Paulette's pattern instructions are very easy to follow; and she drafts her patterns in such a way that even a beginner can enjoy them without feeling overwhelmed. By the way, the project Paulette refers to can be found in the Spring 98 issue of "Dolls and Miniatures".

Viola

Mini Backpack: A cute little school style backpack pattern can be found at http://www.makingfriends.com I've been at this site many times- its crafts for kids. Any way it is in the school section, its is supposed to be for a pin on for clothing, but it can be printed out and if the scale is wrong- adjust!

Teresa from Canada

1/4 scale people: I needed same and found that in the local $1.00 store, they had bags of 50 plastic soldiers in 1/4 scale size. I splurged and came home with 50 solders in all sorts of military poses and with fighting gear. With my exacto blade and a file I removed all the battle gear and by immersing the plastic figure in VERY hot water I was able to reposition the body parts to my needs. It took a few "dippings" to get the finally positioning. One of the "liberated" solders can be seen in my 1/4 scale amethyst mine shadow box at: http://albums.photopoint.com/j/albumIndex?u=67503&a=13032772

I repainted with acrylic paint to my liking.

DrBob

Quarter scale people: If you do not have a model railroad hobby shop nearby, you will certainly have to go mail order or on the net. Be advised, however, that HO is not 1/4" scale. If you want to use rail model people for your miniature, "O" (the letter) scale is supposedly quarter inch to the foot. Even there, however, poor scale is common. Lionel claims to be "O" and it is as far as "gauge" goes (space between rails) BUT, much of the detail and accessories are out of scale or proportion. As you scan the venders, look for "O" scale supplies which purport to be "1/4 inch fine scale" or "proto 48".

For what it is worth, the following are all synonyms for the same proportion/scale in different vernaculars: 1/4 inch scale, 1/4 inch per foot, 1/48th, 1:48, quarter scale, Q scale, O scale, and proto 48.

While on the subject, different folk switch among the following for my favorite miniature scale: 1/2 inch scale, 1/2 inch per foot, 1/24th, 1:24, half scale, H scale, Garden scale, and G scale (with some very loose interpretation and dispute on the last two)

On the smaller side, we have heard the smallest common dollhouse scale, One usually applied for miniatures-of-miniatures, described as: 1/144th, 1:144, twelfth of a twelfth, micro scale, and masochism.

Finally: of no standard dollhouse function whatsoever, HO scale is 3.5 millimeters per foot (How's that for an inopportune collision of metric and English?), considerably smaller than 1/4, 1/48, Q, O ,or whatever name you may choose.

Mel K. Las Vegas

Small scale people: I started in miniatures painting HO scale model train people. You can buy them in the model train stores (painted or unpainted). Painting those little things is fun. Put a piece of mounting tape on top of a small paint bottle and stand the piece on the top. I used Floquil paints from the model train store. This paint has tiny particles so you don't loose detail like you would if you used acrylic paint.

Mary Kinloch

1/4" people: To the person looking for 1/4" people.....try this website: http://patboldtdolls.com/

Shani Nelson

Scale: Since I work quite a bit at scales approaching O, HO, and N model railroad gages, I am confused when someone asks for "quarter scale or HO" sized people.

When building objects for each gauge, I use these closest fractional scales: 1/4"=1' for O, 1/8"=1' for HO, and 1/16" = 1' for N. They are not exact (i.e. HO is 1/87 and 1/8"=1' is 1/96) but close enough that the difference is not noted when put into a layout.

The advice given was accurate, however. People of each of these scales/gages are available at any railroad model oriented hobby shop. I have purchased many at each scale and used them in my architectural models. I will guarantee that if you put "quarter scale" people in an HO layout, they will never fit thru the doors. ( A common problem with those neat village setups sold in Hallmark shops)

Dave

Viscose: I have 25 colors, and it's especially perfect for wigging miniature dolls, making wigs to go on stands, or some people use it for hair on mini pets. Anyone can email me their home address and I'll send them my price/color list.

