From Fabric Dolls ->Paper Dolls
-> Polymer Clay Dolls -> ShrinkIt Dolls

Mini Doll

• My first experiment was the black mini doll.
• I printed the design reduced to about 60% of its original size (about 5 inches).
• I used an old black T-shirt for fabric and sewed and stuffed the doll.
• It is ok, but I wasn't impressed. So, on I went with my experimentation.

Cardboard Covered Doll

• For this doll I changed the pattern to have the arms point downward. I printed it again at 60% reduction. I printed it twice on cardboard stock and cut out the individual pieces: arms, legs, body and head.
• Then I took some flesh colored fabric I had and cut it out about 1/4 inch larger all around than the pattern piece. I ran a running stitch around the edge of the fabric and then cut 2 layers of thin quilt batting to the pattern size.
• Now I placed the quilt batting on top of the cardboard piece and covered that with the fabric and then pulled the thread tight and tied it in a knot.
• Each piece is now covered on the front with fabric.
• As the next step I cut 5 small strips of fabric that I sewed to the inside of two of the four arm and leg pieces and between the 2 head pieces. This would give the dolls some mobility.
• Then I glued the matching pieces together. It didn't look very sturdy, so I just sewed them together.
• Well, the doll kind of looks unique, but that's about it.

Mini doll

cardboard covered doll

Paper Dolls

The next logical step was to move to paper dolls. Well these are paper dolls with a twist.

Body of Doll

• I made another change to the pattern and moved one arm up and left the other one facing down. Just to give me variety. Then I printed the pattern onto cardboard reduced to 40% of the original size (about 3½ inches) and cut it out so that I could trace it
• The body of the dolls is two layers of fabric with two layers of washed' babywipes in-between and then glued together with the glue gun.

Doll Clothes

• I printed the clothes pattern on white paper and roughly cut out the shape. Then
• Put it through my cold laminating machine or use double sided adhesive sheets.
• Placed the fabric on to the sticky side of the pattern and cut it out. I did this twice but mirrored the second one.
• Ran a bead of glue down the center of the body front and glued the clothes piece on and repeated the same for the back.
• Then I ran a bead of glue along the edge of the clothes and the pressed the two pieces together.
• With dimensional fabric paint I painted the eyes and mouth.
• Curly or wavy wool made the hair.
  

Polymer Clay Dolls

As I was already experimenting with the dolls, I thought I give polymer clay a try.

• I printed out the pattern reduce to 25% ofthe original size and cut it out.
• After conditioning the polymer clay I rolled out about 1/8 of an inch, placed the pattern on top of it and cut it out with a craft knife.
• Next I placed the colored clay for the clothes between two popsicle sticks and rolled it to that thickness.
• I traced around the body pattern giving it a little extra and cut it out and placed it onto the body. For the skirt part of the dress I just cut a straight piece and kinds of pleated it to make it wavy.
• 2 black seed beads pressed into the head made the eyes and a small hole the mouth.
• I also discovered that the head kind of lacked dimension. So I cut a circle slightly smaller than the head and placed it behind the body part head and molded it.
• I baked the pieces according to the instructions on the clay.
• I think they are quite cute.

'ShrinkIt Plastic' Dolls

After my success with the polymer clay, I just had to give 'shrink-it' plastic a try.

• I trace the pattern reduced to 40% of the original size onto 'shrink-it' plastic with a permanent marker.
• The boy I colored with marking pens, the girl with colored pencils.
• I shrank them according to the directions on the package. They were 3½ inches when I started and shrank to about 1½ inches finished size.