizontal thread

is placed at the halfway point between the top of the head

and the chin. The vertical thread runs down the exact

center of the head.

Make very light pencil dots as shown in the illustration

on this page. The horizontal thread runs across the top of

120


the eyes, from side to side. The pencil dots show the width

and shape of the eyes. The space between them should be

equal to the width of one eye. Make the mouth slightly

wider than one eye.

With the lightest of pencil strokes, draw the top curve

of the eyes and indicate the position of the iris. It is much

easier to draw eyes that are slightly turned to the side.

Eyes that stare straight ahead are almost impossible to

match up exactly, and if they don't match, a cross- or wall-

eyed doll will result.

Give the corners of the mouth the slightest bit of an up-

turn to create a pleasant, not-quite-but-almost-smiling ex-

pression.

Fill in the guide lines with the color textile paints you

have previously determined to use. Unless you are very

skillful in applying colors, it is not advisable to try to color

the cheeks of the doll. Anyway, her clear pallor makes her

much more interesting looking.

The Hair

Six-strand embroidery floss, silk or mercerized cotton,

makes lovely hair. The method of putting it on, and several

different ways of arranging it, are shown in the drawing

on page 120. The floss comes in skeins that cost about ten

cents each. Ask to see five or six different shades of one

color before deciding which to use. Get two skeins of the

color you select.

121


Gown

Dressing a doll like this is a great joy. So much work

and skill have already gone into her that only the most

beautiful and decorative of costumes should be designed

for her. One of the loveliest of styles, both in simplicity

and elegance, is that worn by the Empress Josephine at

the court of Napoleon Bonaparte. It is also a comparatively

easy costume to make. The drawing of the finished cos-

tume on page 112 shows how very lovely and regal your

doll will be when gowned this way.

The pattern for Josephine's dress, page 123, may startle

you. It is made in one piece and looks almost like a tube.

The train also is in one piece. Together they make the

costume. No underwear is needed, first because it is not

necessary, and second because it wasn't worn in those days.

Use a rich white silk for the gown. Crepe de Chine, flat

crepe, heavy china silk, or silk broadcloth have the neces-

sary body, yet are soft enough to work with easily. Purple,

dark red, or dark green velvet or velveteen will be correct

for the train. Narrow gold braid from the variety store and

gold water-color paint are used to trim the costume, and

very effective they are, too.

Cut the gown from a double thickness of silk. Make the

narrowest possible hem around the wide neckline and at

the bottom of the sleeves. Shirr the neckline and the bot-

tom of the bodice along the dotted line between the points

marked on the pattern. Seam the sides of the gown and

122

Brought to you by


ng.com

JOSEPHINE'S gown and shoe

patterns. Bodice is shirred top

and bottom along dotted tines.

Join to top of skirt by matching

the arrow heads. Seam sides of

skirt and sides of bodice pieces.

7hey extend beyond top of skirt

to make little cap sleeves.

123


hem it so the bottom of the costume comes just to the

ankles. Try the gown on the doll. The shirring at the neck-

line should be just snug enough to keep it from slipping

off, and the bottom of the sleeves should be snug enough

to hug the arm. Make any necessary adjustments before

trimming the gown.

Gold water-color paint, which costs about twenty-five

cents, is used to simulate the rich gold-thread embroidery

used so lavishly on Josephine's gown. Use the very finest

water-color paintbrush to apply the paint. It's a good idea

to practice on a scrap of matching material.

The design to be painted on the doll's dress is very

simple. The bottom border is nothing but a series of letter

S's, 1/2 in. high and almost touching. You can see the spac-

ing in the drawing on page 112. Lay a piece of tissue

paper across the dress so that only 1/2 in. along the bottom

is exposed. The edge of the tissue will mark the height of

the S's. When the S's are completed, remove the tissue and

paint in two extremely thin wavy lines just above them.

Let this part of the design dry before doing the balance

of it.

The little gold crosses that are painted on the body of

the dress are easily done by using the edge of the tissue as

a guide. Place the paper diagonally across the dress and

along its edge make a series of evenly spaced fine dashes.

Move the paper back 1/2 in. and do the same thing. Con-

tinue until the front of the dress is painted with dashes.

When dry, place the tissue diagonally in the opposite di-

124


rection so that its edge cuts across a line of dashes. Put the

second dash in across the first. Only the very tip of the

brush should be used, to keep the dash as fine as possible.

Finish the trimming by painting an extremely thin line

of gold around the top edge of the neckline and along the

bottom of the sleeves. Paint the back of the dress to match

the front.

7he Train

The velvet train, cut from the pattern on page 126, need

not be hemmed. Velvet or velveteen is too thick to turn

back smoothly enough to look well. Overcast all edges

with matching thread to keep them from fraying. Then sew

the two pieces of the train together along the dotted line

on the pattern. Gold braid is now sewn around the sides

and bottom of the train. With yellow thread, sew the braid

on about 1/4 in. in from the edge. Start at the top of the

right side, leaving a 6-in. length of the braid extending be-

yond the beginning of the sewing. A matching 6-in. piece is

left on the opposite side. Sew a 7-in. piece of gold braid

across the top of the train so that it extends equally on

either side of it. Sew a second line of gold braid on the train

1/4 in. away from the first line. Paint gold dots between the

two lines of braid.

Make tiny slippers from the pattern on page 123 using

white kid from an old glove. Sew the sole to the upper with

125



small overcast stitches. If too long for the doll, stuff the

toes with cotton. Paint the slippers gold.

Put the slippers and dress on the doll. Tie the train on

with the free ends of gold braid at its top corners. The top

of the train should come just across the back below the

arms. One set of ends goes over the shoulders, the other

set under the arms. All ends are crossed in front and

brought around to the back where they are knotted under-

neath the train.

Your Empress Josephine is not only an exceptionally

beautiful doll, but she is also an historically accurate one.

This makes her extremely interesting from a display point

of view. Many school projects call for pupil-owned or

pupil-made displays to illustrate various historical periods.

How wonderfully well this doll of yours dramatizes the

richness and beauty of the French Empire period, and how

justly proud you can be in displaying it!

127


DOLLS WITH HARD HEADS

he problem of creating a doll that was inex-

pensive to make, beautiful and appealing to look at, and

assured of a fairly long life without breaking was solved in

various ways during the last century. Wood dolls, of

course, were particularly sturdy, but unless their creator

was particularly gifted in carving faces the final result was

plain, to say the least. Rag dolls can be utterly charming as

well as amazingly durable, but they, too, were subject to

the whim and skill of the person making them. China and

bisque dolls were the most enchanting because their faces

could be so lifelike. But they broke so easily!

About 1840 some doll makers started producing dolls

made from various kinds of materials that were practically

unbreakable. These materials could be modeled into really

lifelike heads and, when completed, were almost as beauti-

ful as the china and bisque and wax heads.

The materials used to make these unbreakable heads

128

Brought to you by


An old-fashioned doll with head tied on.


was composition. The ingredients that went to make up a

composition were the individual doll-makers secrets. A

little later on, when the doll business became so widespread

and economically important, doll-makers began to patent

their creations to protect them from being copied without

permission. The patents usually included the formula for

the specific composition. One particular patent stated that

a mixture of bran, sawdust, and glue was necessary for its

composition.

The bran and sawdust were thoroughly mixed, then

moistened with glue until a good pliable dough was ob-

tained. The dough was kneaded, then rolled out just like

cookie dough, cut into circles, then pressed into shape in

metal molds until dry and hard. This produced an ex-

tremely durable head which was then attached to a soft

body.

