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Puchi Collective is all about The Power of Information throughout the doll community. We're always seeking insightful new tutorials and articles about "Alternative" collectible dolls (i.e., not barbie or bratz). We love Blythe, Lati dolls, Who's That Girl, Moofs, Ddung, Licca, Ball Jointed Dolls and many more.
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And of course, feel free to comment or ask questions on any of the articles posted. It's all about learning from eachother!
I was so sad to miss out on that dress to the far left in those thumbnails. That color combo is one of my favorites!
i love these outfits. no one is sassier than zissou and costello!
Wow, so many amazing sites I’ve never seen!
I love her teeny collars! I was lucky enough to get a dress from the recent batch!
What an amazing resource!
Same here – I am bookmarking them all!
Stripe-o-vision is my desktop!
I love the colourful and daring combis of Faerymade clothing! XD
eeeeep. *bookmarks like crazy* good selection Christina!
i especially love zissou’s look! first time here, great job guys!
Awwww Lotte’s such a trooper! I love her pointing hand ♥
Thanks for the pics & tutorial, I’m going to give it a try.
Nice to see you back!
I happened here from Flickr and woha! Great looking website – and awesome content, but that goes without saying.
Thank you guys for the work you’re putting in this.
(Oh, and of course much ♥ to Wordpress sites. :3 )
We are tweaked-K2 twins
thanks Ro!
Thanks for the tutorial! I knew there had to be a reason why I kept those damaged stock eyechips!
You’re not the only one, Melissa!! I loved the fabric on that dress too! XD
All your tutorials are fantastic! I’m a Pullip girl myself but I’ve still learned a lot about customizing thanks to your tutorials.
An easy and quick way to repaint a damaged pupil is to pour a bit of acrylic paint on flat surface, then just dip the pupil into the pool of paint. I do this with all my damaged eyechips and I’ve never once got paint onto the faceted area of the eyechip.
Cauldy – I love your pupil painting tip! I’m going to have to try that myself!
J*me – I have bins of them, but you never know when you might need to replace a stock chip!
I am a HUGE fan of faeryMADE dresses and of Erin!
hehehehehe
Great outfits!!! Love the style!!
(L)
my girl kingsley is lucky enough to own TWO faerymade dresses, which she ADORES!!!
Wow! Those websites are amazing – and I only knew ve~ry few of them!
Thank you Christina for the great selection.
adorable! love it.
I’m looking forward to some live pictures too! I’m staying tuned for the lowdown since you’ll be getting one right?
I love this pattern. I finally made one of these on Saturday – a present for someone who wants to have a little Lati Skateboard gang and is lending me a dolly to play with – I have 3 more to go. I am so happy I finally made it – it’s incredibly cute. The tricky part is adding enough snaps in the back and the front pocket.
indeed we will!
yeah, little pockets are tricky! it saves a little time if you trap the bottom of the pocket in the waistband seam (instead of hemming it), but it requires some planning ahead.
glad you like it! I hope you post a pic of the skateboard gang!
Aw my heart broke my comment!
I was just saying that I love stripe-o-vision *nod*
I am also curious on this new mold but not curious enough to buy the Diva.
I am excited that Team Sibley will get one, I will wait for the in depth by then!
Hey! This is such a great looking site! Kudos to you and your mates!
인형들이 너무 예쁘네요~
잘은 모르지만 구경 잘하고 가요~~
I think she’s got Twiggy shaped eyes =)
Wonderful selection of sites! I could drool for hours.
the B’s look even better than the celebs!
hey! the link is to the bendycat pattern! I want the wienerdog!
Sooo cute.
I agree! (one booboo though, the Y box for spray paint is red. Not-sure-yes?
I so want airbrushing supplies, but yes, you know those cost like a kenner!
Love the new site, so much. Have been anticipating it for days. Oh, flickr is for spying, indeed
Don’t get high on saw dust.
This is TOO cool!
Everyone needs a pet monkey!
The pattern that sparked a million dress sales!
I loved seeing your inspiration sites! All new to me
Thanks so much for sharing!
This is just the kind of fashion advice my B’s need!
I’m on a huge shoe collecting kick so this info is invaluable. Thanks Linda!
I’m always hungry for more tutorials
Thanks for being so generous and sharing your information Melissa!
“although, if they were really for customizers, they would come with center-parts”
I had the exact same thought last night! Center parts would be so much easier for bangs etc.
Great! I was wondering how to do this. Lotte is a very good sport
Yey I love the Converse – I knew about all the hi-tops but had NO IDEA about the low-tops! Thank you! I’ve found the hot pink ones but have a feeling the navy ones will be impossible to find!!
I hate that I see the Japanese script and my brain freezes up because I don’t understand it and that basically stops me from looking at the sites
I love this new site!!! but i don´t found the any things, like your customization for Kenner and Blythes (bl-ebl-sbl)
Thanks!
How did I miss this post?!
This is indiekid heaven.
(*whisper* if you’re missing the yellow shoosies, I might help.)
That’s the most adorable picture. I have a similar, but made with my own converses. Blythe’s version is cutest by far.
The new site is great and its good to see a return to a collective community.
exciting times for Gentle River! can’t wait to see how this develops
i’m really curious to see a close-up of the “radiant” lip shape…
Oh! I keep missing this dresses… I am always late!
They are so colorful, so happy!
And they have unique style!
I wish takara’d make more low tops!
Oh! Wow! thanks Christina.
So many places to look for inspiration.
I need to sew…now!
I am anxious to see Darling Diva out of the box – and to really see this new face mold close up. She’s a cutie, but again It always takes “out of box” pics for me to fall for a girl!
I can’t wait to hear what you all decide for River
Ooooh you big tease! Now I’m REALLY anxious to see this headmold. AND to see all the great tutorials you all come up with together for customizing these new darlings! YAY for anticipation!!!
eeeeeeeee soooo exciting XD
*sigh* Hello new obsession… and I thought I only had a soft spot for MJ’s! (Thankfully I’m 2 down… SMe and GNC).
