In case you missed something, here's the full list:

The basics (You’ll use this for doll making and can be used many times)

• Sewing machine. As long as your machine can sew a straight and zig zag line, any kind will do. You don't need an extra fancy one but if you do you can use the nice embroidery stitches to embellish the clothing.
• Fabric scissors.
• Paper scissors. Don't use your fabric scissors for paper and don't use your paper scissors for fabric or they'll lose their sharpness!
• Pins
• Cotton rags (you can use an old t-shirt instead)
• Stabilo BLACK colored marker pencil if you like hard defined edges. You can use BROWN if you're going for a more subtle look.
• Pencil with eraser on top. Besides using it for tracing your pattern, you can use the eraser to push poly-fil inside the doll.
• Thread in beige and black and other colors that coordinate with your fabrics. You could get one heavy duty beige or white thread for closing the dolls.
• White acrylic gesso. Any brand is fine.
• A set of acrylic brushes. Try to get a set that has a flat brush for general painting and a small round one for details.
• Fine sanding block or sand paper. I use 3M sanding blocks: Yellow 320 Fine and Black Coarse 160.
• Hemostats in sizes (12,10,8,6 inches set. If you can only get one get the 8 inches one)
• Odorless paint thinner
• Red and deep brown soft (chalk) pastels
• Oil paint in burnt umber
• Acrylic fixative spray, I use krylon. Hairspray can work too but you won't be able to antique and rub as much as with the fixative.
• Acrylic paints in raw sienna, red, black, and any other colors you may want to use for painting the body, the shoes and the details.
• Dritz Fray Check.
• Embroidery thread in black.

You’ll also need these materials per doll you make:

• Your choice of fabric for the dress (approximately 1/4 yard or less)
• Embellishments (fibers, buttons, beads, charms, ribbons, etc)
• Polyester fiberfill (I like the brand Poly-fil)
• Muslin (about 1/4 year makes a doll, but I recommend getting at least a yard so you can practice and make more dolls)
• 2 small buttons for arms and 2 smaller ones for shoes plus more for embellishments. The size of the buttons for the arms depends on the look you want. If you like the look of the buttons get XXmm ones, you can go smaller for a more discreet look.
• 2 beads (size 8mm for legs and 6mm for arms) per doll.
• Mohair or yarn for hair. There are many types of hair for dolls out there. For the sample doll I used Mohair.
• Lace (3-4 yards)
• Tulle (about 1/8 yard)

Optional Materials:

• Pinking shears. Get them if you plan to make a lot of dolls. They will not prevent fabric from fraying but it will fray considerably less.
• A piece of beeswax. To coat your thread and prevent it from tangling.
• StazOn ink pads in black and rubber stamps. For embellishing fabrics and the doll itself.
• Turning tool kit. Specially useful for small arms and legs.
• Stuffing fork. Makes stuffing your doll so much easier. I use Barbara Willis Stuffin forks and I also have a dowel with an incised cross on the bottom that helps to push big chunks of stuffing into the doll.

A few reminders before you start:

• Remember to draw the body across the grain, it's not as important for the small pieces because they don't have enough space to stretch.
• I'm using dark marker so you can see better what I do, but I usually use a light pencil to have a fine line to follow while I cut. However if you prefer to use the marker remember to follow the line inside, right in the middle or outside, but don't wave around the line or you will end up with weird creases on the doll.
• Don't forget to trace TWO of each upper and lower arm and upper and lower leg and just one body in a DOUBLE piece of muslin.
• I recommend that you watch this week's videos first and then make your doll. Don't get discouraged if you doll doesn't turn out as you want the first time, and don't throw it away! Many things can be fixed in the embellishing part. Or they can be sewn again to correct little mistakes. Remember than practice makes better!

A few tips before you begin sewing:

• Using a sewing machine is like driving a car. All cars are basically the same but they're all different at the same time. Get to know your sewing machine. Oil it regularly if it needs oil (mine doesn't but the one I had before did). Play with it. Use some scrap fabric and try to practice a bit before sewing the doll. Know the best speed for the machine and yourself and don't forget to change the needle regularly. They loose sharpness very easily.
• Try to use the same thread in the bobbin and in the spool so it runs more smoothly.
• Practice using different stitch lenghts and widths and see the results you get with them. Some muslin fabrics are thinner than others so a smaller stitch will be need it.
• Also practice sewing curves. Draw a few on your scrap fabric and try to sew them as close as possible to the line.
• ALWAYS start and finish with a backstitch to secure the ends. Also do a few backstitches in the neck to prevent it from burst open when you stuff it.
• The pattern I used for filming the workshop was handdrawn (that's why my machine was going straight and my pattern didn't hehe). But I modified it for you in the computer so you won't have any troubles.
• I have a lot of practice sewing the dolls but if you're a beginner you can pin your fabric together so it doesn't move and it's easier for you to sew.

• Use as many pins as you need them for securing the pattern to the fabric.
• This method works better if you transfer the pattern to a light paper (like parchment) But it wasn't showing in the videos so I use the heavy cardstock.
• This works also for the legs and arms, and it's specially helful if you are doing a lot of dolls (it's a shortcut).

• Clip the curves so when you turn the piece around they look nice and flat.
• Fray-check will leave the fabric stiff so don't use a lot. But it will save you from a lot of trouble if you're inexperienced.
• Clipping makes all the difference between a well made doll and poorly done one. It takes time but it's so worth it! Same with the pencil check. turn all your pieces the right side out. Go around ALL the stitches with the point (very lightly) and then correct anything that needs to be corrected. A few minutes of preparation will save you a lot of trouble later!