Papier-mache was also successfully used and has with-

stood the abuse of time in a remarkable fashion. Papier-

mache is a French phrase which means "chewed paper."

Special machines do the chewing for commercial purposes.

When the paper has been reduced to a soft, fluffy mass it is

wet with a special compound, then modeled or pressed into

all sorts of shapes. It is so strong that it was made into

tables and chairs, chests, boxes, and toys, as well as doll

heads.

You can make doll heads that are fairly durable and

quite pretty. Plastic wood, cold-water putty, and self-

hardening clay are easily modeled, inexpensive, and pro-

130


duce good results. If you have had any modeling experi-

ence in school, you will find it not at all difficult to handle

these materials successfully.

When we talk about modeling a doll head, we actually

mean creating a head, neck, and shoulders all in one piece.

There is a very good practical reason for this: it is much

easier to attach this unit to a body than it would be to put

on a head alone. The sketch on page 129 shows how the an-

tique doll heads were made and tied on to the bodies. That

was the most secure way of doing it and, with low-necked

dresses, gave a better appearance to the finished doll.

How TO MAKE A CLAY HEAD

Unless you are a professional sculptor or skilled artist,

it is wisest to work for effect rather than realism. A good

deal of realism is added later by means of paint. Right now

the thing to do is to model an egg-shaped lump, give it

just a suggestion of a nose, make slight depressions for

eyes, then set it on a neck and shoulders.

Self-hardening clay, plastic wood, and cold-water putty

are too heavy to use alone. They must be built around a

core of some lightweight material. Newspaper is very satis-

factory for this.

131


132


'Head

Tightly crumple a wad of newspaper into a small oval

about three quarters the size of an egg. Roll a good-sized

lump of clay out flat and a bit less than 1/4 in. thick. Cut

a 3-in. circle from it and place it on the wad of newspaper.

Fit a smaller circle to the back of the paper core. Blend the

seams together by smoothing along them with the ball of

the thumb.

Gently mold the head between the palms of the hands

so that the clay begins to stick to the paper core. If depres-

sions begin to form in the outer surface of the clay during

this process, they can be filled out with small, flat pieces of

clay blended on.

Neck

Roll a lump of clay into a solid cylinder 1/2 in. thick and

1/2 in. high. Set the clay head on this in the position shown

in figure 3, page 132. This forms the head and the neck.

It must be reinforced at the joining place. To do this, cover

the seam with small, flat pieces of clay and then blend them

into the surface with the thumb.

Shoulder

The shoulder part must be hollow to fit over the top of

the doll's body. Roll some sheets of newspaper tightly until

133


2. Tiny roll of clay makes nose. Smooth upper part to merge with

forehead. Slight depression makes eyes.

1. Head and neck centered on

shoulder piece. Rolled newspaper sup-

ports and gives shape to shoulders.

Dotted line shows how clay is added

to smooth out shoulder lines and give

added strength to head.


they form a roll 1 in. thick. Tie the roll at the ends to keep

the papers in place. Roll a lump of clay out flat and cut

from it an oblong 3 in. wide and 21/2 in. long. This

oblong can be slightly thinner than the head circles were.

Fit this oblong over the newspaper roll as shown below.

Center the bottom of the neck on the shoulder piece and

press down on it. Don't press too hard, or you may push in

the head. Blend the neck and shoulder seam as before,

using somewhat larger pieces of clay. The desired curve is

shown by the dotted lines in the sketch on page 134.

Smooth down the outside edge of the shoulders, as indicated

by the dotted line, to give them a soft and graceful slope.

face

Use strips of scotch tape to attach the newspaper roll to

the table top while you are working on the face. A tiny

sausage roll of clay is used for the nose. Make it 1/8 in.

thick and not more than 1/4 in. long. Blunt the end of it to

form the bottom of the nose, and put it in position on the

face. Blend the edges into the cheeks, using the flat end of

an orange stick.

At the top of the nose, and on either side of it, make two

slight depressions with the tip of the little finger. The nail

must be very short or it will gouge the clay. Model the

deepest part of the depression at the top of the eye, to make

the eyebrow. In order to do this successfully, push the

fingertip up from the bottom.

135


Examine the work carefully. Smooth out any finger or

nail marks. Check the evenness of the shoulders and the

joining of the neck to the jaw line. Look at the head from

the back and both sides as well as the front.

Let the head dry for at least two days before doing any

further work on it.

Putty and Plastic Wood

Cold-water putty and plastic wood are worked the same

way as the self-hardening clay but they are a little more

difficult to handle. Cold-water putty comes in powder form

and must be mixed with water. Follow the directions for

mixing but have it no wetter than self-hardening clay. You

can buy the cold-water putty at twenty-five cents a can.

It comes in wood colors. The tone called "natural" dries

out a lovely skin shade which requires no further coloring.

Both self-hardening clay and plastic wood must be painted

before the eyes and mouth are put on.

Plastic wood is the most difficult of the three materials

to work with because of its stickiness. This can be avoided

to a large extent by having a container of plastic-wood

solvent into which the fingertips can be dipped while work-

ing. The surface of the plastic-wood head will not be so

smooth as the other two materials, but/ when dry, it can

be sandpapered. It really does produce an unbreakable

head. 136


"Painting the Head

Finishing the head is most exciting. When perfectly dry,

remove the newspaper roll. The surface must be painted,

unless you've used natural-color cold-water putty to look

like skin. A good household enamel will work well.

Pour about four tablespoons of white enamel into an old

saucer. Add one or two drops of bright red artists' oil paint

and mix it thoroughly until the paint is the palest of pale

pink. Now add a tiny bit of burnt sienna oil paint to the

mixture to get the tan shade most real skins have. When

the color of the paint is pretty much like your own skin, it

is right for the doll head.

Use a small cardboard box as a stand and place the

head on it. With a soft, wide water-color brush, flow the

paint on the head, neck, and shoulders making sure to

cover every speck. Don't move the box to examine the back

of the head. You walk around the table and check up on it.

When it is quite perfectly painted, allow it to dry overnight

even if the enamel you are using is the so-called "four-hour

drying" kind.

Soap Heads

Carving a doll head from soap is a fascinating way of

creating a head with an unusual texture and appearance.

137


Scratch outline of head and shoulders on flat sides of soap. Side

view of head is scratched on narrow end of soap. Cut away all

soap area indicated by cross lines in drawing. "Round head and

shoulders. Smooth knife marks with water soaked finger tips.

Head is held inside top of cloth body by shirring material to fit

snugly. 7hree common pins pushed in front and back will further

secure head.

138


Done in white soap, the surface may be smoothed to look

like alabaster or marble. Soft yellow laundry soap pro-

duces heads with an oriental character, while pale pink

toilet soap makes wonderful baby heads.

The general shape of the head, neck, and shoulders is

roughed or blocked out before any detail work is done. The

diagram on page 138 shows how the general outline is

scratched on the front, back, and sides of the soap. The

small blade of a penknife or an X-acto knife is the only tool

required. The edge of the knife blade is put into the soap

at a sharp angle. The ball of the thumb then pushes the

blade forward so that it takes off a thin shaving. The main

difference between modeling and carving is this: in model-

ing, you can always put back a piece to repair a mistake or

fill in too large a depression; carving is a continual process

of removing pieces, and if you take off too much there is

no way of putting it back. Since the soap is quite soft it is

very easy to cut out too much. Be safe and shave off, rather

than whittle or cut as you do with wood.

