How to cut stands for your paper dolls...

These paper Barbie and Ken dolls by Mattel were cut from an old coloring book and pasted to heavy card stock before
 their stands were drawn and cut out. Children may use any figures from their coloring books for this craft project.
Little boys could make an entire army of soldiers or famous American heroes; little girls could choose to make
their own free standing princesses, mermaids, fashion dolls, etc... This simple paper, stand design is perfect for
smaller figures. The versions shown above measure approximately five to six inches in height, including their stands.

        Crafting stands for your favorite paper doll creations is easy once you get the hang of it! Below I have photographed all of the steps you'll need to take in order to make your paper dolls stand on their own. You will need to collect a few simple supplies first:

• scissors
• white school glue or a glue stick or cement glue
• heavy card stock
• paper dolls or coloring pages of doll figures
• a ruler
• a stencil or plate for drawing circles or compass
• pencil and eraser

Step-by-Step Directions:

1. First you will need to decide which of your paper figures to cut and mount onto heavy card stock using white school glue. Some paper dolls are printed on stiff enough paper that you won't need to do this step before drawing a stand behind the figure. However, paper dolls made from coloring pages that come from a book are usually printed on paper that is too thin to stand on it's own. For these dolls you will need to cut and paste and then cut again in order to craft a strong enough doll that will stand on it's own.
2. Use your best cutting skills for this project, take your time. Make sure to allow plenty of room around the paper doll for drawing the stand. 
3. Include a 1 inch to 3/4 inch margin below the paper dolls feet for the stand. Making this edge straight.
4. Draw a arched shaped design directly behind the knees of your paper doll or higher up the doll's thighs. You don't want the stand's arch to be so low that the doll may bend over without enough support.
5. Cut a half inch slit on either side of the stand, approximately 1/2 inch from the edge of the arch as well. (see pictures below)
6. Now cut a long narrow strip from the card stock that is approximately one inch longer on both ends than the paper doll's stand and 1 inch wide.
7. Cut a half inch slit on either side of the strip. Bend this strip behind the paper doll to meet the slits on either side of the paper doll's stand. 
8. Your paper doll should now be able to stand on it's own!

On the left, you can see that I cut out Barbie and Ken figures from an old coloring book. Your paper dolls can be ones that you
draw yourself, figures that you cut out from old magazines, or they can even be made from coloring pages of dolls, just like the
ones I've posted under my doll coloring book index. I've even cut out Barbie, her pet poodle and her sports car to include in
 this project; you can make a paper stands for all kinds of figures, cars, houses etc... when putting together your own paper
doll collection. 

Above you can see that I used a transparent template to draw a perfectly arched stand
 behind my cut figure of Ken. You don't need such a complicated tool to do the
 same. You can even use a dinner plate if you want too!

Now you can see that Ken can stand on his own.
This simple kind of doll stand is perfect for small paper dolls.

Little girls and boys would both love to cut stands for all kinds of cars, trucks, trains and planes!