Not Orphans

We all have a few pop culture references that are so specific that we rarely say them out loud, knowing that they will fall on ears that don’t get them, yet so persistent that they haunt us time after time.

One of mine, and I think it too often, is:

Jerry: I was under the impression that you could win prizes or money. Not orphaned children.

It’s from the Mind Match skit from The State, a sketch comedy show that ran three seasons on MTV. The concept of the bit is that two games show contestants find themselves winning orphans they DO NOT WANT and start attempting, without much luck, to throw the quiz and stick the other person with the lonely souls.

Susan : Um, I have a very small apartment. I don’t know what I would do with four foster children.

Host: Well, figure it out because you’re their legal guardian and it’s time for Round 2, where the orphan points double.

What cemented this skit in my mind was the two years I worked in an independent video store in my hometown. A store so amazing that in 2018 it still exists. We had free range over what we showed/watched while working only limited by what others on staff could not stand to see again and decency (at certain hours decency not included) And we had a VHS compilation of The State ( The State and Stickers*…*stickers not included) which we often popped in.

Susan: I didn’t say anything. I mean, I didn’t answer. You must’ve-

Host: A smart move. A wrong answer could have cost you the lead. (Bell) Hey, that bell means it’s time for our Double Dare question! Jerry, how many of your orphans are you willing to wager?

Jerry: All- all of them.

Host: Hey, it looks like Jerry is looking to double his orphans. Susan, how many will you bet?

Susan: Well, uh, all of them.

And as much as The State is a beloved cult classic for for ages it wasn’t released in full only video or DVD because, as an MTV show, it used a lot of modern pop music they then couldn’t get the rights for….and the music/MTV combo meant that clips released to You Tube were cracked down on…and Mind Match never had the pop culture reach of, say, “240$ worth of pudding did.

So I don’t often say “I was under the impression that you could win prizes or money. Not orphaned children. “ but if the topic of orphans or gameshows or even winning comes up…I’m thinking it.

So when I opened up Dolly*Dolly Vol 20 and met Little Miss No Name.

There it was.

An Orphan. That quote.

In 1965 Hasbro asked itself, “What do little girls want?”…and perhaps knowing it wasn’t up for doing battle with Mattel’s fashion warrior Barbie and her additional purchases kingdom…answered “Orphan. Little girls want an Orphan to take care of.”

And they made an orphan. Nothing fancy or aspirational like Little Orphan Annie promisingyou’ll be scoped up and taken to bigger and better things. Not. A Keene-esque sad-eyed orphan among orphans. Fake dirt on her cheeks. No shoes. A patched burlap dress. A TEAR DROP. Her hand outstretched….for something. Anything.

Her box read, “ I need someone to love me. I am so tired and cold. please take me home with you and I will be yours to hold. I want someone to love me, I want to learn to play, please take me home with you and brush my tear away.”

And she was called Little Miss No Name.

From Dolly*Dolly Vol 20, pg23-24

My rough translations of….

Model: Little Miss No Name

Text: momiji

Where is love?

Where is that person?

So, this world

We can see photons and phonons, right?

Shouldn’t we be able to hear where we’ll meet this person?

The sounds of wheels on London pavement.

The permeating ether of 1,000,000,000 years connects us.

I’ve spent my time the leader of loneliness and silence.

The wandering Oliver whispered in my ear

Have you found eternity?

The world I can see from my window, is this all there is?

Yes, really. This must be all that’s been created.

To make sure, I’ll slip away tonight.

愛はどこにあるの？

あの人はどこにるの？

この世界はね

フォトンとフォノンでできてるの

ほら見えるでしょ？

あの人と出会った場所

ほら聴こえるでしょ？

倫敦の石畳のあに車輪の音

充満したエーテルが繋ぐ十億年

孤独と静寂の支配者は去ったよ

彷徨うオリバーは耳打ちしたの

永遠はみつかった？

窓から見える世界は全て真実？

ううん本当はねきっと全部造りものなの

それを確かめる為に私、今夜抜け出したのよ

BDJ, craft, Doll, japanese, pullip, Uncategorized

SD Jargon & Closet Freak Doll Trunk

Doll magazines have a lot of jargon that I’m just starting to grasp. Dolly*Dolly magazines have a lot of clothing patterns for dolls but they usually refer to the specific doll it was designed for…which means I’m trying to learn about other doll bodies to know what will work on my dolls.