Thank you so much! Your site is one I refer to over and over, I’m so happy to have this collective between all of you – it makes a great reference for getting all the info in one place! You all RULE!
Congrats on the new site and partnership! I look forward to all the updates and new findings!
I’m going to make these for my friends! They look waaaaaaay easier than amigurumi. My Blythes MIGHT get a couple. Haha.
yay! though you weren’t able to say much, what you did say has made me very hopeful and excited about the radiant mold!
One word, cruel!
hoolay for Lay-dient Li-vah!
(sorry just had to do it in engrish)
I’m just glad she’s Team Sibley approved! Now my pocketbook is scared about future releases!
Mine too, Melisser… mine too…
Tosses 1000 tomatoes!
damn you. Big bunch of mean old meanies. Now my curiosity is peeked, especially if you guys want River to be Radiant, it must be good, huh? How are the eye sockets? Give us a bigger tease, please?
omg … I can’t WAIT!
thanks for sharing the news! i’m very excited to see it! oh the anticipation!
great site guys!
how exciting!
what i’ve been dying to know is whether it’ll be replacing the SBL, or just used for some of the limited editions?
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEVIL!!!
SO excited, though. Am already mentally socking away funds for River!! Must have!!! EEEEEEEEEEEP!!
Congrats on everything, btw, the new site is fantabulous!!!
OOOhhh u guys really ARE evil!
Noe is so cute! XD
Yay! I’ve wanted to try this one for a long time
Thanks Leenda!
I can’t beleive you’re sharing your cute animal patterns!!
*flips*
this is one of my favorite patterns! turning it right-side out is a bit tricky, but boy is it stylishly chic and mod when it’s done!
Is there a blythe pattern for thiS? I love love love hoodies =)
Oooh I have to try this one! The collar looks lovely.
*adds to the list of things to sew*
The site looks GREAT!!!
yayyy! i can’t wait to see/hear more.
Yeah! I can have twin outfits and make it in other tweed fabrics!
The point behind all this, if I understood correctly, is that you did received your Darling Diva?
Hurray for New Dolly! :dances:
I can’t wait to see your pics when you’ll be allowed to show them!
:throws tomatoes at Takara:
…
:throws one at Melissa… ’cause it’s fun:
Eeeee! I can’t wait to see what it’s all like now!
I do have to think about whether to get River now or not, as I am a bit of a SBL-snob… Still, I think I might have to bend my rule just this once.
*lobs a tomato, just in case*
Eeep, I need to try this! It’s so cute! Thanks for sharing all goodies!
So exciting, thanks for the news!
OOO! You evil tease!
This is very exciting though!
This was indeed rather evil, you know?
*grabs a ripe red tomato*
It was very interesting to hear about the new scalp/head assembly.
I’m so excited about the new mold now!
And how about the new finish? Opinions?
thank you! i would love to try it out : )
Oh and BTW… How did you figure out the new construction?
)
Did you took apart the Doll already? (O_o *talking about a martyr of science*
Or do you have *inside news* about it?…
c’mon spill it!!! XD
indeed an evil teaser!!
*try to find myself a tomato*
omgomgomg!!
thanks for the converse shoe guide!!!
they are adorable!!
*Me wants*
eep. Sets up coin jar for money collection. Looks at tomatoes and makes soup…
Hi are you skipping rows ahen re-rooting? or was that just to make the inside picturre clearer?
thanks! I love you mohair reroots!
hi nellie: no, I don’t skip rows – the scalp in the tutorial is an aztec scalp, which has really far-spaced rows. The new SBLs have probably three times as many rows as the old BLs!
when I reroot superiors, I do skip holes (no more than 1 hole skipped at a time though) in the field, but not in the hairline.
Hi! Thank you for making such a wonderful resource for all of us. I love the fact that you’ve pooled together so many of the talented people in the Blythe community. Great job!!
Totally love the cat. I will definitely have to give it a go. Thanks so much for sharing!! Hugs – Terri (US Hawaii)
Thanks alot. I am just about to throw those scratched chips away. You are my chip-saver. Hug*
Looks hella hard, but I’ll try…
Amazing! Thanks so much for sharing all of this wonderful stuff.
This is a great guide!! My girls don’t have any of the hightops (*blush*), and only a dodgy pair of lowtops from HK, but I think that’s all going to be a thing of the past soon!
I saw her at Japan, she looked cute.. but she wasn’t cute enough for me to be in dept.
wow, tons of stuff i’ve never seen! Christina you are a treasure!
i’m really excited about this release too! evil teaser, but still exciting!!
i also think it might be good to mention that a good source of acrylics for painting lips etc is Games Workshop paints and Vallejo ( http://www.acrylicosvallejo.com/ )hobby paints. I really recommend Vallejo of the two. I paint alot of models and figures and i find vallejo paints to really stand up to alot of handling well. They also thin down less patchily than the GW brand…
I also find them in craft stores in Finland! which is a total plus. The eyedropper type bottle and reasonable price makes them pretty desirable too.
cool pants!
that is one awesome haircut!
AH! now it becomes clear ! Thanks so much !
She’s so stylish!
amazing!! thanks for letting us know!! ^^
Great job on the website! It looks awesome!
neato! will definitely have to give this one a try. thanks linda!!
thanks for this! ^__^
You BIG TEASERS! *hurls tomato pure* (feeling kind, not as hurtful ;D)
Interesting note of TOMY on the print. No more Takara.. Oh yes they kind of merged.
The dresses are lovely. I have one dress from first or was it second batch.
Great pics & article Melisser! It’s super informative, and hooray on the PUCHICO discount!
such a wonderful article! goooo puchico! XD
ugh, i might just do it! thanks!
omg thanks soo much. i was going to RIT dye my blythe. but thanks to this site a noob like me won’t make bad mistakes.
thank you, thank you. thank you!!
where can i find all the previous tutorials like how to do sleepy eyes as such? I remember in the previous website there is such a tutorial, but i can’t find it in this new website.
