Have you been wishing and dreaming that you could design your own cloth doll, but just didn't think you had the ability to do it? Is there a dream doll inside of you that is just dying to get out? Then this is the class for you!

This is going to be a multi-part adventure into a simple and fun way to design your OWN ORIGINAL CLOTH DOLL!

You say, but I can't draw! I don't know proportion! I just don't know where to begin! Well let's begin anyway, it's easier than you think. With this method you don't need to be an artist. You don't need to know all about anatomy. But you do need to be adventurous enough to put pencil to paper and follow the class instructions with a little bit of "CAN DO" attitude in place! Because YOU CAN DO IT!

This is a DESIGNING class. You are the DESIGNER, and you will succeed in designing a great looking doll. You will have a pattern that you can use over and over. You can refine it, change it and enjoy the great feeling of success!

After this class you will have the skills to use this designing method to make dolls of all shapes and sizes. You will be able to make ladies, kids, elves, fairies, gnomes, men, mermaids, and almost any other human or part human doll you wish.

There won't be a lot of instructions on sewing technique and finishing skills because this class will assume that you have made a few cloth dolls from patterns, so you should have a number of skills in place already. You probably have favorite sewing and stuffing methods, and please use these, if you are happy with the results you achieve when making dolls from other designer's patterns.

There will be some special techniques, that I use in my dollmaking, that I will pass on to help you achieve the making of a beautifully designed cloth doll, like invisible jointing, lump free stuffing, articulated fingers, easy face design etc. but this won't be a beginning sewing class.

The dolls you design will be basic Tab Head dolls. This type of doll design is very popular and prevalent within the pattern industry. It is also very versatile. You will not be designing a pancake doll. With the designing method I will teach you, you will skip right over pancake dolls, right over Raggedy Ann type dolls and right on to a doll with separate legs, arms, body and head. Your dolls can be jointed or un-jointed (I prefer jointed). You can even design a high heel doll right away if you wish, and I will show you how to design three types of high heel feet! I will also show you how to design two types of regular feet. The basic design instructions will be for a mitt type hand, but you can add hands with fingers to your design, if you are ready for that, by following the FINGER DESIGN LESSON that was a free lesson before this class began.

After the doll itself is designed and made, you can let your imagination run wild for the dressing and finishing. I will teach you several basic clothing designs that you can use in many ways. I will also teach you a simple way to design faces, and several hairstyles.

1. …Choosing a vinyl doll to use as a designing template
2. .…Designing arms and legs
3. .…Designing the body and head. Adding ears if desired
4. .…Making your stuffing fork from the 12" long upholstery needle. If you already have a Barbara Willis stuffing fork you don't need to do this step
5. .…Stuffing and jointing (or stitching the limbs on). Includes ideas for knees, elbows, and articulating fingers
6. .…Places for Faces, with basic face designing and painting. Designing and adding a nose if desired
7. .…Several hairstyles, and application
8. .…Designing basic clothing items
9. .…Designing simple shoes or painting shoes on.

The first thing I want you to do is to go into your child's toy box and find an all vinyl doll which has arms, legs, and head that can be popped off. Another choice is a "dress me" doll from a craft store. I am using the latter for this DESIGN CLASS. The dolls I will teach with are a 13" tall doll with young girl proportions, and a 15 " tall high heel lady doll.

You will be drawing around one arm, and one leg, so you can set the other leg and arm aside.

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