Chapter 7. Character Dolls

One of the most interesting kinds of dolls to make is the kind having its own personal skeleton. Made with a copper-wire frame, the body has to be shaped around the wire skeleton, then covered with a "skin" of some sort. This is the type of doll that fine doll-makers make for private collectors and museum displays. It is not especially difficult to make. It just takes time and patience.

HOW TO MAKE A CHARACTER DOLL

The Skeleton

Buy a coil of 14 or 16 gauge copper wire. It costs about fifteen cents and you'll find it in hardware stores and dime or variety stores. One coil will make several dolls.

Cut off two 26-in. lengths with a wire-cutter. Twist these two pieces together, as follows: At the exact center, bend the twisted wires in half to make a loop. Cross the wires 1/14 in. below the top of the loop. Twist the wires around each other twice. The loop makes the head arid the twists make the neck. (See diagram.)

Bend the long ends of the wires out sideways until they are at right angles to the neck. Lay a wooden ruler flat on the table and press the wires along the top to make them perfectly straight. Now slide the ruler to the right until the 1-in. mark is directly below the neck twist. Bend the left wire piece down sharply around the side of the ruler to form the shoulder. Do the same to the right wire piece.

Draw the two long pieces together to make a triangle. Three twists make the waist. Bend the remaining wires out sideways and 3/4 in. from the center twist bend them down sharply to make the hip bone. The long pieces are now the legs.

The arms and hands are made from two 12-in. pieces of wire, twisted together into one strand. Place the center of the arm piece at the bottom of the neck twist. Hold the arm piece in place along the shoulders by wrapping it on with a 4-in. single piece of wire. Wind this piece from the edge of one shoulder across to the edge of the other shoulder. Cut oft any excess length of the binding wire. Bend the ends of the arm piece back to make narrow loops. These are the hands.

Copper Wire Skeleton for Character Doll.

Bend the bottom of the leg wires forward to make the heels. These forward-bent pieces are turned sideways to make flat loops which become the feet. Hold the skeleton upright with the loops flat on the table to test the evenness of the legs as well as the angle of the feet.

The skeleton is now about 91/2 in. tall. It's amazing how very human looking it is at this point.

The Flesh

The head, hands, and feet are "fleshed" with absorbent cotton. Loosely roll a 1 1/2-in. wide strip of cotton until it fits the head loop without falling out. Insert it in the loop so it extends on either side of the wire about equally. Cover wire loop itself with a thin, 1/2-in. strip of cotton placed flat along the loop. To do this, carry the strip up from one side of the neck, over the head, and down the other side to match. Wrap thread around the neck several times to hold the ends of this strip in place. Take a square of cotton, about 1/8 in. thick and large enough to entirely cover the head, and smooth it on. Bind it into place with thread wrappings around the neck. Pull these wrapping threads very tight to make a well-defined neck.

Small rolls of cotton are use to fill and shape the hand and foot loops. Squares of cotton are then bound onto each hand and foot in the same way that the head was covered. The hands, of course, are kept much more slender than the feet. Wrap the binding thread tightly to produce nice wrists and ankles.

Fill the body loop with a firm wad of cotton large enough to fit the loop snugly. It should protrude more in front than it does in back. Hold it in place by winding the body with thread two or three times.

Tear off thin strips of cotton about 12 in. long and 1/2 in. wide. These are used to wrap the arms and legs. Starting at the ankle, a cotton strip is wound up the leg in a spiral bandage fashion. The edges of the strip must overlap each other to entirely cover the wire "bones". Continue wrapping up and around the hip bone and secure the end of the strip by wrapping it to the waist with thread. A second wrapping is put on the same leg, starting it slightly above the ankle. A few wrappings of thread around the end of the strip will hold it in place. Do the other leg the same way.

The legs may look rather thin at this point but wait until the arms and body are covered with cotton "flesh" before putting on any extra padding.

The arm wrappings are started at the wrist, carried up to the shoulders, and then crossed diagonally over the chest where they are bound to the body. A second very thin layer is put on the arms.

For the chest, two strips of cotton 3 in. long and 1 in. wide are used. Fit one over each shoulder and cross the strips diagonally in front and back. Wrap body, starting under the arms, with long strips of cotton. A better shape is produced if the body strips are wound spirally. Carry the strip down between the legs and back up the body again.

The doll is pretty well "fleshed" at this point. Look at her critically. Are her arms and legs too thin? If so, add one or more thin layers of cotton. Does her chest seem too flat? Build it out with small cotton pads. These extra pieces may be held on the doll with wrapped thread. The thread must not make indentations. Wrap it just tight enough to keep the cotton from falling off.

Skin

When the silhouette of the doll satisfies you, she is ready for her "skin." Silk crepe de Chine or flat crepe in an eggshell color makes the nicest kind of a skin. The material should be fine but not sheer. Avoid using any synthetic fabric like rayon or nylon. It ravels too easily and is too springy to work with satisfactorily.

