DOLLS - BOUGHT 2 CHINA DOLLS TO MAKE-OVER - DOLL ON THE RIGHT

Now, we talk about the china doll on the right.

The woman dressed in plaid.

Amazon woman! 

 Her pretty apron is stitched with the

dress and the dress is cut crooked. 

You know, I believe that I have seen some

of this fabric over the years..

This china doll's body is made out of very

poor cotton.

Her body is almost see-thru.

A pinky/red color shows thru the cotton!

I took her clothes off.

Removed her head, arms and legs!

Her little body was stuffed hard

as a rock!!

At first I did not know what she was 

stuffed with until I started pulling

it out.

 Look at what she was stuffed with.
It is
DRYER LINT!!!

Something red was in the dryer.

How much lint would it take to stuff
one of these dolls?
And how long would it take you to collect
enough lint needed to stuff it!
Can you imagine stuffing a large doll
with lint!!

Next time I  decide to make a rag doll,
perhaps I will see how long it takes
to collect enough lint to stuff it!

Anyway her old body with lint is long-gone
away from me!!!
I got tired of sneezing!

Thanks for stopping by!
Conny

Louisiana Apartments - The Front faces the wall

My 1700s Louisiana Apartment building

has finally been completely bricked.

The part that you see with the ladder is the

front of the

dollhouse that was supposed to

face the wall and never to be seen.

I never intended for the front of the building

to be seen.

Had to empty everything

out of the building in order to move it

in front of my bedroom window.

It sure was heavy and cumbersome

to move.

 Had to turn the dollhouse

to get more light inside so my pics would

take better. 

So this left me with that problem on how

to make the front look somewhat symmetrical.

I googled Louisiana houses etc...and noticed

that some of their windows were shuttered.

So this is the plans for the front side of

this building - that is - when I get around

to it!

Got me to thinking. I have

decided to put window trim everywhere there

is suppose to be a window. I am then going

to glue shutters to the trim. None of the shutters will open.

This should solve that problem.

I like the ladder

that is propped up against the dollhouse. I do

have plans of painting it in a blue color.

Colors will change when I decided about the

shutter colors too.

The ladder is a little thick as you can tell.

 A painter needs to be up there painting.

Oops! my steps are turned the wrong way.

The

front door was painted brown & then white painted

on top. I am hoping that it kind of makes the door

look old.  

This door opens just to reveal a small

entry on the inside.

You must use your imagination of how

you rise to the other floors.

All of the space was needed for the apartments.

One day the house will be finished.

I always jump the gun and have fun with the

interior first.

This is the back side of the building,

basically the side that opens!

  The windows

are symmetrical until you reach the 4th

floor.

The reason for that is because
by the time I got to that floor, I wanted some
variety in the floor plan.
 I wanted

Apartments can get boring if everyone of them
look the same, only difference being
the furniture.

So, that middle window

originally held a kitchen beneath it.
Now I think that

it gives the building some character. 

 This is one of the side views of the building.
I still need shutters on the sides too.
Lots of work to still be done.

Thank you for visiting!
Please come again.
Hopblogger

TUTORIAL - Make Marina's Bottlecap Hat

Yes you heard it right!

I made Marina's hat

from a bottle cap.

As I stated earlier it sits really

good on an average miniature dolls head. 

A china dolls head is much bigger so I was trying

to figure out a good size.

That's when I thought about a bottle cap.

However if I was going to make Marina

another hat I would definitely use a bigger bottle cap.

 

Marina's clothes are actually

made from a small baby's infant pair of pants.

I think they were size 6 months.

These pants were stretchy.

Stretchy gives a little, cotton does not give any.

So if you use

cotton then you must be kind of accurate when you cut.

This is what I like about stretch fabrics.

You don't have to be so precise

you can s t r e t c h  to fit! 

These little pants had the

cutest pink ruffle going around each edge of the leg.

Sorry

that I didn't snap a photo of them before I starting cutting.

