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It
is possible to make rag/cloth doll hair out of almost anything
and in many different styles.
The
most popular are:
Knitting yarns/wool
Australian Yardeno Mohair
Cotton thread
Embroidery thread
Nylon manufactured doll hair
Strips of fabric
String
see links for suppliers
These
are then sewn, glued or felted onto the doll's head.
NB: The American word 'bangs' means fringe.
Needle felting
involves using a barbed felting needle to
push the 'hair' fibres through and into the doll head.
Needle
sculpture involves placing lots
of stitches into the doll head and body to create more sophisticated,
'sculptured' features. A little like quilting, the stitches provide shape
and texture, holding the stuffing in position to create a
raised nose and defined mouth, eye sockets, chin,
belly button, ankles, dimples etc.
Materials
required:
It's all a matter of personal preference
which fabrics, needles and threads you use for needle sculpting your doll.
There are two main types of fabric suitable for this technique.
Tightly Woven Fabrics.
These have less stretch than the knitted fabrics
unless cut across the bias. They are harder to needle-sculpt than the
stretchier knitted fabrics:
Pima Cotton (combed cotton)
Calico/Muslin (use a good quality high thread
count calico)
Southern Belle Muslin (high thread
count/tightly woven) www.dollmakersjourney.com
Knitted Stretchy Fabrics.
Some people find the texture of some of these
fabrics unpleasant to work with:
Nylon stockings
Some
'doll skin' can be slippery
and shiny as well as being stretchy and a ghastly pink!
Velour - This is the thickest knit fabric
used in dollmaking.
Lycra - Stretchy nylon.
Stockinette/ T-shirt fabrics/ cotton jersey knits
Doe Suede (a knitted suede which has a smooth
surface on one side and a textured, fuzzy alternate side rather like
brushed nylon only with minimal stretch - Not available from UK
manufacturers, but considered one of the best fabrics for needle sculpting
and handling).
Strong Thread:
Quilting (including the nylon 'invisible' variety), button or upholstery
thread.
Fine threads such as silks, polyester sewing threads, beading
threads are not so strong and may snap more easily, but give quite a
professional finish.
Needles:
Fine doll needles of 3" or 3½" are commonly used. The needle
needs to be fine and strong enough not to snap as it is pulled through the
layers of fabric and stuffing materials.
You may need longer doll needles if you are to sculpt areas of the body.
I find my mini pliers are useful for pulling needles through awkward
layers, though beware of breaking the needle. (See tools)
Methods:
One way is to apply the face with paints or pencils first, then add
stitches e.g. from eye socket to base of nose and up to bridge of nose on
the opposite side, then down to corner of mouth etc., much like a dot to
dot puzzle. Another
way is to mark out where the sculpting stitches will be made with a marker
pen/ glass-headed pins and apply the face with paints or pencils once the
stitching is completed. The amount of tension you exert on pulling the
threads through and the number of stitches you make, will naturally alter
the look of the doll face, so it may be best to make up some sample heads
and practice. Try out the different fabrics and see what works best for
you.
Check out some
classes, videos or books on the subject, too.
(See links
page). Here are just a few suggestions:
Individual doll patterns offer instructions on sculpting the body &
head.
'Creating Faces.
Needle Sculpting from the Beginning' by Barbara Owen. www.designsbybj.com
'Creative
Cloth Doll Making' ISBN: 1840924039 by Patti Medaris Culea
http://www.pmcdesigns.com/
'Sewing
and Sculpting Dolls' by
Eloise Piper
http://www.sistersanddaughters.com/books.html
Lisa L. Lichtenfels
'Anatomy of a Doll' by Susanna
Oroyan ISBN: 157120024 C&T Publishing.
Antonette Cely's video 'Customizing Doll Patterns'
is available in PAL format compatible with UK VHS video machines.
http://www.cely.com
Dorit Schendzielorz' Needle sculpting Video. (You
will need to check if this is in PAL format for UK video compatibility)
http://www.frontiernet.net/~dorit/video.htm
Skinning
'Skinning'
involves applying PVA glue to the needle sculpted doll head onto which
another layer of cloth is applied. It is important to smooth out all the
wrinkles and push the top layer of fabric gently into all the valleys and
dips of the face. This can be achieved with a Clover Mini iron or any tool
with a small flat surface. Once you have applied the 'skin' you are left
with a needle-sculpted face that doesn't show the sculpting stitches.
However, there will be folds of fabric around the doll head at the sides
which need to be tidied up and secured with gathering stitches and covered
with the doll hair.
There
is also a technique known as 'Cloth Over' which involves moulding a
polymer clay face and then covering it with a cloth layer in the same way
as skinning. Antonette
Cely's video 'Making Faces' describes this technique and is available in
PAL format compatible with UK VHS video machines. http://www.cely.com
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