Paint thinner is not a moisturizer

So I've been doing home repair and upgrades for the better part of a year now, and really kicking it up a notch for the past two months.  No sleep, no real healthy nutrition, and I use the treadmill as an expensive coat rack.  Why I post this on the BJD site instead of crying about it on the other blog is because my cat was playing with Nena and Jakob (without my permission), and I had to look up their names before I could type that sentence.  That's how long it's been.  BJD adoption is an expensive hobby and I just let them sit, untouched my human/other hands for over a year....

Soul crushing guilt aside, my friend is buying a wig for my bald-headed Jakob and I will try again.  I am apparently way better at boy doll clothes than girl doll clothes, so hopefully we will see some pictorial awesomeness soon.

Time flies when you're all work and no play...

I looked at my calendar this morning, stopped, and then reeeeeaally looked at it.  It has been eight months since my last confession, and for that I am sorry.  There has been no doll activity at the Riddy household in ages, due to school and work colliding with each other to form a "needs attention" tsunami on my head.  Yes, I'm caffeinated, why do you ask?

Anywhoozle, the point of the blah de blah is to publicly state to a completely anonymous internet that will never hold me accountable for anything, that I solemnly vow to spend more time with my dolly children, while still making time for new kitty child.  I wonder if I can get the dollies cowfolk outfits and get some riding shots in?  Or use their fantasy gear and have a giant cat beast scenario?  Meh, time will tell.

We Belong to the Night (Gown)

So I started this nightgown project as a simple alternative to starting my pajamas and teddy bear project (which has been postponed due to lack of suitable fuzzy fabric).  Also, it will be summer soon, and the last thing we need is for my doll to overheat.  Finally, I don't know the effect of flannel on heavily body-blushed resin.

Anyway.... nightgown.  I cut out a gigantic (for her) size piece of powder pink cloth for the front and back, and stitched them up the sides.  I then folded the whole thing down the middle and cut out armholes and a huge sloping neck opening.  My first little sleeves appear to be a success, despite accidentally sewing them inside the nightgown at first, and I was able to figure out how to sew the teeny tiny stitches connecting the pieces.

The problem arrived, however, with embroidering the nightgown.  To date, I have never sewn a nightgown without at least a few embroidered designs;  I was not prepared for this, though.

AAARGH!!!! If only I hadn't insisted on freehand!

Self, for future reference, PLEASE embroider the pieces before sewing!  It will be much easier and the designs will be more elaborate!  I thought I had forgotten all of my embroidery skills until I realized the scale problems.  I looked like the "Coulda Had a V8" guy for a while at home, absorbing my idiocy at stitching after sewing.

Sigh.  I would say "Never Again!" but that would make me a liar.  Next week:  socks and shoes! (Probably?  Possibly....)

Sigh, another month barefoot...

Looking Faaabulous, Dahling!

It is rather a shameful thing to report, but...  I went to Target and bought a ready-made doll dress as my girl's first outfit.  Before the condemnation begins, I just want to point out that it was a sparkly sari, with a belt and a head jewel, and she came with a tray, two tiny purple tea mugs and a tea pot shaped like a pink and gold elephant.  In other words, destiny drew me to this outfit.  There was Assamese writing on the back, as this was the "Indian" doll in the Hearts for Hearts Girls collection.  I had fun not telling my mom it was Assamese and not Bangla, and watching her read it. =)  Anyway, let's hear it for actual clothing!  Minifee girl just looked warmer.

Despite the prank, Mom finally took pity on me and decided to lend me her great honking Scissors of Death, aka tailor's shears.  The dress-in-progress was finished in relatively no time, and now Mini has a cute little sundress!

I think I'll name her Nena, she seems to approve... and who am I to refute the opinions of a doll?  As long as she's happy.  I think the name suits her, until her next personality change in a year or so.

Now that her sundress is finally complete (took forever because of my idiotic tendency to embroider partway through a project), I spent a bit of time making a nightgown and am now working on some pajamas, because a girl needs options.  I still have the material for her shoes just sitting on the desk, beckoning me from their isolated corner of neglect...  They will eventually match the sundress, though I've gotten as far as purchasing the materials and putting them in a bag.  Sigh.  Shoes, the Final Frontier.

Dress You Up in My Love (Due to Lack of Fabric)

The stage was set to at least have one dress done for my poor, nameless Minifee Miyu.  The skirt was sewn, the top was done, and finally, to attach them together... and it didn't close.  It turns out I had cut the line and not the dotted line as originally thought.  Too tired to do anything further, but tonight might see a new corset top for her!  And hopefully a name...

 "What do you mean, I have to stay in a sock for another day????"

Re-Strung Out

So my dolly is finally restrung, despite almost losing the tip of my ring finger in the process... Elastic is violent!  Anyhow, she's now a full person, with eyes and hair, and a dress made from a sock.  She looks a bit... unfinished, but there's not much else to be done until her actual dress is done.  Like I said, I was completely unprepared for this hobby and feel utterly sad about her state of undress.  I'm a bad doll parent.  She doesn't even have shoes!  I found a helpful guide to make a really cute pair of boots, though, so hopefully she'll have footwear soon.  Then I'll only have to worry about the nudity.  Good thing she has body blushing, I guess.

New Hobby Shatters Remains of Student's Free Time

Okay, new topic, so new blog.  Approximately one month ago, my supposed friend gave me a free-time succubus in the form of a ball-jointed resin doll.  She's a Fairyland Minifee, Active Line, with a sleeping Miyu head.  What that apparently means (from research), is that the doll appears asleep unless you carve the eyes out, like she had done.  I made them slightly bigger and sanded away the seams, but there always seems to be something else to do.....

From that day I brought her home to now, she has been unstrung, cleaned, soaked (chronologically) in tea tree oil, non-acetone polish remover, Oxy-Clean, Windsor & Newton brush cleaner, and warm water, and very messily body-blushed with chalk pastel powder until she looked somewhat like my "vision" for her.  I did the face-up myself two nights ago (in pastel and watercolor pencil), around 1:30 AM, which is why she looks like a cartoon character (in my opinion).

Anyway, the point of this post, aside from putting the ramble into context, is to say that I never learned to restring this doll.  She's beautiful, with realistic shading on her elbows, knees and inner thigh areas, but no one can actually understand why some pieces are darker than others until she's put back together.  I have high hopes that someone at today's doll meet can explain what I did wrong and put me on the right path for this step, because until then, I can't even put up her photos (she's a head surrounded by lady parts... ).

Sigh.  I hope that  I learn how to be a "real" doll collector, not such a n00b, soon.  Next step, restringing!

edit: completed!!!