Cloth dolls are a huge hit in the creative world and textile artists have taken up the challenge, using them as the perfect three-dimensional vehicle for expressive textile art. A range of innovative textile techniques can be used to make stunning dolls. In 'Cloth Dolls for Textile Artists' the author provides patterns for different doll shapes, from the simplest stump doll to the more complicated jointed doll. The book gives practical instruction on needle-sculpting expressive faces, as well as details on how to use the patterns to make the basic cloth doll. Then you can really start to express yourself by using a range of textile techniques on the doll, whether directly on to the body or on the clothes - from beading, hand embroidery, machine embroidery and stamping to dyeing, felting (ideal for hair!) and even quilting.

About the Author
Ray Slater trained as a textile artist at Goldsmiths, University of London. She also trained as a costume maker for theatre and television. She curated an exhibition of cloth dolls from the USA, Australia, Canada and the UK in 2003 and is now one of the leading teachers on the subject in the UK, where she is based. She is also embarking on a teaching tour in the USA. Ray lives in London.

Reviews

Oct/Nov 08

Perhaps you have never made a cloth doll and would like to try. Or perhaps you have made many dolls, but feel it's time to branch out into more elaborate and unique textures and effects. Either way, this book is for you. About half the book covers doll-making styles (stump, wired, stuffed cloth) with patterns for body parts and diagrams for faces. The other half of the book concentrates on textile techniques, with photos and instructions for making layered background fabrics, machine-wrapped cords, coloring with paints and dyes, adding creative embroidery, fused applique, soldering, and more.

The author trained as a textile artist at Goldsmiths College at the University of London and also as a costume maker for theater and television. In this book, she brings together the creativity and techniques of the former with the fashionable flair of the latter.

Cate Coulacos Prato

* Quilting Arts *

Nov 08

Textile artists will find plenty of inspiration with these amazing cloth dolls. Beautifully decorated in intricate detail, these fabulous dolls incorporate a variety of techniques to create realistic faces, vibrant outfits plus wild and woolly hair. There are full instructions and patterns to create three types of doll - a simple stump doll, a spindly wired doll and a traditional stuffed cloth doll. Close up photos and illustrations are used every step of the way so that the reader can recreate the dolls with ease and learn a whole variety of decorative techniques as they progress. These include free motion stitching, creating cords and making layered fabrics, plus ideas for using paints, dyes, water-soluble film and soldering irons. There is also specific guidance for doll making showing how to needle-sculpt faces, create realistic hands, shape limbs, attach hair and work with different types of filling and stuffing. A useful suppliers list will help source everything that's needed.

* SEWING WORLD *

Dec 08

I'm not really into dolls but, if I were, I'd love Ray Slater's. However, this book is about so much more than doll making and I think it deserves a place on every embroiderer's shelf. This is because of the methods that Ray uses. Most of them are known to us but she does such lovely things with water-soluble fabric, a soldering iron, applique and other such techniques, that there is much to be learned. The book is divided into three main sections: stump, wired & stuffed dolls. However, within the making instructions are sections such as creating texture with hand stitching, working with layered fabrics, machine wrapped cords and braids, all key topics in their own right, whatever your textile leanings. An excellent book.

* Workshop On The Web *



Book Information
ISBN 9780713490398
Author Ray Slater
Format Hardback
Page Count 128
Imprint Batsford Ltd
Publisher Batsford Ltd