Which came first, dolls, or crafting?

It's craft first for me, and dolls second; and it's making it quite hard to shop for a doll, because beyond a point any body will do (I just want to get on with the crafting!). So how can you possibly choose? Because I will have opinions about whether I bond with the doll and how much I like the face and personality and stuff (I do have preferences when looking at other people's photos) but it's hard to tell - especislly buying online - when the biggest part of the appeal for me will be the making and styling.

Definitely I'm a bit envious of people who a) love dolls & sculpts for their own sake and wish to collect them; b) have a character in mind they want to try and create. Because I think that would help narrow the selection down!

 

thanks to cosplay i already knew basic sewing and how to style wigs, but dolls have absolutely become a new inspiration for both! making clothes for dolls always feels like a good test run, especially since im using so much less fabric it feels safer on the wallet lol

 

I think I've always been crafty although I never did much of it but getting into the bjd hobby has definatley gave me something to channel that into.
I've learnt how to sew clothes, knit and crochet since getting into bjds.
I can also make wigs, furniture and dioramas.
So for me I think it's a mix of both, I could do basic craft but having a bjd to do these things for has definitely helped me improve on old skills and learn new ones ^-^

 

I'm an artist, and was also doing some cosplay crafting before getting into the hobby. Having that kind of foundation has really helped with a lot of doll DIY stuff! There are still things I'm learning when it comes to dolls specifically though, like sewing at such a small scale. What a learning curve!

 

I could sew, I made some of my own clothes and few things for other people. I also liked to make jewelry especially bracelets before I got my dolls. I mostly just dabbled in crafts before my BJD's.

I didn't start sewing doll clothes until I got my BJD's. My sewing had improved a lot since I got my dolls. I enjoy making them a lot of clothing. I might have to weed down their wardrobe at one point. I also lit to make them jewelry necklaces and bracelets.

Crafting things such as doll furniture came after getting the BJD's. My first sofa was a terrible trial and error, but my second one was built to last! I also make them wood furniture out of stuff I find in craft stores.

I make more stuff for my dolls now then I do myself.

But that's okay, because they deserve to be spoiled.

 

For me, the dolls absolutely came first.

My creative passion lies mostly in drawing, writing fiction, and taking photos. I'm not that great at crafting -- by that I mean sewing and "using tools and stuff to make new stuff" skills. But when I returned to BJDs after a long hiatus, I started learning.

Never sewed more than a button previously -- now I'm making clothes for my dolls with a sewing machine.
Never was interested in making props and jewellery -- I'm flailing about learning how to craft both now.
Last time I painted anything was in grade school (my art experience is mostly sketching with pencils and digital art) -- now I paint faceups and enjoy it a lot.
Only took the occasional photo with my smartphone camera -- now I'm using a DSLR camera to take doll photos.

I still find crafting-type skills quite difficult, not as intuitive and enjoyable as art/drawing and writing, but there's still enjoyment in making something beautiful and taking nice pics of my dolls with them. But I wouldn't have any interest in sewing etc if not for my dolls, and they remain the reason I do them at all. If I left the hobby again, I'd probably stop crafting as well.

 

Crafting. I've been drawing since I could hold a pencil. Paper, clay, rocks and twigs, amateur photography, stop motion, all the goofy elementary projects with milk containers and popsicle sticks... I used to take art courses every summer at a local center because it was fun. Oddly enough, two of the things I've never learned to do well are paint and sew- I can mend small holes in my own clothes and add minor embellishments to a costume if I need to.... and that's all. But I'd been painting action figures for years by the time I bought my first Pullip, and later a BJD. So while it wasn't a straight transition, I did have some concept of the skills required.

 

I was a 2d artist for decades. In the last couple of years I got into miniature landscapes which somehow led me to Sylvanian Families, which led me to doll houses and the customizing thereof. Sewing is the one craft I had avoided since school days, but I wanted bespoke outfits for my Sylvanians lol. Looking for inspiration/patterns and being allergic to Instagram sent me to Tumblr which led me to blind box dolls, then BJD and ooak dolls. It was a slippery slope! I still avoid sewing machines and do everything by hand.

 

Crafting! A big part of me liking bjds is that they are a good size to do mock ups and try out different sewing/knitting things. Hopefully I´ll be able to learn more leather work as well by making shoes in the future.

 

Crafting first! I've been sewing/crocheting since I was a kid, and loved making things for my Barbies and American Girl dolls. Eventually I decided to get into BJD's as I still had a love for dolls as an adult, and BJD's make such great tiny models to practice sewing for!

 

Dolls for me I only started crafting doll things cause the cost of doll clothes is too high also used to learn to do more toy crafts when my son was little so we did crafting together but now he is a teenager so no need for such.

 

I was never into crafting before dolls because I wasn't interested in clothes or props for myself, but when I got a doll (playline doll as a tween) I started to become really interested in making things for it.
I'm still mostly the same, I love to make things for my dolls, I don't like to make things for myself, aside from wanting to make my own clothes now (haven't tried yet).
Dolls introduced me to a lot of new creative hobbies that I wouldn't have gotten into otherwise.

 

Arts & crafts came first for me: sewing, knitting, spinning, jewelry, paper crafts, photography, mixed media art. My dolls pulled all my creative skills together and costs less and takes less time than making stuff for humans. My full-time can be quite draining; crafting for my crew is a great stress reliever.

 

I was initially drawn to bjd also for how customisable they were so crafting definitely came first. I also make a lot of human-sized things, dolls are just faster and cheaper to make clothes for (they often get their wardrobe from scrap fabric I got for bigger projects). To be fair though, I also took on a few new things, like wigmaking, when I bought my first doll, so I've also had to learn a few new tricks with them.

 

Deff dolls first, but I was already artsy/crafty
Getting blank dolls just enhanced the crafty!

 

Bump

Crafting came first; I learned to sew from a friend, and how to make plush toys from Runo Nuno. I began sewing clothes for myself as well. I eventually discovered BJDs as a perfect combination of crafts + anime-inspired aesthetics.

 

I've been making my cosplays woth my dad since 2001, and even knew how to sew before that. I didn't get my first doll until 2014. I hope to one day be able to sew for my dolls, but the sizing makes me super nervous as I've only ever worked on stuff for myself... plus finding doll size patterned fabric is difficult locally for me.

 

First came painting, then dolls, then crafting. I was not into crafting before having dolls.

 

Crafting! I looooove sewing, and it's exciting to do it for my dolls.

 

I've been into various crafty hobbies since long before I gained an interest in BJDs, although getting into dolls has given me motivation to actually start certain crafts/projects (like sewing) rather than just dreaming about it It's also led to an interest in making things I wouldn't have thought about otherwise, like eyes, accessories, and furniture - although those are also kind of terrifying to me, lol. (I like the act of making things, but creating or adjusting plans/patterns doesn't come to me naturally.)