One of the doll trunks featured in Dolly*Dolly Vol 4. also has sewing patterns for the dolls shown MiniSD…so I needed to figure out some VOLKS jargon. I promise pictures of a doll trunk follow.

Volks, Inc. is a Japan-based corporation that produces Dollfie, Super Dollfie and Dolfie Dream dolls as well as resin kits and mecha model kits.
Dollfie is one of the brand of vinyl dolls Volks Inc makes. Dollfie is the 1/6 playscale version of Volks dolls which makes them similar in body size to Pullips and Dals or Barbies. They’re generally 23–29 cm (9–11.5 in). Dollfies are intended to to be customized, generally coming with unpainted/unfinished heads for owners or artist to paint themselves.
Super Dollfie (or SD): Are also made by Volks but are a brand of ball-jointed doll (BJD) which means their limbs and points of articulation have ball joints and are all strung together inside the body with thick elastic cord. SD are made of polyurethane resin, a dense plastic with a porcelain-like finish. From this point on all the dolls I’m talking about here will be of that sort of construction (not vinyl like basic Dolfies)   These dolls are much taller than basic Dollfies and seem to come in different sizes: SD10 are 55 cm tall (almost 22”) and SD13 girls are 57 cm (about 22.5”) and the boys 60 cm (about 23.5”) tall. SD dolls are presented at a price-point that makes them targeted at adult collectors. They are dolls designed to be easily customizable (as Volks also makes wigs, eyeballs, optional hands, different chest dimentions and other body parts that can be swapped in and out). They are generally (like Pullip/Groove dolls) sold with various face designs but those can easily be removed and repainted. The doll resin can also be carved and sanded.
Mini Super Dollfie (or MiniSD or MSD) has more child-like bodies and stand about 42 cm (16.5”) tall.
Yo-SD Are even younger looking than MSD dolls. They stand 26.5 cm (10.5”) in height.

ONTO THE PICTURES!

Disclaimer: I am also not a translator. I’m doing this for my Japanese practice but my Japanese translation style is more “getting the jist of it” than it is “accurate”… so if you have feedback please present it with kindness. I want to learn more but I don’t wish to be scared off.

Me and Her: Traveling Doll.
MINI SD * Closet Freak
In this villa she and I can spend our days off, it is my favourite trunk to travel in. It’s crammed full of dresses I love.

small text at bottom

The doll used in this article is one-of-a-kind custom made SD (Super Dollfie) by Closet Freak. For information about the MiniSD head and “Sakura” body used for the base of the doll, please contact Volks. Super Dollfie is a registered trademark of VOLKS inc. all rights reserved.

Original Japanese

私と彼女と旅するドール
MINI SD * Closet Freak
あの別荘で彼女と一緒に休日を過ごすために、私はお気に入りのトランクで旅に出る。大好きなドレスを詁め込んで…

この記事に使用しているSDはCloset Freakのこ個人的なカスタム作品です。ベースに使用しているミニSD健ヘッド・サクラボディについいぇのお問い合わせはボークスへお願いします。

In olden days, young ladies would travel with the dolls they loved. We created a trunk the likes of which the children from good families of the early 20th century would use for their own beloved dolls. So that no matter where they went, their dolls would be with them. When they left for their holiday villa, their dolls would also have their collection of party clothing, play clothes, undergarments, favourite clothing, stuffed animals, toys, and toiletries same way their owners would. The trunk the doll was in would also have a closet, a dresser, and a comfortable bed to relax in. It was with this image in mind that a wood grain box was decided on and then decorated with a drawing of a bird and antique beads. So, when on vacation how does the beloved doll of our young lady spend her time do you suppose? Shall we sneak a peek and see?

