Don't let the name of this book fool you, All-Girl Crafts by Kathy Ross and illustrated by Elaine Garvin, is packed full of great ideas for crafters and doll makers of all ages. I think this book is a good resource for doll makers because there are several doll projects included which are a little different from the usual doll making books. It's also a good choice for getting a young doll maker started.

Instead of having just text and a few photos, the entire book is illustrated! Each item of the required materials lists is drawn and written, which makes it easy for young crafters to understand and lots of fun for everyone. Every step in the instructions is likewise drawn and written. The illustrations are delightful, simple to understand, and so colorful that each page just comes alive. Twenty-two projects are crammed into just 48 pages and included are:

"Pillow Doll Pajama Bag" - Made with a recycled throw pillow and scraps of lace and trim.

"Tassel Doll" - An old favorite otherwise known as a yarn doll.

"Flower Fairies" - An adorable idea for recycling beads and silk flowers into little doll.

"Happy Hangers" - Uses a styrofoam ball to put a doll face on a clothes hanger.

"Delightfully Decorated Doll Stand" - What beautiful doll wouldn't want a beautiful stand?

"Dancing Doll Puppet" - A fun way to recycle fabric scraps, drinking straws, pipe cleaners and old thread spools.

There is also a fun project for re-doing doll house furniture and decorating an old shoe box, which would make a lovely place to store doll clothes.

My favorite projects involved recycling paper doll dresses, and there are several. These start with paper dolls and expand to create collages, note cards and notepads. That got me thinking that I could make notepads for some of the men in my life by using pictures of athletes or race car drivers cut from old magazines.

All-Girl Crafts is a delightful book in its own right but I think the real value is inspiring imagination, creativity and recycling. Use the book as a beautiful jumping off point for your own great ideas.

Details
All- Girl Crafts by Kathy Ross
illustrated by Elaine Garvin
published in 2006 by Millbrook Press
ISBN# 0-7613-2776-2

Making and Dressing Cloth Dolls
Ebook with patterns and instructions to make 5 cloth dolls as well as chapters on general doll making techniques.The book includes 21 inch Lalena Doll, 21 inch David Doll, Bear Dolls, 9 inch Destiny Doll and 15 inch Annie Doll, all together in one handy book. 53 pages.Making and Dressing Cloth Dolls.