Paulette Stinson

Painting Resin Dolls: I use standard acrylic paint such as Ceramcoat or Apple Barrel brands. You can also use fabric do to your dolls clothing changes. Cut small pieces of desired fabric the approximate shape of area to be covered. Brush area with Designer Extra Thick Tacky glue. Press fabric over and into the clothing area to be covered. Be sure to turn edges of fabric slightly under as you glue down for a neat look. Let dry overnight [24-36 hours]. Trim with a very new sharp X-Acto blade or a very fine sharp pair of sewing scissors. (Have seen these dolls at shows sell for 2-4 times the original price of plain resin doll. It takes a little work but it is worth the effort. Could even do the wigging if into doing wigging.)

Patricia / Redwood City, CA

Clothing: Oh... it's so easy! "Dolls and Miniatures" magazine has an issue that tells you how to make the dress, cape and hat. Please see my web page if you are interested: http://www.dollsminiatures.bigstep.com As to assembling the pieces.... easy! easy! easy! I'll try to explain here: I'm assuming that your doll has holes at the shoulders and that the torso is hollow (but porcelain to the waist or hips). Push a good quality pipe cleaner wire through the shoulder holes. Then push the ends of the wires into the hollow arms. The arms from shoulder to fingertip should measure approx. 2" each arm. Keep cutting the wire until you reach that measurement. Then glue the wires inside the arms. Now it's time to do the legs: Bend a pipe cleaner in half. That gives you two protruding wires (one for each leg). The bent portion fits inside the hollow torso. You'll see that the wire is too thin and will fall right out... so.... wrap strips of nylon stocking, cotton (or whatever) around the bent portion of the wire until it fits snugly inside the hollow torso. Then glue it inside. Now bend out the "leg wires" across the doll's hips and glue down. If she does not have porcelain hips, you will need to shape the remainder of her body by bending the wire. In other words, (I assume she is porcelain to the waist) so you will NOT need to shape a waist with the wire... but if she does not have porcelain hips, you will have to bend out both ends of the wire to shape the hips... then bend the remainder of the wire DOWN so those two pieces can be used for the legs. Slip the legs over the wires and measure. The doll should be approx. 5-1/2" tall. Cut the wire until you've reached that measurement; then glue the wire inside the legs. Dry over night. Then wrap strips of quilting filler, nylon stocking (anything that stretches) round and round the bare wires to "fatten them up" a bit. Be careful to not over-wrap unless you want a fat witch. After having done that, your doll is ready to dress.

Viola Williams

Dolls in the ER: Sorry to hear about your dolls falling apart! There are several things you can try. The people who "bash Barbies" (I think they prefer to call themselves "fashion doll customizers") use Bondo sometimes (mixed with acrylic paint to match the skin color), and I have also read where they use equal parts Liquitex Modeling Paste and Liquitex Acrylic Gel Medium, mixed with acrylic paint to repair or re-work a body part. And Renee Coughlan, who makes these gorgeous Barbie centaurs (believe it!) attaches the doll torso to the horse body with PaperClay.

There is also a group of people out there who make and/or paint models mostly of monsters, and of scantily-clad women on steroids, who use Milliput or Magic Sculp to smooth over repairs or seams. As for where you get this stuff - I believe Bondo is used in auto body repair (guys, am I right, or wrong) so I guess you would be going to the auto parts store. Liquitex products are available at any arts & crafts store; the same with the PaperClay. I saw Milliput at Michaels just the other day. Magic Sculp has a web-site (magicsculp.com) but I have not seen it anywhere else. I hope this helps, and the dolls get well soon.