Great info! It’s so nice that Kathy is offering a discount
I love her site even more now 
This is awesome
Maybe we should write Kathy a petition to have her redo all of the pictures in natural light!!! The colors are way off!
I second Poohie’s motion!!
Thanks for the insightful post Melisser: I just needed some advice on blending.
And yay for discounts *rushes to order*
i’m too scared to try this yet!
thanks for the tutorial!
Please be very careful with the craft knife. I’ve just come back from A&E after slicing through my thumb quite badly while scalping a Blythe.
For some reason, I keep thinking that French Trench came with yellow low tops? then again, I bet they aren’t even converse’s at all
awesome guide!
wowness, just wowness!!!
yay! congrats on the feature, it’s SOOOO awesome to see some of my favorite girls.
this could be the start of melissa the professional dolly photographer ;D
Blythe should be in fashion editorials more often!
This looks cute~^_^ I was wondering if there will be instructions for this? o.o;; I can’t really figure it out O3O;;
sophia made it on page 130!
I love the dress! Think I just may give it a try.
Debbie
woo I was just going to order some saran from her ^__^
Brilliant article, I wish it had been around when I first tried all this.
is that my Popeye?????! How NEET!
WOWEEEEE!!! Anoushka’s on page 136 & 137!!!!! Thanks for the lovely photo Melissa!!! ^_^
I think she’s beautiful~ She looks delightfully pouty to me, more so than many blythes that I’ve seen. Plus her punk rock and diva outfits look gorgeous. I’m not really fond of the western one, though it suits her.
Ah, so expensive. Is she worth it? I’m still debating (^^;)
awwww i remember the photo stories!
good times, good times indeed.
hee, georgie is preening! she’s pleased to have made the spread. they chose a really lovely complement of photos.
hehe funny how these seems like a long time back! O_O
i want to enlarge zissou’s outfit and wear it myself, but i don’t think i could ever look as cute as her
Hiya, no matter what i do i just cant seem to pop her head apart, wfter having sawn the dome. I tried wedging in screwdrivers, and ive even tried squashing her head from the side to further pressurise the seam but it just wont pop, and her face is still totether. I wondered if you could help, i would be very pleased if you could, many thanks, Jules
uh oh I used E6000 on recommendation from another doll collector – my poor baby girl!
Thanks for the excellent guide.
pixelkitty: don’t worry about the E6000 – the reason I put “NO” for it is that I couldn’t get a relieble bond out of it, but it dod not ruin any surfaces I tried it on. I just find other glues to produce a more desirable result.
Do keep an eye on her and let me know how well the bond lasts! Maybe I just had a bad bottle of glue.
Jules, you might want to re-do the step 5.
Aww, this is so sweet! I remember when we all used to do photostories!
Exactly. step 5 is the trickiest. it helps if you have a new x-acto blade and go very slowly. Please make sure to cut away from you, like Michelle said, the knife is very sharp and if you push too hard and she pops open, that blade can cause some trouble.
i have a pair of bootleg converse for blythe
Hey! Update. I tried this method on the new Brainworm chips. It will work, but you need to add one last final step, since after using the super-fine nail buffer, the chips will look a little “cloudy.” But if you paint over the chips with acrylic gloss, they become shiny and gorgeous! Very quickly, paint on a thick layer of acrylic gloss, then set the chips pupil-down on a flat surface. The gloss will smooth itself out, eliminating brush strokes. When it dries, you get a lovely, shiny, scratch-free chip.
This site is so useful..
I am now in the midst of opening up my prima head using this as a reference..
Cauldy – have you tried Novus polish in the finest grade? it should clear up that last lingering cloudiness too.
Have you ever had the gloss coating rub inside the eyelid from the thickness?
I do own the complete Novus kit and it wasn’t able to clear up the cloudiness, unfortunately.I noticed the plastic of the newer Brainworm chips seems softer than the plastic from the older chips — some of the blue chips I have from Brainworm I can easily scratch with my thumbnail!
I haven’t had that issue with the eyelid, but my eyechips go into Pullips, not Blythes. The do have blinking eyelids but there may be more space between eye and eyelid in a Pullip?
I also want to have some peewees!
So cute 
that is so FREAKING adorable… kewpie’s and Hollywood… yeah… that’s heaven.. minus all the tickling until you pee… okay.. that’s fun too
TOO CUTE!
Eeeeeeee those are adorable! I want some ^_^
Too cute, now I have an irrational desire to own a flock of peewees!
WOW O.O your tutorials are useful. Thanks for sharing. XD
peewee!peewee!peewee!peewee! I want, no NEED some!
Eeheehee! That made me seriously giggle
I too now feel the need for a peewee army!
Aaahhhhh ! The pure adorableness of it all…. Poor girl tickled to death (or til she pees her lovely overalls) !
ahhh.. cuteness overdose!
How Wow!
OMG THIS …. soo cute! i loveee peewees there soo adorable! i have a keychain for my cell but its nose is all brusied up lol
the “oh!” “ah!” “oh!” “ah!” part is my favorite. it’s like little peewees coming to life!
oh my goodness! how cute! when i was in japan, i went to a flea market and they were selling those (but only the kind that stood.. not special poses) for 50 yen, so i bought two. this makes me want a whole army! so cutteeee.
Thanks 4 sharing this pattern.
This is one of my fav ^^
Weee!
My girls are in for a whole slew of new pets now.
yay!
yey! cutenessss!
Very informative! I especially like the tip on blending!
Eeee! Excitement!
I swear I’m not the one who teached them these bad manners!
I’m glad they arrived safely, ready to mess everything up!
yipee!! i’m going to try this one this week
.
thanks cristina!!