Once the main shape and outline have emerged from the

soap, use the greatest care in working the face, neck, and

shoulders. Scrape with the edge of the blade to even off

cut marks. When the surface is as smooth as you can get

it with the knife, the final polishing can be done. Dip the

fingers in hot water and rub them back and forth. In a very

few seconds all knife marks will disappear. The back of the

head may be left rough.

139


Tainting the face

If the head has been painted, be sure it is thoroughly dry

before painting on the eyes and mouth. Use oil paints and

the smallest size artists' brush. Make a very fine line for

the eyebrows and the upper eyelid. The iris is a small circle

of color, the top of which is apparently cut off by the eye-

lid. For this and for the mouth follow the design shown

below. As with the modeling, they are suggestive rather

than realistic.

Enlarged design for mouth and eyes. Make mouth same width

as eye. Use very fine brush to paint outline.

A very slight blush of color may be put on the cheeks.

It must be very delicate and light. Put it on with a small

piece of absorbent cotton and then, with a clean piece,

blend the edges of the color out and away from the face

until they disappear.

How TO MAKE THE BODY

It will take several days for the oil painted features to

dry, so in the meantime you can make the body. 140

Brought to you by


Body pattern. Cut 2 pieces. Sew along

pattern outline. Leg pattern. Cut 4

pieces. Leave top open for stuffing.

141


Arm pattern. Cut 4 pieces. Leave top open for stuffing, follow

sketch in attaching arms and legs to body.

142


The pattern, on pages 141 and 142, is a headless one.

Make it of muslin and stuff it firmly with absorbent cotton.

The pattern for the arms and legs indicates by dotted lines

where the stuffing is to stop and a line of stitching is to

be put across to hold it in place. The tops of the arms

and legs are sewed to the body as shown in the sketch

on page 142.

Attaching the Head

When the body is completed, coat the top part of the

shoulders with household or plastic cement. Immediately

coat the inside of the shoulders of the head with cement.

Put the head on the body and then push the body up into

the shoulders as far as it will go. Tie the head in place by

winding cotton tape over each shoulder and down the body

and between the legs. This should be done quite tightly.

The ends of the tape are knotted around the waist and left

on until the cement is quite dry. Overnight should be long

enough.

The soap head, instead of being pasted to the body, must

be inserted in the top of the muslin body. Stuff the body

to within an inch of the top. Fit the soap head into the top.

Turn the top edges of the body in and hem them, taking

a tiny tuck every now and then to draw the material tight

around the shoulders. Straight pins, three in front and

three in back, stuck through the cloth and soap will further

143


anchor the head in place. These pins will rust inside the

soap and be practically unremovable.

Hair

Wigs for the clay or putty doll head may be made of rug

yarn, knitting wool, or embroidery floss cemented to the

head. A small, commercially made doll's wig can be pasted

on. Dolls' hospitals sometimes sell hair in strips. You buy

it by the inch and paste it on the head in layers, starting at

the bottom and finishing at the crown of the head. Three

layers are usually sufficient for a luxurious hair-do.

Soap heads require a different kind of wig because glue

and cement will not hold on soap. Make a tight-fitting

skullcap from wool or cotton jersey, or the leg part of a

black or brown cotton sock or stocking. Fit the cap to the

head and hold it in place by pushing short pins through it

directly into the head of the doll. Push them in as far as

they will go, aiming them toward the center of the head.

Four or five pins at the most will do the trick. Yarn or floss

hair may be sewn to the skullcap.

How TO MAKE MARIONETTES

These hard-headed dolls are easily turned into mario-

nettes by doing three simple things: fill the hands and feet

144


145

^Marionette. 7ive strings are used to

manipulate the doll One string each

at hack of hand, one string at each

knee and one string direct from top

of head. Keep all strings even, with

arms hanging down naturally. Attach

strings to a 7 shaped wooden handle.


with buckshot or BB's before stuffing; sew a line of stitch-

ing across each leg at the knees and across each arm at the

elbows; and string them up.

The buckshot gives the necessary weight needed for

good manipulation of the marionettes. The stitching at the

knees and elbows allows the limbs to be bent when the

strings are pulled up. String the marionette as shown

on page 145.

146


DOLL-DRESSMAKING AND DESIGNING

ostume design and dressmaking for dolls is

one of the most exciting and fascinating of crafts. Great

skill and ingenuity in using and combining materials grow

as you practice the craft. Your eye and hand become so

trained that the tiniest gown turns out to be an artistic

creation of considerable merit. Satisfying as that may be,

it is not the primary reason for putting your best work-

manship into doll-dressmaking and designing.

There is something about a doll, so perfect and lovely

and small, that demands our very best work. It is an un-

conscious demand that we obey almost automatically.

Every time you make a stitch as tiny as possible, a hem that

is extremely narrow, a seam that is fairy like in its dainti-

ness, you are obeying that demand. Artists and profes-

sional doll-makers call this "keeping the work to scale/'

and the old-time doll-dressmakers were past masters of

that art. They knew that careless sewing, too large stitches,

147


or fabrics too stiff or large in design destroyed the perfect

proportion. It took so little extra time and effort to make

the gown "just right."

FABRICS

The modern doll-dressmaker and designer starts in by

collecting fabrics and trimmings. No piece of material, if

it is lovely in color and soft in texture, is small enough to

be passed over. Tiny scraps can be turned into enchanting

fashion accessories, while larger pieces, of course, are col-

lected for making the garments.

In collecting fabrics, the smaller the printed design on

the material the better. Soft, thin fabrics sew easier, drape

better and therefore are preferable for general use. A good

test of a fabric's suitability to doll-dressmaking is to crush

it gently in the hand. If it forms quite a number of soft

folds, it can be worked easily. If, however, only two or

three folds can be held in the hand and, when released,

those folds spring out and flatten, the material is not suit-

able. Discard it, no matter how beautiful it may be. Such

material will prove difficult to work and will probably

look very awkward and stiff when finished.

Old or used fabrics, particularly silk and cotton, are

usually excellent for dolls' clothes. They must be fresh

and clean, of course. It would be silly to put a lot of work

into a faded or streaked piece of material or one that had

148


worn spots or broken threads. Fine lightweight cottons,

handkerchief linens, and very sheer woolens, particularly if they

have been used, are fine for miniature dressmaking.

Velvet, velveteen, heavy silks, and satins are used most

effectively for fancy or foreign costumes, especially when

the costume design calls for smooth ungathered sur-

faces such as in trains, cloaks, or circular skirts. Stiff rich-

looking fabrics give a regal air to the costumes of doll

royalty.

Plaids, stripes, and floral or geometric patterns should

be small and fine. On the doll, such designs seem to grow

in size, looking much larger than they actually are. The so-

called pin checks are just right.

TRIMMINGS

Trimmings, too, must be kept to scale. Braids, ribbons,

laces, buttons, and beads (which can often be used to give

the effect of buttons) should be of the smallest. Rickrack

braid, for instance, comes in three widths. The narrowest,

which is about 1/8 in. wide, should be used. Lace ruffles and

lace edgings add a dainty note to dolls* underwear and to

some dress designs. It is possible to find exceedingly narrow

lace edging in the variety stores. Wider lace edgings may be

cut down in width. A single row of tatted rings makes a

charming trim, as does a narrow and delicate crocheted

shell edging.

