Black Doll Collecting: Are Our Doll's Killing Us?

Black Doll Collecting: Are Our Doll's Killing Us?



This is a very good and informative blog post about the potential dangers of chemicals used to make dolls. I hadn't heard about any of this before. It's certainly something to think about.



Robotica

My First Handmade Doll Wig

I did some brief research on the internet to learn how to make my own doll wigs. There are a lot of different methods; some detailed and time consuming (I dismissed those) and a few that looked relatively easy and quick (definitely made note of those).

This what I came up with:

This is Moxie Teenz Arizona wearing the new wig which turned out pretty good. 

I bought one bag of hair from a beauty supply store. It's called Ya Man Afro Kinky Braid 100% Kanekalon Fiber,

Red. I used the whole bag. 

I crocheted a wig cap with a size C hook and very fine (crochet thread?) black yarn. Then I folded a piece of hair in half and sewed the pieces onto the wig cap very carefully. When I was done I cut it to the desired length. I may cut it so more. I also sewed some of the hair in place in the front to style it a bit and to cover the wig cap which is black. I didn't have red thread. It probably would've looked a bit better with a red wig cap underneath. It wouldn't be so noticeable. 

I wanted to buy more wigs for my dolls from eBay but I gave up after awhile because the prices are outrageous. 

This is a much cheaper option. It was fun but more importantly it didn't take that much time. I'm definitely going to make more. 

This is Bratzillaz Sashabella wearing the wig. She has a Liv body and a Barbie dress. (Boy, that's a lot of hair).

Here's a Liv's Alexis wearing the wig and an outfit I found on a doll at the thrift store. She looks cute. 

The wig cap is very soft and slippery so I have a piece of Velcro and two pins sticking in the dolls head to keep it on. 

This is a view of the wig from the back and the side. The black that's showing in the 2nd photo is the wig cap. 

All in all, I like making my own wigs. And I hate paying too much for everything on eBay. 

Robotica

Robotica's Crazy Customizing

This is my Monster High Frankie Stein Threaderella doll. I'm not artistically inclined but I wanted to give her more color. To me, this doll is colorless and kind of washed out compared to the other Monster High dolls except Catty Noir who's mostly just black. 

I painted her lips and eyebrows blue to match her dress and to give her more color. I removed the stitches on her cheek with finger polish remover. And I painted her crown silver. I think it's a nice contrast against blue. Blue is the perfect color for her. 

The Velcro on the back of her dress doesn't stick together anymore. I don't know what that's about. Driving me nuts. Someday I'll replace it with snaps. 

Let's talk about her hair for a moment, shall we? I absolutely hate it. I know she's supposed to look like the bride of Frankenstein (her mother?) but I just can't stand it. To me, she looks like she's gone prematurely gray. 

One thing I really like about Monster High 

dolls is that they're very colorful so I re-rooted her hair. 

I watched a couple of tutorials on YouTube and made a homemade re-rooting tool because I was too cheap to buy one. Cut all of her hair off. I then took her head off (broke her neck in the process), removed the glue inside her head with a pair of small needle nose pliers. There was a lot of glue in her head. 

The hair is Yaki tangle free human hair that I bought from the beauty supply store. One pack was blue and cheap. 

Then I re-rooted the hair, filled her head with Elmer's glue because that's all I had and stuck her head back on the best I could. I had to put duct tape on her neck to keep her head on. She doesn't have very much movement in her head anymore but that's all right. I just have to be very careful with her. 

I have no idea why the hair is sticking out like that. I don't think human hair is the best for this. Next time I'll use actual doll hair. You can buy it on the internet. 

I put some thin braids in her hair and put it back in a pony tail. I'm not very good at styling doll hair. This is the next thing I need to work on. Maybe watch some YouTube tutorials to learn how. 

 The hair sticks out like that and will not lay flat.

And it sheds like crazy. 

It was first time trying something like this. I didn't know what to expect. It was a lot of fun. It isn't perfect but I still like the results. I'm going to leave it like this for now. The next time I re-root a doll I'll use doll hair. I'm sure it will come out much better. 

Robotica

American Girl Outsider: Crafting Creatively: Get Your Knit Together

American Girl Outsider: Crafting Creatively: Get Your Knit Together

This is a very informative and helpful post on crocheting and knitting for dolls. I crocheted a few things for my dolls and they look hideous. Now I know why. I'd suggest that anyone new to knitting and crochet  for dolls read this before getting started.

She explains what to do and what not to do and shows you with pictures. Very helpful.

Robotica