How to make Kimekomi dolls without using patterns

1. EQUIPMENT and SUPPLIES

  1. Marutoh: A tool to make hole.
  2. Dolls scissors
  3. Tucking spatula
  4. Meuchi
  5. some sticks
  6. Glue powder (made with starch): It is included in the COMPLETE SET
  7. Bond
  8. Sandpaper
  9. Wooden powder: It is included in the COMPLETE SET.

2. PREPARE to MAKE

Preparing the body


  1. When you use wooden powder, it already included the gluie, so you just add water littele by little and kneading until like a cray.
  2. Fill up bumps and patch cracks of the body with the putty, which you made at "1".
  3. Wait until the body gets dried.
  4. Use a sandpaper to make the surface of the body smooth.
  5. By using cutter or wet spatula, you should make the groove lines deep enough. Please refer this video

Repair the parts that are easy to break (recommendation)

  1. Paste washi paper to the parts that are easy to break such as parts you need to make holes.
  2. After the paper gets dried, put the dolls head and hand and draw a line to know where to make the holes.
  3. When you make a hole for the head, keep going deeper until you reach an empty space.
  4. Then try to put the head to make sure the size is right. At this process, do not touch the dolls Eface.

Making glue with glue powder

Mix Glue powder and Water in the ratio of 1:1.5. Reference to the pictures below.

3. Put a square piece of fabric on the doll.

PLEASE NOTE: Paper pattern is not attached to our dolls.

  • Recommendation: We recommend using the square piece rather than paper pattern because it's easier to choose and your favorite design apply on anywhere you like.

How to put the fabric

  • You must start putting big parts of the body by using from the edge of fabric. This is basic when putting from the square piece. In addition, you have to check that a fabric is covers a part where you want to put it. At the same time, the direction of fabrics needs to be checked.
  • Start putting fabric on a bigger part where you need biggest fabric.
  • Put glue, which is made from glue powder, into the groove line, and then apply the fabric along the groove line with tacking spatula. During this process, hold the fabric tight so that fabric won't the move.
  • Cut the fabric along the groove line little by little by leaving the fabric as small as possible. (apx.2mm)
PLEASE NOTE: It's important to cut little by little, so that you will have enough fabrics left for other parts.
  • Use the tacking spatula to push the fabric into the groove line until you don't see edge of the fabrics.
  • Keep the same process for other parts. Remember to work on from bigger parts to smaller parts.

4,FINISHING

  1. If hands are included, please glue them first.
  2. Try putting the head into the hole you made earlier to make sure how you want the dolls look like. At this process, don't touch the doll’s face. We recommend using a soft paper or cloth to cover the face.
  3. Attach the head into the hole by using a Bond. If the head still moves, put the Bond more.

5,FINISHED

This web site is selling Kimekomi Dolls kits, completed dolls, fabrics and tools. You can see a lot of Japanese Kimekomi Dolls here.
    Please ask us if you need only body or face. I could be prepared them.