Dolls by Annie: These may be out of your price range but it is worth looking at. She does the best I have ever see. Note the hands and faces.

Also something to ask when you buy figures...will the faces rub off? If you are buying porcelain, more and more are going to acrylic paints which are NOT fired on and will rub off.

If you are looking for less expensive dolls, Bonnie Justice does some wonderful children in polymer clay. I do NOT buy anything but porcelain and from the best artists. I DID buy a little girl from Bonnie and she is wonderful! (That is something I swore I would never buy - polymer clay people)

Anita McNary-Haynes

Plastic figures: Sometimes a project will determine the size of the figures that go into it.

Example; A chair is a standard size so the figure or doll must be in scale to the chair. Then there is the situation where the figure controls the size of the project. My case in point. I intend to make a mining room box (vignette). With that in mind, I purchased, at the local dollar store, a packet of soldiers made from plastic. Fifty-three (53) little plastic soldiers about 2 1/2 " high for the cost of $1.00.

- What I found out!

I can repose the figures by placing them in boiling or near boiling water for about 1 to 2 minutes and then remove them and reposition the arm or head or legs the way I want them. With a razor I remove the canteen and back packs and hang grenades etc.

I found that putting acrylic paint only had the paint slide all over the place when I attempted to paint the gray figures in any way:

- What I found out!

I sprayed a figure with my wife's (not mine) hair spray and let that dry. Then I was able to place pupils in the eyes with a 10/0 brush and a 5x magnifier. No running or puddling of the paint. If this is old stuff to some forgive my joy at solving a local problem (local=my work bench).

Dr. Bob

Angel Wings: These will look a bit scruffy after 7-10 years because they are not made with conservation materials but will get you out of an immediate jam.

Buy a white feather-winged dove at your local craft store, JoAnn's, etc. Pick up a few extras to use for wreath and tree decorations as well. First cut off the legs (the leg wire is joined to the wing). Carefully insert small sharp scissors at the base of a wing and cut around it being careful not to cut the wires. Gently remove the wing. Trim off the bigger leg wire but leave the smaller wire that goes into the wing proper to use to secure the wing to your angel. Repeat on second wing. If your angel has a plastic or composition body, drill a hole for the wires. (A diamond drill is necessary if it is porcelain and can be tricky so not advised.) The wires can usually be poked into a soft body. Use strong glue and the small wing wires to attach the wings to your angel. You can dry brush the wings with gold paste if an antique effect is desired. Angled correctly, these wings will look very similar to the ones on the 18th-century Neapolitan angels on the Metropolitan Museum (NYC) annual holiday tree/display. If you neaten up the holes where you cut the wings off the dove, you can build a 144th scene inside, using paper wings as "doors".

Sammy Smith

Making 1:12 scale dolls: I'd also like to invite anyone who's interested in making polymer dolls to view "A Doll is Born". In it, I detail the steps I take when creating one of my 1:12 scale art dolls. People have asked me for tips and if this can be of help to anyone, I'll be delighted.

Diana in Canada

When I first started making dolls about 3 months ago, I would spend hours sculpting the head and then make a mould of it, but I soon wanted all my dolls to be different. Now I first make a skull with a nose and eye socket and then bake it. This gives me a much better surface to work on and the nose doesn't get squashed all the time. I also bake 2 tiny eyes in white clay at the same time. When the head is cool, I cover the head with a thin layer of clay and build up the eyes with the pre-baked ones. Doing it this way means I can alter the expression without having to redo the whole head.

Pamela in Wales

1/2"Doll Molds...House of Caron has a good number of 1/2" scale molds including a tiny baby (boy is that a challenge!)-all from different doll artists, and Doreen Sinnett has a beautiful 2 1/2" fairy called Fairy Faye that makes a wonderful lady. Some of the doll's dolls also make good children (I think Janna Joseph has a couple of these). I personally didn't mind doing the dolls but the dressing of them is quite a challenge now that age is creeping up on me. These are the only sources I know of so if anyone else knows of 1/2"molds available please post.

