Paper (and Fabric) Dolls

Hi Friends,

It's hard to believe that it's nearly September! Where did summer go? In some parts of the world, we're getting cooler and we need to start thinking about indoor activities. Today I'm going to show you how to make Paper Dolls. It's flexible enough that you can use whatever you have on hand. No need to go to the craft store for this one (unless, of course, you happen to want to add to your Fabric Collection). 

There is no sewing involved in this craft and each of the materials can be substituted quite easily. So gather up these materials and let's get to crafting!

• Glue stick 
• If you don't have any: hot glue, fabric glue, double sided tape, anything sticky will do!
• Card stock
• If you don't have any: old file folders, cardboard, recycled poster board
• Fabric
• Any material works, but if you want it to look really stylish you should use Batik
• Scissors
• Optional: beads, buttons, sparkles, ribbon for decorating
• Optional: magnet sheets/magnet tape

1.    Start by drawing your doll. The bigger, the better! A larger doll allows you to make bigger clothing, which will be much easier to work with. Also, please use pencil. I used sharpie and it looked a little messy. If you need help drawing, there are plenty of templates online you can print. I free-handed mine and it doesn't look the best, but who's judging? 

 

2.    Cut out your doll. 

 

 

3.    Use the doll to outline the shapes of clothing. I like to glue my fabric to individual pieces of cardstock so that the clothing holds its shape better and it's easier for the kids to change them out.

 

 

4.    Cut out your fabric and glue it to the cardstock. You can decorate the clothing at this point if you'd like to. Buttons and rhinestones are popular choices.

 

 

 

5.    You can also decorate the body of your paper doll. I used more cardstock to add hair to my doll and I gave it a face. You could also use yarn to make the hair, or more fabric to make a hat.

 

 

6.    Make multiple outfit pieces and mix them up! I don't have any shown, but you can also make accessories for the dolls. Some examples: purses, shoes, hats, and scarves. When Halloween comes around, make some costumes. The sky is the limit! 

 

There is also an option to make the dolls magnetic so that they can be moved around on the fridge. You can buy magnetic tape or sheets online or in craft stores. That's all I have for today. If you make your own, we'd love to see them. Comment on this post or email us at info@indobatiks.com with a picture of your creations. 

Happy Crafting!