Hoop skirts: Couldn't you use a paper funnel? You might want to cut it to make it the right size or could make your own and use it as a pattern using stiff cardboard paper or construction paper. If it is under a skirt no one would notice anyway.

Jennifer

1/144 Dolls: There are N scale people in shops that sell trains. Perhaps some figures could be adapted for your use.

Maria

Model Magic Faces: you can transfer water-soluble inks to model magic clay when the clay is wet. I printed out a face the size I wanted it for a finished doll, then pressed a ball of fresh model magic against the print. When I peeled off the paper, the ink had transferred to the clay. I let it dry for a while, then sculpted (poked and prodded) a few details. I used a scan of a black and white photo, then used a wash of watered-down flesh-tone acrylic paint on the face when the clay was dry. Quick and easy way to do portrait dolls! (I've got an Epson Stylus printer, other water-based inks should work similarly)

Lee

Hoop petticoat: Doll Crafter magazine recently(March or April 2000) had a pattern for a 14" doll (I think... don't have the mag anymore) that used white twist ties for the wire. It would be easy to reduce the pattern on a copy machine. Your library should have a copy of the magazine.

Sammy (I'm a girl) Smith

Dolls: It seems I gave the wrong information when I said Viola Williams and her partner had the rubber dollies and the animals. Viola contacted me with the correct information. It is: Lolly's Lilliputians who has a new address: PO Box 1767, Costa Mesa, CA 92628-1767. Her email address is Lolly@aol.com http://members.aol.com/lollyinc/index.htm

Dorothy

Maureen Carlson's Book: Maureen Carlson's books are available at Amazon.com. Just do an author search. The title of the one I have is "How to Make Clay Characters".

Anne

Rayon & Testing Fabrics - Embroidery threads/fabrics labeled "Art Silk" are rayon (Art meaning Artificial not artistic use). Rayon is possibly the only man made fibre I'd use in miniatures because unlike most man made fibres it will hold a crease and a soft drape. The test I use for fabric is to scrutch the fabric up in my hand breathe into my hand, crunch my fist tight and hold for 10 seconds - release the fabric and if it doesn't hold the creases don't use it.

Sandra

Hoop petticoat: Could the twist wires from a loaf of bread be used for the boning needed for a hoop petticoat? I know it comes with paper covering, or (more likely) plastic.It's available in a few different colors. Our local "dollar store " had a reel of it in green and you can cut off as much as you need at the time. Or maybe the nylon "horsehair braid" used in bridal gowns and such would be what you need.

Joanne

Working Doll Stand - Glue a 35mm film cannister (preferably clear) onto the centre of an unwanted CD (shinier, unprinted side up). If these haven't been coming in your mail, pick up a weekly free computer newspaper or magazine (at software/hardware stores); they often have a software CD included. This makes a very shiny base and reflects the laces and such, but of course, it's only appropriate for long skirted females. However, even if your doll is short-shirted (or panted) it's still a very stable stand to keep the doll steady while you're dressing it or organizing the hair or jewelry, etc.

Susan

Dressing Tiny Dolls: Old rayon seam binding is great for dressing a tiny doll for your dollhouse child. Use the selvage as the bottom of the skirt so no hem is needed. Glue back skirt seam. Gather at the waist and glue to the doll. Bond a piece of the seam binding to light interfacing and cut your bodice front and back. Glue to doll. Make sleeves with selvage as cuff. I glue the sleeve into a tapered tube shape over a paint brush handle, leaving the cuff unglued so the sleeve fits over the hand. Then remove from handle, slide onto arm, glue cuff tight and tuck in the excess at the top to make a pouf. Glue in place at shoulder. Add trims such as lace and ribbon roses. I often find old rayon seam binding at garage sales and find it is a good substitute for silk for small projects.

Darlene on Long Island

Hoop skirts: I remember reading that someone made hoop skirts using slices cut from those 1/2-inch-wide packing strips that are used to secure really heavy boxes. I'm not very good at describing them, but they're stiff, flexible, often secured on the ends by either heat or some sort of device, nearly impossible to remove from the box except with a knife or scissors, and very tempting to save. They snap like a whip in the hands of children too!. I saved a few (somewhere) just in case the mood overtook me to try out the technique (hoops not whips).

Lynn O'Shaughnessy

Hoops: You might try making a hoop for a skirt out of the plastic insert in an olive jar.

