Have the costumes on your storybook doll finished by May 6th. This is our second-to-last check-in date, so I hope we’re all happy with the progress. Post a picture of your work-in-progress in the comments to this post.

April 15th might be better known as the tax deadline, but for us it’s the target date to finish our doll bodies. Please post pictures of your work-in-progress in the comments below.

Just a reminder: the final date for a finished piece is May 20th. Your chances of finishing on time are better if you keep up with the work in the meantime, but judging and prizes will be based on a finished doll on May 20th so don’t be upset if you miss a check-in date. We will also have a later date for people who want to continue playing.

Hello doll makers! March 4, 2018 is our next checkpoint. By next week, you should have your armature and/or pattern finished. I’m assuming nearly all dolls will use either an armature (sculpted dolls) or a pattern (cloth dolls.) If this assumption doesn’t work for your particular method, then do whatever you need to get a good start on your own piece. When you post a picture, let us know if you are looking for feedback or simply sharing.

If you haven’t joined us yet, there’s still plenty of time. Feel free to jump in late and play along.

The dollmakers email discussion list began in 1996. The archive doesn’t go all the way back to the beginning because of server migrations, but our archive of discussions and dollmaking tips goes back to 2002. We’ve had members ranging from world-famous artists including NIADA members Marlaine Verhelst and Jodi Creager to brand new members asking tons of questions. We focus more on original sculpted dolls, but we do have cloth artists and the occasional discussion on porcelain molds. We would love to get some new members on the list so we look forward to meeting you.

If you are interested in joining, click here for the form to join. Once you’ve joined, you have access to the 16 years worth of discussion archives with its wealth of information.