古き良き時代、小さな淑女達は大好きなお人形と共に旅に出る。20世紀初頭、良家の子女たちに愛されたお人形をイメージしてトランクを制作しました。お人形はどこへ行くにも、きっと一緒だったはず。別荘へ出かけるときは、ー持ち主である女の子と同じようにパーティー服や遊び着、ネグリジェなどお気に入りの服と、ぬいぐるみ、おもちゃやお化粧道具まで揃えて出かけたことでしょう。お人形を入れるトランクはクローゼットであり、ドレッサーであり、心地よく安らぐベッドでもあります。そんなイメージから木目調でまとめ、表面には鳥の絵を描きアンティークビーズで彩りました。さて、小さな淑女に愛されるお人形の休日、どうやって過ぎていくのでしょう。少し、のぞいてみましょうか？

My notes:
This style of doll trunk is getting closer to what inspires me. It’s part storage and part doll living environment.

craft, Doll, japanese, Uncategorized

Dolly * Dolly Vol.4 Ryo Hada doll trunk.

Back in America print and magazines are languishing but in Japan there’s a magazine for everything.

There is even a four-times a year Bellydance Japan magazine… and I contributed heavily to their MOOK about how to create bellydance costumes.

So, it was a dangerous discovery when I realized I could buy used copies of old “Dolly * Dolly” ドーリィ*ドーリィ magazine/books (colloquially called MOOK) on Amazon Jp. It contains doll reviews, how-to articles on constructing doll items, doll clothing patterns, and various features about different aspects of doll life.

And Dolly Dolly Vol.4 from 2004 had multiple articles on doll trunks so I started justifying purchases there.

Disclaimer: I do not have a scanner at home. These scans were done at my local convenience store when I was tired, which is why some areas of the page are cut off.

I am also not a translator. I’m doing this for my Japanese practice but my Japanese translation style is more “getting the jist of it” than it is “accurate”… so if you have feedback please present it with kindness. I want to learn more but I don’t wish to be scared off.

The first article features work and an introduction by doll artist Ryo Hada. I can’t find much on 波田亮 . The listed web page https://www.ryo-hada.com seems to be out of commission. It seems they also go by the name Aquirax Kuroda now and create a lot of cat-related art.

Original Japanese text follows English.

Dream doll trunk

“There is a story about the marten’s pelt attached to this overcoat”

“There’s also a trunk, let’s open it and see”

What came from within were various doll costumes so resplendent they dazzled the eyes.

Dance clothing, walking clothing, tea time outfits, items trimmed in green lace and silk stockings! And then chokers, muffs, gloves, hats and lace fans and such!

The above quote is attributed to Frances Burnette, translation into Japanese by Ayame Mizushima, from the 7th chapter of A Little Princess published by blah blah blah (sorry)

It’s a famous scene from ”A Little Princess”, which I’ve ecstatically read time and time again since I was a young girl.

More than the story of Sarah Crewe, the generous protagonist of high birth by chance, or the scene in which Sarah gets her famous doll Emily, I was enraptured by the doll present itself.

The elegantly shimmering silk cape, the meticulously folded skirt with its hemmed pleats and petticoat edged with lace shipped from France. To be spellbound by a trunk packed to the brim with precisely made clothing and accessories, all miniature sized.

And there’s also our small friend’s wardrobe, and there’s a room, and there’s a secret universe all amazingly packed tightly into this dream doll trunk. Even now as a grown up, it thrills the deepest reaches of my brain.

It can honestly be said this is an homage to A Little Princess.

(Smaller Blurb)

Magic of Antique Doll Unsolved magic

Doll artist, Ryo Hada’s runk case is a two tiered construction. The lower section has a set place for the doll: neck, waist, arms and legs are secured. First of all, the size of the doll determines what sort of basket is proper, various sizes of dolls will affect construction methods. (The pictures doll is approximately 40cm)

夢のお人形トランク

「外套には、物語の貂の毛皮がついているわ」

「トランクもあるわ、開けてみましょう」

中から出たのは、目もまばゆほどにきらびやかな、おにんぎょうの衣装

の、かずかずだった。ダンス服、散歩服、お茶時の服、レースの緑飾りや、絹のくつ下。それから首飾りや、ムッフや、手ぶくろや、帽子や扇やー。

(バーネット作・水島あやめ訳大日本雄弁会講談社世界名作全集第7巻『小公女』より)