AnaMae

Hoop petticoat: I have seen wire in the beading department of craft stores called memory wire. It is fairly stiff wire and designed to keep its circular shape for use in bracelets, chokers, rings, etc. I believe it comes in different "diameters" (not thickness of the wire itself) and maybe there is a size that would work for your hoops.

Chris

Hoop Skirts: The hooped petticoats I wore in the 60's had a type of wire running around in a circle every so often up the petticoat. Perhaps fuse wire would work? One of the thicker thinner ones - now there's a back-to-front statement for you - from a Kiwi Aussie (a New Zealander living in Australia for those living elsewhere).

Jan Matthews

Polymer Molds: I took my one and only mannequin and a piece of prepared clay and pressed the mannequin into the square of clay which I had powdered the top of. I pushed it 1/2 way in, let the clay rest for a couple of minutes then carefully pulled the two pieces apart. I then repeated the process using the back side down in the clay. This gave me two sides which I baked, let cool and sanded the top down smooth on each piece until they fit together reasonably well(they were not perfect but very close.) Then I could powder the halves down and place my clay into one and press the other down on top. Let rest for a few minutes and remove from mold. Bake and then sand the small imperfections off. Now I have all the dress forms that I need. They are, of course, not quite as nice as those professionally made but they are not bad looking dressed

Dottie (Florida)

What is the difference between bisque, pottery, china, porcelain? The terms "ceramics" or "pottery" signify things made from fired clay. All fired clays are ceramics or pottery, but not all ceramics or pottery are porcelain.

The thing that determines what is porcelain and what is not is the type of clay that is used in making it. The clay that is used to make porcelain allows for extremely high temperature firing leading to a hard, durable form of ceramic ware. When made into something thin, like a teacup, it is translucent. To be strictly correct, only glazed porcelain should be called "china" but today the word is more generally used to mean any shiny glazed ware.

Unglazed fired porcelain is called bisque.

Most pottery is made from clay fired at lower temperatures and often only fired once, whereas porcelain is fired very hot (about 2300 degrees) and, if decorated and glazed, it is fired multiple times. For example, Delft is pottery that is made from a type of clay that is fired at a lower temperature than porcelain. It is glazed with particular tin based glazes and fired. Likewise, Majolica is pottery, not porcelain. The clay, patterns, colors and glazes used to make it distinguish it. If you study pottery you'll find that true porcelain manufacture is comparatively rare because it is time consuming and costly to produce. Think of Meissen, Sevres, Belleek and Lenox as examples of porcelain. These things are light but strong and resist chipping, pottery tends to be much heavier and more likely to chip.

Wedgwood (one e only in the spelling of the real Wedgwood) is not bisque porcelain , it is unglazed pottery. Though often referred to as china or porcelain, a quick check of any book about ceramic wares will verify that it is not. Josiah Wedgwood who founded the company called his product "Jasperware", but that is just a trade name for his pottery. Though his factory did make some porcelain as well, it is his Jasperware pottery that made him famous.

Porcelain dolls require multiple firings and lots of preparation before they are ready to be assembled and dressed. A high firing kiln is required for the making of porcelain, and that is a rather large expense for any potential doll maker. I think the results though, make it worthwhile, since nothing else has the inner glow and delicacy of true bisque porcelain. Besides, when you open the kiln and see all those "little people" you feel positively god-like!

Darlene Focazio

Cernit Clay: Wenzel Minis sells cernit on their website at http://www.cernit.com/cernfram.htm They have 2.3 oz bars for $1.80 plus shipping. Looks like they've got lots of colors available, including the Glamour and Neon colors. They also sell larger blocks of the doll making colors. The site also has some tips for using Cernit and an artist's showcase.

Tere Perry

Cernit Polymer Clay: I can tell you that they have the most realistic flesh color but it's very soft and translucent. I've been trying my hand at 1/4" scale dolls and the color is perfect but I have warm hands and I have to keep sitting it aside to cool off and harden a bit so it will keep it's shape.

Gail Dillards

Grip Glue: l met this lovely lady who made and dressed dolls at the last show l was at .And she told me she loved working with it for material and for wigging dolls....She said it didn’t bleed through even on silk materials.

Cindy from Mi

Doll Hair Glue: I prefer Aileens Tacky, or Velverette.

Viola Williams