Everyone here is really inspiring… I’ve been sitting on some mohair for months & tonight I went for it. Thanks for the generous tutorial, it’s totally helping – the part is almost complete, whew!
I just wanted to say I made a shirt from this pattern – though I added cuffs – in pink and white polka dots with white collar, cuffs and buttons, and it came out PERFECT. I can’t stop looking at my little jewel of clothing! A brilliant pattern. Thanks so much for sharing it. Andi.
Hooray! More mini floofiness!
Love them ! psssst what is ‘cake wire’ no one knew
at the store
Cake wire is used for fancy icing on cakes, it actually wires bits of icing together. Its long quite thin wire and its wrapped in paper. It comes in different weights or strengths, like 26, 28, 30. You can usually find it at a cake decorators or some craft shops seem to stock it as well. It looks alot like florists wire, except it is covered and alot finer, perfect for little toys.
The cutest lambie ever!!! ♥
does the RIT dye adhere beter to the mohair better than saran?or does it still stain the body? and do all RIT dye colors stain the body or is it just sertain colors?
sorry for all the 21 questions, i just really want to know
I think here they call it “floral wire.”
beading wire would probably work just fine, too, minus the fancy paper wrapper.
i want to paint a tattoo on my blythe’s back.. could i just use normal craft acrylics for this, and would i have to seal it or anything? thanks
i was wondering, you used to have a tutorial on cutting bangs.. i can’t find it! :[ please help, thank you very much
OOHHH so awesome.
like gremlins only cute and funny, hehe
Sprue is such a gorgeous girl, i love her in the starring role!
think i’m going to take the plunge… yikes! my first new lips
Thanks for the tutorial, as always
Aww! I have one of those
I think I might have to give in and snag her up.. I’m still kicking myself over not getting a Night Flower… She’s very sweet, I have wanted the original for a while, but the price tag has made me think otherwise.
alrighty! i’ve tried about 8 – 10 times with varying results.
a few questions if you don’t mind? *blush*
first of all, how easily does excess paint come off the edges of the lips when i finally get a basic shape i’m happy with? (i.e. should i really stop worrying about getting the shape super close to correct during the painting stage)
secondly, i’ve tried a few different acrylics (from high quality which i already had, to wal-mart stuffs) but am still having problems getting it to look smooth without having too much paint. am i merely going too slow? (i’m sure this is a distinct possibility!)
i’m getting better at painting the shape on, but still feel far from my goal.
any advice the Puchicollective gods can impart is much appreciated!
Jackie:
1. excess paint comes off very easily when the paint is dry *if* you used the cheap acrylics like the kind shown above. use a toothpick and slowly shape the lips
2. add more extender to your paint. when you stir your paint, if you still see brush swirls, add a drop more until it pools on your pallette. Also, make sure your paint hasn’t expired. old paint will be clumpy or goopy.
3. keep practicing. I used to dread painting lips, but when you don’t put so much pressure on yourself (it washes off, after all), it gets much easier and less nerve wracking!
I saw this in Kinokuniya just the other day!
it was tough to choose, but I voted. Congrats and good luck to all the finalists!
great advice, thanks
i think i’m on my way to wanne-be greatness
Yes, I voted too, it was a very hard choice of 2..
Me too. Despite my rule to not buy more superiors, I might buy her. Or else I will kick myself until no end, surely. I would prefer EBL but the price range is too high.
If I get her I will give her my usual bangs treatment (to remove the ugly low thatching) and maybe even boogle the eyes too to make her look less tired.
One just jumped out at me and I voted. Good luck to everyone, they’re all superb shots.
What a sweet surprise! Thank you for mentioning me and my photo from the “In Focus” photo contest on your site!
I only just found out about Puchi Collective through Christina’s LJ—I can’t wait to check your site out! Good luck to all!
-Valerie
very helpful.. thanks
Great story
Thanks for including Sid’s photo and for the sweet congrats! I feel so honored.
I bought this book a while ago. I like the beginning. It’s about how plastic changed the way toys were made and the evolution of toys from Japan. I sort of lost interest towards the middle though when they start delving into garage kits etc. That’s just me though, I’m sure a lot of people will find it informative.
What method would you suggest for a Patti Playpal doll? Would you use the loop or thread a needle. Thank you
Exciting! I just saw the larger pics on Flickr. I’m finally getting why people are calling her more “Kennery.” I must say she still is nothing even close to the original, but she’s got it at certain angles.
Her face is pinker? I like the pinkier skin. Will they all be that way? So many questions.
not sure. this head i had looked like it was used for makeup practice or a mold test and probably is not the true color of the production dolls. You can see it doesn’t match the back half of her head at all. The SBL in the pictures is also a lighter skinned girl (probably a blank ashlette, I don’t know, i got her blank too).
Yes, yes, and yes! i’m feeling her vibe, esp with the blank plate. the chin thing i love..i always loved the little kenner chin dimple…and her lips look so much like my Win’s which were nude before I got her….
I start to like radience now.
Earlier I was unsure, but I think it is all diva’s fault with fat lips. 
I think she is such an improvement…her expression is completely different from the SBL’s. she’s beautiful.
I LOVE her.
I’m back to buying Neo-Blythes again, I see it coming.
Ok, I can’t stop babbling, I am very happy to see that CWC/Takara actually can make a change for the BETTER. They usually make changes for the worser, at least in the past. I am so excited! My wallet is so NOT excited.
it’s so fantastic to see these pictures. i can’t wait to actually be excited about new releases again!
I loved the new face mold from the moment I first saw it (even with the crappy promo pics)! It will be interesting to see how close to the Kenner mold it actually is once customizers try their hand at Kenner lookalikes. Either way, a most welcome and exciting change!
Congratulations to the five finalists! I also found it really difficult to choose between my 5 or so favorites and I’m glad to see 3 of the ones I loved made it to the final five!
Wonderfull!!! it’s very same to Kenner!!! the opening system is great for customizations!
