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Making Tips: Armature
Cloth Figures & Rag Dolls

Proportions
When making your own doll it is important to take into account the relative proportions of the different body parts.

The most conventional method of measuring the dimensions of a doll (and people) uses the head size.
The total height of an adult, for example, can be measured as 7.5 to 8 times the length of the head.

Whilst young children have relatively larger heads and shorter limbs.
The height of a child of 5 years can be measured as 5 times the head length. 
A child of 8 years as 6 times the head length.

Also it is important to note that no matter what age of person, their arms always reach halfway down the thigh.

Upper arms from shoulder to elbow are slightly longer than lower arms from elbow to wrist.

Upper legs from hip to knee are also slightly longer than lower legs from knee to ankle.

 
Armature
There are times when your doll may need to be posed (such as limbs and fingers), or you may wish to make your figure stand unaided. Also you may need some extra strength in a certain area of the doll, such as the neck. For this you will need what is called armature. 
For most dolls a permanent pose can be achieved by sewing the limbs a certain way without the need for wiring. Separate fingers work best when they are wired with pipecleaners or chenille stems.

Wooden dowel sticks for necks and bodies.

Articulated plastic jointing can be bought in lengths or comes already snapped together into give a headless skeleton shape. 

Plastic tape can be used in certain circumstances.

Wire (including floristry wire) is often used for this purpose and can be bought in various gauges.

Pipe cleaners, shaggy pipe cleaners and chenille stems (fluffy pipecleaners) are also useful, though slightly more bendy.


Also, Cardboard is useful for strengthening the bases of certain dolls with dome-shaped, legless bodies.
Fusible webbing is good for strengthening hats and clothing also.
Cotton buds tied together and wrapped with wadding or stuffing can also be inserted into necks, though it is possible to stuff areas such as the ankles and the neck firmly without the use of armature.
A note on sizes and scale:
Detail may become lost or be quite intricate and miniscule if the doll is small.		 A: This cloth figure measures
49cm or 19" tall. He has tiny proportioned wired fingers and needle sculpted facial features.

B: This RAG doll measures
43cm or 17" tall yet she is a bigger scale than doll A and has embroidered features.

C: This tiny proportioned figure measures 33cm or 13" tall. He has painted facial features.

D: This figure measures
41cm or 16" tall and is a tiny proportioned, small scale doll. She has wired fingers and simply embroidered facial features.

E: This RAG doll body measures
52cm or 20.5". It has long legs and a chunky body.