• Stuffing forks and hemostats are the doll making best friends!
• Don't push too hard on the corners or you may tear apart the fabric, but don't leave it unstuffed. If this is your first doll is better to leave it unstuffed than overstuffed ;) You'll get the hang of it with practice.
• Remember to leave space in the upper part of the legs and arms. Specially in the upper legs. Too much stuffing there will prevent your doll for sitting straight. Try different stuffing levels until you find the one that works better for you. Doll making is very personal, experiment and find what YOU prefer.

• Be specially careful with the head and neck. It helps to add a bit of fray-check to the neck if you don't feel very secure about stuffing it.
• Remember to do the neck test. If you move the doll from the base and the head goes back and forth it's because the neck needs more stuffing.

Remember, this is your last chance to correct any mistakes you made while stuffing/sewing your doll. Grab a cup of tea and take your time. Make and treat your doll with love and you'll get rewarded with the results :)

This is the last step before gessoing your piece.

Aren't you excited? Please share your progress on our Facebook page ;)

• You can treat the doll at this point the same that you would treat the canvas. You can draw with your regular pencil and erase it, you can correct mistakes with more gesso and you can paint it, stamp on it and even paste paper.
• The acrylic color I'm using for the hair is EcoGreen in Rose, Liquitex Brilliant Purple and white gesso.
• The face is painted with Raw Sienna and White Gesso.
• Remember to paint around the eyes, nose and mouth withouth covering them so you can trace them later if you don't feel confident on drawing the face from memory.
• Before you draw the face, watch the next video and decide which method works better for you.

• If you are having trouble getting the face drawn on the doll as you want, I have another method to give your doll a face. We'll trace it using a pattern instead of drawing it free hand.
• Use the attached face pattern on the files for downloading to print your own face template and trace it into your doll using the instructions on the video.

Here are some examples of past doll's shoes I've made. You'll have countless options to make your doll's feet special! You can even let her go barefoot and draw her little toes ;)

Don't be afraid by this step. You can do it!

• You can use the same stencil that you used before if you covered the lines completely with your paint.
• Don't use the stabilo pencil until you're sure you like the face you drew.
• Be careful with the stabilo pencil, it's very easy to smudge it and you can stain your work.
• Use the workablec fixative after you're done with the face and you're plan to move to the next part of the body. I like to use that kind of fixative because you can add more layer of work on top, so if you think you're done and you fix it and then you think it needs something else you can go back and work on it. Just fix it again when you're done.
• I use Golden Naptol Red Light for the mouth.
• The cheeks are done with soft pastels, the same for the shadows. I don't have the exact colors because my set doesn't have them, but I use a red and a deep brown.

• I use Winton oil paint in Burnt Umber diluted with Low odor thinner and an old rag.
• If you're in a hurry use Walnut ink or Diluted Acrylic Burnt Umber paint, just prepare to work really fast because they dry really, really fast.
• Try to use gloves for this step.
• For the hard to reach parts you can use a brush, thin the paint with the thinner, it's easier to remove that way.

• Gather all your materials before you begin assambling your doll.
• Remember to be careful when you use pins, they will make a hole in the doll and it will be permanent.
• Use a little bit of fray-check at every knot you make to make it stiffer.

• You can use basic buttons to attach the arms or use beautiful decorative ones that enhance the overall look of your doll.
• This step will be so much easier if you use a doll needle.
• The arms will push the shoulders inside a little bit.

• Prepare your fabrics, embellishments and hair because she's ready to get dressed!
• The hair I used is actually Mohair and I get it on Etsy. Here's a store who carries many types and colors of doll hair: https://www.etsy.com/shop/HidowFiberFarm?ref=l2-shop-info-name
  There are many others, just make a quick search on Etsy or Ebay and then decide what would be fun for you. If you want a cheap alternative you can use wool yarn and just pull the threads to give it texture.
• The tulle I used has little specks of glitter but you can use the regular one instead.

• I'm using tulle for this step but you can use ribbon, silk or any other type of thin fabric or combine them and use a different type of ribbon for each part of the doll.
• Don't forget to add a dot of fray-check at each knot.

• If you can't find the hair color you want, you can dye your own using inks, diluted acrylic or fabric dye to white mohair.
• Use heavy weight thread (but not embroidery thread) for sewing the hair to the head.
• After sewing in place (and before making the final knot) pull the hair to make sure it doesn't have any loose threads.
• Again, you can get as creative with the hair as you want. Maybe give her some piggy tails instead?

Congratulations! You have finished your first doll!

Please share it with us in our Facebook page!

In this video I will show you how I start with a rough sketch or an idea for a doll, and how I develop the idea into a plan for a new, beautiful doll.

• You can use any type of stamp, but try to use permanent Staz-on or similar inkpads for a permanent look.
• Try to mix several ink colors or intensity for a more organic look.

• I used the same techniques we used to create the first skirt on our doll.
• Get creative and make changes in the fabric and texture to create a doll of your own.

In this step we are gathering the fabric to give the skirt volume and flare.

• had something else in mind for her, but I decided to decorate the boots with a set of pompons I found while I was rumaging my drawers.
• Try to find objects around you that you can incorporate in your doll for a hand made, original look.

• The same steps we used on our first doll will apply here.
• Pick your favorite hair texture and color and create a special hairstyle for your doll.
• I'm using uncombed brown mohair for this doll.

• Well, this is it. Our doll is finished! Isn't she beautiful?
• I hope you had a great time making your dolls, and that you are ready now to show me what you are planning for your next doll.