小さいな女子の頃から、繰り返し読んではうっとりいた、「小公女」の名シーンである。

主人公セーラ・クルーの誇り高い心や素敵な偶然に支配されたストーリーよりも、セーラと有名彼女のお人形、エミリーの出会いの場面や、このめくるめくお人形プレゼントに心惹かれた。

上品に光るシルクのケープや丁寧にたたまれたスカートの裾のプリーツにフランス渡りのレースのペティコート。。。ミニチュアサイズで呆れるほどきちんとつくりこまれている小物やお人形のお洋服がギッシリ詰まったトランク。

小さな友だちのワードローブでもあり、お部屋でもあり、秘密の宇宙でもあった「うっとり」がぎゅうぎゅうに詰まった夢のお人形トランク。大人になった今も、脳味噌の奥が痺れてしまう。バーネット夫人は「小公女」によって多くの女の子に人形への果てしない物欲を覚えさせてしまったに違いない。

この特集は実を言うと「小公女」へのオマージュである。

Magic of Antique Doll 解けない魔法

人形作家波田あきらのトランクケースに重構造

底の部分に人形がセットされ、首・ウェスト・手・足が固定されます。まず程よいバスケットを用意してからお人形のサイズを決めるため、作品によってお人形の大きさはまちまちだとか。(このお人形のさいず:約40cm)

Description of the outfit with the apron and head cover

Commonly sold lace was too thick so I ordered some lace to be specially made abroad for the trim on this traditional French costume.

一般に販売されているレースで厚すぎるので海外の工場に頼んで特別つくってもらってというレースをあしらった、フランスの民族衣裳。

Main description of the work shown.

Magic of Antique Doll, Unsolved Magic.

Doll Creation

Written by Ryo Hada

From grandmother to mother to daughter, European antique dolls have been handed down for generations. Within this doll trunk are dresses from various eras as if to give an impression of the history of clothing. It’s this sort of essence of antique dolls that artist Namda is trying to create in their doll trunks. The doll begins with a traditional French peasant costume and goes until 1980’s era inspired clothing with her 5 outfit set, the sort of doll that would be treasured in any European home. Making it a trunk set that passes beyond its eras and onward into timelessness/eternity

Magic of Antique Doll 解けない魔法

創作人形

By Ryo Hada

祖母・母・娘へと代々受け継がれているヨーロッパのアンティークドール。そのトランクケースの中にはそれぞれの時代につくられたドレスが入っていて、まるで服飾史をたどるよな感覚だといいます。そんなアンティークドールのエッセンスをもらって製作しているという波田さんのトランクケース。オールビスクのお人形ち実際にフランスにあった民族衣装からはじまる1980年代ぐらいまでの衣装のイメージしたドレス5着がセットされ、本当にどこかのヨーロップのお家で大事にされてきたもののよう。「時代」を超える魔法が永遠にかかっている、そんなトランクセットになっています。

Under photo of the yellow dress:

From 1860’s-1870’s inspired fashion comes this day dress for traveling, a straw hat, parasol, and suitcase are included with the look.

1860年～70年ぐらいに旅行ったデイドレス風ファッション。表わら帽子や日傘、トランクもちゃんとセットさせれている。

Under the photo of the outfit with fur muff:

A hat completes the cute coat in this Twiggy-evoking look. It’s a taste of the 1970’s in this ensemble for going out.

帽子とお揃うのキュートなコートはちょっぴりツイギーを意識して。1970年代のテイストをちりばめたお出かけ着。

(Right hand text)

Nice to meet you. First, please give me a name.

Ryo Hada’s doll has not yet been given a name. The reason is because “I believe that the doll is completed only when the person who has purchased the doll has given it a name .” These aren’t just decorations or disposable items. Position them in a central location “ so you can continue to get the most out of them through playing.” If they spend their days being loved they become exceptional special dolls.

In the left hand corner of the page there is an additional blurb about awards given to and exhibitions including Ryo Hada from 1996-2004 but I was tired so I’m ending it here for today.