Ana

1/4" Mice and Rabbits: I don't remember who was looking for mice, but I carry 1/4" scale mice and rabbits that are perfect for fantasy settings or 1/4" scale houses. Approximately the same size as quarter scale people, one holding a baby, one serving wench mouse, a mouse on a scooter, etc. Contact me privately if you want pictures shaunpf@centramedia.net. I also updated my web page http://purefantasy.centramedia.com

Shaun Crawford

Small Horses: Hearth Song Toys in California have flocked animals that are smaller than 1/12 scale. I believe they are made in Europe. The horses are charming. http://www.hearthsong.com/

They also have some realistic looking plastic ones (you could flock them yourself) that are 3 to 5 inches tall.

Anne Gerdes

Dressing a Pregnant Lady: Your pregnant doll sounds like fun, but it is hard to get fabric to drape naturally, that's how I felt when I was pregnant. You can buy fine knitting needles from most mini shops and use woolly nylon sold for sergers to knit with. You can make your own needles from very fine piano wire available sometimes in model hobby shops and sand down the points on a sharpening stone. A dress with knit fabric would enhance your doll's shape and if it contains cotton and spandex it doesn't fray as much. Colored pantyhose can be used for nice delicate dresses. You can use the tops and the legs, the waist bands can also be used for baby booties-the inside looks like crochet sometimes.

Jean

Bows: Joy's site has the bow making instructions with pictures. http://swallowhilldolls.com/bowmaker.htm

Karolyn (Plymouth Ma)

Apple Head Dolls: Peel a small, firm apple (they shrink to about 1/4 their orig. size)and carve a rough face--depressions for eyes, cheekbones so you can see a nose ridge--the bigger and hooked the better--a mouth slit--early dolls had seed beads placed for teeth, and larger ones for eyes; ear ridges, and a mild chin and jaw line leading to a neck. Impale the apple on a stick and stand in rigid foam or somewhere to dry--takes about 6-10 weeks, depending on the humidity and temp (inside with dry heat, maybe sooner). They will turn leathery and oxidize to a golden brown color. When dried thoroughly, seal with acrylic sealer and tint the face and features. If you don't seal, they may reabsorb moisture like dried fruit; if you seal too soon, they may mold. Simple, and really expressive. I guess you could dry in silica gel.

Christmas Carol

Apple Head Dolls: I just want to add to Christmas Carol's instructions for making apple head dolls. Do not let the apple touch anything during the drying period. If it leans against a wall or anything, that spot will rot instead of drying. The apple has to be completely surrounded by air. I hang mine upside down but sticking it in a container would work just as well as long as nothing touches the apple until it is completely dried.

Mary Lou in Portage, IN

History of Shoes: I found this wonderful site with the history of shoes in the 20th century, decade by decade, starting at 1900.

There is a great animated presentation for an intro, and then lots of good info and pictures (including some clothing/hair fashions inside. They also cover pre-1900 a bit. I thought this could be useful for doll makers on the list.

Anne Gerdes

Apple Head Dolls: I, too, have made apple head dolls and the only thing I did differently than Carol's directions is, after carving the features of the doll, I dipped the whole head in lemon juice, then I set it to dry. The lemon juice helps limit the darkening of the apple. I made eyes from blue and white plastic crystals I melted together in my oven and inserted when the doll was about half dry. While the heads were drying, I occasionally poked and pinched them to help the features take shape. When fully dry, I sprayed the heads many times with a matte sealer to keep them from absorbing moisture. I made a bird seller and a chestnut vendor. I have seen an article (maybe in an old Nutshell News) about two ladies in England who made wonderful dollhouse size apple head dolls. I guess you could make smaller heads from those small "Lady apples" that are sometimes in the grocery store, or from crab apples.

