Welcome!

I am very happy to let you know more about my Baby Doll Online Class.

I have added this page to give you all a bit more information regarding the class schedule, what we will be making and all pertinent info so you can decide whether this is something you wish to embark on at this time in your life.

Read on and any questions feel free to let me know. Please use the Contact Me button at the end of this page.

If you want to take a sneak peek inside the class videos and see how much movement this doll has you can watch this little video:

How and when does the class take place?

This is the regular Class Schedule:
Day 1. Welcome. Overview of process, sign up add to Facebook group.
Day 2. Class 1: Making the Doll’s Head.
Day 3. Class 2: Needle felting the Doll’s Head and Face.
Day 4. Class 3: Covering, Sculpting, Embroidery and Details.
Day 5. Class 4: Sewing and Weighing the Doll.
Day 6. Class 5: Stuffing the Doll and Assembly.
Day 7. Class 6: Making the Doll’s Hair.
Day 8. Clothing tutorials: Making a cross-over top and comfy pants, plus a diaper.
These classes are sprinkled between 2.5 weeks, so you can work at a manageable rhythm, with plenty of time in between to catch up if your schedule throws you a hard ball.

The entire doll class is imparted in 6 “chapters” and 18 lessons in total.

Virtual Meetings (Obligatory)
We will meet on the weekends to review your week’s progress. I will give you a set of times with the hours I will be available to review your work. You need to attend only one weekend meeting, but there will be multiple times/options to fit your schedule and time zone.

The first weekend we will have virtual meetings so I can help you with any questions or issues regarding forming the head or your materials. I will release a class with several video lessons, that will teach you step-by-step how to create your baby doll. This so you can schedule some doll making time when it best suits you. We will try to all work together at the same pace, since the class will be released slowly over the two weeks.

You will need to attend the weekend meetings (remember, only once per weekend) in order for me to allow you to continue with the class. Failure to do so will mean you forfeit your class payment and you will not be allowed access to the rest of the material. This is with the express intention that I can give you feedback and guide you with pertinent information in the creation of your doll. This also helps with accountability so you actually finish your class and make your doll.

You will be added to a private group on Facebook where you can post questions as they arise in your making and I will be answering daily questions regarding our lessons there.

Once the class ends I will still give you some support through the Facebook group during the immediate following weeks, should you not finish your doll by the due date. I will expect photos of your finished doll so that we can have a Graduation thread. We want to be able to celebrate the completion of your class and the beautiful baby you just created.

Frequently Asked Questions

What doll are we making?

This baby is 14”/15” tall (with her legs stretched out, but sitting she is 10” tall from top of the head to her bum); the baby is weighted in her head and torso, and has needle-felted face, baby body proportions, ears, curved limbs with a lot of movement, including a head that tilts and moves slightly side to side, back and front (there is no joint in the head). The hair is made by crocheting a cap with dollmaking mohair and then sewing it to the head. The doll is stuffed with wool, weighted with glass beads and is assembled by hand.

How will the class be imparted?

You will receive a PDF template for the pattern pieces and clothing items, but no written material to be printed. The class is imparted entirely through videos, which come with lots of annotations; each video has a thorough description of the process being taught + tips and areas to pay most attention to, written on the page devoted to the class.

Is this class suitable for dollmaking beginners?

This is an Intermediate Doll Class. I don’t think this is suitable for first-time dollmakers, however I had a student who had never made a doll before and she successfully created a very beautiful and well made doll. So I think it is up to you, if you pay close attention and follow my directions very well.

If you have made dolls before, cloth dolls or simpler Waldorf-inspired dolls, then this is a class suitable for you. If you don’t have any doll making experience, if you don’t know how to use a sewing machine, have never done hand-embroidery on doll’s faces or hand-sewing, perhaps it is best to try your hand with one of my doll patterns. You can find them over here>>>.

Some of the techniques this class entails are: sewing with a sewing machine, hand-stitching, doing a cap in crochet (I will provide videos for everything you need to do), embroidering doll eyes, sculpting with needle and thread, sculpting with felting needles, stuffing with wool (no rolling wool), adding weight to dolls, so we cover a lot of doll making procedures which I consider ‘intermediate’ in level of difficulty.