はじめましてまずは私に名前をつけてください。

波田さんのお人形には名前がつけられていません。なぜなら「買われた方が名前を付けてはじめて人形が完成すると思っています。」飾りっぱなしではなく、かといって使い捨てでもない。そのちょうど中間に位置する。「遊びの中で生かされ続ける人形」だからこそ。時代を超えて愛される、特別なお人形になるのでしう。

craft, Doll, pullip, Uncategorized

Coffee Nook/Doll Trunk half.

Let’s see if I can use my craft backlog of undocumented work to create…dare I say it…multiple entries based on a theme?

Welcome to the rabbit hole of Doll Trunks I’ve fallen into.

Alice was my first entry into the idea.

The two entries for the construction of Alice’s doll trunk are:

The size of the boxes I could find at a 100¥ shop (Seria) determined that my first trunk/container would be for Alice, as only a Little Pullip ( in this case a Little Pullip on a Picco Neemo body) could fit sitting/standing in the boxes…and I had just one. Then.

Later I found larger boxes at Seria and thought AHA! These are larger boxes and a Google search tells me that Dal Dolls are only 26.3cm.

When I got home I learned that my Dals are slightly taller than the 27cm of the inside of the boxes I’d bought. Time to rethink. I did decide that Bedhead/Monomono would be the primary occupant for this trunk.

I decided I still wanted a combined drawer/sitting area, because I like the idea of the trunk containing useful storage space & the only way a doll could fit in the trunk once closed was to create a platform for it to sit.

I originally got the idea for a case where the doll sits from the Angelic Pretty doll case made for Pullip dolls. It has a seat (with extra storage) for the doll to sit in when in transit. When the case is opened the seat can be removed and the space that has been freed up becomes a closet.

I also decided to make the other half of the doll trunk a bedroom with….a Murphy Bed! So when the trunk is open it would be possible to two dolls to hang out if so desired. I’ll cover that room in an upcoming entry…as it is awesome…but it’s awaiting finishing touches.

Here are both halves of the trunk in progress. I’ve included Alice for scale. I finally got around to buying better wood cutting tools at a DIY/builder’s store so this round of measuring and cutting wood for shelves/boxes/bed went smoother.

I worked on the bedroom first and the decor started to take on a very 80’s flavor…which I ran with. I decided that I wanted the sitting nook to be inspired by 1980’s kitchens and found some inspiration photos that reminded me of the kitchen floors of my youth.

Browns, yellows, and orange! Hints of leftover avocado green from the 70’s still hanging around. Medium to dark woods!

I’d also found a magnet shaped like an espresso maker so my nook would be dedicated to COFFEE DRINKING! Were espresso makers very 80’s? I didn’t care. I feel strongly about coffee.

I once more went to the 100¥ shop and found a small trunk I could saw open to make tables and some adhesive finishes in fake wood/ fake reddish leather/ burlap with leaves.

I experimented with painting the burlap finish to bring it slightly more into the color theme I wanted. It became the drawer cover and the kitchen wallpaper trim.

Then I set about to sawing the mini-trunk into pieces and covering and gluing bits together. I used fake-wood washi tape for an edge on the wallpaper trim. I also admitted the green ceiling had worked fine in the bedroom but that this kitchen was a breath away from having had popcorn ceiling panels…so I went with a few layers of white acrylic on the ceiling. I painted the inside of the drawer and put adhesive corkboard inside it. Then I used a dremmel to create a small hole in the drawer and glues the shank of a button I had on-hand to work as a drawer-pull. This also helped tone-down the too-bright green hue I’d accidently applied to the drawer fabric.

I thought about adding a hanging fern above the coffee machine…as I encountered an alarming amount of 1970’s and 80’s hanging ferns in various macrame hangers while image searching for ideas. I have a mini hanging pot…

But the Dal Dolls dominate the box in a way that adding a fake potted plants might overwhelm it. Perhaps I’ll find a small fake fern with a stand to slip into the drawer for when smaller dolls are using the nook.

Dolls check out the nook and enjoy some coffee.

