How o Make Porcelain Angel Dolls

Porcelain angel dolls are an ideal gift for a doll collector or a holiday decoration. While these beautiful dolls can be quite costly to purchase, they are easier to make than you might expect. Making porcelain angel dolls allows you to customize the doll to your tastes or choose colors and themes specific to the recipient. Combine your own craft skills with good quality purchased components to create a lovely and unique home accent to keep or share.

Things You'll Need

• Porcelain clay or porcelain doll head and hands
• Mold for head and hands, if desired
• Pottery tools as needed
• Craft paints and matte sealer
• Light-colored cotton twill
• 16-gauge wire, aluminum or bronze coated
• Floral tape
• Stuffing
• Knitting needle or chopstick to help with stuffing
• Hot glue and glue gun
• Fabric, ribbon and trims for the angel's gown
• Sewing machine and coordinating thread
• Purchased wings and halo

Instructions

How to Make Porcelain Angel Dolls

1. Use porcelain clay to sculpt an angel head and hands, bringing the head down to form the neck and shoulders. Hollow out the shoulder and chest of your angel head using a wire loop. Molds are also available if you prefer this option or are making several porcelain angel dolls. Porcelain does require a kiln for firing, but many clay suppliers offer this service for a fee. Use craft paints to paint the head and hands and finish with a matte sealer.

2. Purchase a porcelain angel doll head and hands as an alternative to Step 1. You can find these online (see Resources) or at your local craft store. You can also purchase wings and a halo for your porcelain angel doll.

3. Make a wire armature for your doll. Pull a length of wire approximately 4 times the height of your angel doll off the spool and form it into a W shape. Create a loop at the point of the W that will go into your porcelain angel doll head. Wrap the outer ends of the W around this point. Twist both lower points to form the legs. Cut a second length of wire and wrap it to form the armature for the arms. Wrap the entire wire armature in floral tape.

4. Cut a simple body shape from cotton twill. You will need a front and back, but careful detailing is not required. You can choose to articulate the legs and feet, but this isn't necessary since the angel's robes will cover her legs and feet. Sew the front and back together, leaving openings at the head and ends of both arms.

5. Insert the armature into your doll body. Use a chopstick or knitting needle to stuff the body form all around the armature. Once the body is fully stuffed, attach the porcelain angel doll head and arms with hot glue.

6. Cut two flared tunic shapes on the fold to create your angel robes. Seam both side seams and apply ribbons, trims and accents with hot glue or a sewing machine. Attach purchased wings and a halo to your porcelain angel doll.

Tips & Warnings

• Make your own wings with wire and nylon hosiery if you prefer or feathers and felt. Add trailing ribbon accents for a holiday angel.

References

• Doll Armatures

Resources

• Porcelain Angel Doll Supplies