149


A DAINTY WORKBOX

It is so much more fun to work with your materials and

trimmings if they are kept nicely. A man's hatbox, covered

with wallpaper or a pretty fabric, makes an excellent con-

tainer. The covering strengthens the box as well as beauti-

fying it, and it is not hard to put on.

Measure the height of the box and the distance around

it. Cut the covering material 1 in. larger than those meas-

urements. Put a thin coat of wallpaper paste or vegetable

glue around the entire outer surface of the box. Smooth

the material on it so that 1/2 in. extends at the top and

bottom. Allow the side seam to overlap by 1 in. Rub a coat

of paste 1 in. wide around the inside top edge of the box.

Slash the material which extends above the edge, making

the cuts about 1 in. apart. Turn these tabs over and smooth

them down inside. The bottom edge is turned the same

way.

The box cover or lid can be covered with matching or

contrasting material. Trace its outline on the fabric. Meas-

ure the lips or side of the cover and add that measurement

to the drawn circle. Cut it out. Apply paste over entire top

and lip of the box cover. Smooth on the fabric and slash

its edges so it will fit down along the side. Decorative braid

or ribbon may be pasted or stapled around the lip of the

cover to conceal the overlapping tabs. A pretty box makes

it easier to keep things orderly and clean.

A fitted container for all your paper patterns is also very

150


useful. To make this, paste a large envelope, such as maga-

zines are mailed in, on the inside of the workbox. Mark

each pattern with its name so that you'll know just what it

is. The patterns can be used over and over again, you

know, and it's so much simpler to be able to identify them

immediately.

A small box for pins, needles, thimble, and scissors, plus

a box of cleansing tissue, completes the equipment.

PATTERNS

All professional dressmakers and designers cut their pat-

terns in muslin to test drape and fit. Corrections are made

on the muslin before the actual garment is cut out. For doll

clothes, cleansing tissue is your designing muslin. It is soft,

fairly strong, and acts just like material. With it you can

test out and correct your ideas before starting ahead with

the actual material. After the corrections have been made,

smooth out the tissue and trace its outlines on heavy paper

to make the master pattern.

The secret of good doll-dressmaking is to keep every-

thing as simple as possible insofar as the actual construc-

tion and sewing is concerned. The fewer seams required,

the better. This is especially important when working with

small dolls. If you can get the effect you are after by cut-

ting the sleeves in one piece with the bodice, that is the

best way to do it. There are many cutting tricks that en-

151


152

BASIC KIMONO SLEEVE

turns into four distinct

styles. Top left: short loose

sleeve. Middle: long, tight

sleeve. Right: dolman. The

middle row shows way of

cutting. Lower: full peasant

sleeve.

I


tirely change the final effect of a sleeve or a skirt or a bodice.

SLEEVES

Shown opposite are a number of changes that can be

used to transform a plain kimono sleeve into a variety of

different-looking styles. As you can see, the kimono sleeve

can be wide or narrow, long or short, full or tight, tapered

in dolman style or puffed at the shoulders in peasant style,

yet all of them are cut in one piece with the bodice. By

eliminating the armhole seam, you cut down on work both

in fitting and sewing. Also you produce a softer and pret-

tier drape across the shoulders.

However, some special costume effects simply demand a

set-in sleeve. It is not necessary to cut a curved armhole

and a sleeve top that is curved correspondingly as one does

in grown-up clothes. A simple trick makes it much easier

to set in a doll's sleeve. The armhole edge of the bodice

is just a continuation of the straight side edge. The top of

the sleeve (cut from folded material) is also straight.

When set into the armhole the seam is flat and easily

ironed, which, of course, is always done before the side

seams are sewn.

On page 154 are two dress designs that illustrate

the effectiveness of a set-in sleeve to create a special effect.

The first design is of a jumper dress. The sleeves are made

153


ONE BASIC PATTERN FOR

TWO DIFFERENT STYLES.

Separate sleeves, different

necklines and skirt lengths

create entirely different styles.

"The peasant costume above

combines two colors and adds

a bit of embroidery to sleeves.

Schoolgirl's dress below looks

like a jumper over a white

blouse.


of sheer white cotton and are sewn into the dress, which is

made of a contrasting fabric. This creates the effect of a

jumper and eliminates the necessity for making an entire

separate blouse. The second design is of a European peas-

ant costume. Again the sleeves are sheer white, set in a

black, low-necked bodice. A full red skirt is attached at the

waistline. It is the same skirt used in the jumper design.

BODICE

Study the bodices in these two designs. Actually they

are cut from the same basic pattern, one with a high neck,

the other with a low neck. In each case, the top of the pat-

tern is laid along a fold of material. This eliminates a

shoulder seam. If the doll's shoulders slope, causing the

shoulders of the bodice to wrinkle or sag, use small flat bits

of absorbent cotton to pad the shoulders under the bodice.

The peasant-design bodice looks as if it opens in front,

but it doesn't. That effect is created by sewing a double

line of small white beads up the front and lacing them to-

gether with thin contrasting yarn.

The basic bodice design is also capable of several

changes. By increasing the width of the bodice at the cen-

ter front and back, you get a full blouse for a square-dance

frock. It is shirred at the waist and neckline to fit. When

the bodice is made snug and form-fitting, it is suitable for a

modern school frock, a period costume, or the top of a

party dress.

155


BASIC BODICE PATTERN. l.

Easy-fitting bodice for average

modern clothes. 2. Tigbt, form-

fitting bodice for period

costumes. 3. Square-dance bod-

ice of considerable fullness.

156


SKIRT

There are three main types of skirts used in dolls' cos-

tumes : the circular, the full gathered, and the flared. They

can be long, medium, or short, depending upon the design

being created. The circular skirt, for instance, can be very

short for a skating costume, knee length for a daytime

dress, ankle length for period and fancy-dress costumes.

It can be cut as a full circle, which gives great width around

the bottom, or as a partial circle when a not so wide skirt is

desirable.

The full gathered skirt is simply a straight piece of fabric

gathered to the desired waist measurement. There is one

thing to be said about it: if the skirt is to be full, have it

very full. A skimpy skirt is never attractive. The length of

-the full gathered skirt depends upon the design of the cos-

tume. It is the type of skirt usually used for period cos-

tumes. It may be made to stand out around the bottom by

facing the hem with organdie, or by using a number of

rows of braid trim around the bottom of the skirt. Ruffled

petticoats underneath also help to hold it out.

The flared skirt is simply a modification of the circular

skirt. It is generally used when a very simple silhouette is

desirable, and when working with fabrics such as velvet or

satin. It is cut in two pieces, wider at bottom than top. Its

length, of course, is determined by the design.

157

Brought to you by

http://www.oldfashionedhomemaking.co

m

ONE-PIECE DRESS PATTERN. By

cutting it in various lengths, the

one-piece dress pattern can serve for

a number of different styles.

— WAISTLINE

COSTUME, or EVENING

DRESS

A daytime or evening coat as

well as a housecoat can be cut

from the same basic one-piece

pattern.

- CHILD'S DAYTIME

-- WOMAN'S LENGTH


ONE-PIECE DRESS

The one-piece dress pattern (bodice and skirt cut in

one) is extremely useful for many costumes and daytime

outfits. By a few variations in cutting, it can become a

nightgown, a housecoat, a daytime dress, an evening frock,

a period costume, a daytime coat, or a jacket. The draw-

ings illustrate how easily the basic pattern is changed to

suit your purpose. Naturally, the kind and color of fabric

play a large part in determining the final effect.