Yay! Thanks for the comparison pics! The eyes are so wide and wonderful! Can’t wait to see the first release after the Anniversary doll!
Thanks for the pix and the concise info about the differences! I will be excited to see more Dollies with this mold (especially River!)
Thank you so much for the preview! How interesting, this may be the first type of girl that I will actually dare to open the head
Do you still have to saw it open? I love the new eye shape, it is much sweeter, as is the tiny chin.
Awwww- Thanks so much for the congratulations to us! That was sweet! Chloe feels honored to be part of such a group of little beauties!!! All the entries were AMAZING!
Melissa—
Your comparison charts and information are THE BEST! RBL mold does have that subtle “innocent” look. I’m sure the new Neo’s will prove to be lovely little ladies!
Total drop-dead gorgeousness. Delicious photos, Melissa!!!!!!!!!!
Very exciting…Thanks for the sneak peak pics! You’re the best! I can’t wait for the first regular released Radiance girl.
THANK YOU for braving!
I have Pink Puff on my desktop. I wish I had a Blythe like that!
oh i’m so excited abou the new radiance mold! thanks so much for sharing this info melissa!!
looking forward to your RBL opening tutorial…
thank so much for such professional publication. I really wish to read the technical obervation report among RBL and Kenner. See if my wish could come true.
I’m so ultimately excited! I can’t wait to see the “out of box” images of Darling Diva – thank you all SO much for this write up!
this is extremely exciting, I’m almost scared I would be tempted O_O!
Now I’m confused. It says you need only 2 skeins of the long saran, but I distinctly remember reading you needed 4. Which is it?
Otherwise, thanks for great article and discount!
If it’s easy to customize, I’m all for it. Thanks for the write-up.
Thanks much Melissa. Very thorough as always. Only a few Superiors stole my heart, so I look forward to seeing Gentle River in the Radiance.
Wow!! What a difference between the 2 molds. I wasn’t sure how I felt about the new mold, but I’m kind of excited now for the new RBL face. Thanks Melissa for the great comparison shots.
Hi ToveB, it’s 2 Large Skeins for a scalp. I’ve done a few heads & even though I tend to root thick, it always works out for me.
Thank you for posting those great comparison photos! It will be very interesting to see the new regular releases with this mold! I can’t wait!
Can you send me a link so I can download? The link from puchicollective isn’t working for some reason.
Thanks
yes…i too would love the pattern as well. please send it to my email
thanks!
I am so glad I voted before I knew who’s was who’s (other than a certain VERY famous Blythe) …
laura & rizie – the link to the pattern should be fixed now.
thank you linda, I was jut about to fix it, i swear
yucky, i didn’t know the old URL got hijacked for a bit >_<
Thanks, Melissa! I trust the expert.
I have only removed all the old hair so far… Now for the fun part!
Did you get your hair yet? Don’t forget the discount ends at the end of this month! I ordered mine today.
thank you gers! it’s my honour to be Q&Aed on our favourite B (and more) resource site!
Yay for Puppy Love! It was interesting to read about what inspires you. My girls love your clothes SO much
I don’t think I could adore Chun & PuppyLove any more than I do!
Hands down the BEST dolly jeans on earth! I wish she’d make me a pair in my size!
I really love the new mould and can see why this was the choice for Gentle River. It really is the closet they’ve come to capturing the Kenner look. Thanks -as always- for the head shot comparisons.
the clothes are gorgeous.
Beautiful clothing! I’ve always been a fan and hope soon to own an original myself! The girls would LOVE to have something!
Looks very promising
Will Gentle River be the first with this mold? Or Darlig Diva? I’m so out of the loop these days…
Gorgeous!
I really like the looks of this new mold, but I have to say I’m even more intrigued by the new facening system, very nice, I can’t wait to take one out for a customizing test drive. ^___^
I’ve had some lying around at home for a while now, but I also ordered more – of course!
I should just mention we’re having a discussion over at TIB about the needed amount of skeins. Someone says you need at least 3 skeins for an SBL scalp, but probably less for an EBL. I’m doing a BL at the moment, but plan to do 2 SBLs later. The question is, is it 2 skeins or 2 packages (ie 4 skeins) you need? (Sorry for being a little thick, perhaps.)
Yay! Poopychun (sorry! ;D) surely is a sewing machine who cranks out perfect garment after perfect garment, without fail, I am impressed.
Thanks for your kindness!
great! i always long for a mould that is close to kenner. i’m really tired of SBL… esp its swollen face…
I love the few Puppy Love things I’ve been able to grab up before the inevitable “SOLD OUT” tags go up!
Chun has so much talent! I love her designs. It’s so nice to see her work being spotlighted.
I love Puppy Love fashion! Chun is a great seller and all her stuff is of top quality
. She’s super talented and really hardworking.
I love her lips! She is really pretty. Sadly, I think the quality of her hair and accessories is quite poor.
Pupchun’s items are great & so worth the price. I love the 2 OOAK Sets I have managed to snaggle off of Evilbay. In fact my dolly is on her site with the clothing. She is deffinatly worth it.
A-DOR-A-BLE!!!!!!
I am thrilled to see an interview with Puppy Love! I love her designs~ It was her work that really inspired me to start sewing doll clothes!
I’ve just scalped MMRB and I’m wondering if you need to paint the scull cap with a Mohair reroot? I’m rerooting her with four shades of different Dark colours – your thoughts? Thank you so much for this site – it’s unbelievable!!!
hey! this is my 1st time tryin to reroot and i am haveing some trouble. I srapy painted her scalp. I let it dry overnight. But it is sticky? i was wondering if this is normal. i dont wanna start and find that the hair just gets stuck. I guess i got the wrong spray paint. If it is not sopused to be sticky, then should i sand if off? Oh and thanks for ur tutorials they r very helpful. also that 10% off on saran hair was great!
thank you
-Lindsey
Lindsey – it definitely sounds like the spraypaint is incompatible with the rubber. Try looking for a spraypaint that is for painting outdoor vinyl furniture, or a hobby paint specifically for vinyl.
