Three New Dotee Dolls Listed on Etsy

I have made three new dotee dolls and listed them for sale on Etsy. If you like dotee dolls but don't want to get into making them yourself, this is a great opportunity for you to get in on the whole dotee doll craze. Here are the dolls I have available for sale:


Birdie



Lisa



Stephanie

Cat Lady Dotee

I just completed a swap for a cat lady dotee on Swap-bot. There were only two people in the swap, so I sent to Beadweaver and she sent to me. Here is the cat lady dotee that I made for Beadweaver.



And here is the one Beadweaver made for me.

Butterfly Doll

OK, so this isn't a true dotee doll. She doesn't have a tail or a hanger. I left them off because I am not sure how old the girl is that I made her for and I didn't want her to be a choking hazard in case she is very small. I made this doll for a swap on Swap-bot. My partner's daughter likes butterflies and dolls, so I decided to make her a butterfly doll. I think it would have better to embroider the face rather than trying to draw it on. The marker bled a little. I guess I'll stick to embroidery for the faces in the future.

Q is for Queen Quiana Dotee Doll

This is my very first Dotee doll. I made her for the Q is for... Dotee swap on Swap-bot. I sent her off to my partner in California a few days ago. It was really hard to let her go. I am so proud of how she turned out. The picture doesn't even do her justice.

Her crown is made of wire and seed beads. She wears a satin robe and her hanger and tail are made with handmade paper beads.

It took me four hours to make the doll and two hours to make the miniature book that dangles beneath her. I have decided to add a little book to each of my dotees, kind of like a trademark. Inside the book, I wrote the doll's name and the date that she was made, as well as my name and website address. That way, the doll's story will always be with her.

How to Make Dotee Dolls Video Tutorial

Here is a video tutorial showing how to make a Dotee doll. The lady who created the video has a blog called Smiles and Sunshine. Be sure to check it out.

Pictures of Dotee Dolls

There are over 5000 pictures of Dotee dolls on Flickr. Here are a few of my favorites.


Pink and Purple Dotee Doll - Photo by MAD MUMMY


Valentine Dotee - Photo by Hoola Tallulah


Mermaid Dotee - Photo by honeybeehi

What Are Dotee Dolls?

Photo by isabellrath on Flickr

Dotee dolls are the creation of Dorothy Christian (Dot), and are named after her. Dotees are small handmade dolls that usually measure between 4 to 6 inches tall and have a loop on the top of the head for hanging. They also have a tail hanging from the bottom of the doll. The tail is usually made of beads. These dolls are embellished with beads, embroidery floss, buttons or anything else the artist chooses to use.

Dot's website is called My Life, My Values, My Art. You can find out more about Dotee dolls at her site. If you would like to learn to make Dotee dolls, check out How to Make a Dotee Like Doll at eHow.

Many crafters make Dotee dolls and trade them on Swap-bot. Most of the Dotee doll swaps are themed. For example, right now on Swap-bot there are swaps open for a "sparkletastic" dotee, a q-themed dotee, a monster dotee and more.