How to Make a Repurposed Jewelry Holder From a Doll

Make her skirt into a pincushion to hold earrings

A jewelry stand keeps necklaces easily available and prevents them from getting tangled. At a glance, you can see the colors and styles of your favorite pieces so that getting dressed is simpler and faster. You can check that the turquoise of your choker matches the light blue of your dress without having to open a jewelry box and thumb through pieces to find it. Creating your own stand with an inexpensive fashion doll allows you to tailor the design to your decor.

Things You'll Need

• Fashion Doll
• Stand
• Cardboard
• Scissors
• Spray paint
• Cotton
• Alcohol
• Hot glue
• Ribbon
• Needle
• Thread

Instructions

1. Buy an 11 inch fashion doll. They are available at any toy store, or used versions can be found at thrift stores or yard sales. Buy a wire stand to support the doll in a standing position. Buy a simple top for the doll. Choose the fabric for the skirt of the doll that coordinates with the top.

2. Choose a spray paint color for the stand that coordinates with the skirt fabric. Drench a cotton ball with alcohol. Use it to clean the stand thoroughly. Spray paint the stand. Wait 20 minutes. Spray again.

3. Dress the doll in the top. Cut a 8 inch in diameter circle out of cardboard. Cut a 16" in diameter circle out of fabric. Make stitches 1/2 inch in length all around the exterior of the fabric circle. Do not tie off. Leave at least six inches of thread dangling when the stitching is finished. Pull the thread to lightly bunch up the material.

4. Wrap a wad of cotton around the doll''s waist over the doll's top. Be sure cotton covers the stand and the top. Hot glue in place. Lay the fabric down, the wrong side of the fabric facing up. Put the cardboard circle in the center of the fabric. Put the doll in its stand, on top of the cardboard circle. Make sure it is standing firmly. Pull up the fabric so that it forms a skirt over the doll.

5. Hold the skirt up with one hand. Use the other hand to fill the skirt with very fine sand, available at craft stores. When the skirt is full, finish gathering the stitching so that it fits tight to the cotton wadding. Hot glue the fabric in place. Hot glue ribbon to the waist to serve as a belt, and hide the gathered fabric.

6. Push the doll's arms straight out. Hang bracelets on them. Drape necklaces around the neck of the doll. Pin brooches to the skirt.

References

• Sandi Holder: Doll Stands
• Pat Boldt Dolls: How To Make Miniature Pincushion Dolls

Resources

• Barbie Collector: Barbie Year-by-Year History