Glad you like the tutorial, and took advantage of the 10% off!
Carley – I would say that if you can find spraypaint in your area that is compatible with vinyl/rubber (check for paint made for painting outdoor vinyl furniture), then it is worth it. Mohair is generally thick and fluffy enough to cover the scalp, but depending on how you plan to style her hair, you may want to paint the scalp for extra insurance, especially with very dark colors.
if you try painting it and it stays sticky, sand it off or remove it with nail polish remover. sticky scalp + mohair = no fun!
ok thanks!
Could you please tell me if it is possible to scalp an ashton drake using the same technique you have on your website.
regards
Julie.
Thanks Melissa – just bought Tamiya spray colour for plastics, can’t wait to start. Thank you soo much for your advise!!
Hi Julie,
I have only scalped two ADGs, and they were the very early redheads. I found varying amounts of glue on their scalps ranging from a completely glue-soaked scalp to a thin line around the edge, like EBLs. I used the EBL method of slicing across the back and using a blunt, flat tool to get leverage underneath, and eventually they both came off.
Basically the construction is the same as an EBL though – you don’t have to saw her head open once you get through the glue, just undo the screws and spring and it should come apart.
Good luck, and remember to go slowly and carefully with that exacto blade. I cut into my thigh when I was scalping the gluey ADG!
I’m not really in to Kenners, but I actually think the new mold looks a lot cuter than the SBL! OK, I am saving up for the new girls now XD thankyou for posting this!
Great!!!!!!!!!!
Hi! I´ve a problem. I opened my blythe to paint her eyelids and when I put her eyes again the pullstring doesn´t work. It can´t change the eye colour
I thing something´s wrong (pullstring). Can you tell me the correct way to put the pull string? If you had any photo… Thanks
Melissa – I have sprayed the scalp and it seems to stay sticky as you said, how long does it usually take to dry? Do you think I have made the coat of paint too thick? Is nail polish remover safe for the scalp? Your thoughts?
Cheers,
Carley
Ah so cute! Gonna try this soon
hi carley – give it a couple days, but I think it might never get hard. I use tamiya in jars and I airbrush it on, but I think the kind in spray cans is a slightly different formula because of the propellents.
Nail Polish remover is fine to use on the scalp. probably the safest bet is to get pure acetone so it doesn’t have other ingredients that are for “human skin”. 100% acetone is available next to fancier nail polish removers at the drug store.
Sorry your scalp is sticky! Maybe is you can get your money back onthe tamiya. I hope linda chimes in on this discussion, she’s battled sticky scalp in the past too.
Hi Jelly.
You can refer to these pictures in reverse order.
Does it click when you pull? Check to make sure that the side of the bar with the little teeth is coming into contact with the white T-bar (the piece that is screwed in last) If it got bent or is screwed in backwards it won’t click. Also make sure you re-attach the spring and it is not stretched out. If the paint on her lids is too thick, it can prevent the eye mechanism from working correctly too.
Good luck!
Thank you so much guys!!! I can’t wait to see a RBL in person!
Hi Melissa – Thanks again for your advice! You were right it hasn’t dryed and is still sticky ARRRRHHH!!! Anyway, I will try the acetone trick on it asap
I’ll let you know the outcome
Cheers,
Carley
Wow….great top and haircut!!!!
Is it just me or are the photos missing?
No, I seem to have the same problem too?
hey – i just created a group at flickr for fun stuff like this! please share your street fashionistas at http://www.flickr.com/groups/blythe_wardroberemix/
Haha! I totally remember the one with Nobel popping the bubble wrap. A classic! It is funny how this sems so long ago…
what is the reason for sand matting a Blythe? Is it because people do not prefer the skin finish on the face, or just to clean marks and bumps~ thank you!
liz –
The earliest takaras had matte skin. Some people prefer the look. Some think it photographs better. it also makes a better surface for applying pastel and airbrush makeup, because it gives the skin a “tooth” for the makeup to grab onto.
I really love fashions made by Chun ! They are always fabulous !
She’s also a great drawer / artist !
Just curious. Which scalp (SBL or EBL) would work better on an ADG?
I am so scared that I will damage my existing scalp when I remove it and my girl will be bald!!
Yaaay Chun!! I’ve been a bit slow getting there before the “sold” notices but I did manage to grab one denim jumper dress so far. It’s absolutely perfect!! A well deserved spotlight for a very cool chickie!
i tried this pattern and it worked great!! thank you very much!!
我是台灣人喔
Love your little toys Christina!!! I was wanting to try and attempt to make the Weiner dog as my sister has one.. Just wondering what the total length of him once finished is? Thanks for the info on the cake wire also…
When I printed off the pattern it came out pretty small so i may just have to blow it up a few sizes..
Thanks again, and love your work….
Daniela
Its about ten centimetres from the tail to the tip of the nose : )
Hi Melissa – I’m doing it !!!! I have to say it is a bigger than I thought I’m rerooting MMRB she has soooo many holes!!! also I have found it makes a real diff using Fabric condition in the’bath’ Thanks again for your help!
(I guess ‘Lolly’ hasn’t turned up)
hehe…this is great!!
so cool! someday we’ll have to make it to gina’s studio! XP
Thanks for this very cool tour!
This is sooo awesome. Thank you for posting! I’m totally jealous but thrilled you got to see it all!!! xoxo alex
ohhh i wanna visit gina’s studio someday! it IS nice to see the studio without all the people.
thanks for the lovely tour melisser!
Fantastic tour. Thanks Melisser!
I am going to New York City in 2 weeks. When is Gina’s studio open, is it by appointment only…? I would love to meet Gina and see her studio, it would be a dream come true!