I just didn't

think about it at the time.

The directions are long but simple.

 

 Only a few supplies are needed:

a bottle cap - see the size I used

stretchy fabric that has a ruffle already attached

some cotton batting or cotton balls unrolled

glue & toothpicks

ribbon

decorative flowers or other of your choice

 

 Directions:  Cut out 2 large circles & sit

the other piece of the fabric aside. Make sure these

circles are a lot larger than the bottle cap.

 

Make sure the bottle cap is cleaned & dry. Place the

bottle cap down on the wrong side of the fabric &

draw around it. This piece goes on the inside of the

bottle cap.

 

 Cut this piece out and sit aside.

 

 Double the cotton and mold it around the bottle cap

to fit. Now take the cotton back off and be sure to keep its

shape.

 

 Take your glue bottle and dump a massive amount of glue

on the top of the bottle cap. A little glue along the sides.

 

 Spread the glue evenly all around the bottle cap and on the

top with your finger with a toothpick.

Take your cotton shape and put it over the glue.

 

 It should look similar to this.
Be sure to shape it with your

fingers all around before you cut off any overlapping

pieces.

 

 This is what the bottle cap looks like from the inside with

the cotton glued on the outside.

 

 This is what the bottle cap looks like with the cotton

glued on the outside. The cotton is wrapped around the

bottle cap to soften its hard lines.

 

At this point, you should have these 3 pieces. Place

the large circle with its fabric right side down on the

table or other surface. The wrong side of the fabric

should be staring you in the face.

 

Now take the cotton wrapped bottle cap and put a lot of

glue on the inside. Spread the glue evenly on the bottom

and the sides with the toothpick. Then lay the bottle cap

in the middle of the large circle.

 

Now it doesn't matter how you do it - there's no right or

wrong way. Start putting the fabric on the inside, smash

it down on the sides into the glue.

Work the fabric all around

the sides until it is even & there aren't any wrinkles on the

outside of the bottle cap.

This will take you a few minutes or less.

 

 The bottle cap should look like this.
All of the inside is

smashed down really good.
Make sure the sides are stuck good.

If its too bulky you will have to pull up

the inside and  trim it off so it will lay as flat as possible.

Then smash it back down.
There still should be enough

glue for it to stick.
Now take that little round piece

and put it on top.
You don't want this piece too big. It

should fit just on the bottom.
So pick it back up and

trim it.
Check to make sure that it fits if it doesn't

and it is still too big.
Then trim it again.
Repeat until it fits.

 

 Now put some more glue inside and stick that little round

piece in.
Smash it down good and with your fingernail or

toothpick push the fabric edges down into the fabric so

as not to see much of that cut edge.

 

 Now this is what you want it to look like. You want it

to be as smooth as possible.

 

 Now you can cut the ruffle off of the pants. I didn't measure

I just cut off a long piece.

 

 Now you have to clean up the ruffle. If there is a seam

then cut it off.

 

 Now clean up the ruffle some more. Cut off all excess

fabric up to the seam so it looks like this.

 

 Now measure the ruffle around the bottle cap. Cut off

a little more that is needed just for good measure. Set the

rest aside.

 

 Now glue the ruffle seam on the inside of the bottle cap.

It will look something like this. Also glue the side seam

of the ruffle. Make sure that its stuck down good.

 

 This is what it should look like on the outside. Take

your ribbon & measure it around the bottle cap close

to the ruffle. Cut off a little bit more to overlap the

ribbon. Set the ribbon aside.

 

 Now put glue around the lower edge of the bottle cap

just above the brim as shown. Do not glob the glue.

Be sure that when you glue the ribbon onto the hat

to start the ribbon where the seam of the ruffle is.

Keep the ruffle seam and the ribbon seam matched up together.

 

 Here is the ribbon glued on. Now take 2 pieces of

ribbon about 2 inches long.
Cut the ends at an angle.

