Cloth Dolls for Textile Artists Book Review

Cloth Dolls for Textile Artists comes to us courtesy of Ray Slater - textile artist, costume maker, doll artist extraordinaire. The dolls and surface techniques presented in this book are nothing short of stunning.

The author begins with a list of basic tools and equipment, general information, stuffing the doll, and the most general of info on machine embroidery. Since there are only a few pages devoted to this I would suggest that this book is definitely not for beginners.

She gives patterns for everything from the stump doll to the jointed doll and several variations in between. She’ll show you how to make a flat face, beautiful needle-sculpted one, or a completely 3- d head. The directions for the painting the face with colored pencils are excellent as well.


But really it’s in the embellishing and costuming that these dolls really take on their character. The author’s talents as a costume maker are brought out to play. There are a multitude of techniques for fabric surface treatments including dyeing, painting, beading, embroider – hand and machine, couching, appliqué, stamping and more. You’ll also learn how to make wrapped cords and braids, cutwork fabric from sheer polyester, fabric with water-soluble film. And then she shows you beautiful needle-felted hair and examples of headdresses from the techniques in the book.


While this book is not for the timid, it *is* for those who want to make a statement with their dolls. The techniques can be accomplished with the step-by-step directions and patterns. The photos are highly detailed and inspiring. I believe this is a book that should be on every dollmaker’s shelf.


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