When most people think of doll making, they think of the classic porcelain dolls with perfectly formed faces, long painted eyelashes and rosy cheeks. But there are so many different types of dolls, from soft-bodied baby dolls, to cloth dolls, to rag dolls and more. They come in all shapes and sizes and are made from all different materials, from polymer clay to fabric to wood and more.
To get started with doll making, you’ll need all the basics like paint, brushes, clay shaping tools, and a work surface. But there are so many other accessories that you might not have considered.
Here, your shopping list of the best doll making supplies.
Our Editor’s Best Doll Making Supplies Reviews
- GREAT FOR MANY CRAFTS - Hygloss Fake Curly Hair will be a wonderful addition to your arts and crafts supplies. Add that finishing touch to dolls, puppets, clowns, animal crafts and more!
- PREMIUM QUALITY HAIR - Watch your projects come to life with this high-quality curly craft hair. It comes in 5 colors: brown, black, blonde, white and red, so there's a color for everyone's preference.
- EASY TO APPLY - To apply, cut the desired amount of hair and use hot glue with a glue gun to secure in place. The hair will look great on plastic dolls, foam balls, wooden balls and more!
- PERFECT FOR ALL AGES - Add that extra flare to your next project with this curly hair that not only looks real but is also soft. All ages can get creative with this quality craft hair.
- CHOOSE FROM 3 DIFFERENT SIZES - Our fake craft hair conveniently comes in a 2-ounce or 4-ounce packs. Or choose the 16-ounce variety pack, which will give you an assortment of 4 colors!
- Cotton Inner Doll Head Tubing - One Yard
- Flat gauze knit tubing for making inner waldorf doll heads
- For 12" and larger dolls,use a double layer of tubing. 12", 16", 20" dolls will need one yard of tubing per doll (half yard of doubled thicknesss).
- For smaller dolls up to 10", you will get 2-3 doll heads per yard.
- Versatile doll eyelashes: Our doll eyelashes are perfect for adding a touch of realism to your doll making projects. These doll eye lashes strips are easy to apply and customize, ensuring your dolls have the most captivating eyes.
- safety eyes for stuffed animals: Designed with secure fastening, our safety eyes for stuffed animals provide peace of mind. These craft eyes are ideal for plush toys, ensuring they stay in place during play and display.
- Essential doll making supplies: Whether you're crafting doll eyes for crochet or creating unique stuffed animal eyes, our comprehensive set of doll making supplies has everything you need to bring your creations to life.
- Durable & Lightweight: Made from high-quality plastic, our doll lashes are both durable and lightweight. These doll eye lashes are easy to handle, making them perfect for both beginners and experienced crafters.
- Ample Supply for Creativity: This pack has 5 sizes of doll eyelashes, each size of doll eyelashes has 4 pieces, providing ample supply for multiple projects. Let your creativity flow and create stunning, lifelike dolls with ease.
- Patterns for 12" & 16" Waldorf Doll Shoes
- Patterns for both Mary Jane button front shoes and fringed moccasins.
- Sizes included for both for 12" and 16-18" traditional waldorf dolls. Complete instructions.
- Materials needed: 8x12 piece of wool felt. Two buttons for Mary Janes, one yard of cording for moccasins.
- Click "Weir Dolls & Crafts" at top of this page to see more patterns and doll making supplies.