Use the tissue to experiment with, in developing various

designs. If one piece of tissue is not large enough, baste

another piece to it by laying an edge of one piece flat on

top of the edge of the second piece. Cut the patterns as you

think they should be, then fit the tissue pieces to the doll.

Actually shirr the tissue, where called for. Sew in the

sleeves and sew the skirt to the bodice. This is the only way

you will be able to get the perfect fit which contributes so

largely to the beauty of the finished garment.

Once the tissue pattern has been corrected, carefully re-

move any sewing that was used. Smooth out the tissue. Lay

it on heavy paper and trace around its edges to make the

master pattern. When cutting out the material, be sure to

allow 3/8 in. beyond the edge of the pattern for seams if

you have not already made a seam allowance on the tissue.

Write on each piece of the master pattern exactly what it

is. This is done to guide you the next time you want to

use the pattern.

159

Brought to you by


PERIOD COSTUMES ARE EASY

TO MAKE.

7he one-piece dress pattern can be-

come a party dress of the 1830 or

Empire period, as shown at the right.

7he belt is placed up very high, al-

most under the armpits. A very full

ruffle, shirred top and bottom, trims

the bottom of the skirt. By placing a

wide belt down on the hips, adding a

train, and a narrow edging of fur to

the neckline, the one-piece dress

becomes the ^Medieval Queen's

costume below.

160


TRIMMING

When the costume is ready to be trimmed, stop and

think twice. The entire effect can be spoiled by using trim-

ming that is too large or "just something I had and I

thought it would do." Plan the trimming, then find just

exactly the right thing for that particular design. This may

take a little searching, but it more than pays for the trouble

involved. If buttons are to be used, choose only the very

tiniest. The ones that used to be used on infants' dresses

twenty-five or more years ago are just perfect for dolls'

things. Long kid or suede evening gloves that Grand-

mother and Great aunt wore when they were girls fre-

quently had tiny buttons on them in colors to match the

gloves. Old-fashioned button boxes sometimes produce

charming treasures for dolls' clothes. But no matter how

pretty these treasures may be, don't use them if they are

too large.

You can test the appropriateness of the trimming to the

doll's dress by laying it on the garment. Put the untrimmed

dress on the doll, then test your choice of trimmings. What

seemed quite small in your hand will show up much larger

when tested on the doll. Very soon your eye will become

so trained to recognizing this matter of "scale" that you

will automatically discard many things that used to seem

all right.

It is often possible to create the effect of buttons by us-

ing beads, as was done in the peasant design on page 154.

161


The same thing is true of braid. Often it is impossible to

get braid in the color or narrow width you want. The ef-

fect of braid can be created by crocheting a single chain

with six-strand embroidery floss, then tacking it in place

just as you would real braid.

This fussy attention to detail is what makes the differ-

ence between just a nice doll's dress and a really beautiful

one. Professionally, it is called "scaling/' which means

keeping everything in perfect proportion to the size of the

doll. It takes only a little bit more trouble to be profes-

sional. The results are so fine that, once having acquired

the knack of it, you'll never be satisfied with any but the

most perfect work.

DESIGNING

After you have mastered the workings of basic patterns,

try playing around with them to create entirely different-

looking costumes. For instance, the jumper dress on page

154 can be turned into a gown for a Dresden shepherdess.

Use pale pink, blue, or yellow fine cotton for the bodice

and skirt. Make the sleeves of white lawn or batiste. The

side draperies on the skirt in the drawing on page 163 are

called panniers. They are cut from material that matches

the sleeves. The shape to cut them is shown in detail on

the drawing. The size of them depends on your doll. Cut

them first in tissue and test for size. Sew them to the waist-

162

Brought to you by


DRESDEN SHEPHERDESS or LITTLE BO PEEP.

By adding panniers to a jumper

dress, you transform the design.

7he panniers, cut crescent shape as

shown below, are shirred along

the dotted line and then attached to

waistline.

163


line as shown, add a large brimmed flower-trimmed hat,

and there you have a darling little costume that is quite

different from the original.

A Martha Washington gown may be created from the

same basic pattern. Cut the bodice with short kimono

sleeves and low neck in front. Cut the panniers from the

same material. The long skirt could match, but is more

effective if made from a contrasting fabric. Sew little lace

ruffles in the sleeves. Add a lawn or batiste "fichu" folded

around the neck with its ends tucked into the front of

the dress. A fichu is a soft, sheer neckpiece or shawl cut

in a triangular shape, which ladies used in the eighteenth

century to protect their necks and shoulders from chill

drafts.

By changing patterns in this way and experimenting

with colors, combinations, and details, it is quite possible to

create an enormous number of distinctive and beautiful

designs.

In fact, you could create enough for a Doll's Fancy-

Dress Ball. How much fun that would be! Invite your

friends to bring their collections of dolls to the ball, which

could be staged on a Saturday afternoon and followed

with a tea party. Mothers would be flattered if they were

invited, and how proud they will be of the truly lovely

designs and workmanship you have produced.

Doll-making itself is so easy that each costume could

have its own doll, rather than having a lot of costumes for

one or two dolls. The clothes look and fit so much better if

164


they are made to stay on the doll permanently. The wire

skeleton doll is by far the best to use because its limbs can

be bent into natural poses so easily. This makes it possible

to group and pose the dolls in interesting tableaus. This is

especially effective if you pose them with miniature furni-

ture or make suitable stage settings for them.

165


DOLL ACCESSORIES

'othing heightens the effectiveness of a doll's

costume as much as one or two perfectly proportioned,

beautifully designed and made accessories. They add a

touch of authenticity, of realness, that immediately intensi-

fies the beauty and appeal of the doll. Making doll acces-

sories is really an adventure. So many odd kinds of mate-

rials can be put to use. So many ingenious tricks can be

employed to create charming and lovely miniature items.

Hats, bonnets, bags, jewelry, belts, fans, crowns and

tiaras, even books and pieces of knitting, scaled to the size

of the doll, make of it a collector's piece rather than a mere

toy. As your fingers get used to working on these tiny

items, dozens of ideas for interesting new ones will occur

to you.

166


JEWELRY

Let's make jewelry first.

The smallest size beads may be bought in variety stores.

They come in glass vials, either in assorted colors or

packed one color to a vial, including gold and silver. When

you buy them (they cost about fifteen cents a vial), also

buy a "bead needle." This has an extremely narrow shaft

which makes it easier to work with than an ordinary sew-

ing needle. Also buy a coil or spool of the finest wire. Buy

copper wire for gold jewelry and aluminum wire for silver

jewelry.

Necklaces

A simple string of beads, in a color contrasting to the

costume, is often very effective. Solid colors or gold or sil-

ver are best to use. For a gypsy costume, many strings of

mixed colors look well. Silver and turquoise beads make

fine necklaces for American Indian costumes. All silver

bead necklaces with matching bracelets and anklets are

appropriate for East Indian costumes.

The necklaces are strung on thread. Bracelets and an-

klets are strung on either the aluminum or copper wire.

The ends of the wire are twisted around each other twice

and then cut off with a scissors close to the twist.

167


Crowns

Dramatic crowns, coronets, and fancy headdresses can

be created by stringing colored, or pearl, or gold, or silver

beads on the thin wire which is then bent into the desired

shape. Designs for these are shown on page 169. Their

size depends upon the doll. Fit as you work. Set a crown

right on top of the head. A coronet fits down on the head.

