Free Silhouette dress Pattern from the new book: Cloth Doll Artistry

This book is so beautiful and inspiring, I only made it to page 10 before I had to stop and make something! I did make it past page 10 so I can testify that it is packed full of eye candy and wonderful doll making how-to's.

Cloth Doll Artistry
Design and Costuming Techniques for Flat and Fully Sculpted Figures
By
Barbara Willis

In this unique and beautiful book, beloved doll-designer
Barbara Willis guides readers through various approaches
to doll design and basic and advanced construction
techniques. Through the creation of three complete step by-
step projects, readers will develop color boards, learn
to use vintage images, create both two-dimensional and
three-dimensional cloth dolls, learn sophisticated costuming
techniques, and gain knowledge of elaborate soft sculpting.
A gallery shares the inspirational work of several well known
doll artists who have created their own versions of
each project. Complete patterns and templates are included.

Barbara Willis (Mountain View, CA) has been creating
dolls and teaching nationally and internationally
for over 30 years. She has been associated with the
quilting industry, fiber guilds, embroidery guilds
and clubs, International Quilt Market, The Knitting
and Stitching Show (UK) doll clubs, and workshop
events for all of her career. She has been featured
and published in many magazines including Sew
Beautiful, Cloth Dolls and Animals, Dolls Bears and
Collectibles, Better Homes and Gardens, Dolls and
many others over her career.

This is page 10, it talks about how to choose fabric for doll making.

Click on the image to enlarge so you can read about the first steps in choosing fabrics, layering trim and color combinations.

I loved this silhouette so much I decided to make a stencil of it and why not share it with you all!

Cloth Doll Artistry does include a whole bunch more patterns.

 

This is what I did with my stencil:

First I cut out the center part. I wanted to make a stencil because I knew it would be important to choose exactly where the print of the fabric was going to be.

I then pressed iron-on adhesive to the back side of the fabric.

Then I laid my stencil on the fabric and angsted over where to cut, not really but a little. I traced the silhouette with a pencil and then cut each dress out.

 

Here they are. I love them, I'm not sure what I am going to do with them but I think they are so cute!

I will be making more for sure.

Today's question:

What are you crafting for Mother's day?

I am completely stumped.

As a thanks for sharing you'll be entered to win a free book!

Comments

[julie m]

My mother reads a lot so I am making her a card that holds a handmade bookmark.

[bren]

Postcards may not seem like much to send for Mother's Day, but when you make one out of fabric... My mother loves them! The little dress pattern would be perfect for one.

[Lynda Taylor]

This year I have been unable to make something for my mother, but I did purchase a wonderful hand carved soap that looks like a rose from a local market. She does an amazing job.
It may not be my handmade but mum is still getting handmade.

[rush]

i will be making my mom a special card, and, hopefully, i will make a set of cards and a re-usable card pouch in which to store them. i am thinking about making them in a dress shape.

[Janet]

I wish I still had a mother to make something for, but I'll be sending her creative thoughts.

[Lila Schmidt]

I am working on a 4 x 4 collage piece. Of course cardboard is base and then I am taking some lovely sections off a paper towel roll that has a theme of Mothers and decopauging it to the cardboard and then embellishing it.

[Carolyn]

I am making a tote bag

[MonkeyGurrl]

I'm with Janet. :) In honor of M's Day (and just about every other day!), I vow to spend a good amount of time just sittin' and knittin'.

Love your dresses; I better not show my 10 y/o or those would be alllll over the house!

[NWFlamingo]

I'm just making a paper box to put the bracelet I bought for my Mom on my last trip.

[Karen]

I made an art quilt w/a baby picture of my mom on it

[wendy m.]

I'll of course be making the cards, but haven't really come up with anything else.
But this lovely book is now on my Mother's Day wishlist!

[Deborah]

Though my mother has passed on and I miss her, I've never felt that she's totally "gone" - her spirit presence is quite strong, so I'll celebrate her on Mother's Day by doing one of the many activities she taught me and that we enjoyed doing together for so many years: cooking, sewing, needlecraft, playing piano, singing, gardening, etc., etc. - there are SO many things she shared with me...

[Jen]

Thank you for the silhouette! I think I'm going to make my daughter a dress banner for the heck of it. With a doll cutout she can put them on. As for mother's day - not a clue yet. I think I'm going to make both moms a wrap out of some organic cotton/bamboo velour I have here and stitch it shibori style and dye it in each mothers' favorite colors. I think...

[Krista]

Those are just gorgeous, I haven't made a doll in a long time. Not sure what to make for mother's day myself this year. Maybe I will make the mothers some nice felted jewelry. My mom doesn't like wool scarves or anything cause she finds them itchy and mother inlaw has gotten knitted items the last few years, so maybe some nice felted jewelery.

[Dawn]

I think I will make her a bouquet of paper flowers... she loves flowers and this way they will stay forever..until they get too dusty:)

[Amanda Thurena Zapien Arguello]

I will make some pillows for her bedroom shaped like roses, I just saw an awesome project and I think she would like them and use them.I will make them out of linen. Also I am knitting a shawl for my mother in law, I am using a nice tone of purple (not electric purple) and some gray wool yarn.
And for the Mother's day in the school (I am a 1st grade teacher) the kids and I are making some necklaces out of clay beads they made during class, and beautiful soft ribbon. Some even painted the beads.... By the way thanks for the stencil!!! I will make myself a tote purse and sew the silhouette on it using contrasting fabrics, it should look very nice.

[tan suits]

These are great doll dresses! I can't wait for your next post with regards to this. I simply love dolls, after all it's not only the kids who could collect this stuff!

[בגדי מעצבים]

Awesome technique to make Barbara doll design. It's guide to the reader through different approaches to the design of techniques for building wrist and basic and advanced.