LARGER FASHION DOLL ASSEMBLY  INSTRUCTIONS
By Linda Plaskett of Doll Creations
         LARGER FASHION DOLL ASSEMBLY  INSTRUCTIONS FOR
 36" TO 42" DOLLS AND OTHER DOLLS

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Everyone has their own way of putting these dolls together, and this is my favorite. 
Less complicated than the way they were done originally.
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This body instructions can be used for heads by 
38" Char Smith heads, 
36" Ali Hansen heads, 
37" Dawn Adams large fashion heads, 
36" Audrey Hammanheads, and 
the 42" Grace and Marla heads from Doll Artworks
Pate size and eye sizes will vary depending on the head used.

You will need:
About one yard of twill or broadcloth for the body
A 9 ¾ length of PVC with ½ inch internal diameter for a body tube.
Gross grain ribbon for attaching the torso to the body
A one inch diameter wooden bead, drilled, and 12 inches of 3/8 inch stringing elastic 
                         for attaching the head to the torso, or a 30mm neck connector.
58 inches of #10 Romex electrical wire for the body armature, and 28 inches for the arms.
Polyfil for stuffing
Heavy carpet thread or quilting thread
Large curved needle
Green paddle wire to attach arms.
Felt to match skin tone to line neck well in the head.
Pate
Eyes 
Lashes
Craft glue
Needlenosed pliers
Hemastats

You will also need to make a wood based stand with a dowel or metal rod that will go up through 
the crotch of the doll and provide her with proper support. 
 
Set the eyes and lashes in the head. 
And glue felt, or use clear silicone sealant in the neck well of the head. 
If using silicone, allow about 8 hours to cure properly.

Run the elastic through the hole in the wooden bead, and insert inside the neck of the torso, 
and pull the two ends of the elastic through the neck, up through the bottom of the head. 
Pull the ends of the elastic through the two holes at the top of the head. 
Pull very tight, and tie off with a square knot. 
You can add a drop of craft or hot glue to secure the knot.

Attach pate

Make a cloth tube to accommodate the length of the PVC pipe. 
And leave about 1/4 to ½ inch of extra length of fabric beyond the length of the pipe. 
Turn end back to edge of pipe. 

Sew body, leaving about 8 inches open in the center back. 
You can turn the sides of the open seam to the wrong side and stitch ¼ inch seam to secure it for a neat opening. 
 
Leave about a 1 inch opening in the center of the crotch in the finished body. 
Turn body right side out  and insert the encased PVC tube inside the body. 
Tuck the raw edges of the opening inside the body, and whip stitch the tube in place. 

For the cloth arms,  on each end of the tube turn under the sides ¼ inch, 
and then turn down the end over them. 
Pin and stitch the arm casing. 
Stitch the center of the arm tube to 1 ½ inch of each end. 
Turn tube right side out.

Run arm tube through the arm holes of the body, and then run the 
28 inch length of Romex through the tube.

Put a small amount of Polyfil in the wrist of each arm to prevent the 
wire grinding against the porcelain. 
Insert a doubled length of craft wire through each arm casing, 
with about two inches projecting on each side of the casing. 
Run Romex down inside the arm, keeping the cloth tube seam on the palm side. 
Stuff polyfil down inside the porcelain arm. 
Pull the cloth tube over the arm groove, and with a needlenosed pliars 
tighten the  wire to secure each arm. 
Make sure the cloth closure meets properly. 
Do  not overtwist as the wires might break. 
Twist a tail on the end of the wire, clip to about 1 inch and tuck firmly inside the porcelain arm. 
With a dowel or long hemastat, stuff the arm tube keeping the Romex centered. 
When the arm is completed,  use heavy thread to stitch the arm openings closed.

Protect the arms with a wrapping before putting the torso on the body. 

Bend the 58 inch length of Romex into a narrow hairpin shape, and insert into the cloth body. 
Allow a couple of inches in the top of the body to cover the wire with polyfil. 
Stuff softly, keeping the PVC tube centered, and also keeping the Romex centered. 
Check the fit of the body inside the torso. 
The waist is narrow, so you won’t want to overstuff. 
When you feel the fit is good, stitch the body top, and also the back seam.

Cut two lengths of ¼ inch grosgrain ribbon, long enough to loop through 
the holes on the front of the torso, and one on the torso back. 
Tie the ribbon inside the torso, and leave the length long enough to pull down into a vee. 

Place the stuffed body up inside the torso. 

Continue stuffing more polyfil from the bottom of the legs, making sure to fill the hips and legs firmly. 
With a doubled length of heavy thread,  run a gathering stitch around the bottom of each leg. 
There should be no give in the stuffed body. 
Pull up gathers, wrap the thread around the leg wires a couple of times and tie off.
 
Pull the grosgrain ribbon loops down to a vee, front and back, and pin the bottom to the body. 
Whip stitch in place.
 
Wrap polyfil softly around each leg wire, and insert inside the porcelain legs. 
Check leg lengths to make sure they are even, and are positioned correctly. 
You’ll need to bend the leg wire for the bent leg to accommodate the leg. 
Make sure the cloth leg fills the top of the porcelain firmly.

You might want to protect the legs with a wrapping at this point, 
so they won’t bang together while you are sewing them on.

With the curved needle and a doubled heavy thread, stitch the legs to the cloth body. 
Use several stitches for each hole. 
A little craft glue on each knot when you finish will help secure the stitching. 

Your doll is finished, and ready to be put on her stand. 
You can also finish off the tops of the legs and bottom of torso 
with a decorative band of lace or bias cut fabric if you so choose. 

Instructions and informational directions shared courtesy of 
Linda Plaskett of Doll Creations 
www.dollcreations.com  

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Note: Dress patterns for dolls using:
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Char’s torso and legs can be purchased from Something Fancy.
Carl Armstrong  purchased the rights to Char’s molds and patterns.
He can be reached at 1-615-847-7439.
Address is 2011 Old Hickory Blvd., Old Hickory, Tennessee.  37138
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With some modifications, patterns for other 36 inch dolls can also be used.
Ali Hansen’s and Audrey Hansen dolls  can be viewed at www.childhoodfantasies.com.
Char Casperson bought the rights to Ali’s molds and patterns
Can be Reached at 1-919-851-7770.
E-mail is char@childhoodfantasies, or pastimz@hotmail.com.
Address is 106 Echowood Lane, Cary, North Carolina, 27518.
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Dawn Adams has patterns for her lady dolls, sold through Expressions mold company.
See them at www.expressionsdolls.com.  Phone is 1-800-452-2480,
Address is P.O. box 174, Jamestown, Missouri, 65046.
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Making Memories has 36 inch Victorian patterns designed for Lady Grace,
You can reach Ellen Thomsen at 1- 510-841-3609.
Address is 2950 Magnolia Street, Berkeley, California, 94705.
Patterns can be seen at www.makingmemories-ladygrace.com.
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Doll Artworks has been sold to Bountifulbaby.com.
No clothes patterns are available for their 2 dolls.