Shrink-it Dress Up Dolls

from week ending 1/10/99

Design and Instructions by Diana Trupiano

Remember paper dolls? Well now there's something better! By using Aleene's Shrink It Plastic, you can make dress up dolls that won't crumple, tear or bend. And they are fun and easy to make!

Supplies:

Aleene's Opaque Shrink-It Plastic

Aleene's Tack It Over and Over Glue

Colored pencils

Fine sand paper

Scissors

Baby powder

Aleene's Shrink-It Baking Board or cookie sheet, decorative hole punch (optional).

*Depending on the size of the items you are shrinking, you may use either a toaster oven or regular oven set to 275º.

Instructions:

1. Lightly sand your Shrink-It sheet in both directions to help the coloring process.
2. Lay the sheet over the doll and clothing patterns. Trace the designs onto the Shrink-It sheet, and color as desired. You must color your Shrink-It( BEFORE it is baked. Any areas you wish to be white, leave uncolored as the opaque sheets are white after baking. If you wish to paint your designs, this is done after baking. I prefer Aleene's Premium Coat Acrylic Paints with a final coat of Aleene's Right-On Finish or Premium Coat Acrylic Varnish to insure lasting durability. You can also embellish your designs with pearls, sequence, threads, etc. after baking with glue. My preference is Aleene's Thick Designer Tacky Glue.
3. Once you have colored all designs, cut them out with scissors. If any holes need to be punched, do this now.
4. Sprinkle baby powder lightly onto baking board or cookie sheet and place doll cut outs onto sheet.
5. Bake in regular or toaster oven, pre heated to 275º. This process can take several minutes, depending on the size of the item. Watch carefully! It is not unusual for your Shrink-It to curl, and roll around slightly. BE PATIENT! Wait until your designs flatten out completely before you take them out of the oven. Cool completely before handling.
6. Dust off each piece to remove all traces of baby powder. On the back of each piece of clothing accessories, place one drop of Aleene's Tack It Over and Over Glue, and let dry completely. This will make dressing and undressing your dolls a breeze, as the items will stick to the doll securely and pull away easily as desired.
7. That's all there is to it, wasn't that easy!? This is a great rainy day, or party project that is simple, fun and inexpensive to do. Everyone will love making their very own personalized dress up dolls to enjoy over and over again. Have Fun!

*NOTE* This project is best for children over the age of six. Some pieces are very small and if put in the mouth, could be a choking hazard.

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As always, to print these patterns in correct size, you must have your display set to the Windows95 default setting of 96 ppi (pixels per inch).

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