Doll Crafts: A Kid's Guide to Making Simple Dolls, Clothing, Accessories, and Houses

by Laurie Carlson

Overview

Dive into the wonderful and creative world of doll arts and crafts with this easy-to-follow activity book packed with over 50 projects and a dozen patterns. Using inexpensive, everyday, even recycled materials, you’ll make clever paper dolls, simple folk art dolls, soft cuddle pals, or 18-inch felt dolls, as well as cute and easy doll clothing, accessories, and basic houses. Clear instructions and illustrations guide you as you learn to: make and paint a cloth doll, recycle and refresh an old doll; make simple, silly dolls from spoons, yarn, sticks, and more; make a dollhouse you can fold up and tuck under your bed; and much more!

Along the way you’ll learn fascinating doll facts and history, such as dolls’ roles in various cultures and religions, the history of action figures, and the tradition behind scarecrows. Fun for younger girls and boys to explore with a caregiver or older kids to work through alone, Doll Crafts belongs in any craft-loving kid’s home or classroom.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781613737781
Publisher:	Chicago Review Press, Incorporated
Publication date:	11/01/2017
Pages:	144
Product dimensions:	8.40(w) x 10.90(h) x 0.30(d)
Age Range:	7 - 18 Years

About the Author

Laurie Carlson is the author of over 20 nonfiction books for children and adults, including Knit, Hook, and Spin, Colonial Kids, More than Moccasins, and others. A former professional doll artist, her work has been featured in several doll magazines and shows. She currently writes, paints, and crafts in her home on the Oregon coast. Visit her online at https://lauriecarlsonart.wordpress.com.

Editorial Reviews

10/02/2017
Carlson provides a straightforward introduction to creating dolls—from cloth, paper, gingerbread, spoons, corn husks, and more—and accessories. A “Doll Maker’s Toolbox” lists essential materials (scissors, sewing needles, pins, thread, buttons, etc.), followed by a tutorial on hand stitches and tips regarding facial features, stuffing, and hair. The minimally detailed illustrations don’t bring much visual interest to the pages, but the clear instructions (and bits of cultural backstory and doll lore) offer many opportunities for readers to get creative with their own doll making. Ages 7–up. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

"Carlson provides a straightforward introduction to creating dolls..."—Publishers Weekly


“I wish I had had this book when I was little.”—Cracking the Cover 


"Doll Crafts is enthusiastically and unreservedly recommended."—Midwest Book Review

From the Publisher

10/01/2017
Gr 3 Up—Carlson presents an easy-to-follow introductory manual on crafting a variety of simple handmade dolls. She begins with "A Doll Maker's Toolbox" of basic necessities: scissors, a variety of sewing threads and material, sketchbook, pencils, beads and other notions, and four basic sewing stitches. Types of dolls are arranged from simplest (a paper doll chain, a "Paper Doll and Wardrobe") to most sophisticated ("Fabulous 18-inch Felt Doll and Outfit"), and each includes full-size traceable patterns for doll and clothing, along with brief but descriptive instructions for assembling and stuffing the pieces. Folk dolls; a pocket gnome made from part of a stuffed sock and some felt; a voodoo doll created with fabric and yarn scraps; and a doll made from corn husks and yarn/string provide pocket-sized play fellows. Sidebars describe a variety of dolls through time: automatons, Mexican radish dolls, and plastic action figures. Patterns for clothing and accessories, a mermaid costume, a "Recycled and Renewed" plastic doll, and a doll cake (the last two requiring adult supervision) are more challenging. Appealing illustrations in black and shades of gray show projects in stages of progress and completion. VERDICT Crafty kids who want to sew can learn to create simple dolls and other figures that will make play more fun. A good choice for maker and craft shelves.—Susan Scheps, formerly at Shaker Public Library, OH

School Library Journal

2017-08-27
A guidebook to making simple dolls and accessories sounds like a fine idea, as long as the supplies are readily available and the crafts are reasonably achievable.This effort excels at offering crafts that require inexpensive supplies that many young crafters might have access to, including old T-shirts, bits and pieces of felt, inexpensive paints, buttons, needles, and thread. The skills required to create the various dolls, small stuffed animals, doll clothing, and houses vary widely. Some of the crafts involve little more than wrapping yarn around pipe cleaners and adding a bead head. Other crafts, such as a simple-appearing stuffed "puppy dog"; a button-up coat; a painted cloth doll that must be stitched, turned right side out, and stuffed; and doll shoes with craft-foam soles and stitched-on felt tops, involve a considerable amount of careful sewing. Lists of supplies for each project are included, and patterns and directions are clear, but few of the projects state the skill level needed. Some do include the caveat "Adult supervision needed." The variety is wide, including a voodoo doll, a zombie, a pocket gnome, and gingerbread cookies. Sidebars offer additional information on the history of dolls and their places in some cultures. While enjoyable to browse, these doll instructions are most likely to thwart all but the most determined of crafters. (Nonfiction. 9-13)

Kirkus Reviews