Customer Reviews

Cloth Dolls for Textile Artists

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I usually purchase all books that have to do with cloth dolls just because they're a rarity, and I like to support cloth doll artists of all types. That said, this may become the first doll book that I ever return. There is a paucity of information about dollmaking in general, and so much white space on every page that it's clear that there wasn't enough material on anything to warrant a full length book. I'm not sure how this author got a book deal, unless whoever gave it to her was completely ignorant of the many amazing cloth doll artists in the world today. I am completely shocked that Interweave Press put out this book. It is so bad as to be embarrassing. The patterns are simplistic, the face painting instructions are sketchy, and most of the techniques are really about manipulating fabric, not dollmaking. And even those techniques are not fully explained, and the work pictured is messy. There are also VERY few dolls pictured in the book; and the author's handwork is not even up to the intermediate beginner standard. Prospective buyers would be much better served purchasing any of the excellent works by Patti Culea on cloth dolls, or even by visiting a site such as joggles.com or dollmakersjourney.com and purchasing 2 or 3 patterns by almost any cloth doll designer on either of those sites. A real disappointment.

I looked forward to this book,and when I recieved it yesterday,I decided to return it.
It did not seem to be about dollmaking,but seemed more to be a "push" on trendy products to make special effects,and that is what bothered me.I looked through the book,and was immediately bored.It's not about love of dollmaking,it is about what to do with plastic fibres and alot of expensive craft/junk on the market.Some of you readers may know exactly what I mean by the term "craft/junk"
If you want a how to book on melting angelina fibres,and combining products that you can buy online,go online and buy the products,and save your money on the cost of this book.
I find it very dull,and trendy.It smacks of "sommerset",the latest trendmaker in "how to be creative"-if you have 200.00 plus to blow on rubber stamps and synthetic fibres.
I do not care for "trendy", and gimmicks,and this book has little to do with doll making,it is about selling plastic fibers to melt with your blowdryer.Go to Wallmart and buy some polyester,and grab your oldest iron and burn the daylights out of the stuff.It's way cheaper,and you will have the gratification of not liking the compressed goop without hating you paypal account for buying expensive plastic shards to mess up your iron with, let alone trying to hand stitch through the tough goop and try and make a doll with, this is just another book of gimmicks without heart of art making.
I don't recommend this book in the least.I am sending it back tomorrow morning.

I returned this book. It was not advanced enough for me. However, I will say for a intermediate cloth doll maker, it might be good. Has a very good tutorial on face drawing and coloring. Has good descriptions of embellishing fabrics. However, for advanced doll makers, it is just a grouping of techniques we are already familiar with. It does includes flat faces and sculpted faces. It also includes patterns for dolls including a stump doll, wired armature dolls (very simple one) and a full bodied doll. I do like the fabric embellishments she did on the fabric for the doll costumes which are explained fully in the book.

I am a beginner doll maker and this book taught me nothing new. It has basic doll patterns but nothing I haven't already picked up somewhere else (ie no shortcuts, tips, or new methods). It also shows some ways to handle fabric to create beautiful effects, but doesn't have thorough enough directions to reproduce these effects. For beginners, I would recommend Patty Culea's books over this one.

This book is a wonderful resource for anyone making art dolls or small art quilts. The techniques can be used for any art quilt application and not limited to doll construction. I will use this book over and over and learn something new every time I open it.

I received my copy a week ago and have been entranced reading and re-reading over the past few days.
The dolls are unique and wonderfully imaginative. The instructions and photographs are great and let the reader know that these dolls are do-able. I know that I can sit down with my book and my materials and be able to create a doll that will be successful. Not all books do that, but this one does. Buy it.

This is a keeper, Stump doll patterns and new techniques for the doll artist.
Well illistrated, I am still reading over and over this book.
You will enjoy the color illustrations, detail is amazing

This wonderful book definitely gets your creative juices flowing! The photos are up close and the instructions detailed. It is amazing how many great ideas are packed into this book. It is so worth the money.

If you're a fiber artist who wants to explore the medium of creating art dolls, then you'll love this book. The book begins with a pattern for an easy stump doll and then moves into wired forms and stuffed cloth dolls. Along the way you'll learn how to make hands, faces and three-dimensional heads. Also included are techniques for creating original layered fabrics using fusible web, machine wrapped cords and braids as well as creating cutwork fabric using a soldering iron and how to create fabrics with watersoluble film. Ray also covers using transfer paints and dyes to color fabric as well as several types of hand stitches used to add and create texture. As I read through this book I really appreciated the clear, close-up detail photographs that allowed for close, unobstructed looks at the texture and stitches on the fabrics and dolls. Textile artists of all levels will find a lot to be inspired by in the pages of this beautifully photographed and well illustrated book.

I love this book. Ray shows fantastic ways of creating your own fabrics to use not only on dolls, but in other fiber art. The instructions are well written and easy to understand. The illustrations and photo's go along with the text. Creative Cloth Explorations: Adventures in Fairy-Inspired Fiber Art