Another Makeover for March!

What fun I have had makeing over these dolls!

I had no idea what to do with them to make them work better than they were. 

Then someone gave me a bag of scraps - and inspiration flowed!  Steampunk them!  This one is wearing improbable clothing!  More like a collage!  Now she's an art Doll!

The originals were unsatisfying, in that their heads wobbled and thy were not very stable, so off went the heads and stripped off their outer clothing, undid the body and unstuffed,  Made a better base and weighted it with lead sinkers!  Restuffed and redressed!

I kept the glasses, gave her different hair - white streaked down the back.

 added leather and lace, a top hat.  

And a wire brace up her back  - to support her neck!  Now she's very stable and very funky!

Doll makeover, restoration - kind of!

Remember this doll I was repairing?  Never having done anything like it before, and only the head to work with, I began.  I sent away for an air brush & compressor kit, which got lost in the post and had to get a new one sent out!  Then had to earn how to use it, how to mix the paint - I used acrylic because that's all I had - and keep it from clogging up the nozzle - used pantihose to strain it!  Utube for some quick lessons!

All over skin colour to develop a base. The original was quite dark, but my paint colour made it look deathly!  Didn't get pics of that!  LOL!  Then sometime after midnight and several additions of most of my tube of white, it came right!  I was matching it to the velour colour.  Still not perfect.  A million coats of spray - if you can't get the right colour!  I used a hair dryer alternately with the airbrush, as each layer needed to be dry to check the colour.

The hair ended up being lighter than the original because I had such a limited pallet.  I mucked up the front, but decided it would just have to do rather than fiddle with it and make it worse - it's not a competition and is the reason I make cloth dolls!  I also mucked up the lip shape - probably used the wrong brush!  I was pleased with the colour though.

The eyes!  Oh the eyes!  Tricky and time consuming and not for the faint-hearted! Undercoat of  white to cover the original, then they got stuck and had to release them!  These eyes looked so stary, and it took a lot of thinking and study to get them right.  (Cloth dolls are so much easier!)  Eventually, I worked out that I needed to darken the eyes and make the pupils larger.  The iris had to cover most of the eye, as it was in the original, to make it look effective.

Then I made the dress, with little knickers, socks to match the dress and shoes.  I had to make a last of clay to make good shoes.  Not perfect, but better than nothing.

I used Kezi Mathews Toddler Doll pattern for the body.  It was just the right size and and a perfect shape!

I am relatively pleased with the way she turned out and I just hope her owner will not mind that she has changed colour, as all she possessed of this doll was the broken head,left over from her childhood nearly 70 years ago!  She wanted to pass something on to her granddaughter.  I hope I have created something she will be happy with.

So far, so good!  this will give you an idea of the size of this Manniquin.  I'm quite pleased with the arms - thank goodness for lycra gloves!  I think she's ready to go to The Oamaru Textile Exchange now, to be dressed!  I'll have to dismantle the top from the base, to get it in my car, so that will be a mission!  At least a seat belt will hold her up!  I have no idea what she will be dressed in yet.  The women at TOTE will help me design something.  I think it will include some painted cloth and some wool!  Not sure about the hair yet either, but time will tell.

So tall I had to lay it down to put the face on!  Used a two way stretch, but if I did this again, I would make a two piece face, so the nose would protrude better.  As it is, it's not too bad, but the profile is a little flat.

Dramatic eyebrows and lashes of fur!  Got a wig too, but not sure yet how I will do her hair.Can't do much about the wrinkles under her chin, but upright, it's hardly noticable.  Talk about irregular features!

Looking so self possessed now but she won't be wearing that hat!  She's got one arm (so far) that can be posed.  I made a joint in the elbow so it can easily be bent into any position, which will be good for dressing too!  She's wearing long black gloves and my mothers old corset!  I'm just amazed how well she is coming together!  She's nearly ready for a name!  Any ideas?

 I'm making a BIG Doll!  I have an opportunity to make a figure for Spring season.  This is the old Dressmakers dummy and I am giving it 'bones' and fleshing it out.

 Lots of padding............

 Now a Toile..........

 A fitting..........

 Back view......

She's a buxom lass - 44 - 30 - 44!  She's got a bra on under there to give her a more definitive shape. Not bad eh?  Can you see the face waiting in the background?  I didn't use it in the end. This will be a Victorian woman, possibly Steam Punk.  It's for The Oamaru Textile Exchange - an entrance eyecatcher!  Hope it all works!

I have given this porcelain doll a modern makeover!  She was one of those dolls that flooded the market and then gathered dust and was neglected!

This one has been completely dismantled, unstuffed, rewired, had eyes replaced, face painted, hair cut & restyled. Her body has been relpaced with new cloth, restuffed and embellished.

Now she looks lovely and is just waiting to be collected and enjoyed!