KaminaKapow recently posted her assortment of crocheted Wonder Woman dolls on Imgur. She describes herself as an elemental artist and a cutesy crafter. It doesn’t appear that she sells her pattern. She also doesn’t go into any kind of detail about her crocheted amigurumis, but she sure is talented.
I’ve posted about my love of “The Walking Dead” art dolls I’ve been as a travel the internet, and Nerdplusneedle has a new set of dolls to check out.
Ever since season six ended with the introduction of Negan, she started toying with the idea of making a few little art dolls. And little they turned out. Nerdplusneedle kept downsizing and downsizing her pattern because they just looked so cute being so small. They’re 8inches / 20cm tall, with a good portion of that total coming from their heads.
Initially, she thought to make them simple, but then she just kept adding…and adding..and adding. The zippers are real, but the zipper pulls were way too big for them (one was as big as Michonne’s whole vest) so she made teeny tiny ones out of craft foam. And why make plain shoes when you can give them itty bitty laces? With clay soles and added heels? Of course, she made real applique wings that are only a couple centimeters big.
Eyes have been painted and the facial hair is laid on by hand. She wasn’t happy with the painting entirely, but she’s recently purchased some tiny nail brushes so she can –hopefully– get cleaner lines on her next wee faces.
I was hanging out with my best friend and her family, including two very rambunctious boys, and we were at a big toy store when my friend found this really fun looking kit for making string dolls. But the kit was $20, and we both kinda cringed at the price and put the kit back on the shelf.
However, it got me thinking, somebody out on that world wide web has had to have posted a tutorial on how to make these super cute little guys! A quick Google search, and lo! It seems the most excellent Natalie over at Doodle Crafts has got this DIY covered!
Unlike a lot of tutorials I saw, she uses pipe cleaners and a wooden bead for the string dolls’ bodies. Other tutorials used heavier gauge wire and bits of styrofoam (or nothing at all for the base of the head). Natalie also uses regular old white glue to secure the string onto the base form, whereas other tutorials use super glue (or other heavier duty adhesives). I haven’t tried making one yet, but I certainly plan to. It seems to me it would be best to experiment with whatever materials you have on hand and see what works best for you when creating your new little string doll best friend! I would guess that different materials would have different staying powers and durability.
Have you ever made one of these cute little guys? What materials did you use?! How did yours turn out!? Be sure to share in the comments below!
A Monster to Love is this great online shop where, for every cute little monster doll you buy, Sam, Ben, and their dad Ray, donate a monster doll to a kid in need. They partner up with children’s hospitals and even the World Relief Refugee program out of Atlanta.
I ran across their awesome work about a year ago on Craftsy, including a pattern to make your own monsters to donate to local kids in need, or send off to Ray and his boys in Colorado so they can donate the cuddly little monsters to kids in need.
Interested? Here’s the A Monster to Love PDF Pattern and Instructions. Ray and his boys take donations year round, and you can send them one monster, or one hundred. It’s up to you!
I try to organize a Monster Making Party at least once or twice a year–they’re fun, and pretty easy to do. Here’s how:
1. I buy a couple yards of fun colored fleece fabric when it’s on sale (usually in the summer). You can get quite a lot of monsters out of a yard of fleece, or even half a yard. Just be sure to shop when it’s on sale! Along with fabric, I’ll pick up a box of stuffing when it’s on sale too (or with a coupon). One box can last a long while and stuff a lot of monsters (probably around 30). I’ll also purchase Safety Eyes for the dolls, which can be attached before sewing, and don’t require any sewing knowledge to install. I purchased my Safety Eyes here, but there are tons of vendors and craft stores out there that sell them. The 18mm sized ones are what I used, and I liked to mix and match colors too. 15 pairs of eyes cost about $15. You can also use buttons for the eyes, but make sure they are SEWN on really well. If the eyes are not sewn on securely, Ray and his boys can’t use them. Do not glue on eyes. Ray and his boys can’t use the monster dolls if the eyes have only been glued on (hello choking hazards!).
All in all, I spent about $40 on supplies for making the monsters, but I did it over the course of a couple of months.
2. I set up a FB event and ask folks to bring their own sewing machines if they’ve got them, but I also tell folks that there’s plenty of other ways to help too: attaching eyes, stuffing, cuddle testing, and hand stitching are great ways to get even the most novice of crafters involved in a Monster Making Party. Along with the fabric, stuffing, and safety eyes, I also bring along thread, scissors, and hand sewing needles for people to use. If you’re worried about materials cost, you can always ask people to pitch in a couple bucks to help out.
3. I cut out at least some monsters before the party so there are dolls ready to be sewn. I also set up stations for people to work at installing eyes, stuffing the monsters, and hand sewing the monsters closed after stuffing, and even cutting out more monsters if necessary.
4. We have music playing, and I ask folks to help out with some food (like chips and dip, cupcakes, and frosty beverages). And I invite folks to come when they can and stay as long as they’d like to. It’s a fun way to spend an afternoon or evening.
5. I’ve found three hours to be a great length of time for a Monster Making Party. You can get a lot done, have time to chat, and still steal a cupcake too. Once the party’s over, you’ll want to box up your magnificent creations and mail them off to A Monster to Love! Their address is on the last page of the PDF.
If you have your own Monster Making Party, be sure to take pictures and share!!!
More Links of Interest
Recently, a father posted an album on Imgur of his process of turning ordinary Barbie dolls into customized dolls of Jennifer Connelly and David Bowie into their characters from “Labyrinth.” The dolls were requested by his seven year old daughter, Rowan. Dad even took it one step further: he created custom boxes for the finished dolls as well!
But the amazing thing is when you look at where the dolls started, you think there’s just no way these are going to look like the actors themselves! Dad proved me wrong. In fact, there were three dolls used: one Ken and two Barbies. One of the Barbies even had her hair sacrificed for the Bowie doll.
Austin-based artist Allison Hoffman makes crafty tributes to pop culture icons such as Pee-Wee Herman, Conan O’Brien, Carl Sagan, Willie Nelson, and Questlove, but it’s her new crocheted amigurumi dolls of “Doctor Who” Time Lords that seem to be getting a lot of attention.
Fans can make their own versions using her patterns available on Ravelry.
Crafty is Cool created her version of Peter Capaldi in crochet form.
