Doll Talk

I have the hardest time passing up baby clothes. Everything is just too cute. I have a closet full of baby clothes-some used and many brand new. A doll really doesn't need as many clothes as I do but I just can't help myself. It's a good thing for me that I will be getting a new grandbaby that can borrow my dolly clothes! Is it hard for you or do you have that ability to just say no and go right on by that cute little tutu that is on sale?

I began my dolly journey December, 2010. I started looking for a doll for my new grandbaby and stumbled upon reborn dolls. I was intrigued and hooked. I have always dabbled with art and decided this was an art that I wanted to try. I began studying real babies and internet pictures of newborns. I ordered my first kit and gave it a try. Now, it looked good to the untrained eye and I was pleased with the first attempt and decided to give it another try. That doll was awful! I kept practicing and I was even more pleased with each doll. I learned from trial and error and I have taken several classes from some great artists. I started painting with Genesis Heat Set Paint which had to be baked between layers with a Nuwave oven. The vinyl smell was strong and the process was long. I was on dialysis and wasn't sure what poisons the heated vinyl was producing. Thus, began my journey with air dry paints. Switching from a paint that could be wiped off until baked to one that dried within seconds was a challenge. My acrylic teacher used to chide me about dabbling in my paint. She could tell that I had always used oils. Before attempting my first acrylic baby, I decided to take a class on switching to air dry paints offered by Debbie Henshaw of They Never Grow Up Nursery. That was the best thing that I could have done. Over the years, I have changed techniques and realized the key to real looking skin is very thin layers-takes much longer-but the results are so worth the time. I achieve my skin tones with the three primary colors, red, yellow, and blue. I love this special hobby and I plan on "making babies" for a very long time. Tell me about your first experience. I love talking dolly talk.

Let's talk about hair. The hair that I use is high quality mohair from selected goats and alpacas. I have a few trusted sellers that I use on a regurlar basis. The hair comes in three types. Kid mohair is the first cutting of the goat and is super fine. Kid is the hair that is used on the very newest born kits. It is very delicate and hard to root because it is so fine. Yearling is usually the second and third cutting from the goat. I use yearling for kits that look a little older than that fresh newborn. Yearling has a little more size to it and is usually easier to root. Fine Adult mohair is usually used for babies that are a little older like six to nine months all the way to toddler. I have just begun using alpaca hair and I have to say that I am liking it. It is very fine and requires patience. It is really a struggle to only put one hair in at a time with alpaca. I will post some pics of the different hair and some dolls rooted with each. The needles that I use vary depending on the mohair that I am using and the texture of the kit. Some kits are much harder and require heating to ease the needle in the head. I will post pictures of some of my needles.