What tools and materials are necessary to create the doll?

You will be given an exact list of materials once you purchase your class spot. However, these are all the tools and materials you will need:

Tools: sewing machine [nothing fancy, all we need is a sturdy straight stitch] and Universal sewing needles, large gauge metal knitting needle, hemostats or forceps [not strictly required but they come in very handy], felting needles in different gauges, a handle to hold several felting needles at once, pins, scissors, disappearing fabric marker, stitch markers, crochet hook, hand sewing needles, embroidery needles, long doll making needles, measuring tape, metal sewing gauge [the one with the plastic slider at top], wool wand or other stuffing implement [wooden dowel, knitting needle, etc],

Materials: cotton doll skin [interlock or jersey, it is up to you], wool batting, dollmaking glass beads to add weight, stockinette or inner gauze, craft thread, red beeswax block or crayon, sewing thread that matches the chosen skin tone, doll making mohair yarn, sewing thread that matches the hair colour, embroidery thread in chosen eye colour. You can find a post where I discuss many of the materials used in this class over here>>>.

Clothes: I will show you how to make a simple cross-over top and comfy pants using knit fabric, as well as a baby diaper. When you finish your doll and he/she is completely dressed you will receive a free PDF with the knitting pattern to make the Baby Fox hat.

Is this baby doll the same as your Baby Fig doll pattern?

No. While both dolls are babies, and their patterns have some similarities due to this, the pattern we use in this class is a different pattern. I designed a new baby doll, that contains new techniques not shown in the Baby Fig. Also, this is baby is much larger and moves quite more than the Baby Fig Doll Pattern.

How many hours do I need to devote to the class per week?

This is an intermediate-level class so you will need to be efficient and invested in the creation of your baby doll. I say you will need in total 30 hours to complete the doll (not including clothing). Of course, when you have uninterrupted pockets of time you tend to work more harmoniously, so it is up to you how you schedule your actual working time.

What happens when the class is over?

You will have access to your video class for ONE year. You won’t lose immediate access to the website where the class is housed, nor to the videos or Facebook group where we interacted while the class was being imparted.

After one year all this access and collateral will go away but I hope by then you have managed to re-watch your class and made a couple of dolls.

Restrictions

You are taking this class to create a doll for yourself, or a loved one. You are not allowed to sell the doll as this is not your design. You can make as many dolls as you wish, using the pattern, but you do not have permission to sell any doll using the template provided, or any dolls made with alterations or modifications to that template.

You are not allowed to share the templates or reproduce them in any way.

Access to the class is given to you only. You are not allowed to share the material or provide special passwords or access to somebody else in your name. You will be granted access to a private area of my website where the class will take place, and if more than one person logs in to the website using your password, you will forfeit your class payment and will lose access to the class. Same for the Facebook group and private virtual classroom.

I am providing a warm, beautiful, safe and comfortable environment for you to learn doll making. I hope you take this opportunity with the love and care a baby requires and the excitement of embarking on a new learning journey.

I have taken great care and many, gosh so many hours, to create all this material for you. I have done this at the request of so many of you, who expressed sadness and frustration at being unable to take one of my in-person workshops, due to the distance and/or cost of travel.

I know that leaving your family, the cost of traveling, accommodation and the expense of taking a doll workshop, makes this delightful experience unattainable for many people.

My way of repairing this flaw is to provide you with an online class, so I can further your doll making journey with a bit more ease and at less expense to you, all from the comfort of your own home, working at your own pace and time, surrounded by others on the same journey.

I am beyond excited to welcome you into my doll making studio, to show you step-by-step how to create this beautiful baby, to talk to all of you, hear your concerns, questions and chit-chat, and to provide the environment in which your baby doll dreams can become a reality.

Thank you for taking the time to read this through. If something is unclear, or you need more info, please get in touch with me.

Let’s make a baby doll together!