What about fabrics?
Woven cottons
In general, it's best to choose a cotton with a fairly high thread count - at least 200 threads/inch. The higher the thread count, the closer the weave. Cottons with too loose a weave will result in inferior sculpting and blown seams, especially if you like to make small figures.
Sothern Belle muslin - available at online doll making suppliers and larger fabric stores.
Smooth finish, dyes beautifully.
Egyptian cottons - available in various fabric stores. Very smooth finish for face drawing. Good choice for small figures - the weave is not too dense for more extreme manipulation.
Pimatex- available at various online suppliers.
Tops for drawing, painting and dyeing. Very fine but dense weave results in a somewhat heavier, stiff hand.
Copyright 2001-2010 Allison Marano/Faewyck Studios
All Rights Reserved
Fabric choices will have a huge impact on the design,
construction, and overall appearance of your doll.
For the doll proper, it's always best to use the fabric
recommended on the pattern by the designer if you want similar results. Sometimes it's actually critical not to deviate too far from the specified fabrics' characteristics or it may effect the construction in such a negative way that body parts are grossly out of proportion and costuming doesn't fit properly - if at all!
Some suggestions and general observations:
Doe Suede (100% polyester knit )
Most of my patterns for character dolls call for doe suede. While the original doe suede from Guilford Mills is no longer available, there are many good substitutes with the same or similar properties as the "old" doe suede:
Alova suede - available at JoAnn fabrics and other large retail fabric stores.
Has the same one way stretch or "give" as the old doe suede. Slightly heavier hand but sculpts beautifully. Some doll makers launder this fabric first to soften it up and make turning small fingers easier. Back is slightly ribbed.
Costume Collection / suede solids. Available at JoAnn fabrics in the fall (with Halloween costume fabrics). Smooth back.
"NEW" doe suede, deer suede, and buck suede - available at various online doll making suppliers. There is some variation here as not all come from the same manufacturer, but overall these fabrics work very well for my patterns. Fabric backs range from slightly to more heavily ribbed.
Craft Velour - available from online doll making suppliers and some larger fabric stores.
The nap on the velour is thicker than that of the doe suedes, and while it works well for larger dolls, it can be challenging to use on smaller figures. Robe Velour is too heavy for my patterns.