Other headdresses are worn in the manner most becoming

to the doll.

Hairpins

Charming little decorative hairpins can be made by put-

ting three beads on a short piece of wire which is then

twisted together to hold the beads on. Cut the wire ends

so that they are not more than 1/4 in. long and thrust them

into the hair just like an ordinary hairpin.

Earrings

These may be made of a single bead sewn directly to the

side of the head, or of two or three beads strung to form

a drop. Thread one bead and draw it to the middle of the

thread. Unthread the needle, then rethread it with both

ends of the thread. Put two or three more beads on. The

first bead will hold the others in place. Sew directly to

doll's head.

168


Colored heads and small pearls, alumi-

num and copper wire can all he turned

into charming jewelry, crowns, and

headdresses. The wire can even make a

tiny pair of eyeglasses!

BEADS AND WIRE

MAKE

ATTRACTIVE

ACCESSORIES


Gypsy hoop earrings are made with wire. Bend the wire

around a knitting needle. Cut off the excess and push the

ends together to make a circle. Sew it to the head. This

plain circle can be dressed up by slipping three or four

beads on the wire before bending it around.

ACCESSORIES

The copper and aluminum wire can be turned into a

number of good-looking accessories and trimmings.

Headdresses

An interesting peasant headdress is made by winding a

piece of wire around a knitting needle, spacing the wire

about 1/8 in. between strands. The wire coil should be

just long enough to go halfway around the doll’s head.

Run a bright ribbon through the coil, put it around the

head, and tie with a tiny bow and long streamers at the

nape of the neck. The same kind of wire coil can be

flattened and used as a necklace, or sewn on grosgrain

ribbon to make a wonderful-looking belt.

Eyeglasses

The same wire makes the most adorable little eyeglasses.

The manner of twisting the wire into shape is shown on

170



page 169. There's nothing like a pair of spectacles to give

a quaint look to a doll.

Experiment with this wire and see how many other uses

you can put it to. Try making buckles for shoes and belts,

or tiny initials for handbags. Playing with it is the surest

way of discovering the great possibilities it has.

HANDBAGS, SLIPPERS, AND BELTS

These may be made from thin wool felt or kid from old

gloves. Some patterns for them are given on page 171. In

every instance, the parts are sewn together on the right

side with overcast stitches in matching thread. Bead trim

is very effective on these items, and the doll's initials on the

handbag are most attractive. Use letters from alphabet

noodles, paint them silver or gold, and paste them to the

bag with vegetable glue.

FAN

The tiniest fan imaginable can be made if you are pa-

tient and work carefully. When hung from a doll's wrist

or tacked to the palm of her hand, it will never fail to call

forth exclamations of delight and surprise.

To make a fan, lay a quarter on a piece of heavy tracing

paper and draw its outline. Before cutting it out, paint a

172


delicate tracery of lines with gold or silver paint, as shown

in the drawing. Cut it out and fold it in half, having the de-

sign on the outside. Cut a tiny semicircle out of the center,

as shown. Make extremely tiny accordion pleats from one

folded edge to the other folded edge. Be careful not to rub

off the design during the folding process. Three toothpicks

make the fan sticks. With a hot needle, pierce a hole

through the flat end of each toothpick. Lay one on top of

the other and run a piece of copper wire through them.

Twist the wire to hold the sticks in place and cut off the

ends close to the twist. Slip the sticks as shown on page 171

between the front and back of the fan. A few tiny dots of

cement will hold the tissue to the sticks. The cement, of

course, is placed between the two pieces of paper. Cut off

the sticks at the top to make them even with the fan.

MUFF AND SHOULDER CAPE

Somehow or other the idea of the fan brings up the idea

of a muff and shoulder cape, both of which would be quite

elegant if made of real fur, such as broadtail or some

equally fine-skinned pelt. The cape is nothing but a small

circle with a tiny circle cut from the center of it to make the

neckline. Cut it first from tissue to determine length.

A ribbon is sewn around the neckline and tied into a bow

with long ends. The muff is an oblong piece seamed to-

gether and shirred at the ends so as to leave holes just large

173


enough for the doll's hands to slip into. Velvet, duvetyn,

or thin felt would make up into an attractive muff and cape

set. Bead trimming gives them a Victorian look.

FLOWERS

The rule of keeping everything small and in proportion

to the size of the doll and its costume applies strongly to

the use of flowers. Artificial forget-me-nots are about the

smallest flower you can buy. They are also about the larg-

est flower you can use successfully on the doll. They some-

times come in white and pink, as well as the customary

blue.

It is not hard to make your own artificial flowers for

trimming hats and gowns, and to make posies for the doll

to carry or wear in her hair. One petal from an artificial

rose or pansy will, when cut into tiny rounded snippets,

supply the doll with quite a generous supply of flowers.

The snippets are cut to the size and shape of a plump grain

of rice. They are joined together at the base with a needle

and thread, one stitch to each snippet and four or five snip-

pets to a flower. A small yellow bead threaded into the

center makes a nice finishing touch. A piece of the thin

copper wire will act as a stem. Push the end up into the

flower and bend it over to keep the flower from slipping

off. End of wire can be wound around doll's hand.

The same technique can be used for making flowers

174


from thin felt or crepe paper. It is not advisable to use

woven fabrics because the snippets are so small that the

weaving of the material would fall to pieces. There is, how-

ever, one exception: glazed chintz, which can be had in a

variety of lovely colors, can be used very successfully.

Dark green glazed chintz can also be used for minute

leaves.

There are a number of very pretty ways of using flow-

ers on the doll. They can be wound into wreaths for the

hair, posies for the shoulder, waist or hand or used to dec-

orate the skirts of gowns of the 1860 period.

HATS

Pretty hats and bonnets are always desirable, but they

are difficult to make successfully. A good rule to follow is

to make a hat or bonnet only when the costume absolutely

demands it. Most costumes don't, which simplifies things

a great deal.

Three basic patterns are shown on next page. The

colors and trimmings of them will do a great deal toward

changing their style for various costume needs. Thin felt is

much easier to turn into professional looking hats, because

it does not need to be hemmed or made double to conceal

raw edges.

Once again, the pattern must be first cut and tested in

tissue to make sure that it fits your doll. After the correc-

175


Three easy-to-make hats that can be enlarged to fit. l, "Bonnet.

Sew zigzag edges together. 2, Hiat. Cut in toward center on solid

lines, lap over to meet dotted lines. 3, Beret. 7wo circles. Cut out

A for head.

176


tions are made, or the entire hat is recut either smaller or

larger, make the master pattern, and then cut the fabric.

You don't have to follow the patterns or the trimming

suggestions exactly. While working in the tissue, you may

develop a different brim line that is better suited to your

purpose. The trimmings, too, are subject to your own in-

terpretation. Just keep in mind that all trimmings must be

kept in scale with the size of the hat or bonnet.

Flowers, ribbons, and feathers are the usual trimming

items. Now where, you ask, can you get feathers small

enough for these hats? Are there pigeons in your neigh-

borhood? Or wild birds of any kind? If you keep your

eyes open you'll be surprised at how many small feathers

you can pick up. They can be made even smaller by cut-

ting them down. The light-colored ones may be dyed or

painted with water colors.

