Download - 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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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.
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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'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.
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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.
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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
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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
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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-
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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
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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.
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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."
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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!
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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"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
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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
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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.
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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.
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Jacket
You can make either a jacket or a dress for Patsy from
the same pattern. For a dress, make the jacket pattern
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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.
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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
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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.
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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
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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.
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'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.
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Select a nice clean p
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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
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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.
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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
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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-
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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A doll house bride and groom
made of paper.
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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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
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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
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Tbe doll house groom's suit pattern.
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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.
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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
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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.
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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.
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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
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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
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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.
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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-
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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
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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
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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.
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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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
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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
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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.
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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-
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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
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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.
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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
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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
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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.
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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
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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
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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.
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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
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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.
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110 Copper Wire Skeleton for Character "Doll.
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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.
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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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
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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
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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-
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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
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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.
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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
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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.
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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-
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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
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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!
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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
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An old-fashioned doll with head tied on.
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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-
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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.
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'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
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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.
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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.
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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
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"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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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Body pattern. Cut 2 pieces. Sew along
pattern outline. Leg pattern. Cut 4
pieces. Leave top open for stuffing.
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Arm pattern. Cut 4 pieces. Leave top open for stuffing, follow
sketch in attaching arms and legs to body.
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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
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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
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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.
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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.
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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,
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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
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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.
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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
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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-
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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.
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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-
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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.
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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-
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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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
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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
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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
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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-
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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-
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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.
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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
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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.
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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
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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
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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
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