Deena in Miami

Dressing Dolls: It's not often that 1" scale dolls are dressed using the same kind of patterns that we use for real people. For example, it would be impossible to make those tiny facings without way too much bulk. Also, I think the facings would eventually just rip away because the seams need to be sewn so close to the end of the pattern. There are lots of different tricks to dressing small dolls, each one making the job much easier than trying to do it the way you'd sew for yourself. You might want to visit http://www.lollyinc.bigstep.com/ - Lolly's Lilliputians - because she sells pattern booklets for 1" scale dolls. Or visit my web page http://www.dollsminiatures.bigstep.com and check out "Dolls and Miniatures" because that also contains lots of patterns for mostly 1" scale dolls (some smaller scales also). If you click on the various issues listed, it will tell you what issues are still available for sale, and what patterns they include.

Viola Williams

Re-sizing Patterns: You should be able to just shrink the Barbie patterns by 50% to make them fit a regular dollhouse doll. You may need to make some minor adjustments for the length from the neck to the waist, as Barbie's head is large in proportion to her body. (You can only expect a swelled head from somebody who puts her name on everything, including her dishes, right?) Probably have to fiddle with the bust line, too. I'd shrink them on an office copier, then cut from paper towels before I went into my good fabric.

Dani

Victorian Clothes Patterns: In regards to Victorian patterns. Gina also carries Stacy Hofman's patterns for a Victorian Ball gown, A Mid Victorian dinner dress, An Edwardian dress, and a Southern Belle. Also, House of Caron carries some nice patterns too, by Janelle Kuhl of Kuhl Creations, and Emmanjay!

www.houseofcaron.com

Laurie Sisson

lenses for eyeglasses: I've found that you can use PVA glue for eyeglasses! It goes on white, but it dries clear, and it's gungy enough to cover the little apertures. I've also made Tiffany lampshades with PVA glue. You use one of those filigree domes they use for egg craft as a base, colour the PVA with dye from a felt tip pen, or better still, coloured inks or glass paint. Work from the back with a cocktail stick and you can 'colour in' the little gaps in the filigree with the gungy stuff. It works a treat, and looks very intricate. Most of these egg crafting domes come in bright silver and gold, so you might like to paint them before you start to a suitable black or dark grey.

Lynne Connolly

Turn of the Century Immigration Costuming: Lorrie asked about costuming immigrant dolls and what an inspector of immigrants might look like. Years ago I made dolls to portray a scene from Ellis Island. It would have been around the turn of the century, and the immigrants were all fairly poor. The women all had long skirts, with shawls and scarves around their heads. The men wore suits or jackets of some kind. The children would be wearing something similar to what other children were wearing at that time - a little boy I did had on knickers with a shirt, jacket and hat. The little girls had dresses with pinafores over the top - everyone wore high top boots. There are a lot of pictures out there of groups of immigrants passing through Ellis Island. Go to www.Google.com and enter Immigrants Ellis Island and see what you find.

About the inspector: I'd put him in a tweed suit, or he might very well have been a Dr. because they were all subjected to some kinds of physical exams. In that case, he could be wearing pants with a shirt and vest, with armbands. He might be wearing glasses and would have a clipboard in his hand. In my family, we have the original certificate from Immigrations on Ellis Island listing my great grandfather and his family who had just come over from Czechoslovakia. My grandmother is listed as an infant. (I was told she was born on the ship on the way over) So you should definitely do a mother with a baby in her arms. Have fun.

Paulette in IN

Immigration Inspector: I believe they wore navy or black uniforms.   I think a search on the Ellis Island web page, would show some pictures.

Annie

Ellis Island Inspectors:  here's a web page on Ellis Island inspections (I'm guessing the rest of the site might be interesting, too):   http://www.ellisisland.com/inspection.htmlIt describes the inspectors as "wearing starched collars and heavy serge jackets"

Lee

Dolls: Anyone else who makes or collects miniature dolls might be interested in my newsletter: check out my web site for info: http://www.daintydoll.bigstep.com

Paulette Stinson

Brushes: The brush I use to paint my dolls is 10/0 and I love it. I get them from House of Caron House of Jackie@HouseofCaron.com She sells various sizes and I've been pleased with all that I've purchased from her.

Viola