Now here’s a sneak peak into the bedroom. I’m debating if I’m still going to attach the two halves or if I’m going to change how the individual boxes close…

Yeah. You want those sheets….meeeeeee too.

craft, Doll, pullip, sewing, Uncategorized

Nah-Atto part 2.

Ok, catching up on two months of crafting is showing me how godddamned much stuff I make. A Japanese bellydancer I’m friends with on FB JUST posted a photo of a Pullip Nah-Atto she saw in a Book-Off and I replied with a picture of my before and after…and was going to send her the link to my blog when I realized I’d NEVER finished documenting this.

Recap: I’m a belly dancer. In late April I bought a used Pullip “Nah-Atto” on the cheap. I gave her a new MTM Barbie body, sewed a more accurate costume, and started repainting her face. All the construction detail can be found here. An additional post I made about getting MTM Barbie bodies for this project and one other is here.

Then life got in the way of blogging and I didn’t keep you up-to-date!

When in my hometown last March I was given a stash of doll clothing, some dolls, and a few doll wigs from my unnamed source. In this stash was a brunette doll wig with a TON of waxy glue in it. I decided it was a little late 70’s/80’s looking and perfect for the dancer look I was going for….and perhaps not totally unlike my own hair.

Over weeks I froze the wig and chipped away at the glue many many times. This is midway through the process.

A pair of eyes I’d ordered from ByByBlytheCo on Etsy arrived. I inserted her new eyes into her eye-mech, inserted new earrings into her existing ear holes, and screwed her head onto her new body.

If you want to know more about the process of creating a hybrid (Pullip head on a MTM Barbie body) I found this well documented blog entry by Sutura Workshop for you.

WIG TIME!

With After and Before photos. Please note that she’s not lighter-skinned in the after face photo, that’s just lighting.

costuming, craft, Doll, pullip, sewing, Uncategorized

Dressing to Dance. Nah-atto part 1

I’m a belly dancer. I teach and perform and study belly dance. I also make belly dance costumes.

There was no doubt that I’d combine dolls with dance. As soon as I saw a used Pullip Nah-atto doll I had to have it.

But let’s be honest, Nahh-ato is all Orientalist tropes.

Genie lamp, harem pants, odd collar with a ring, lounging couch, a not included in this photo but totally included in the outfit face veil….

That’s not to say that I, as a Western white woman involved in the dance, am not guilty of appropriation and Orientalism. I try to educate myself. I listen. I make mistakes and hopefully I have and will continue to correct myself when called out.

My Nahh-Ato has arms that have grown loose and floppy over time. So, she’s getting a new body. The closest skin match I could find for her was the MTM Soccer barbie.

This Barbie can easily fit in every part of the outfit except the bra-top. So, while repainting the face and awaiting new eyes, I made a dance costume modeled after 1960’s/1970’s belly dance albums and fashions…all from leftovers in my stash.

I serged/roll hemmed four half circles (two larger, two smaller) to make the skirt. Then I sewed the remaining serger tail into the serged area and beaded the edge.

I then made harem pants with side slits that close at the ankles and are open on one side at the hips.

I stitched the pants onto a Barbie bikini bottom that closes on the side (you can see my basting stitches). I then attached the skirt to the panty-harem pants combo. In human-sized belly dance these would be three separate items you could mix and match but a doll can’t afford that many rolls of elastic and fabric bulking up her form.

All of these layers were eventually attached to her belt so her waist-down outfit snaps at the side and the ankles.

I used interfacing to start making the belt form.

If I were costuming for a human the form and back of the belt would be two separate pieces that overlapped at the sides… makes altering costumes when dealing with weight changes easier, you just unstitch the joined side and the hooked side and adjust symmetrically. But dolls don’t change size and don’t appreciate the extra layers.

The fray check stained the satin but that wouldn’t be an issue as I was adding another layer of fabric, silver lace.

I started using chains and decorations from some cannibalized jewelry I have in my stash for decorating dance costumes…

I made a top based loosely off her original one using the same techniques. It snaps at the back and neck.

The ribcage articulation reads a little like underboob from this angle.

This is her face, waiting for eyes and a few finishing touches.

