How do I Create a Homemade 11 inch Doll Stand?

Show her full glory with a wire stand.

As most doll collectors know, relatively few dolls are designed to be able to stand up securely on their own. For this reason, wire doll stands were invented as an unobtrusive means of standing up dolls using a grip around the waist, preparing them to be displayed on shelves or in display cases indefinitely. Make your own simple wire stand suitable for a doll of about 11 inches in height.

Things You'll Need

• Doll
• Ruler
• String
• Wire coat hanger
• Metal vice
• Tin snips
• Vice grips
• Craft wire
• Plastic coating dip
• Craft plaque
• Power drill with 1/4-inch bit
• Sandpaper

Instructions

1. Measure the doll to the waist using the ruler, standing her up on a flat surface when you do so. Make sure she's standing straight and wearing her shoes, if she has them. Use a piece of string to measure around her waist, as well, then stretch the string along the ruler to measure its length. Add the height measurement to the waist measurement, then add one inch for wiggle room; this will be the measurement for each of the two wire pieces for your stand.

2. Cut and straighten two lengths of coat hanger wire of the length you determined in Step 1. Straighten the wire by pressing out the bends in the metal vise, then trim using tin snips. Don't try to use the curled and hook portions of the hanger, as these are too difficult to straighten.

3. Bend the wires into shape. Measure in from the end of each length a distance equal to the doll's waist measurement plus a half inch. Bend this portion at a 90-degree angle away from the rest of the wire. Grip the two wires tightly in the vice, side by side, with the bend ends up and pointing in the same direction together. Use the vice grips to bend each of these ends into mirrored half-circles so that the two wires form a single circular shape. Bend the circle halves away from each other slightly so there's about 3/4 inches of space between their tips.

4. Wrap a piece of craft wire around the long portions of the wires to bind them together as you remove them from the vice.

5. Tip the curved ends of the wires in plastic coating dip. Let dry.

6. Drill a hole in the craft plaque using the 1/2-inch bit. Go slowly, and stop just short of drilling all the way through the wood. Position the hole about 1 1/2 inches in from the edge of the plaque, allowing plenty of room for the doll to stand.

7. Fill the hole in the plaque with quick-set epoxy.

8. Insert the wires into the hole in the plaque. Hold them upright until the epoxy sets.

9. Sand the craft plaque by hand. Stain, paint and/or varnish as desired.