- Premium Material & Complete Set: Crafted from durable stainless steel and wood, this small doll stand set includes 12 single-needle wooden doll base and a mini hammer for secure assembly, ensuring your crochet doll making supplies and stuffed animal stand firmly without damage while adding elegance to your display
- Perfect Size for Mini Dolls: Each wooden support measures 1.57 inches, ideal for crochet dolls, stuffed animals, and emotional support toys, providing a compact yet stable solution to showcase your handmade creations on desks or shelves
- Versatile Display & Storage: Designed for action figures, plush toys, and knitted dolls, these wooden doll stands save space while enhancing room decor, making them a must-have for collectors and crafters who value organized and stylish doll presentation
- Single Needle Design: The steel pin system of wooden doll holder supports single crochet doll without tearing, and the adjustable setup accommodates various sizes—perfect for doll enthusiasts seeking flexible and damage-free storage solutions for their cherished collections
- Thoughtful Gift Choice: An excellent present for crochet lovers and toy collectors, this wooden stand set combines functionality and aesthetics, turning handmade crafts into eye-catching displays for homes, studios, or gift shops
- 【Package Content】You will receive 10 pairs of doll craft glasses, the color is black, the quantity is enough to meet your daily use needs, suitable for different occasions, and can be shared with family and friends
- 【Quality Material】These mini sunglasses for crafts are made of stainless steel, durable, well-made, not easy to break and deform, long service life, reusable
- 【Mini Size】The size of this doll sunglasses is 2.4×3.5cm (0.9×1.4 inches), which is suitable for most dolls and pets. These mini sunglasses are perfect for a variety of decorative tasks and can add charm to your creations
- 【Wide Applications】These craft glasses are versatile and can be used with all types of dolls, as pet accessories to make them look cute and fashionable, and can also be used as decorative props for photo taking
- 【Thoughtful Gift】These doll glasses are ideal gifts for birthdays, Christmas or as a reward, they are a great surprise for women, and can also be given to family and friends on any special occasion
- 【Package Content】You will receive 10 pairs of doll craft glasses, sufficient quantity to meet your daily use needs, suitable for different occasions, and can be shared with family and friends
- 【Quality Material】These round doll glasses are made of stainless steel, durable, well-made, not easy to break and deform, long service life, reusable
- 【Mini Size】The size of this mini glasses is 2.4×3.5cm (0.9×1.4 inches), which is suitable for most dolls and pets. These mini sunglasses are perfect for a variety of decorative tasks and can add charm to your creations
- 【Wide Application】These mini sunglasses are versatile and can be used with all types of dolls, as pet accessories to make them look cute and fashionable, and can also be used as decorative props for photo taking
- 【Thoughtful Gift】These doll glasses are ideal gifts for birthdays, Christmas or as a reward, they are a great surprise for women, and can also be given to family and friends on any special occasion
- Material:Our feathers are all natural feathers, which are sterilized by high temperature, steam shaped, environmentally friendly dyed, and refined by hand. Please feel free to buy and use.
- Color: White&Black
- Size:3.93 in*7.87 in (10*20cm)
- Note:The costume angel wings are made with real feathers. All of the feather are handmade by workers one by one. if the feather happens fall off, you can insert glue back.
- This feathered wing is great for shooting props for newborns and dolls,BJD doll
- Core Feature Movable Doll Body: This 4.72*2.36*0.98 inch jointed doll body serves as a versatile base for DIY doll making, allowing users to and articulate their doll creations with ease, ideal for crafting enthusiasts seeking high flexibility
- Material Safety and Environmental Protection: Crafted from environmentally safe materials, this doll body is suitable for childrens DIY projects, ensuring a non-toxic and safe crafting experience while promoting responsible material use
- Enhances Creativity and Skill Development: Designed to stimulate imagination and improve concentration, this jointed doll body encourages hands-on activities that help develop fine motor skills and artistic creativity in children
- Multiple Doll Bodies for Sharing and Crafting: the package includes numerous doll bodies, providing ample quantity for sharing with friends or creating various doll projects, making it suitable for group activities and educational use
- Ideal for Early Childhood Education and DIY Dolls: This jointed doll body supports early learning by enriching imaginative play and satisfies the desire for doll crafts, making it a valuable accessory for doll makers and educators
- IDEAL SIZE: Our Waldorf doll skin fabrics are designed to please. At 30 x 40 inches, each skin colored fabric is an ample amount for making Waldorf dolls.
- INTERLOCK KNIT: Interlock knit jersey is double sided, making it more stable than other knits and it doesn’t curl at the edges, so making dolls with this material is a joy. Moderate stretch, snuggly and stuffs beautifully, it's perfect for your diy doll making.
- 100% COTTON: High-quality skin colored fabric crafted from 100% Cotton. This cotton interlock fabric is super soft to touch and has a good amount of natural stretch without any added spandex or synthetics making it naturally safe for you, your dolls and your loved ones.