Put glue on the untangled ends.

 

 Apply one ribbon at an angle on the ribbon seam.

Apply the other ribbon on top of the ribbon and angle it.

It should look like this.

 

 Now glue down your flower or other trim.
If you

use a flower like this be sure to glue down the green

leaves.
Your ribbon and ruffle seam should be hidden.

ALL DONE! ISNT IT PRETTY!

Thank you for visiting me!

Hopblogger

Apartment Daisy - Meet Daisy!

Daisy is an older doll that I made

many years ago. It has been at least
15 years now that she has been boxed
up.  Time to show her.
She is a tall lady - 6 feet to be
exact. Not everybody is the same
height!
She is due for a make-over
but not just yet.
Saved for a future job.
Meet Daisy!

I was just learning back then

when I made my dolls. I made

them from the little doll kits

since they were cheaper. 

The internet was new and 

so I was buying these little

kits from Hobby Lobby.

None of them had any hair.

Their hair is molded on, so

a lot of my dolls got hair that

I glued on to the top of their heads.

Daisy is one of these dolls.

Sorry that I forgot to take pics of

the back of her head, but

her hair is done sweetly into

a ponytail.

Her outfit was rather simple

to make. It is made from 2 pieces,

a skirt and a top.

All I did for the skirt was

take a piece of black velour, the

length that I desired,

and glue a piece of trim to the

bottom edge of her skirt.

Then I gathered the top edge

with needle and black thread

and gathered it to her waist.

Draw it tightly and knot it off.

The top is the same piece as the

trim and it is just wrapped tightly

around the top of her and glued 

in the back. Be sure not to draw

too tightly because the ruffle effect

will go away. And you want some of

that effect.

The sleeves are just pieces of gathered

lace that was glued together and glued

to her shoulders.

I do have intentions later when taking it off of

her to place it on a manikin. I think it will

look good there.

The movers did a great job moving her furniture

in, but they left all of the re-arranging up to

her. Now she is so exhausted!

It took her a 2 full days making

everything fit!

She still has more room!

She is going to eat some bread and hope

to get some of her strength back.

Just a sneak peak into her dressing area. Do you 

like her new dress! Hopefully I can find a place 

for the new dress to hang. Still am moving things

around. Things might not stay as you see them here.

Thank you for visiting me.

Please come back!

Hopblogger

TUTORIAL - Making a lacy Dress

This cream dress was made about 13 years ago

and it hangs in my dolls

shabby chic apartment.

It was hand stitched.

You could machine stitch it.

The only glue on it is where the

little roses are glued. 

The little dress should have had a lining.

I was so happy with the

little dress that I forgot to do that.

Line it or not - your choice!

If you choose to line this skirt

all you do is make another little

slip and place it under the slip

and slip stitch the 2 together.

Other styles can be made using this concept.

Don't be afraid to make  

This lovely dress is made for 

display - but perhaps could be worn!

Reason is because you can adjust

the bottom half and the top half

once you put them together.

These 2 dresses are different 

because of the type of lace they

are.

But they are made the same way!!

The difference between this dress

and the dress in the next photo

that I am making - is that

I am lining the other!

This tutorial is long, but easy.
I am just making sure that you can
understand me.
It is not easy writing a tutorial!

 Materials needed:

- 2 pieces of 3.5 inches wide white lace

- tiny narrow ribbon

- OPTIONAL: a small amount of cheesecloth or
fabric (for lining)

- small roses or other items to decorate

- needle and thread

- glue

Directions: This photo shows about the width of the white

lace that I have used.
You can buy this lace at your fabric

store - but I have always used baby clothes when making my

miniature doll clothes.
That's where this lace comes from.
And this is a lot of lace for $2.00 as well
as the lovely white cotton!!!

 This is the cheesecloth that I am lining the
bottom half of my skirt with.
Notice that by my thumb the cheesecloth is doubled.