Enter a caption

….and I found Nahh-Ato’s lounging couch at my local Hobby-Off….so she’s ready for her eyes, wig, and the sort of “lounging bellydance” photos that bring ALL the haters and shamers to the yards.

blythe, craft, Doll, pullip, sewing, Uncategorized

All those outfits

I am nursing a flare-up in tendonitis in one of my ankles so I’ll be at home for a few days during the national holidays icing and resting and probably catching up. I could explain why it’s been a while but it’s not interesting: work and life.

I’m waiting for some eye chips to arrive. If they were here that’s what I’d be up to.

I realized that in talking about the new bodies and old sewing machine I brought back with me from the homeland…I hadn’t told you about the DOLL CLOTHING.

Let’s just say I have a source who cannot be named. My dealer sometimes has baggies and baggies of doll clothing. She laughed and laughed at seeing a full-grown me (as a girl I hadn’t been much into dress-up doll play and she’s known me since my youth) sitting on the floor surrounded by weee clothing.

Below are dark photos of much of my stash…RIGHT?

And if you’re looking at those groovy blue paisley pants and thinking “Wow”…I’m about to blow your mind. That paisley and the two items under it (psychedelic and anchors)…are…

PANTSUITS! You didn’t think they could get better and yet they did.

the MTM Barbie showing off one of then new dresses

Not everything fits. Alterations are in process. but I’ve spotted some of these on vintage Barbies and Blythes online and pumped my fists shouting “Scooooore”

Whaaaaat? Vintage Francie, Barbie’s mod friend? I know that dress!

Who wore it better?

Francie

We’re working on stockings and shoes.

Another look now in rotation is a jacket I got from my hook-up.

That’s actually the inside. It’s got an extra layer of stiff fabric to give the skirt more shape. It fit the dolls in the arms and shoulders but didn’t close. So I added lace, trim and a closing ribbon…

And Reggie is ready to hit the GothLoli clubs..as long and she doesn’t get her laces caught in an escalator.

That’s the HAUL!

craft, sewing, Uncategorized

Back in action. No Bobbin!

I haven’t posted a bit because I’ve been on a restorative vacation to my hometown in America (Madison, WI).

Now I’m back in Japan, my first morning back in my apartment, waiting for my luggage to be delivered.

Nothing was lost but it’s never fun to lug a giant suitcase on the trains. That’s why there are delivery services to take your luggage to the airport before you leave and to send it home after you arrive. As usual I took one suitcase there and have returned with a full suitcase and duffle bag. There be new bras that fit, dresses, fabric, crafting items and…my new sewing machine.

Well, it’s nowhere near new and I grew up with it.

Meet the Singer Sewhandy model 20-10! It’s been my mother’s since childhood.

The original Singer 20’s were made in the 1912 and often traveled with sewing machine salemen working door to door. They’d give any young girl in the house the toy version to play with as they tried to make a sale of the full-sized machine to mom. Then, if the full sized didn’t sell, they’d be understanding but regretfully inform mom that they’d have to be taking the toy-sized machine back with them too. Usually moms would be willing to pay a few bucks to keep their child happy and the salesman would earn a few dollars for his time.

Over the years the body changed slightly, to encase some of the moving parts, but the mechanics stayed the same. Singer 20’s made after 1926 also had number stamped onto the machine parts to make it easier to thread the parts in the right order.

NOT A TOY! My mom still has this box somewhere but we couldn’t find it on this trip.

I, of course, quickly took to fixing it up. I figured that if I could get it to work it’d be interesting to sew some doll clothes with it.

I set to work at the kitchen table and took it all apart to clean and polish.

Much better.

It still had the original instruction booklet (which I have since copied) so I was able to figure out if any parts were missing.

One!

It’s only missing a thumbscrew for the adjustable seam guide. I guess I’ll be the weirdo in the DIY store carrying around a small sewing machine to find a good replacement.

This machine takes smaller needles but you CAN still order size 24×1 for it. Done.

I clamped it to the table and tried it out!

Now, I know that’s not a great quality image. But maybe you noticed…There’s no bobbin? It’s just using one single thread to create a stitch? What magic is this?

