I am a cloth doll designer and teacher.

Hard to believe, I know, that as an adult I make cloth dolls for a living.

Hard to believe, that I fly all over the world teaching other adults how to make cloth dolls.

Hard to believe that the dolls I make are not for kids.

What are they for?

They are for fun.

They are for decoration.

They are for beauty.

And in the case of many of my dolls, they have a practical purpose.

I know that last bit is really hard to believe.

How can a cloth doll be useful?

I’m Colleen Babcock. Crafter, sewer, art doll maker, designer, teacher and blogger.

I write a craft blog called The Magic Bean and I am guest blogging on the Creativ Festival blog today to share a free pattern for a project I designed especially to make you smile and to show you that cloth dolls can be useful.

Like many of my other doll designs, these shoe deordoriser dolls will do double duty – making your shoes smell lovely while at the same time, being the cutest things the inside of your shoes have ever seen. 

“But I’m not a doll maker”, I hear you say.  “Doll faces scare the heck out of me”, you say.  I know, I teach cloth doll making across the UK, US and Canada and I hear these arguments all the time. 

But guess what? 

This free tutorial not only comes with thorough instructions to guide you through making your own pair of 9″ (22.9cm) lavender scented cloth fairies, but it also comes with two face templates and instructions on how to print the face templates directly onto fabric so all you have to do is colour them in.

What are you waiting for? Get your free tutorial now by clicking the link to:

Download Little Sneaks Instructions and Pattern.  

I’m warning you though – these fairies are mischievious and they do like to sneak into all your shoes to take naps, so watch your step as you slide into your sweet smelling shoes. 

If after reading this tutorial you are feeling bitten by the doll making bug, come by booth 202 at the Creativ Festival October 21-23, 2011 where I will be available to answer all your questions . 

Better yet, learn to make dolls with some expert guidance by taking one of my classes at the Creativ Festival. I’ll be teaching two courses that I designed exclusively for the Creativ Festival this fall with the support of my sponsors Fairfield, who will be providing all the stuffing to be used in the class projects.

The Green Man – Friday October 21, 2011 5-8pm
All levels, including beginners

Make a male cloth doll face, learning all the tricks of drawing, needle-sculpting and colouring along the way.  Pre-sewn and stuffed doll heads will be provided and sculpting and colouring tools will be available for use in class, so students only need to bring their creativity and a willingness to learn. The face can be embellished with felt leaves to create the look of a “Green Man”, a male face decorated with leaves and symbolising re-birth.  The finished face could be used as a brooch, fridge magnet or ornament.  

This course is a perfect taster course for beginners wanting to try out doll making or for those who already enjoy doll making but want to brush up on few techniques.  As most doll courses tend to focus on female faces, even experienced doll makers will take away a new twist on drawing faces.

Dive into a Book – Saturday October 22, 2011 1-4pm

All levels, including beginners

Learn to sculpt tiny cloth doll toes with the magic of needle-sculpting.  Pre-sewn doll legs will be provided and sculpting tools will be available for use in class, so students only need to bring their creativity and a willingness to learn.  After learning the tricks of the doll making trade, find out how to make those tiny doll legs into more than just an exercise in needle-sculpting— learn how to turn your sample legs into a mirth-making bookmark.   With the doll legs attached to the top of a bookmark the tiny toes will stick out  of the pages making it will look as though a fairy has taken a dive into a book. And haven’t we all just wanted to sink into a good book once in a while?

This course is a perfect taster course for beginners wanting to try out doll making or for those who already enjoy doll making but want to create more realistic bare-feet for their dolls.

Click here to find out how to sign up for my classes at the Creativ Festival.

Don’t worry, I’m not closing the book on this guest post quite yet, if you want yet more free tutorials, visit my blog the Magic Bean to learn how to make this Crafter’s Apron.

And these fabric photo baby blocks

And these Kitchen Cliche Hot Pads

And lots of other free cloth doll and sewing tutorials.  See all my free craft tutorials on this page of my blog, The Magic Bean. 

I’ll see you in booth 202!