The doll's skin is made in individual parts; legs, arms, body, and head. The patterns for them are shown below. The arm pattern is made in one piece with the seam running along the under side of the arm. The foot is to be covered separately, then the leg cover put on with its seam coming down the center back of the leg. The body and head covers are made with seams along the sides.

Trace and transfer to heavy paper each piece of the pattern. Place edge of the arm pattern marked FOLD along a fold of material. Cut out two arm covers.

Use matching sewing silk and make tiny backstitches. Sew along the dotted line shown on the pattern. Turn the sewn part right side out and fit it to the doll's hand. Smooth the rest of the arm cover up over the arm and pin it in place, using fine needles to avoid making holes in the fabric. Place it so that the edges come along the inside of the arm. Hem the front edge of the arm cover to the back edge, turning it in as much as necessary to get a nice smooth, snug fit. Baste the tops of the arm covers directly to the absorbent cotton of the doll's shoulder. Do not turn the edge of the top in. This would make a ridge and show through the body cover.

The feet are covered next. Lay the foot piece on top of the foot and sew together along the bottom of the foot and the back of the heel. Turn in the bottom edge of the leg cover and lay the piece on the front of the leg.

	JOSEPHINE'S body pattern to cover the cotton flesh on the wire frame. Be sure to cut arm and leg covers on folded material so only one seam will be necessary.

Pin it into position. The back seam of the leg cover must be very straight. Adjust the cover carefully before beginning to sew it on. Lap one edge over the other, turning the top edge in enough to get a smooth, even fit. Hem it down with tiny invisible stitches. Baste the top edges of the leg covers to the cotton padded hip of the doll.

If, in drawing the arm and leg covers together, any unevenness of the cotton flesh shows up, fill the hollows with thin bits of cotton. This is easy to do as you go along.

Sew the front and back pieces of the body cover together across the bottom at the place marked with a dotted line. Turn it to the right side and fit this seam between the doll's legs. Pin the back and front in place. Hem the front edges to the back edges along the sides from the hip to the arm pit. Start at the bottom and work up. Examine the body critically as you go along. Perhaps the hips or buttocks need filling out. Slip flat pieces of cotton in smoothly to get the desired fullness. Keep the waist as tiny as it was originally. It gives an exaggerated look to the doll's body, especially when compared with the thick bodies of commercially made dolls. This exaggeration is very desirable in dressing the doll because so many costumes call for enormously full skirts set on tiny waists. Such costumes look beautiful and graceful on this doll, whereas they are bulky and awkward on a thick-waisted doll.

The shoulders and bosom of the doll may require some extra padding. Fill out those areas with flat pieces of cotton as you sew the shoulder seams together. The front of the shoulder laps over the back. When that is completed, turn in the edges of the leg and armholes and hem them in place.

The Head

Sew front and back of the head cover together along the dotted line. Turn right side out and fit on the doll's head. If the covering is a bit loose, fill it out by inserting thin pieces of cotton. The head must be kept as smooth as possible, especially over the face part. Hem the sides together, first the left, then the right. The bottom edges of the head cover are turned in and hemmed to the front and back of the doll. The doll is now ready to have her face put on.

The Face

Textile paints are worth buying for painting the features of this lovely doll. Read the instructions carefully and experiment with the paints on scraps of the same material before actually doing the doll's face. This practice period also gives you an opportunity to determine what colors you want to use. Soft colors, of course, are more attractive than hard or dark colors. Try them out for yourself ahead of time.

	Left: method of finding correct positions for Josephine's features. Below: cover area A with close lines of Outline Stitch. Sew strands of floss along dotted line of area B. "Draw strands up and sew to top of head. Curly topknot made of large, hose French knots. Thread is wound around needle many times, as shown.

The drawing above shows the method of finding the right places for the eyes and mouth. It is very important that they be placed correctly, because their position, to a large extent, determines the apparent age of the finished face. When the eyes and mouth are too high, the face looks old; when too low, the face becomes infantile. Then, too, if the eyes are too close together or too small, the doll acquires an unpleasant expression.

By laying two threads, one vertically and one horizontally, across the doll's face, it is easy to determine the exact position of the eyes and mouth. The horizontal thread is placed at the halfway point between the top of the head and the chin. The vertical thread runs down the exact center of the head.

Make very light pencil dots as shown in the illustration above. The horizontal thread runs across the top of the eyes, from side to side. The pencil dots show the width and shape of the eyes. The space between them should be equal to the width of one eye. Make the mouth slightly wider than one eye.

With the lightest of pencil strokes, draw the top curve of the eyes and indicate the position of the iris. It is much easier to draw eyes that are slightly turned to the side. Eyes that stare straight ahead are almost impossible to match up exactly, and if they don't match, a cross- or walleyed doll will result.

Give the corners of the mouth the slightest bit of an upturn to create a pleasant, not-quite-but-almost-smiling expression.

Fill in the guide lines with the color textile paints you have previously determined to use. Unless you are very skillful in applying colors, it is not advisable to try to color the cheeks of the doll. Anyway, her clear pallor makes her much more interesting looking.

