How I made a grandpa doll for our dollhouse family . . .

Winston takes a walk in the woods with Grandpa Eustace. Winston is a dog made from cotton
batting and dryer lint. His collar is a tiny red ribbon, his leash a piece of chain from old
necklace. 

        There are certainly many methods used to make little dollhouse characters. I chose to use a traditional wire armature method to craft a grandpa doll for our growing family of six inch people.

        I named this doll "Grandfather Eustace" and although he is partially blind, he helps many dolls to ''see'' the world around them with a bit of wisdom. He is steadfast, faithful to his purpose and our dollhouse neighborhood would be far too lonely without him.

       Our grandfather doll wears sunglasses to protect his eyes from harmful sunlight and to also remind other dolls that he is blind. He also carries a special cane and is always in the company of his a faithful guide dog companion "Winston" who is there to protect him from physical calamity if necessary.

 

Each of my dollhouse doll bodies starts with a few chenille stems, a button and cotton batting.
This method is very old, over 100 years or more. Go here to read about a similar doll making
method related to Grecon Doll body types.

Seven dollhouse doll bodies have been wrapped with cotton batting and now wait to be painted
 and dressed. Because dollhouse bodies are so small, some doll artists prefer to build-up these
 figures from the inside out rather than stuffing a tiny body cavity with filler.

Handmade dollhouse figures. Grandfather doll 6 inches tall.

       Grandfather Eustace glasses are shaped using very fine wire and then embroidered directly onto his head with tiny stitches along with his lips and mustache. His beard and head hair are cut from faux fur and pasted directly onto his head with tacky craft glue. None of his features or clothing can be removed as these are attached permanently to his wire/cotton batting frame. His sweater is sewn from a sock and his plaid pants from a vintage man's tie.  

       Both his ''hands'' and boots are painted on. The hands being constructed into wire loop shapes so that his cane and dog leash may be taken in and out of his holding when he is seated or stored away.

Step-by-Step Instructions for Shaping a Wire Armature Body:

1. Thread the chenille stem wire through the holes of a button and then twist the wires together at the back where these two ends come together. I use the button as the back of my miniature doll's skull.
2. Position both wires just below the button where the doll's chin will be. Twist the wire together a couple of times to make the neck of the doll.
3. Separate the wires apart to form the arms and then bend each of the two wires back at either end where the hands will be implied by a loop. The double thickness of the stem arms will lend them strength beneath the batting. 
4. Now shape the torso and legs doing the same with additional lengths of chenille wire. Twist and wrap all ends around the torso. 
5. Using white school glue and unravelled cotton balls, layer the batting over the wire limbs, torso and button "head." Add more cotton batting wherever the wire armature needs more padding to craft a "fleshed out" figure. The final layer should end with a surface brushed with additional glue. 
6. Once the doll body looks the way you prefer, you can either paint it or sew a layer of felt over the armature. I sew on felt ''flesh'' when I am making a doll that will be dressed and undressed to change it's wardrobe. If I intend to make the doll's cloths permanent, then I simply apply a thick layer of glue, let it dry and then paint the body or seal it with Gesso, prior to sewing it's cloths on permanently. 

More dolls I've made using wire armature:

• Here is a simpler method for making even tinier wire armature dolls.
• Use chenille stems to construct an enchanted fairy doll...
• See how a restored a damaged wire body on a little doll from Piotrkow
• Here is a beaded doll made with wire for a child's necklace