Make a
Stick Doll
Stick Doll Studio
A self-paced digital workshop to create your own mixed-media spirit doll
A handful of sticks. A little clay. Scraps of fabric, yarn, beads, and other treasures. And the beginnings of a doll with a personality and story all her own. In Stick Doll Studio, I'll show you how to turn these simple materials into a one-of-a-kind spirit doll, starting with a molded clay face and building her one layer at a time.
We'll explore different ways to build, shape, dress, and embellish your doll, while giving her plenty of room to become whoever she wants to be.
No experience needed. Just come ready to make something wonderful.
Please note: As this is a digital workshop, purchases are non-refundable. You’ll have continued access to these lessons.
What Is a Stick Doll, Really?
A stick doll is a handmade figure built from sticks and simple materials — clay, fabric, fibers, beads, charms, found bits, and thread.
You might also hear them called stick spirits or spirit dolls. The names vary. What doesn't seem to change is what happens when you sit down to make one.
As you wrap, shape, add, and adjust, the doll begins to take on her own presence. Some are wild and playful. Some are quiet and grounded. Some feel like companions, wise little characters, or beings from somewhere just slightly beyond ordinary life.
No two are ever alike. And that's part of what makes them so wonderful.
Let the Doll Find You
You may begin with a word, a feeling, a color, a question, or an intention. Or you may begin with no idea at all. Both are welcome.
This is intuitive doll-making, which means we don't have to decide everything before we begin.
Sometimes a doll starts out playful and becomes tender. Sometimes she starts out quiet and ends up fierce. Sometimes you think you're making one thing, and someone entirely different shows up.
I love working this way because making a spirit doll is about more than putting materials together. It's also about paying attention to what we see, what we imagine, and the meaning we discover along the way.
I'll teach you the techniques, share plenty of ideas, and show you how I work. But you get to decide what your doll becomes.
A Sample of Some of the Wonderful Dolls People Have Made With Me
What You’ll Learn
We'll start with simple materials and work our way through the process of creating a mixed-media stick doll.
Faces and Expressions
Learn to make a face using a mold and air-dry clay, then alter it to create more personality and expression. You don't need to know how to sculpt a face from scratch.
Sticks, Structure, and Shape
Explore how to choose and assemble sticks to create your doll's body. I'll demonstrate two different approaches: making a doll that hangs on the wall and making one that sits.
We'll also look at proportion, balance, and ways to attach the head securely.
Building and Painting the Body
Give your doll more shape with batting and fabric wrapping, then bring her clay features to life with soft pastels and color.
Clothing and Hair
This is where things really start to get interesting!
I'll show you different approaches to clothing, from simple tunics and wrapped fabrics to more involved little outfits. We'll also explore making hair with yarn, fibers, and other materials.
Finishing Touches and Storytelling
Add beads, charms, fabric scraps, found objects, and whatever else feels right for your doll.
We'll also spend some time discovering who you've made, what story your doll might be telling, and what she means to you.
A Studio Full of Possibilities
One of the things I love about making stick dolls is that there isn't just one way to do anything.
In this workshop, I'll demonstrate different approaches, share all the little tricks I've learned over the years, and talk through the decisions I make as I work.
You'll see me experiment, change my mind, and occasionally figure things out as I go. That's part of the process!
My hope is that you'll come away with more than a finished doll. You'll have a whole collection of techniques and ideas you can use to keep making dolls long after you've finished the workshop.
How the Digital Workshop Works
Stick Doll Studio is completely self-paced, so you can make your doll on your own schedule.
The workshop includes 23 lessons that take you through the making process, from creating and altering a clay face to building your doll, dressing her, adding hair, and discovering her story.
This isn't a follow-along workshop where you're making an exact copy of my doll. You'll learn to build both hanging and sitting stick dolls, explore different approaches to clothing and hair, and make creative decisions along the way. The idea is to give you the skills and confidence to create your own unique dolls, now and in the future.
You'll get immediate access to the complete workshop. No classes are scheduled, and no weekly lessons are released. You can watch a demonstration, pause to work on your own doll, and revisit individual lessons whenever you're ready to try something new. You’ll have access to the workshop for as long as you wish.
Some steps require drying time, and others are worth sitting with for a bit before deciding what comes next. There's no rush.
You'll also receive a complete materials list and the Stick Doll Studio Companion, a downloadable guide with an overview of the making journey, creative encouragement, and ideas for exploring your doll's meaning and story.
What Materials Will You Need?
We'll work with sticks, air-dry clay, a face mold, wire, tape, batting, fabric, yarn, glue, soft pastels, and simple embellishments.
You may already have quite a few of these things in your studio or craft supplies.
I also encourage you to gather little treasures from your own life — scraps of favorite fabric, old jewelry, buttons, lace, ribbons, beads, or other found objects that catch your eye.
You don't need fancy materials to make a wonderful doll. Sometimes the most ordinary things end up being the most meaningful.
Once you enroll, you'll have access to the complete materials list, including my recommended supplies, sources, and helpful links, so you can gather everything before you begin.
Plan to spend about $20–$40 on materials, depending on what you already have on hand.
Is This Workshop for You?
If you're drawn to spirit dolls, folk art, mixed-media figures, found materials, and creating things with meaning, I think you'll feel right at home here.
You don't need previous doll-making experience, and you don't need to know how to sculpt, sew complicated clothing, or work from a pattern.
I'll walk you through the techniques and give you plenty of options along the way.
And whether you come in with a clear idea or discover your doll as you go, there's room for your own way of making.
Join Me in Stick Doll Studio
Come make a little magic with sticks, clay, fabric, and whatever treasures you have lying around.
Stick Doll Studio — $97
A complete, self-paced digital workshop you can enjoy from home, whenever you're ready to begin.
Please note: As this is a digital workshop, purchases are non-refundable. You’ll have continued access to these lessons.
FAQs
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Yes! All 23 lessons are available as soon as you enroll. You can move through them at your own pace and return to them whenever you'd like.
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No. I'll walk you through the process step by step. This workshop is beginner-friendly, and the focus is on intuitive making rather than perfect technique.
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No. We'll begin with a molded clay face. Before the live workshop begins, you'll receive a prep lesson showing you how to make your face using a mold, so you can arrive at the first class with a dried face ready to work with.
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I'll send recommendations when you register, including the kind of mold that works well for this project. You'll need to order your mold and make your clay face before the first live session.
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Wonderful. As long as it is a size and style that will work for a stick doll, you're welcome to use a mold you already have.
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We'll make a mixed-media stick doll using branches, clay, fabric, fibers, beads, and other small materials. Each doll will be different. Some may feel playful, some protective, some earthy, some wild, some quiet, and some may surprise you completely.
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No, and that's the beauty of it. I'll teach the structure and process, but your doll will be shaped by your materials, your choices, and whatever starts to emerge as you work.
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That is completely fine. You do not need to know who she is before you begin. In this workshop, we let the doll reveal herself through the making.
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Once you register, you’ll have access to the complete course. You can watch at your leisure, you’ll have access to the course for as long as you wish.
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As this is a digital workshop, purchases are non-refundable. You’ll have continued access to these lessons.
If you have other questions, you can contact me here.
