Embellishing the completed doll is the icing "on the cake". Adding special touches that give the doll a unique attitude are sometimes the best part of creating a cloth doll. The real creativity, personality and soul of your project come forth to be presented at the final product. Even though we may start out with an idea of how we would like to embellish our creation, the doll itself has the final word. Often the doll maker will bow to the whims and wishes of this inanimate creature. Some have been heard to say, "She/he (the doll) just wanted to wear blue", or "have straw hair" or "wear a hat" etc. If the creator and the doll don't agree on the attributes of the finished product, it often comes out less than desired. Listen to what your doll is telling you. It is usually for the best. She/he knows.
Embellishments come in many forms. Following are some of the options used by the modern well known and not-so-well known doll artists who are creating the dolls of today:
Beads, buttons, lace, trims, feathers, chains, tassels, cords, spools, ribbons, flowers, wood, grasses, string, bones, teeth, stones, pinecones, leaves, jewelry, kitchen utensils, found objects, junk, trash, etc.
Only the limits of the imagination can predict what a cloth doll will be wearing, holding or sitting upon.
The style of the doll will predict how it will be decorated. Very simple cloth dolls and play dolls may have very little added to them after the clothing is put on. Simple additions could be buttons for the clothing, jewelry, socks and shoes and hair ornaments. These things would be rather "normal" and what is expected for a simple cloth person.
As cloth dolls have become more popular with fabric artists, their embellishments and decorations have been more elaborate and unusual. Recently, there has been an interest in Cloth Art dolls and altered dolls that may not take on the traditional anatomical body form. These dolls are decorated with photographs, scrapbooking materials, natural items like shells, pinecones, leaves, etc.
On a more typical note, many cloth dolls have painted on fingernail, sparkly eye shadow, painted "tattoos", stockings, shoes, jewelry including necklaces, bracelets, earrings, hair ornaments and even body piercing jewelry.
Angels, fairies and other spiritual dolls will have wings, pointy ears, crystal balls, and may even be painted or colored in non-typical colors such as blue faces and hands, rainbow hair, glitter, sequins, and beads of all shapes and materials.
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