Here’s a better video of the magic. The mechanism can be seen working at the 1:00 minute mark.

My first tests had the tension a little tight but I’ll have more time to futz with it here in Japan. It’s going to take a lot of trial and error to figure out tension AND setting stitch length.

I’m back in Japan. I only teach dance for the next few weeks. Craft TIME!

archie, craft, Doll, sewing, Uncategorized

Terror’s make-over is complete.

What have I learned?

Carefully layer the fixative spray, let it fully dry, and paint up the eyes and whites first.

Also, you can’t make the Archie doll look trustworthy. You can only raise his craftsmanship. He’ll always be eldritch. He might slice you where you sleep but he’ll do it with a better quality of shank.

He no longer stares straight at you.

Archie before…not my Archie. Mine had a better shirt.

But he now looks like he’s spotted the two Archies standing just outside of your view. And that’s when the attack comes. Not from the front, but from the side, from the other two Archies you didn’t even know were there. Because Archie is a pack hunter, you see, he uses coordinated attack patterns and he is out in force today…

I finished his shirt yesterday. I do wish I’d actually focused and drafted his sleeves/shirt. I really just winged the whole shirt and had regrets later. I am happy that I had the leftover fabric for his bow tie.

I made him a whole new sweater as well, but that’s mostly because Snow looks so good in his original. I might make her an Archie homage outfit.

It occurs to me that now I have dolls in different sizes this can be my crash course in how to adjust pattern sizes for different shaped people. I do get asked about if i can be commissioned to make dresses and costumes for people other than my self but I’ve stuck to costumes for people around my size who live locally (so I can do fittings) instead of learning more about adjusting and scaling patterns.

…who knows. Maybe I’ll tackle Reggie later with the repaint skills I’m gaining.

Or maybe I’ll throw him in a box, tie it with chains, and hope I never hear any strange noises coming from it.

Who am I kidding…I’ll hear those noises…those low, dull, quick sounds, such as a watch makes when enveloped in cotton. I know the sound well, too. The beating of the old doll’s rage…Reggie…the other terror.

craft, sewing, Uncategorized

Re-lining a Coat: Part 4

Before I started attaching the lining to the coat I went through the terrifying step of removing the fur and fixtures.

First I removed the neckline fur, using a contrasting thread to mark where I’d be reattaching a hook and loop that close it all

Then I removed the cuffs and used a contrasting thread to indicate where new cuffs should be reattached. You can see it got pretty dusty (the fur had batting under it to give it a little puff) so I first cleaned it up with tape and, once everything was off, I hand washed the jacket and air dried it before attaching the lining.

I also removed the false clasps and did the same cleaning job. Nothing left any lasting mark or tell-tale stain so my options are open for new bling.

Using the fur as a rough guide I cut out a similar shape in batting (I only had iron-on batting) and attached it to black fabric. Then I used that as a guide for cutting the fur leaving about 1/4 an inch around everything.

When cutting the fur you need to make sure the nap of the fur is the right direction. I used a razor blade to cut through the fabric the fur is attached to WITHOUT going deep enough to cut any of the fur in an awkward manner.

Then I stitched the faux stoles.

After the coat had dried, been lightly pressed, lined, and re-pressed, I started attaching the faux-fur. It’s been scary to break down the coat and build it back up.

Oh, and asking friends for an estimate, I’ve had this coat since 1999/2000.

Fake fur involves having a lot of tape and a vacuum on hand.

And now on to the closures.

The stole has a hook and loop. The loop used to be covered but the thread wore away. I recovered it using a blanket stitch with embroidery thread. I accidentally used navy Blue but it’s buried so deep in the fur it’s not visible.

I’m in the process of covering the snaps in black fabric, as the old fabric has faded to reddish-purple.

Tutorial on snap covering.

After I finish the snaps I’ll go on a hunt for new bling. I’m still keeping the old faux-buckles just in case, but If I were to use them I’d have to repaint where the enamel has worn away and restone them.

Do It Yourself: WFU

The dolls and art of a woman in Japan trying to be better.

Tag Archives: vintage