There is little chance of your ever running out of ideas

for creating either dress designs or accessories as long as

you can study the illustrations in children's books and

fairy tales. Their pictures are simply teeming with sugges-

tions that you can translate into dolls' apparel. Because

they are drawn for small children, they usually are quite

simple in detail. That makes it so much easier for you. And

that, in the long run, is the secret of most beautiful things,

including dolls. Simplicity is ever more desirable than com-

plicated and overtrimmed designs.

177


TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES

nything you do, whether it is doll-making

or dish-washing, is done more rapidly, thoroughly, and

easily when the work is organized and the proper tools are

used. An expert in any field is simply a person who has

learned to use the correct tools in the smoothest and most

proficient way.

As a matter of fact, there are no special tools needed for

doll-making. Practically everything one needs is right in

the house now; scissors, needles, thread, thimble, pastes

and cements, crayons or paint. All of these being rather

common objects, you've used them time and time again.

However, there are a few tricks in using them that perhaps

you have not come across. Take scissors, for instance.

There are many different kinds, each designed for a spe-

cific purpose. Whichever kind you use, experience has

shown certain facts about them and more efficient ways of

using them that might be useful to you. 178


SCISSORS

If you are going to make many dolls, two pairs of scis-

sors are really necessary. One pair should be used exclu-

sively for paper-cutting, the other pair for cutting cloth

and similar materials. Paper-cutting quickly dulls a scis-

sors. This may not be apparent so long as that particular

pair is being used on paper only. The dullness shows up,

however, as soon as you try to cut fine fabric with it. A

dull scissors will drag the material, even pull it out of place,

which results in a badly cut, inaccurate piece. The rough,

sometimes even frayed, edge that comes from cutting with

dull scissors looks most unattractive.

A 7-in. scissors is the most convenient size to use. Its

blades are long enough to cover ground rapidly and its

weight is not too tiring. The handle loops may be identical

in shape, or one loop may be large and the other small, as

is customary in dressmaking shears. The trick with either

style loop is to balance the scissors and let them work for

you. This is done by keeping the loops near the tips of the

fingers holding them, rather than pushing the fingers all

the way through the loops as far as they'll go. This finger-

tip control produces more accurate cutting and is far less

tiring. The kind of scissors used for embroidery makes an

excellent addition to the work kit. Use them only for snip-

ping threads and cutting the finest fabrics.

179


Cutting

All cutting should be started as far down between the

blades as you can fit the material. Close the blades about

halfway, then open them again for the next stroke. The

scissors is moved forward with each opening of the blades

so that the material again fits into the crotch of the open

blades. Very little pressure of the fingers should be neces-

sary. If real strength is needed, you can be sure of one of two

things; either the scissors is dull, or too many folds of mate-

rial are being cut at one time. Change the scissors (or have

them sharpened), or cut through fewer folds of material.

Cutting curves, particularly in paper, is sometimes diffi-

cult to do evenly and smoothly. The trick here is to move

the paper as the blades close upon it. To do this, the right

hand is kept in one position, its only movement being that

needed to open and close the blades. The left hand, hold-

ing the paper, guides the work between the blades, turning

it as the work progresses. Because paper is usually stiff,

somewhat longer cutting strokes may be made than are

used for fabrics.

Snipping or slashing is done with the very tips of the

scissors. This type of cutting occurs at the edges of fabrics

to allow for stretching. It is used to make curved seams lie

flat. Care should be taken to avoid letting the cut extend

longer than is required. This is particularly important

where the snip or slash is aimed in towards a sewn seam.

Open the scissors blades slightly and fit the edge of the

180


material between the tips. See that the tip of the blade does

not touch the seam line. A quick closing of the blades will

produce the necessary slash or snip.

When cutting a sharp angle, cut up along one side right

to the tip of the angle, then stop. Take out scissors, then

start cutting up along the other side until the tip of the

angle is reached. The last quarter inch of cutting is done

very slowly to avoid going beyond the desired point.

PASTES, GLUES, CEMENTS

Library paste and household cement are two adhesives

that you probably have in the house. They are both excel-

lent in various phases of doll-making. Library paste is

white, smooth, and pleasant smelling. It is fine for pasting

paper to paper, but there its usefulness ends. Another kind

of paste, called vegetable glue (made by Higgins), is not

generally known, but is far more useful than library paste.

With it you can paste many different kinds of materials to

each other: paper to paper, cloth to paper, tin foil to paper

or cloth, cloth to cloth, leather to cloth or paper, et cetera.

It has the added advantage that it does not eventually dry

out to the point where the pasted pieces come apart.

The household cement made by Duco is just about the

stickiest thing ever invented. It will stick anything to any-

thing, but it is more difficult to use than paste. Then, why

use it? Well, there are many jobs Duco will do that a paste

181


won't. Because it is liquid and colorless, it can be used for

sticking on tiny things such as beads and sequins. A too

generous drop of it will not show up when dry, the way

paste does.

Applying Pastes, Glues, Cements

No matter what type of adhesive is used, a thin coat is

better than a thick one. With paste and glue, a blunt-ended

water-color brush is the best kind of an applicator to use.

You can cut off the pointed tip of any small water-color

brush, or you can buy a "lettering brush/' which is good

for this purpose. Your own finger tips can be used for

some pasting, but they can't put the paste on in as small

an area as a brush can. Then too, paste-covered finger tips

have to be cleaned off before the rest of the work can be

done. An interruption like this is often annoying.

Both paste and vegetable glue dry white and hard, so be

careful not to get either of these on the right side of the

material. Smooth out any lumps that may turn up, because

they, too, will show up on the finished work.

Cement gets over everything, dries almost immediately,

and if allowed to fall on furniture will mark or stain the

wood. A little practice in using it, however, minimizes

these disadvantages. Buy the very smallest tube and open

it according to the directions on the outside. Once it is

open, the slightest squeeze will start the cement oozing out

182


and it will continue to ooze unless the tube is held upright.

To leave both hands free and to prevent the cement from

oozing all over everything, stand the tube upright in a

small glass.

Never try to apply cement with the finger tips. Squeeze

a small amount of it directly on the surface where needed,

then spread it out thinly with the flat end of a wooden

toothpick. The pointed end of a toothpick will pick up just

the right amount of cement from the tip of the tube for

putting on tiny trimming details such as beads. Use a fresh

toothpick for every application.

Paste, glue, and cement must all be tightly covered be-

tween working periods.

SEWING TOOLS

Don't try to sew without a thimble. It can be done, of

course, but there is real danger of hurting yourself when

pushing the needle through folds of cloth. The thimble is

used to protect your finger and is very necessary, espe-

cially when the material is somewhat heavy or thick. You

will find, too, that the thimble aids you in taking stitches of

a much smaller size than are possible without it. A thimble

will fit you a long time so why not get a pretty one?

The size of the needle and thread is of paramount im-

portance in fine sewing. One of the things that makes mod-

ern sewing compare unfavorably with that done by nine-

183


teenth-century seamstresses is our use of fairly coarse

thread and thick needles. We, today, are inclined to make

one size thread do for practically everything, that size be-

ing No. 60. Far finer and more beautiful work, and work

that is no harder to do, is accomplished with No. 90 thread

and a really fine needle.

Most packages of needles contain assorted sizes from 3

to 10. Select the finest needle in the package and thread it.

If the thread is hard to pull through after the end has been

put through the eye, choose the next finest needle. The

thread should slip through the eye easily, neither loosely

nor so snugly as to require real pulling to draw it along.