Hi Brian, I think Gina’s studio is only open when she holds dolly meets. Check the forums at thisisblythe.com to find out upcoming events!
Great Choice for designer spotlight. My girls own many Puppy Love fashions and they are truly great!!! Keep up the amazing work Chun!!!!!
Wow the wall of dolls is very impressive.
Just got the Darling Diva. Yes, she is lovely. Great hair & accerssories came with her. My concern is on the eye socket. When looking from above her head, I notice a slightly larger gap in between her eye ball & the socket of her right eye as compared to her left eye. Wonder if this is a factory flaw or a face plate eye socket defect. Is her eye socket opened bigger on the right side? This is obvious when you look at her slightly sideway. I dont know if I should ask for a refund or just treat it as a surpirse. Any RBL/DD owner notice the same?
excerrent!
What do you suppose is that hole up there in the dome for?
I don’t know if it serves a functional purpose. Perhaps a hole was necessary or added convenience to the molding process, or scalp-attachment process. I wouldn’t say it is necessary for removing the scalp.
Maybe they’re planning ahead for a unicorn-blythe
this is so exciting!
thanks for sharing with us Melissa!
you ROOL! xo!
>>What do you suppose is that hole up there in the dome for?
Trepanation! Or someone could possibly carve a hole in the scalp and put an eyeball in there
just kidding! thanks for the tut Melissa, even *i* am not scared of opening the RBL head now! :O
Melissa! If you ever ever have time could you do a comparison shoot between this girl and a KB? heehee
I just purchased my very first Blythe, (she’s an ADG) so I’m very new to this. I was just wondering if you knew if the ADG’s be able to the fit eye chips that are made to fit BL/EBL/SBL’s? I just want to make sure before I buy them. Thanks.
Jessica – yes, aftermarket chips should fit in your ADG. I have put EBL chips in mine without any problems.
I agree with Peggy.. shes gorgeous but her hair is really thin and plasticky!
If i haven’t already said this… thank you SO much for your tutorials – I have finally mastered (braved) taking out an eye mech for the first time tonight… and this has helped me SO much!!! YAY painted eye lids and boggled yes are in my future!
I just got mine yesterday, shes gorgeous i dont love the hair but its okay shes my first Blythe im from Mexico and here is almost impossible to get one. But shes very very nice and all the accesories are really cute!!
gosh my girls want those fashion for them! XD sassiness!
what a fun shopping post! i wish we had a fred flare in canada.
i love seeing everyone’s picks (and pics)! that shot of costello is fierce!
Thank you so much! I doubt I’ll be doing any customs on the new girls anytime soon but I was curious about the mechanics of the RBL!!! I’m really pleased to see it’s easy to open their heads like this.. less sweat from freaking out and tears from possibly breaking something!!!
You rock girlie! ox
I was looking for a tutorial on cutting bangs me too….it’s not here anymore??? :’(
where I can find it??? please help!
thank you***
oooo I wish I had spending money, but I guess it’s good that for some reason, the links arent working for me
EEK! Yer killin’ me!!! SOOOOOOOO CUUUUUUUUUUUUTE!!
hello I would like to try rerooting mohair but i have a few quetions still:
-Where i can buy bundled mohair? and the hook?
- for rerooting i start from the top ?
- how much mohair i need for a blythe??
thankyou very much!!
The girls have great taste!
I’m From Korea.
Hi~~
I guess it won’t be possible to replace the rubber scalp of RBL by that of EBL or SBL?
I’ve noticed the same thing about my Last Kiss, and I think you can see this in some owner photos of Last Kiss as well. Probably it is the mold – done by purpose or not, I don’t know…
Personally I find this feature charming, not a flaw or a defect! ^___^
I was just gonna write and suggest doing a little glossary of terms for us newbies – and here it is! I want to say thank you for providing hands-down the most beautiful, informative, and user-friendly (!!) Blythe site I have found. You have relieved much frustration and apprehention. You guys are AWESOME!
I guess if the flange shape of RBL is similar to SBL and the two scalps can be swapped.
Also with some cutting-sanding of the rubber flange!
I just received my redhead ADG and her eyes seem to be jammed. Her eyelids are half open and when I pull the string, her eyes don’t change colour. I unscrewed the back of head…I can peek inside, but I cannot open her head completely to see what the problem is. I looked at your tutorial on scalp removal…but I would rather know how to either remove her face plate to get access inside or instructions on how to fix the problem itself.
Any help would be great. Thank U
hopefully someone will take pictures of the show!
I was lucky enough to be in Tokyo this Jan and saw the Varity Fair and it was amazing! Go Christina! I think the Varity Fair idea is great because the outfits are available for sell. If anyone’s interested in attending next year’s fair, suggestion is to arrive on the first day. I went on the 2nd day and most of the outfits were sold out >.
My NF came scalpless, and i popped her head apart by taking out the screws, and gently prising the face plates apart.
why do people saw if i may ask?
I have just brought a “Takara Dollcena Miu Ribbon Marie Blythe Japan ABS Doll” from E-bay, could you please tell me what type of blythe she is? as this is my first doll and I am quite new to this ^^ also what clothes,wig ect would fit her?
tashayana – You have a “dollcena.” she’s about 5″ tall, not made by the same people that make blythe but similar in proportion to a petite blythe. I am not sure if she would fit petite blythe clothes, but she might. petite blythe is 4″ tall.
Dollcenas are very cute!
Hello, I couldn’t find contact info for the site, but I figured this was the best place for my question. I am looking for a tutorial on how to do sleep eyes. I thought there used to be one? Anyways, if anyone could give me a link to directions, or something I would be very grateful! Thanks!
me encantannnnn!!
cuteeeeeeee
momomita,
I was having the same problem finding the mohair, but I just found this site: http://www.fiber2yarn.com/ just click on mohair at the left.
