Doll Designer Judi Ward

I am a self taught cloth doll designer and maker, who has been dedicated to teaching others the craft since the mid 1970s.

I had a little craft and doll store in Idaho from 1974 thru 1979 and started my doll pattern business from that tiny store.

I taught cloth dollmaking classes in the store and designed my first cloth doll for a pattern there. I only cut directly from the fabrics at that time, so every doll was a one of a kind because I had no pattern, but my partner in the store was a pattern collector so she started drawing around the parts as I cut them out. She put them in bags with labels such as "Doll in red dress, curly hair" or some such designation. That first doll for a pattern was my 18" Shirley Temple who was way ahead of the curve for cloth dolls at the time (invisible joints, separate fingers, fully formed, child shape etc) and the pattern sales were amazing! I placed a few little ads in magazines and we were swamped!!! Things progressed from there and I even learned to cut from paper or to draw around my fabric parts before sewing them up. Drawing on and cutting from paper was the hardest thing for me to do! I usually still cut a doll's clothing directly from the fabrics though, and have to quickly draw around the pieces if they are for a pattern doll! I have had to do a few do-over's due to forgetting the drawing step.

My doll designs have followed most of the trends but are always different. I never do the same doll over and over with just a different name and different clothing. My variety of pattern offerings is huge, from babies to whimsy: ladies to men: cloth reproductions of antique dolls made from other stuff to truly Vintage style reproductions of very old cloth dolls.

The design process is my favorite part and I want my designs to look good without clothes.

I have pioneered many techniques throughout the 30+ years. Invisible Jointing, quick, easy turning heads for almost any doll, the use of Freezer Paper templates and many more. I like real clothes for dolls most of the time and am not an "embellisher". I leave that up the maker. My desire is to provide a good "doll" for the maker to embellish their way, or not.

I love to teach, and my favorite classes to teach are Beginners and Advanced Design. The joy a new designer has in their first creation is amazing! Many well known designers in the pattern world got their start from my Design classes, online or in person. They were ready to "fly" but needed grounding first and the classes provided that in a fun, easy way.

I have been teaching online classes on the Doll Net for many years and I think I was the first online with cloth doll classes. Paul Phalen at the Doll Net has been a Godsend to we cloth dollmakers and suppliers with his support of the doll world, his web site work and his support of over 2000 cloth dollmakers on the "Friends Of Cloth Dolls" internet forum.
My "vintage" classes will soon be available to download and then I will work on more.

Over the past 30 some years we have moved several times and I have pursued other "work" from time to time. I worked at a bingo hall, a fabric store and drove city busses in Bremerton Wash!

The dolls were never far from my heart though and I always came back to the doll world, or never really left and fitted the work in with the dolls.

Dolly Hugs, Judi

Judi's Cloth Doll Patterns by Category:  ~ Antique Reproduction ~ Babies and Children ~ Fun/Fancy ~ Guys ~
~ Ladies ~ Vintage Patterns ~ Online Classes ~ E-Patterns (PDFs)

Other Links: ~ Free Patterns/Skillsheets ~ Meet Judi ~

~ Go to... Judi's Home Page ~