It will be much easier to thread the needle if the end of

the thread has been broken, not cut. Moisten the broken

end between the lips, then roll it to a point between the

forefinger and thumb. Insert the pointed end through the

needle and draw the thread through for about two thirds

of its length. Knot this end. You will have less trouble with

thread snarling and twisting as you sew if you put the knot

in the end that was threaded through the needle.

Sewing tools, of course, would be incomplete without

scissors, which were discussed earlier. Be jealous of your

scissors and don't let anyone else use them!

SEWING MACHINES

A child's sewing machine can be used for making the

inside seams of dresses, coats, etc. Since these little ma-

184


chines use a chain stitch, be sure to finish the ends of each

seam with a few hand stitches to prevent their coming un-

raveled. You know what happens to a chain stitch when

the end is pulled!

A full-size sewing machine is tempting, but not recom-

mended for doll-making unless you are more than ordinar-

ily skillful in using it. It goes too fast! Before you know it,

you’ve overshot the mark and sewn quite a distance be-

yond the point where you intended to stop. The hand- or

treadle-operated machine, is much slower and more easily

controlled than an electric machine.

The nicest sewing of all, of course, is your own beautiful

hand sewing.

TRACING AND TRANSFERRING

While any transparent paper may be used for tracing,

the kind you buy in pad form in art stores called "tracing"

or "layout" paper is most satisfactory. It is tough, heavy,

and ideally suited to this purpose. It comes in various sizes,

the 9-in. by 12-in. pad being most practical.

To make a tracing, secure the sheet of tracing paper to

the thing being traced so that it will not slip while you are

tracing. Small pieces of masking or scotch tape will hold

the paper in place. These are easily peeled off when the

work is done.

A ball-point pen is best for making the original outline.

185


It makes a thin even line that is easily seen through from

the back. Also, the inked line indicates which is the right

side of the tracing. When the outline is done, turn the

tracing over and, with a soft lead pencil, draw the outline

that shows through the paper.

Lay the tracing, inked side up, on the paper or fabric to

which the design is to be transferred. Secure it in place,

top and bottom, with pieces of scotch tape. Be sure that the

material is smooth and is resting on a hard surface. Redraw

the inked outline, again using a ball-point pen. To make

sure that all lines have been gone over, release the bottom

scotch-tape tabs and lift up the tracing. Be sure that all

lines have been transferred. The top tabs will assure you of

returning the tracing exactly as it was originally. Make

any corrections, then take off the tracing. Save it, as you

may want to use it again.

PATTERNS

Heavy brown wrapping paper, preferably new, is the

best for making patterns. It is stiff and thick enough to

hold its shape when you trace around its outside edges.

Read all instructions for patterns carefully. When the

pattern says "Cut Two/3 the material should be folded, so

that when you cut, you will have two pieces. Fabric should

always be carefully smoothed out before the paper pattern

is laid on it. The pattern is then held down with your left

186


hand while with your right hand you trace its outline with

a medium hard pencil. Do not bear down hard on the pen-

cil. Too much pressure will drag the fabric.

The drawn or traced outlines of the patterns indicate

the lines along which the sewing is to go. Always trace the

pattern on the wrong side of the fabric. When cutting out

the piece, cut beyond the drawn or traced edge to allow

for a seam.

As in anything else you do the first time, the first doll

will take longer to make than will following dolls. As you

become familiar with the handling of patterns and fabrics,

you will gain in skill and speed.

The curious thing about making dolls is that, once hav-

ing begun, you never run out of ideas. While finishing one

doll, the plans for the next will begin to take form and

shape. There is an intriguing attraction that draws you on

and on. Perhaps it is because each doll turns out as she,

the doll, wants, and not exactly as you planned. Why or

how this happens is a mystery. It just does, that's all. Per-

haps this mystery is what makes the young "play-doll"

maker progress to the grown-up "display-doll" maker.

Whatever it is, doll-making is an enchanting occupation

that is seldom outgrown.

187


INDEX

ACCESSORIES Belts, 173 Cape, 173-74 Eyeglasses, 170-71 Fan, 172-73 Flowers, 174-75 Handbags, 172 Hats, 175-77 Headdresses, 170 Jewelry, 167-69

crowns, 168, 169 earrings, 168, 169 hairpins, 168, 169 necklaces, 167- 169

Muff, 173 Slippers, 172

Baby rag dolls see Rag Dolls

Belts, 173

Cements, glues, pastes, 181-83 COTTON BABY

Cap, 28-29 Carriage blanket, 30

How to make, 23-27 Jacket, 30 Shawl, 29-30

Designing see Dressmaking and Designing

DOLL HOUSE DOLLS

Bride, 61-63 accessories, 65—66 gown, 64-65 Children,

71-72 Costume changes, 69-71 Doll show, 72-73 Groom, 67-69 How to make, 59-61

DOLLS WITH HARD HEADS Attaching head to body, 143-44 Hair, 144 History of, 128-31 How to make, 131-43

body, 140-43 clay head, 131-35 putty and plastic wood head,

136-37

soap head, 137-39 Marionettes, 144-46

189


DOLLS WITH HARD HEADS ---- (Cotl.) Painting the face, 140 Painting the head, 137

DOLLS WITH WIRE SKELETONS Empress Josephine gown, 122-27

patterns, 123, 126 How to make, 109-21

flesh, 113-15 head, 118-21 skeleton, 109-13 skin, 115-18

DRESSMAKING AND DESIGNING Bodice, 155-56 Fabrics, 148-49 How to design, 162-65 One-piece dress, 158-59 Patterns, 151 Period costumes, 160, 163 Skirt, 157 Sleeves, 152-53 Trimming, 149, 161-62 Workbox, 150

Eyeglasses, 170-71

Glues, pastes, cements, 181-83

Handbags, 172 Headdresses, 170

Jewelry, 167-69 Crowns, 168, 169 Earrings, 168, 169 Hairpins, 168, 169 Necklaces, 167, 169

MODELED RAG DOLLS Clothes, 104-5 apron

pattern, 107 dress pattern, 106

190

hat, 104-5 pattern, 105

raincape, 105 Costumes, 108 History of, 97-99 How to make, 99-103 Pattern, 100 Shoes, 103

pattern, 103

PAPER DOLLS Dressing, 53-57 History of, 41-44 Paper doll string, 44

dressing, 47 finishing, 46 pattern, 45 standing doll string, 50 stringing, 49 trimming, 48 Pattern, 52

Sculptured paper dolls, 51 how to make, 51 Pastes,

glues, cements, 181-83 Patterns, 186-87 PING-PONG PATSY

Cap, 35 Cape, 37 Dress, 39 How to make, 32-35, 36 Jacket, 38

RAG DOLLS Baby rag doll, 94-96 Costumes, 92-94 Doll's closet, 96 Dress, 89-92

pattern, 90 How to make, 78-83

faces, 80 wigs, 83-85, 86


Kinds of, 75 Necklace, 92 Pattern, 76-77 Shoes, 87, 89

pattern, 86 Underwear, 85-87

pattern, 88 Rag dolls, modeled see Modeled Rag Dolls

Scissors, 179-80 Sewing machines, 184-85

Sewing tools, 183-84

Slippers, 172

TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES

Pastes, glues, cements, 181-82 applying, 182-83

Patterns, 186-87 Scissors, 179

cutting, 180 Sewing machines, 184-85 Sewing tools, 183-84 Tracing and transferring, 185-86

191

Making Dolls and Doll Clothes

Self Improvement