Darlene Focazio

Those of us who want to make dolls but don't have a kiln: While answering an email message for a request for my book, I decided to click on a link at the bottom of the message, in fact, this link: Konittajo's Playhouse:

http://www.geocities.com/~konittajo

I started out in the dolls section and saw what she had written about the compound she uses for her dolls, and went to my trusty search engine Copernic to try and find out more. I found the home page for some stuff called LI-QUA-CH=C9 by Activa. So looking around the site I learned more. You do not need a kiln and can use normal molds for making porcelain-look dolls. I would love to make my own dolls, but being an apartment dweller I have a severe case of no space, no money, etc. I plan to try some of this out sometime this spring. I can hardly wait! The compound's description says that it looks and feels like porcelain and can be painted with any non-fire required paint. If you want to learn more, go to this link;  http://www.activaproducts.com/index.html

I was just so excited about this that I thought I should share the info!

Sue Darby

Apple Head Dolls: Here is how I have made apple head dolls in the oven and they have turned out great. Thought maybe some of the others might want to know how. Here's what you will need to make two doll heads and hands: 3 Golden Delicious apples, apple peeler of course, lemon juice and a sharp knife. Gently peel apple completely. Dip apple in lemon juice to prevent discoloration. Lightly mark a triangle in the center of apple using point of knife- this will be the nose. Slice away bits of apple from around the sides and bottom of the nose to make it protrude.Make a cut 1/2 inch beneath nose for mouth, and cut out 2 wedges for eyes. Cut light lines in forehead for wrinkles if you wish. Dip apple in lemon juice again. Dry apples either by hanging them in a warm place for 3 weeks or by setting oven on "warm" and leaving apples inside with door ajar for 24 hours. For hands, dry 2 apple slices in oven 1 hour; cut hands to shape with scissors.

Peaches from Daytona Beach

Non-fired dolls: Sue Darby mentions a non-fired product that can be used to make dolls called LI-QUA-CH=C9 by Activa. I went to the site and after reading the description, I would have to say that if you use standard plaster doll molds with this product, the dolls may not be true to scale. That is because when you pour the molds with porcelain slip and fire them, the dolls turn out about 20% smaller then the molds. Firing causes shrinkage in the porcelain and the molds are made larger to compensate for this. I did not see any mention of shrinkage in the description of the non-firing product. Without shrinkage, these dolls would be too big for 1" scale.

Darlene from L.I.

Drafting for Mini Dolls: I've been very quiet but busy writing a section of my book on pattern drafting for miniature dolls and now what I call my Crash Course is ready and it's FREE. Simply send me a private e-mail to tigress134@home.com with Crash Course in the subject and I'll e-mail you a copy. I have to warn you that it is a little over a meg in size as it has lots of diagrams. It is a Word 97 file format but I can save it in other formats by request- just let me know what you have and what you'd like. It's a section on drafting patterns for a child doll and yes, it does work very well in miniature! My 13 year old sister is my primary tester and has successfully worked through it so it's very simple to understand. Anyone can do it! I plan to have the full book out by June this year which will include men, women, children & babies along with style changes for each. I will even have a section of things like oddball ideas for what to use for underpinnings like corset boning and hoop skirts! As of yet I haven't set a price since I'm still in the process of writing it. I do have a small waiting list already started so e-mail me if you'd like to be on the waiting list for one of the FIRST autographed copies as it will be an actual book (home published unless the thing takes off on me and I can't keep up :-) I will keep all my groups and lists posted about how it's coming along and definitely post when it is ready for first shipments!

Sue

Using Liqua-che: I have been using it for about 3 years and I like it. I have a new jug, which is supposed to be even better, that I haven't used yet. I have done vases galore, along with some dolls. This I know from trial and error. Thin to 50-50 with distilled water. Can't say that enough!!!! It does not shrink as much as 20%, but it does shrink. I love the way it feels in your hand and it is very, very durable. I am by no means good at this, but I will be glad to offer what I do know.

Melinda in Dexter

Wigging: MindStorm has several videos, including wigging. Perhaps you could rent them to your customers for a nominal fee. Or offer them for sale because he does have a quantity-price I believe. His email is:burt@mindstorm-inc.com

Viola Williams