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Doll making is an addictive hobby. Often it's more addictive than collecting, because it combines lots of elements, collecting, creating and stuff.

In order to make a doll you have to have supplies. Supplies are patterns, needles, pins, scissors, two or three sewing machines, pasta makers, polymer, assorted eyeballs of different textures, styles and designs, stuffing in various open bags of fullness, fabrics in a multitude of textures, colors, blends, styles and pieces, tape. Lots of different type sof patterns, scotch and repair tape, coffee mugs filled with pins, needles, coffee, M&Ms etc, kitchen table. Note this is not the place to eat dinner on. Oh you may think that, but it really is the place to do crafting.

Your kitchen wiill eventually look like a maniac's kitchen. Repleate with body parts hanging form the ceiling, door ways, hooks over the sink, hooks in the oven with the door propped open to vent fumes and allow for drying.

Yes you will be the envy of the neighborhood come Halloween.

Dollmaking begins with a desire to make a doll. This sounds simple enough, until you venture into the new world.

"What type of body do you want?" the kind woman at the doll shop asks.

"I want to make a simple rag doll"

"Ahhh" the lady says and then leads you to another section of the fabric department. " jointed, button jointed ball jointed knot jointed, stretch, doeskin, muslin, pancake, dimensional, large, small, pin?" She just keeps ratteling off and staring at you the whole time, like you know what she is talking about.

"A simple rag doll. Like this." And you hold out your favorite old doll.

Amazing she can recite back to you the date, style and doll number. It's absolutely scary!

" So you want to make another like her, redo the body or just make something fun?"

Like a witch in a bad B movie it seems as though she stirs the air with her finger conjuring, thinking and humming and walking and gathering.

"Here you go", she says with a grin. Then she asks for money piles everything into a plastic tub and out the door you go.

And generally that's when your husband, children and neighbors will see you for the last time, except when you need supplies.

Dollmaking is rally very simple. You just have to have a basic vocabulary. Pancake means just that two pattern pieces for each piece.

Gingerbread man is a type of pancake except its only one entire piece that you cut two of. It already has heads hands and legs attached.

A joint is just that a section of the dolls arms legs and hips that allows for it to move. Saddle or stitched, knotted with a giant knot a bead slid into position are all kinds of joints.

Hair can be yarn, strips of fabric or formed and sewn into place.

Stuffing can be cotton balls, fiberfil (it comes in bags that seem to explode) Cluster fill ( in a nice reusable zippered bag to keep your finished dolls in after you use the fill. It's springy, bouncy and fun!)

The doll can be made from a variety of fabrics. Such as soft worn sheets. No one ever thinks of this today. It was common during the Depression. But sheets that have some loft left can make wonderful dolls. You make the body from an old pillow case and the dress from an old sheet. How inexpensive is that!

Like any hobby you will need a beginning point. So if we look at what you have around the house, you probably have what you need to make a doll, except for the pattern which is available here!

Home Primitive

Find an old pillow case. The older the better since it has to be soft but not see through or thread bare.

Find an old sheet, One that has some softness to it but is not see through.

Buy a bag of fiber fill from the local craft store or find an extra bed pillow

Some yarn or strips of fabric left over from your sheet

2 buttons, shank buttons are best or some paint

Old hair scrunchies

Pins

Scissors

Thread

Sewing machine.

Hand sewing needle

2 safety pins

1. Start by printing up a body sheet and two arm and leg sheets.
2. Fold the fabric you are going to use for the body in half. Place the body piece and the arms and leg sheets on the fabric and pin in place.
3. Now cut out along the outside of the HEAVY black line.
4. Unpin and remove the pattern piece then re-pin the pieces together.
5. Sew along the edge at the presser foot width,. The presser foot width is the space between where the needle goes in and the edge of the foot. This is done on the inside of the foot or the area that the arch of the machine is.
6. On the doll body start at the corner of the bottom straight edge and go around the head ending at the other corner, leaving that straight edge open on the bottom.
7. Clip the curves. This will allow the fabric to bend with the fabric.
8. Now sew the arms and legs. Leaving the straight edges open for turning. Again clip curves.
9. Turn your items right side out and push out the seams so that they are smooth.
10. Now take your fill and stuff the body arms and legs
11. When stuffed enough press the edges of the arms and legs together and stitch across to keep the polyfil in.
12. Insert the legs into the bottom of the doll body and using needle and thread ladder or stab stitch into place.
13. Now to make the clothes Print up the pattern. Cut out 2.
14. Make a rolled or folded over hem on the wrist and the neck
15. Place right sides together and sew under the arms down the sides, like an inverted L
16. Clip at the corner and turn right side out.
17. Make a folded over or rolled hem on the bottom and sew all around the bottom.
18. Slip dress onto your doll.
19. Using a piece of thread make a running stitch around the neck and pull gently to gather at the neck. Tie off
20. You can then make another dress, only cut off the sleeve section so it looks like a sleeveless shirt. Make roll or fold over hems on neck, arm openings and bottom. You now have an apron
21. When finished slip Apron over dress and use safety pins and buttons to decorate the apron.
22. For hair wind yarn around a piece of board or book that's about the length that the hair strand will be. Keep winding until you have 1/2 skein gone. Cut one end only so that you have an extra long strand.
23. Using glue, make a line of glue going from front of head to back of head and zig zag some glue all over head back and along seam.
24. Lay the yarn in as close a line as you can. Crowd the strand together. Making the center of the yarn match with the center glue line. Then press the strands inline all over the head.
25. Let dry.
26. The loose bottoms gather into scrunchies for low pigtails.
27. For eyes make two buttons or two dots of paint
28. For cheeks apply some blush

Now take your doll to AcMoore, Michaels or Joanns and get her some stockings and some shoes.

This is but a single fun doll to do and give as a gift. Try different materials, old clothes that are glitzy or tacky and make unique dolls from that!