This Image made me laugh.  Not sure who came up with the caption…..cute!

Just in time for halloween, please visit my FREE website tutorial, and learn to make a stunning miniature witches hat!  Clear, step by step instructions are available in an easy to follow format.  Pattern is printable and included. Click on the link below

MINIATURE DOLL WITCHES HAT TUTORIAL

In my last post about Abigail she just had a wire armature with cotton pom poms on her rear. 

She has since been wrapped with cotton batting and as you can see what looked like exaggerated posture is now quite “normal” for the time period.

 I also gave her some custom sculpted shoes with a strap and she will have more ornamentation added to them, once they are finished.

You can see the nice curve “sway” to her back.  I plan to give her an Edwardian costume.  I am thinking a Day Dress of some sort.

I am still considering the fabric and whether I will do a tiny print or separate blouse and skirt.

See you soon.

Okay, so Abagail (doll #4 as she was referred to yesterday), has always called to me. I agree with John that #4 was the way to go.

I took Morena’s advice and decided to block out all of the other miniature ladies that are calling to me and concentrate on her alone. Even her arms were already decided from the very beginning and I handsculpted some 2 tone porcelain arms with white gloves and bare flesh shoulders. These may end up being covered up from above the elbow (or more).

I wanted to do a more “casually” dressed victorian or Edwardian lady, perhaps off to have tea or something. Even when these ladies were not going to a ball they still were so well dressed.

As you can see I am already positioning her. As I have mentioned in the past, this is a very imortant step in achieving a more lifelike doll rather than a stiff doll. Right now her sway in her ack looks exaggerated, but that is because her body hasn’t been wrapped yet.

Here is another angle where you can see the sway in the back, the chest up, etc.  She will get fancy shoes before she is costumed.  Thank you for the emails letting me know your thoughts on my creative conundrum!

 Have you ever been in a Creative Conundrum?  I seem to have so many ideas and so many special, painted doll kits set aside to costume that I can’t seem to decide which one to dress or which costume to do, etc.  It must sound silly to some, but I always make 1 or 2, one of a kind ladies when I am working on my doll kit orders.  I have 6 pretty gals just begging for me to costume them.  I have been working on them for many months already just to get them to this point. Sigh, I don’t know which little lady to create first.  Alas, the poor dears have been banished to solitary confinement and can only dream of stepping out in a new world all dressed and ready for a new adventure.  Does this ever happen to anyone?  You have the most wonderful doll, fabrics, etc. but just can’t seem to settle on what to do with her?  Arrrgh!  It will be fun to see which lady wins!  I think #4 from the left is calling out to me.  Her name is Abigail. Stay tuned…..

Hello to all,
I had over 70 entries for the fan contest. Thank you so much.
Congratulations goes to…….

? Loly Rodriguez ! ?

Please contact me at : gbellous@gmail.com so I can send out your fan prize package!

I just love this ad for ROGERS & THOMPSON silk samples, New York City, 1910.  Look at the way the bottom of her skirt/train is unrolling from a bolt of silk fabric. Such a clever ad campaign.

She would make a terrific doll, don’t you think?

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As promised, here are several new photos of Chantelle.  I will put them on my website for a higher resolution.
Chantelle is an original miniature porcelain doll.  She is created from original molds by me.  She is 1/12th scale and stands approximatley 5 1/2″ tall.  She is a special one of a kind lady with exquisite details.

In this side view you can see the tiny rose in her hair.  It is handmade by miniature artist Carol Wagner.  I just love her amazing flowers, they are so lifelike.

Chantelle has a tiny hand applied and fired-on 24 caret gold necklace with tiny Swarovski Crystals.  She has piercing blue eyes and fiery red hair.  You can also see a close up of her dark charcoal 3/4 length gloves. 

Here is a back view of the bodice of Chantelle’s gown.  All of the lace on her gown is antique andhand dyed to a dark charcoal gray color.  It compliments the plum color of her gown and sets off her red hair.

You can see how fine the antique lace is in this photo and how nicely it lays and drapes.  You can also see the detail in the styling of her hair.

A nice detail of the front of Chantelle’s bodice.  It features tiny beading at her decolatage and lovely swags of purple silk cording, tiny beads and Swarovski Crystals.

Chantelle looks regal in her gown.  She is ready for the ball.

Today, we will look at several factors when costuming a miniature doll.

• Draping 
• Scale
• Posture of doll

Please click on photos for a slightly larger view.
Here are more photos of Chantelle as the draping of her skirt continues.  As you can see, I use a lot of pins in the process.  These pins happen to be long silk pins, but there are even finer pins out there.  They are insect pins.  I find that these finer silk or insect pins work great to keep the pin holes to a minimum or just very small.

I use pieces of Styrofoam as a base to pin into as I work (I save Styrofoam from products such as TV’s. electronics, etc. that have it as protection in their boxes.)

As you can see, I have re pinned and kept the pins in the bottom of Chantelle’s skirt.  From now on, until she is finished she will remain pinned to the Styrofoam.  This is to insure that all of the hard work of draping her skirt will not be lost every time I spray or re-spray a part of her costume.

I had to scrap the original gorgeous lace I intended to use for her over skirt as it was just too heavy and out of scale.

Scale is of utmost importance in miniatures.  If you want the costume to be believable then you must use the proper fabrics and trims.
Color really also comes into play when considering scale.  Remember, earlier, I mentioned that the trims are all a dark charcoal color but they certainly read as black, don’t they?  True dark black was just too much of a contrast with the amethyst color I chose so the charcoal plays well, fits the scale and adds an aire of elegance and richness rather than looking cheap, which can happen if the scale is not correct.

I had a great piece of antique lace that was just big enough (and long enough) to make the lace overlay skirt I was envisioning for her costume.  It was also perfect because it was sheer and airy and does not hide all of the hard work I put into draping the underskirt.

You want to be sure that the lace overlay also drapes nicely, and does not stick out funny or hide what is underneath it.

Now let’s talk about your doll’s posture.  Can you see how regal Chantelle looks?  She is slightly bent forward, causing her back to sway a bit but her chest is held high.  She is not merely standing there.  She already displays an attitude which goes well with that look on her tiny face.  I have always been drawn to that “look” on her face.  I think that is why I kept her back to costume rather than sell her as a kit.  She seems to have so much life in her.

I see a whole story unfolding when I look at her.  This is a woman who perhaps has her eye on a gentleman at a party and is not happy with the attention he is lavishing on a woman she considers her competition.  “Game on!”, Chantelle is not going to stand by and watch her would be suitor slip away.   Do you see how having a vision, story, etc. can really help the doll and her costuming come to life?

Next I will be adding all of those fine details and trims that will make this a special gown. 

Please check back!

I am still working on Chantelle in between orders. I am trying to keep her gown simple but elegant. I want it to drape nicely and realistically and I don’t want to cover up those pretty gathers I worked so hard to put in. She is coing along nicely.