http://www.victoriana.com/paperdolls/paperdolls.htm
I have spent many enjoyable hours making my own paper dolls, as well as collecting several old-fashioned looking dolls from Dover Publications in local bookstores. Dover reprints some early 20th century dolls such as Lettie Lane (originally published in the Ladies Home Journal), and has paper dolls to go with favorite books such as Little Women. I found them high quality and enjoyable to use. Though some could claim long ago fashions a bit silly looking, I appreciate a detail here or there, a sleeve or a color combination, or a fabric print.
There is a free doll from the 1918 Ladies Home Journal here: http://karenswhimsy.com/paper-doll.shtm and links to her paper fashions too.
When I was little I had the Gingham Girls paper dolls who came with their own pop-out paper rooms, printed by Western Publishing. My mother also taught me how to make paper furniture and egg-carton furniture and use shoe boxes for houses for my dolls. She found a book with templates for paper doll furniture that we traced and used for years and years. We made match-box dressers and used wrapping paper for wallpaper. This was quite a lot of fun!
Paper dolls are not just fun for the young. When I was doing my paper issues of The Pleasant Times years ago, I had a subscriber in her 80's who was a fan of my own Felicia Fashion, and enjoyed cutting out her wardrobe. I can reprint Felicia here for you, but I'm afraid it has been quite a while since I drew her wardrobe and so she will need a fashion update. I don't have time to do it today, but perhaps some of you can provide her with a pretty dress in the meantime. Here is how it's done: after cutting the doll out, place it under white typing paper, and draw your design around it. That way, the design fits the doll's shape perfectly. Don't forget to include the tabs to connect it to the doll!
4 comments:
My daughter (who is now 26) loved, loved, loved paper dolls!! She still has all her collection and still enjoys finding rare paper doll books in antique stores, etc. We have some Princess Diana ones that are probably a collectors item, if they weren't so "played with"! We couldn't afford the American Girls dolls, but she was just as happy with the paper doll versions! We also enjoyed making our own clothes for them. Thanks for the walk down memory lane!
You're most welcome! Thank you for your kind comment. I had a Princess Diana paper doll I made myself by tracing a picture of her, and copying dresses she wore in other pictures. That was in the 1980's and she had some cute outfits then.
I also enjoyed cutting up old Simplicity and McCalls catalogs that my mother could get at the fabric store when they were out of date.
There are so many paper doll ideas! It makes a nice hobby.
You paper doll looks like an alien. Whoever heard of an adult drawing paper dolls! Besides, you have covered her up so much that a modern fashion design couldn't fit on her without her slip showing. and we can't have our slips showing, or it would be immodest now, wouldn't it!
I will try to have an outfit for little Miss Felicia soon, and I believe it will fit, so you don't have to worry about that!
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