Book Review – Cloth Doll Workshop

Book Review – Cloth Doll Workshop

Posted on by Ailish Henderson

 

Mr X Stitch Book ReviewIntroduction

Cloth Doll Workshop: From the Beginning and Beyond with Doll Masters Elinor Peace Bailey, Patti Medaris Culea, and Barbara Willis

This book is all about the dolls, not the ones we play with as children, but the ones we get away with having and creating as adults.  It is all about the art and the tactile….what’s not to like?

Who is it aimed at?

The authors tell us:  ‘The book is oriented toward beginning doll makers, but offers unique variations and embellishments to please even more experienced doll designers.’  From our view, there is plenty of inspiration for all those interested in this subject with the added bonus of all the basics explored.

Both hand and machine embroidery can be used.  Although a machine is used for some parts, hand stitching will just take a little longer!

About the artists

This book has been written by three individual artists, all having a shared love of doll making.  They are:  Elinor Peace Bailey, Patti Medaris Culea, and Barbara Willis.  They all know each other and are said to be friends, so the ideas conveyed throughout the book all work in harmony and compliment each other.  We would all love to have friends who share our interests as much as these three!

Content

The book itself is divided into five chapters, the artists having one each.  The other two give us an introduction and a gallery, to give us as much visual inspiration as possible from a variety of artists.

The artists are given equal writing space.
This introduction helps us to understand how the book has been created.

What makes it special?

We are never left to our own opinions, or left to flounder.  As the dolls get more complex in style, each stage is detailed.  We loved this instruction section:

Tiny hands dilemma, how to finish these minuscule parts? The answer lies here.
At the back of the book, all the required patterns are pasted in so that we can trace them and use them. They are also well tagged, so there’s no confusion what the pattern is for a particular project.

Photography

We loved how there was a mix of photographs, of not just the finished dolls but the materials required.

All dolls together….
All the materials we might need, even for the facial details!

Oh, we are also very nosey here at Mr X Stitch, thus we loved the inside view of this artists studio:

Gotta love that hair and crown combo; if we looked like Elinor Peace Bailey then we would be inspired just looking at ourselves.

What is wrong with the book?

If you are a complete traditional doll maker and don’t fancy a change, or if you are not inclined to a sewing machine, certain parts will not interest you.  Otherwise, its a fun and an ideal excuse to get back to making something a little less pretentious, with an edge of childhood.

Conclusion

Cloth Doll Workshop: From the Beginning and Beyond with Doll Masters Elinor Peace Bailey, Patti Medaris Culea, and Barbara Willis is available to purchase right here via this link, published by Quarry Books.


Ailish Henderson

Editor in Chief at Mr X Stitch
As a freelance artist, designer, lecturer and tutor (how do I narrow down that description?!)I have been contracted by numerous arts organizations to provide Talks, Workshops’ and Masterclasses’ in Textiles, Print Making and Fine Art subjects.  These include branches of the Embroiderers’ Guild, Textile Study Groups and The Women’s Institute.  Every year I teach at The Knitting and Stitching shows and exhibit with the Artist in Action stand.Currently I am building up to my exhibition at The Spring Knitting and Stitching Show at Olympia, London this spring; having also written articles or had work illustrated in Stitch, Inspired, Embroidery, Selvedge, Daphne’s Diary, Prima (online), Cloth Paper Scissors and the Batsford book ‘Be Creative with Textile Art.'

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