It is thin so you will need to

cut 2 pieces of this.
Or use a piece of fabric for lining.

 Cut 2 pieces of the lace - about 5 inches long.
One piece is used for the skirt -

the other piece for the top.

Put one piece aside for now.
(now is the time that

if you want the doll to wear the skirt - then you will

have to adjust by adding more lace
width if the doll is fat).

If the doll is skinny then the measurements that

I gave above should suffice.

Lay one piece of lace on your table, make sure it

is the backside and is straight.

Lay your cheesecloth or fabric

on top of this lace.

Make sure everything is straight and that
the cheesecloth or lining does not hang
past the lace.

If everything is to your liking, then pick it up
gently and stitch through all the layers
by hand or machine.

 Cut off any excess seams.

 Turn the lace skirt right side out.

If you use cheesecloth or fabric, be sure to pull

the lining up, because the top is not
sewn together.
For display -  stitch thru all 4 layers at the top
to close.

This is what the top should look like,

if this is for display.

The skirt is finished so set it aside.

For the doll to wear - 

Start at the top back seam and with a needle and thread,

stitch through the lace and the lining. 

 See here I am - stitching around the skirt.
Make sure

that when you stitch that you stitch thru the cheesecloth
or the fabric lining.

When finished - place it on your doll, gather
tightly, knot it and cut off the thread.
It doesn't

matter if the knot shows because it
will be hidden by the ribbon.

If you see any cheesecloth lining

peeking out below the skirt then
cut it off. Cheesecloth stretches. 
If you have fabric, then lightly put on some
'Fray Check' or narrowly hem it.

To Make The Top - 

 Take the second piece of lace that you cut earlier.

Place wrong sides together.
Make sure the bottom edge is even.

Starting at the top of the lace , make a knot

and sew down to the bottom edge, knot off
and cut off the thread.

 I like to stitch down to the edge and then back up. 
Stitching this way gives it strength.

You are unable to see any of the stitching. 

 Cut off excess from the seam.

 Now turn the lace piece right side out.

Finish making for display - 

 Now take the skirt that you finished earlier
and put it under the top as I show here.

Take it to your miniature doll

and adjust the top up or down so that the top
of the lace ruffle hits

where her breast should be.

 Keep adjusting it until you get it like you want it.

Once adjusted to your liking, put the

 2 pieces together.

Make sure that all the seams line up.

Then hand-sew thru all the layers
of the top and the skirt from the front to
the back - as shown in the picture.

Gather with your fingers to make it all fit together.

When finished sewing - knot it.

 See my knot.
I am not worried about it because it

will be hidden by the ribbon.

Ribbon at the waist - 

 Cut a 9 inch piece of ribbon.
Wrap it around

the dress hiding all the stitches.
Make sure you hide the knot.
Tie the ribbon in a knot or a bow. 
Cut off excess ribbon.

Sorry no photo for the ribbon - refer to the 
first photo.

For Straps -

 Cut 2 pieces of matching skinny ribbon
each of them about 2 inches long.

On the front side, glue or hand-stitch

both straps to the inside top.
Glue or hand-stitch to the back one strap 
at a time.

 Play with the skirt until it looks
the way you want it to.
Adjust gathers if needed.

I took a small piece of  cheesecloth and
stuffed it inside the top to
give the illusion of it being lined.
Display dress is finished - Hang on a hanger!

For doll to wear - 

Use the directions for making the top.

Make a knot in thread. On the inside of top,

run a gathering stitch around the top.

Place on doll where you want.

Pull tight but do not break the thread.

Knot and run the needle to the inside of the top,

Pull the knot to the inside and cut off 

excess thread. 

On outside adjust gathers so they are even.

Follow directions for the 'ribbon at the waist'.

Make sure

the ribbon hides the skirt underneath.

Follow directions for the straps.

If need be, you can stuff the inside top

with pieces of cheesecloth.

Thanks for stopping by!
Hopblogger