Crafting Cloth Dolls [Paperback]

Miriam Gourley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 10, 2001

Crafting Cloth Dolls features complete, step-by-step instructions for 10 exquisite fabric dolls. Patterns spotlight designs by top artists, including Barbara Chapman, Elise Peeples, and Brenda Gehl, and talented newcomers such as Annie Moon. Everything you need to know to create original dolls is here--how to form the body, paint the face, make and style hair, and costume the doll. With glorious full-color photographs of 100 dolls and detailed color drawings throughout, these pages are bursting with creative inspiration for both beginning and experienced dollmakers. Lesson planning and resource lists are included.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

A sensational collection of dolls made entirely from fabric!

Create an heirloom, revisit favorite childhood memories, or just experience the joy of giving life to a few simple pieces of fabric through the art of cloth doll-making. In Crafting Cloth Dolls, both beginners and experienced doll-makers will enjoy a one-on-one lesson from Miriam Gourley, one of America's most talented and respected doll-makers. Step by step, she instructs crafters on everything they need to know to create original dolls--how to form the body, paint the face, make and style the hair, and costume the doll.

This fabulous collection of fabric dolls provides step-by-step directions for making ten exquisite creations that represent an incredible range of styles, from primitive folk art to exotic sculpted work. Patterns feature designs by top artists, including Barbara Chapman, Elise Peeples, and Brenda Gehl, and by many talented newcomers. The dolls are arranged by skill level, so you will find it easy to choose a pattern that suits your tastes and ability.

With more than one hundred glorious full-color photographs of cloth dolls--many of them award-winning creations--and detailed drawings throughout, these pages are bursting with creative inspiration for those starting their first doll or their fiftieth!

About the Author

Miriam Christensen Gourley is a leading doll-maker who regularly designs needlework projects for magazines including Women's Day and McCall's Creates. She has established and organized a number of major doll exhibits and consumer shows, including Dollmakers Magic. She is the author of the bestselling book Cloth Dolls: How to Make Them.

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 1 edition (December 10, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0844220841
• ISBN-13: 978-0844220840
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #725,688 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

66 of 66 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Book, February 8, 2002

By 

Belle "belle3" (Toney, AL United States) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Crafting Cloth Dolls (Paperback)

I really like the book "Crafting Cloth Dolls" for several reasons. It is loaded with color photos of dolls ranging from the simple, painted on faced muslin body styles to complicated, wire armature bodied dolls with clay and needle sculpted faces. A basic doll body pattern is included as well for users to create and expound upon.

Doll techniques covered include armature making, dyeing doll hair, wig making, shoe making, fairy wing making, face painting, and drafting doll clothing patterns. A technique for needle sculpted faces and a button joining technique were drawn and explained.

Patterns with body and clothing templates, supply lists, and clearly written instructions are included with the book to make 10 different styles of dolls. The dolls include Tulip (the doll on the cover), a tomato man, a constable, medieval knight, Japanese woman (from Japanese "Little Peach" fairy tale), simple rag doll, felted doll, felt body doll with paper clay mask, whimsical doll made of wire clothed with embillishments, and a very elegant maid doll.

The final pages of the book include a source sheet to locate the various doll artists that contributed to the book and order their respective patterns.

With so many doll making techniques abounding, this book cannot possibly cover them all; however, the patterns and easy to follow instruction with this book make it an excellent addition to the beginning doll makers library and an excellent source of inspiration for the more advanced doll maker.

37 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A great book for more experienced dollmakers, April 22, 2002

By 

Sabina Rubens (RANDWICK, NSW Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Crafting Cloth Dolls (Paperback)

I knew I would enjoy this book even before I opened it, as Miriam Gourley's previous book on cloth dollmaking was so good. The earlier book had more basics in it, I feel this book is for more experienced dollmakers who want to be a bit adventurous. Miriam includes some interesting sections on home-made felt and felting, armatures, cloth doll construction and painting effects. For me, the best part was the 10 cloth doll projects at the back of the book, ranging from a simple cloth doll to a policeman to a doll with felted clothing. I loved the charm, diversity and sheer adventurousness of these projects. Definitely worth buying if you have any interest in cloth dolls at all.

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another fine guide for cloth dollmakers by Miriam Gourley!, December 29, 2004

By 

MzQd (Peace on Earth, USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Crafting Cloth Dolls (Paperback)

Doll artist and author Miriam Christensen Gourley has written another great book on cloth dollmaking. I loved her first volume, but the dolls and patterns in this one are just as, or maybe even more fun than in the first book!

There is something in "Crafting Cloth Dolls" suitable to all sewing skill levels. Beginners will be pleased with the well-illustrated instruction and more advanced dollmakers are offered more challenging subjects, as well as good clay over cloth instructions.

Gourley has an excellent writing style and offers clear-cut, well-illustrated instructions and helpful tips and techniques, from wigmaking to shoemaking. Everything in this book makes sense!

Highly recommended to dollmakers looking to learn, polish their skills or be inspired by good dollmaking craft.