Of Bjd Fashion: Dresses to Sew and a Tutorial

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Anna has been sewing doll clothes again.  Not specifically for myself, though she did make me a lovely new dress so I have no cause for complaint.

It was for this sweet little doll.  I present Cerise Hood.  She is an Ever After High doll that belongs to Anna’s dear little niece.  Anna’s niece has similar fashion dolls that are all lacking in appropriate attire.  Since today is the child’s birthday, Anna decided to remedy the situation.  She discussed this here on her own blog.

Anna was generous enough to create a video tutorial, showing the world how to make these quaint little dresses.  I have decided to add it here so my wonderful readers will be able view it and perhaps find it useful.

It mostly features my new friend, but I do make an appearance.  Hence why Anna was gracious enough to make a new dress for me.

Updated 1/7/2018:  Anna created an alternate version of the video tutorial for people who are short on time.  It takes about 15 minutes to view instead of of 30 minutes.

I do quite like it.  It fits me like a glove, and the lace detail and simple bow are a lovely yet subtle addition.  It is a tiny bit bare which makes it perfect for a nice lazy Summer day.  However, I shall require more layers for the current weather.  Maybe a lovely new blouse to wear underneath?

I’m glad to hear Hikaru likes the dress and that she is showing off my new video.  I do wonder if the only reason for that is because she is in it.

Anyway, I’m in a good enough mood that I won’t go on about how Hikaru’s “new friend” is made by Mattel (the company that makes Barbie).  It’s not important enough to dwell on. 
As for a new blouse, that could be possible in the future.

Mattel?  I shall not dwell on it either.  And there is no wrong doing in sharing a video that features my lovely visage.  Maybe if I appear in Anna’s videos more they will receive more positive feedback.   

Anyway, I am off to join Cerise for a cup of tea while viewing more videos.  Be at peace.

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Doll Owner’s Corner: The Face Up

First of the month, time for another Doll Owner’s Corner.  The time where I, the doll owner, can talk about anything at all without Hikaru butting in.

This month’s topic:  Face ups.

What is a face up?  It is essentially all the paint and such on a doll’s face. 



If you look closely, you can see that Hikaru does not have anything painted or drawn on her face.  I bought her blank, or without a face up.  This is common with ball jointed dolls, you buy them blank or with the company default face up.  I chose blank.

This is what her company face up would have looked liked.  You can see more here.

So the question is why is it that despite the fact that I have had Hikaru for about seven months she is still blank?

The two options available are either paying someone else to paint on her or doing it myself.  Let’s deal with that first option. 

There are only two people I know of who do commissions for face ups for bjds whom I would trust with my beloved Hikaru.  Both of them are out of state which means having to pack up my doll’s head and ship it to them hoping it makes it there and back unharmed.  This makes me nervous.

The second option is doing it myself.  I have actually already bought the materials I would need to do it myself.  Basic drawing supplies like watercolor pencils, non-oil soft pastels, brushes, etc., and of course a good sealant.  It’s that last thing that’s the problem.  That stuff is hazardous.  I still need to buy a respirator to use it safely and even then, it makes me nervous.

Both options make me nervous enough to put it off, though surprisingly the idea of shipping her head seems worse for me so the diy option may be the one I will eventually go with.  Which leads to the other problem.  How do I want Hikaru to look?  Also how do I get her to look like that?

Both these questions can only be answered through research and practice, both of which take more time.  Hence why so many months have and probably will continue to pass before Hikaru will finally get her face done.

In the meantime, I get to enjoy doing all that “research” via face up videos.  Here are a few I’ve been studying:

• Faceup Stories: 03
• Faceup Stories: 16
• Soft & Natural No-Paint Face-up for Bjds
• How to apply eyelashes - Back to Basics episode 02
• Face-Up Materials
• Faceup Supplies for Beginners - Back to Basics episode 05
• Removing a Face-up

Enjoy!

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