- PERFECT COLORS: This cloth doll fabric comes in 3 handpicked tones, Fair (light beige) Tan (sand colored fabric) and Brown fabric (milk chocolate). Snuggly and soft, these cloth doll fabrics are a perfect addition to your Waldorf doll making supplies. (Fair color might be a little lighter than images)
- PREMIUM QUALITY: When we say we don’t settle on quality – we mean it. Soft, natural stretch, and beautifully packaged, we’re all about the details. Our Flesh color fabrics are a quality basic for your Waldorf doll supplies. Valengo, Premium Fabrics at Your Fingertips.
Best Doll Making Supplies Buying Guide
Before choosing the best doll making supplies you should consider following options:
1. Sculpting Tools: The most important tool you need is some kind of sculpting tool for making the original doll form. You can use clay or wax for this.
Clay is generally the best choice for dollmaking, as it is malleable, easy to get and inexpensive. There are many different types of clay you can use.
The most common types of clay for dollmaking are plastilina and air-dry. Air-dry clay is made of different ratios of clay and wax, and the more wax you add, the longer it takes for the clay to harden.
Plastilina is a type of clay specifically made for dollmaking, and it is softer than other types of clay, which makes it easy to work with.
Another type of clay you can use is oil-based clay. This is a good choice if you plan to create a very detailed face on your doll. However, it is not suitable for children to use, as they may ingest some of the oil.
Waxes are another option for sculpting tools. Wax is a good choice if you want to make a poseable doll. Waxes are generally easier to sculpt with than clays, but they are not suitable for long-term use.
The most common types of wax you can use are plastilina and paraffin. Paraffin is generally cheaper, but it is not suitable for making a detailed face. Plastilina wax is good for sculpting detail, but it is more expensive than paraffin.
2. Cutting Tools: Cutting tools are another essential for dollmaking. You can use an X-Acto knife or rotary cutter for cutting the doll shape out of the clay.
However, you can also buy special tools called cutters specifically for dollmaking. These are a set of interchangeable blades, one of which is a straight cutter.
These cutters come in different sizes and are relatively inexpensive. Another option is a clay cutter, which looks like a pair of scissors.
This instrument is specifically designed to cut a sheet of clay into a doll shape. These cutters are relatively inexpensive and easy to find.
3. Painting Tools: Painting is an important part of the dollmaking process. You can either paint the doll with acrylic paints after it has dried, or you can use a special ink for painting the doll before it dries.
Acrylic paints are the better choice for dollmaking, as they are easy to get and cheaper. You can buy these paints from any art supply store.
Another option for painting is ink, which gives a more realistic effect. There are different types of ink you can use for dollmaking, including India ink, Sumi ink and acrylic ink.
Acrylic ink is the most common type of ink for dollmaking, as it is easy to find and inexpensive. Sumi ink is the best choice for realistic effect, but it is harder to find and more expensive than acrylic ink.
If you are planning to use ink to paint your doll, you will also need some special tools to apply the ink. You can use an inkbrush, a sponge, a cotton swab or cotton balls to apply the ink.
If you choose to paint your doll with acrylic paints, you will need special tools, including a paintbrush, a paint palette, a paint tray and paint thinner.
4. Sewing Supplies: Sewing supplies are another essential for dollmaking. You will need a
What else you should know about doll making supplies
1. What kind of doll making supplies do I need to get started?
The specific supplies you’ll need to get started making dolls will depend on the type of dolls you want to make. However, some general supplies you may need include fabric, stuffing, thread, a needle, and scissors. You may also need a pattern or template to help you create the shape of the doll.
2. What are the best doll making supplies for beginners?
The best doll making supplies for beginners are a doll body, a pattern, and some basic sewing supplies.
3. Where can I find doll making supplies?
There are many places to find doll making supplies. One option is to look for them online. Another option is to check with your local craft store.
4. How do I choose the right doll making supplies for my project?
To choose the right doll making supplies for your project, consider the following:
-The type of doll you are making (e.g. rag doll, plastic doll, etc.)
-The materials you need for the type of doll you are making
-The size of the doll you are making
-Your budget
5. What are the most popular doll making supplies?
There is no definitive answer to this question as different people have different preferences. Some of the most popular doll making supplies include fabric, yarn, stuffing, buttons, and thread.
Conclusion
On the market, there are numerous best doll making supplies. Hopefully, the list of the top ten best doll making supplies will save you time researching and deciding on the best one for you.