Cloth Bead Doll Page 1, Craft Tales

Introduction

This type of doll uses wooden beads for the shoulder, elbow, hip, and knee joints. It is very posable and very easy to make. The doll is put together after all the parts are individually finished. If you make a mistake on one of the parts, all is not lost; simply remake that part and continue on. This doll also offers a wide variety of choices to make it uniquely yours. These choices are pointed out in the instructions, but you may find more of your own along the way. And lastly, this doll is made mostly from scraps or small yardages of fabric, so you can use up some of the small pieces of material we all love to collect, but are not sure what to do with.

A note on the beads:

I've tried to use materials that are in most crafter's stash, or readily available locally or online. If you are not able to find all of the beads listed in the specified sizes, you may substitute what you can get. As long as they are similar in size (i.e. ¼" vs. 3/8") they should work.

The smallest beads in the triple bead joint need to fit about half way into the holes of the large middle bead. The overall size after the three beads are glued together needs to match the single bead size given in the materials list in order to fit into the joint area.

If you have difficulty in locating the oval beads, round ones can be used, but the doll will have a slightly different look and be a little taller.

Because some of the beads are small, this doll is not recommended for young children. There could be a choking factor if the beads were to come loose. If you wish to make it for younger children, omit the beads and joint the arms and legs together by sewing with upholstery thread at each outside point of the limbs.

Materials

Fabrics

Fabric # One - 1/3 yard or scrap 12" X 26" for body, upper legs and upper arms

Fabric # Two - ¼ yard or scrap 8" X 22" for lower legs and lower arms

Fabric # Three - scrap 5" X 10" for head

Fabric # Four - ¼ yard for shoulder straps and hat

Optional 1 yard of purchased gathered lace or scraps of felt for shoulder straps and/or hat.

Matching threads

Wooden Beads

Triple beads at joint, as shown

Two 1 ¼" oval with large holes and four ½" round with small holes for hip joints

Two 1" round with large holes and four 3/8" round with small holes for knee joints

Four 5/8" round with large holes and eight 5/16" round with small holes for shoulder and

elbow joints

Optional

Single bead at joint

Two 1 3/4" oval with small holes for hip joints

Two 1 1/4" round with small holes for knee joints

Four 1" round with small holes for shoulder and elbow joints

Trims and Miscellaneous

Upholstery thread for sewing the bead joints

Two 7/8" to 1" buttons for front and back trim

Two ¼" buttons for eyes

Polyester stuffing

Two pompoms, ¼" to 3/8" white for stuffing nose and 1" for top of hat

Craft paint for shoes and hands in colors to match or contrast with fabrics

Yarn, 10 to 15 yards for hair (amount determined by preference and thickness of yarn)

Fabric Pens and Pencils for face features

Optional - embroidery floss for face features and/or hat

Optional - narrow ribbon and/or lace for trims and accents

Tacky Glue

Wood stain for beads (beads can also be painted to match or contrast with fabrics)

Satin varnish for stained beads

Preparing Beads:

If you are using the triple bead joints, glue the beads together in the order listed in the materials. Apply a small amount of tacky glue all the way around the inside and slightly outside of the hole in the largest bead of the joint. Insert the smaller bead, making sure the holes in the smaller bead are pointing straight out. Glue the second smaller bead to the other side of the larger bead in the same manner. Wipe away any excess glue from the outside of the beads with a damp paper towel, especially if you are staining them or they will stain unevenly. When the beads are dry, paint or stain them. If you used stain, finish the beads with one or two coats of satin varnish. Set them aside.