How to Make a Dream Doll

Making the Body

• 1

  Several days before you wish to make your doll, thoroughly rinse and dry a 22 ounce dish liquid bottle. Fill the bottle about halfway with sand or pebbles.

• 2

  Put the torso and head together. For simplicity, use a head that already has hair. Attach the torso to the dish liquid bottle, using a hot melt glue gun loaded with clear glue sticks. If you prefer not to work with hot melt glue, use silicone adhesive instead. If you use silicone adhesive, be sure to have adequate ventilation. If you can smell the glue fumes, you do not have enough ventilation.

• 3

  Once your glue has hardened, take a piece of white muslin about thirty inches long and ten inches wide. Fold down the edge of the fabric along the short side one inch. Using a running stitch about three fourths of an inch from the fold, stitch the fabric down. Repeat for the other end of the fabric. Make sure the rough edges are both on the same side of the fabric. Fold fabric in half across the width, with the fold facing you. Make sure the folds at the ends are ragged edge out.

• 4

  Sew up each side with a running stitch. You should now have a pouch that is fifteen inches by ten inches, with two drawstring casings. Turn pouch inside out so all the rough edges are inside the pouch.

• 5

  Using a piece of ribbon with a safety pin attached, thread the ribbon through the drawstring casings. Be careful not to pull the ribbon all the way back through the casing at the other end or you will have to thread it again.

• 6

  Pull the pouch onto the bottle from the bottom until it is at waist level on the doll torso. Pull the ribbon tight and tie it off. This is your base body, ready to dress.

Undergarments and Clothing

• 7

  Most Dream Dolls had beautiful belled skirts held out by layers of pleated tulle. Using a basting stitch or running stitch, pull a yard of tulle that is about twelve inches wide into pleats. Put the pleated tulle around doll's waist, pulling it tight and tying the two edges together. The more layers of pleated tulle you use, the more the doll's skirt will bell out.

• 8

  Find a bodice pattern that you like and make your doll a muslin bodice. If your doll's dress will be strapless or have spaghetti straps, make a strapless bodice or a camisole. Be sure to fit the bodice as closely as possible to the doll.

• 9

  Make the dress using any pattern of your choice. Patterns are available at fabric stores or online. Alter the pattern as needed to be sure the dress will fit over the undergarments. See the resources section for proper doll fitting.

• 10

  When the sleeves of the dress are sewn, stuff the arms with rolled cotton batting, then sew the hands into the wrist holes of the dress. You can also thread the hands together with wire and run the thread in one arm, across the back, and out the other arm. Be sure the wire is short enough to keep the hands up in the arms of the dress.

Accessories

• 11

  You can either make your own accessories or buy them from a specialty doll shop. Jewelry findings such as lapel pins, beads, and broken necklaces can be used to make jewelry for your doll.

• 12

  Make purses and umbrellas to the right scale. Purses should be no longer than your doll's arms and no wider than her hips as seen from the front. Umbrellas or parasols should be long enough to touch the ground beside your doll when held point down at the side, but no wider than the widest part of the bell of the dress when opened.

• 13

  If your dress is long enough, you will not need shoes for your doll.