The Hair

Six-strand embroidery floss, silk or mercerized cotton, makes lovely hair. The method of putting it on, and several different ways of arranging it, are shown in the drawing above. The floss comes in skeins that cost about ten cents each. Ask to see five or six different shades of one color before deciding which to use. Get two skeins of the color you select.

Gown

Dressing a doll like this is a great joy. So much work and skill have already gone into her that only the most beautiful and decorative of costumes should be designed for her. One of the loveliest of styles, both in simplicity and elegance, is that worn by the Empress Josephine at the court of Napoleon Bonaparte. It is also a comparatively easy costume to make. The drawing of the finished costume in 2nd picture in this chapter shows how very lovely and regal your doll will be when gowned this way.

The pattern for Josephine's dress below may startle you. It is made in one piece and looks almost like a tube. The train also is in one piece. Together they make the costume. No underwear is needed, first because it is not necessary, and second because it wasn't worn in those days.

Use a rich white silk for the gown. Crepe de Chine, flat crepe, heavy china silk, or silk broadcloth have the necessary body, yet are soft enough to work with easily. Purple, dark red, or dark green velvet or velveteen will be correct for the train. Narrow gold braid from the variety store and gold water-color paint are used to trim the costume, and very effective they are, too.

	JOSEPHINE'S gown and shoe patterns. Bodice is shirred top and bottom along dotted tines. Join to top of skirt by matching the arrow heads. Seam sides of skirt and sides of bodice pieces. They extend beyond top of skirt to make little cap sleeves.

Cut the gown from a double thickness of silk. Make the narrowest possible hem around the wide neckline and at the bottom of the sleeves. Shirr the neckline and the bottom of the bodice along the dotted line between the points marked on the pattern. Seam the sides of the gown and hem it so the bottom of the costume comes just to the ankles. Try the gown on the doll. The shirring at the neckline should be just snug enough to keep it from slipping off, and the bottom of the sleeves should be snug enough to hug the arm. Make any necessary adjustments before trimming the gown.

Gold water-color paint, which costs about twenty-five cents, is used to simulate the rich gold-thread embroidery used so lavishly on Josephine's gown. Use the very finest water-color paintbrush to apply the paint. It's a good idea to practice on a scrap of matching material.

The design to be painted on the doll's dress is very simple. The bottom border is nothing but a series of letter S's, 1/2 in. high and almost touching. You can see the spacing in the drawing below. Lay a piece of tissue paper across the dress so that only 1/2 in. along the bottom is exposed. The edge of the tissue will mark the height of the S's. When the S's are completed, remove the tissue and paint in two extremely thin wavy lines just above them. Let this part of the design dry before doing the balance of it.

The little gold crosses that are painted on the body of the dress are easily done by using the edge of the tissue as a guide. Place the paper diagonally across the dress and along its edge make a series of evenly spaced fine dashes. Move the paper back 1/2 in. and do the same thing. Continue until the front of the dress is painted with dashes. When dry, place the tissue diagonally in the opposite direction so that its edge cuts across a line of dashes. Put the second dash in across the first. Only the very tip of the brush should be used, to keep the dash as fine as possible. Finish the trimming by painting an extremely thin line of gold around the top edge of the neckline and along the bottom of the sleeves. Paint the back of the dress to match the front.

The Train

The velvet train, cut from the pattern on below, need not be hemmed. Velvet or velveteen is too thick to turn back smoothly enough to look well. Overcast all edges with matching thread to keep them from fraying. Then sew the two pieces of the train together along the dotted line on the pattern. Gold braid is now sewn around the sides and bottom of the train. With yellow thread, sew the braid on about 1/4 in. in from the edge. Start at the top of the right side, leaving a 6-in. length of the braid extending beyond the beginning of the sewing. A matching 6-in. piece is left on the opposite side.

JOSEPHINES COURT TRAIN. Cut from velvet of velveteen, making sure that nap runs from top to bottom on both pieces. Overcast all edges, then sew center seam along dotted line shown on pattern.

Sew a 7-in. piece of gold braid across the top of the train so that it extends equally on either side of it. Sew a second line of gold braid on the train 1/4 in. away from the first line. Paint gold dots between the two lines of braid.

Make tiny slippers from the pattern above using white kid from an old glove. Sew the sole to the upper with small overcast stitches. If too long for the doll, stuff the toes with cotton. Paint the slippers gold.

Put the slippers and dress on the doll. Tie the train on with the free ends of gold braid at its top corners. The top of the train should come just across the back below the arms. One set of ends goes over the shoulders, the other set under the arms. All ends are crossed in front and brought around to the back where they are knotted underneath the train.

Your Empress Josephine is not only an exceptionally beautiful doll, but she is also a historically accurate one. This makes her extremely interesting from a display point of view. Many school projects call for pupil-owned or pupil-made displays to illustrate various historical periods. How wonderfully well this doll of yours dramatizes the richness and beauty of the French Empire period, and how justly proud you can be in displaying it!

Are You Ready To Move Onto The Next Lesson? Click Here...