If you've made dolls before it is likely you will have many of these materials on hand. I am working on an extensive supply list which I will send out by email and post here later. Most of the items can be purchased easily locally, but there are a few that you may need to order ahead of time, or take a day trip to get. Here
are items worth ordering:
Barbara Willis Stuffing Fork - Used for stuffing doll bodies. Available at Gail Wilson Designs, Clloth Doll Supply and they're also available at Barbara's website. Imagine that!
Hemostats- I bought mine in the fishing department of large chain store. They are also available at Cloth Doll Supply.
Creative Paperclay - this can be purchased online at www.creativepaperclay.com in bulk. Or you can buy it at A. C. Moore, Michael's etc. in smaller amounts. You will need 16 ounces (they come in 8 oz and 16 oz. packs).
Clay Sculpting Tools - Honestly, I mostly use my hands. Or the leftover Halloween carving tools. Or occasionally a skewer from the drawer. ;-) But there are tools in art supply stores that are designed for using with clay. They look like this.... brands vary. Check Michael's, A. C. Moore or your local art supply store.
Stuffing of Your Choice - this is a personal choice. I like the Morning Glory brand in the green bag/box and others swear by other brands.
Heavy weight fabric for the body torso - this again is a personal choice. I really like unbleached twill....sometimes called drill fabric. It used to be sold in my area and was discontinued, so I started buying an organic hemp/cotton muslin. It doesn't ravel as much as the unbleached twill or drill fabric.It is not appropriate for arms/hands - too thick, but is great for places that you want to stuff very firmly and are more utilitarian or will be covered by paperclay. It is strong stuff
A closely woven lighter weight all natural fabric for arms/fingers. There is much more detail sewing and thicker fabrics would be challenging. Don't buy the HempTraders 3.6 oz. muslin as it is too light and open in weave. But itwould be great for petticoats, etc. In the UK the fabric you want is called CALICO.
A lighter weight cotton or linen fabric for undergarments - 2 yards will cover what you need for a petticoat, chemise and pantaloons.
Stockinette fabric OR the thinnest old t-shirt you have - 1/2 yard will do it. This is a choice. You don't have to cover your doll with stockinette. If stockinette is not available to you, Waldorf doll knit fabric would work well, or a baby's knit t-shirt.
Thread to match your body/undergarment fabrics and your dress fabric.
Heavy Duty Thread to match your body/limb color for sewing on limbs, closing openings in the doll torso, etc. Upholstery thread or button thread works great for this.
Dress fabric - there are so many wonderful sites with great reproduction fabrics out there....Reproduction Fabrics, and quiltbooks.com has yummy fabrics. But don't neglect your local fabric store - there is a source here where I live that has many wonderful reproduction fabrics that have been discontinued, plus it supports my local economy. Buy 1 1/2 yards to allow for mistakes (I make them!) and also if you want to make bias tape to match your dress for the neckline.
Gesso - this is an artist's primer that prepares the cloth to receive paint. It is expensive but helps you to save on paint, so it's worth it. You can buy it at art supply stores, or craft storeslike A. C. Moore or Michael's. You can also buy it online. It most usually comes in white, but I have purchased it from Daniel Smith in ochre, a dark red and it's available in black, too.
Paint - this is a personal choice. I sometimes use a craft paint for the basic color (parchment) and then I lay acrylic glazes with high quality artist's paints over the top. Other people enjoy buying a flesh colored paint and using that. Still others like to mix their own with artist's paints. Some people enjoy using oil paints, and there are some great ones that thin with water and clean up with water. For the class I will be referring to acrylic paints.
Acrylic Matte Medium - if you choose to use acrylic paints, this is a lo-gloss/no-gloss acrylic liquid you can add to your paint to thin them down. Especially nice for when you want to glaze over an area to add depth.
Acrylic Gel Medium - some people may choose to do a cloth head only without the clay and this helps stiffen the cloth head.
Modeling Paste - part of the messy mix above.
Clear Presser Foot - This is not a necessity but it IS very helpful. I waited 3 years to get mine and wonder why I didn't do it sooner. If you do a lot of doll making you will run into template patterns (portions of this new pattern are templates). With templates you draw around the shape with a fine pencil and then sew
directly on the line. I find a clear presser foot is really helpful when I'm sewing around fingertips for Izannah inspired hands as well.
