MarissArt Dolls, Etc.: Dressing Your Beer Bottle Doll

This past Friday, I posted a tutorial on the Creative Paperclayâ blog site which gave instructions on how to make a doll with Creative Paperclayâ and a beer bottle. (Visit http://creativepaperclay.blogspot.com/2011/12/bottle-doll-tutorial.html for this tutorial!!!) This tutorial will teach how to clothe your new beer bottle doll with a little fabric and some glue. Sewing is optional...you can dress this doll with my glue and wrap technique.

What You Need:
Sculpted, Painted, and Ready to Be Dressed Creative Paperclayâ Beer Bottle Doll
Fabrics and Trims
White Craft Glue and Superglue
Scissors
Ruler or tape measure
Needle and thread
Findings...beads, ribbons, embroidery thread, stones, broken jewelry...MORE IS MORE!!!

1. Determine what kind of dress you would like your doll to have. I prefer to work with color palettes...I chose a Christmas color palette for this doll. Most of my dolls have bodices and skirts for gown-like aesthetics.

2. I take two measurements to gauge the length and width of the fabric cut: measure from the chest to the bottom of the beer bottle and the widest part of the circumference of the bottle.

3. Cut out a rectangular shape of fabric using these measurements. You can tape the end that will be glued too the chest/waist...or you can pleat the fabric as I do.

4. Fold the part that will become the top of the doll's skirt down. This will give a nice clean edge for your doll's skirt.

5. Lie your doll down and apply white craft glue directly to the bottle. Press the fabric directly into the glue and smooth over the bottle.

6. Add more glue to the back of the beer bottle and continue to wrap the fabric around the bottle. Cut off excess fabric or continue to wrap and glue the fabric around the beer bottle. To make a pleat, take the corners of fabric that pop up, make a small triangle fold, and secure with dot of glue.

7. Now that you have the skirt glued, feel free to take fabric scraps and continue to add them to the doll. I prefer to add bits of felt to the doll at this point. Once these felt pieces are glued and dried to the bottle, I hand sew layers of fabric directly to the dolls. Felt makes it much easier to sew because it gives the needle and thread something to hold on to.

8. For the doll's top, it's easiest to give her a strapless top. If you are more experiences at designing doll clothes, feel free to give her sleeves! Use the same technique for the top that you did for the bottom...I always wrap the top so that it ends in a V-shape in the back.