She has a nice looking natural mohair in varying lengths, as well as a wide variety of pre-dyed fibers! (I have yet to recieve my mohair, so my only impression is from what is on her site)
As for the hooks, I would think you could get them at joanns or any other craft/sewing supply store.
If you want a partline root it first, but you can just start at the top and spiral down skipping the partline since mohair is so fluffy.
It says at the top that you need 1.5-2 ounces. The length of your mohair shouldn’t change that weight because mohair is usually only available in shorter lengths (the amount the goat can grow in one year!)
Is this how you dye blythe’s hair? Or just mohair?
samantha – this method of heating up RIT dye and dipping in the hair will work on light-colored stock takara blythes.
Be warned though that it’s best for short haired girls, as blythe hair is synthetic, and doesn’t hold the dye as well as natural mohair. long synthetic hair dyed in dark colors usually stains blythe’s rubber arms or a matted face.
Oh your outfits are just so fab…. I wish I can sew like this.
How could you unclip the white arc?
I’m having terrible problems with it, mine just won’t unclip.
http://www.puchimadam.com/pages/lab_bangs.htm
thanks megan, I just added the bangs tutorial onto puchicollective:
http://www.puchicollective.com/tutorials/blythetutorials/cutting-perfect-blythe-bangs/
sorry for the missing tut!
i love this pattern but i don’t know how to print..
the line that’s supposed to be 8 in. comes out a little more than 6 in.
help me!!T-T
I think may be the hole in back would be designed for customisers to do the “sleepy eyes”?
Melissa, do you think that RBL would be the easiest to customise for a newbie like myself? I tried to open an EBL and SBL’s head but found it too difficult and even got injured. v_v;
Thank you for this wonderful post!
Jenn – the RBL head would definitely be the easiest – you just remove the screws and squeeze her ears!
the square hole in back is for the spring attachment, just like all the previous models. the other holes are screw-holes and of course, the string-hole.
What is a RBL. I heard it’s new. What does it stand for??
RBL stands for radiant blythe, takara’s latest headmold. so far, i think just darling diva, last kiss and the hippie one (star dancer?) are all radiant.
it’s a nice mold! lots of people (including myself) think it’s very kennery.
RBl has the same excellent body and eye mechanism as superiors, but i have noticed a little difference in the eyelids.
girl from oz says thx 4 the cutest pattern!! my girls will luv it and their friends will want it !!
Kindest regards
ps merry christmas
me too bruna… will add if i figure it out!
hmmm well i got it, just had to manhandle it a bit more than i imagined (i was scared to break it)
i have really hard thumbnails i i just pushed right in on the exposed part that traps in the square “handle” of the arc, and the arc popped right off
the white arc is tricky – I use a very small flat screwdriver, put it under the square part, and twist gently. that usually does the trick.
Hi! Does Gina Garan ever do meet and greets in California USA? Where can I find more info regarding Blythe shows or expos in the state of California? Thanks so much!! +^.^+
i was wondering, instead of using an iron, could you cover your doll’s hair with a wet cloth and use the straighteners women use for their own hair? n_n thanks!
Can you do the same for the petite Blythe? How do you get rid of the end frizzies?
Mine is a Takara Petite and her back ends are frizzie. Pretty uneven too.
shelley – you can steam-iron petites’ hair. I straightened a petite totally tartan and she looked great. As far as i know, it is the same fiber. might be safe to test first on a small section in the back.
thanks. I don’t like how they cut her bangs. Very odd looking. I was trying to take her head apart to see if I could redo her hair. I could not get it all the way off. The top latch or whatever, would not come free. Do you know how to do it?
Thanks
Shelly
I just did her hair. She has a bit of a curl…Just like mine. I feathered her bangs and that is what she needed to have ‘her’ look. Still no name, but working on it. She had mint green hair.
I suppose that hole up there is for mohair rerooting… ???
Do you need to have the part in the middle for it to work? Or can it be anywhere?
yann – I find it best if the part is in the center for straight-down bangs, however people have had good results with more of a side-swept-bangs look on sidepart girls.
What doll do you have?
There’s been some talk of using ceramic straightening irons on the very lowest setting working well. I have not used this method myself, so I can’t recommend it!
oh my god that’s so scary! why would you iron your blythe!
heat/boiling water is commonly used to style doll hair. Alternately, you could dip her bangs in a pot of boiling water.
Sounds like you aren’t ready to customize your blythe, Christa.
how can i enlarge the patterns? cannot see really clearly
thank you
blackcat – click on the download link above, and right-click on the pattern and choose “Save Image” or “Save Image As”. then you can open the file from your desktop to print it at full size.
hi,
im am going to buy a doll to customise, but im not sure wich dolls are EBL, SBL OR RBL. Would FLOWEr POWER REDHEAD DOLL, THE NUMBER THREE BRUNETTE DOLL AND THE NEWEST NUMBER 4 BRUNETTE BANG BLYTHE DOLL be SBL/EBL or RBL? are they suitable for customising (scalp removal) many thankyous !!!!!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
Hi Lizzie,
The dolls you have listed are all ADG (Ashton Drake) blythes, not made by Takara. They are relatively inexpensive, but harder to customize due to the type of glue ADG used. I recommend an inexpensive takara blythe, like Mademoiselle Rosebud or one of the prima-dollies for a beginner
Hurrah for customisableification!
Hi! Thank you so much for posting these fabulous patterns for Blythe. I am a bit mystified by the scale. There is a line on each that one has to check for measurement. The line is always too short when I print. Is the solution a matter of enlarging the pattern on a copy machine by degrees until the line measures correctly? Or am I completely missing a more obvious solution.
Thank you for your help.
Dian
hmm, I kjust tried it and the line came out just over 6 inches. Are you printing it directly out of a browser or are you saving it and then printing it? I find I get the best results when I save it and then print it from my image editing software, like photoshop or paint.
Yes, I saved it and opened with “Paint” and it printed exactly the same. Some of the patterns (when I print them) are closer to the scale than others. I feel very self conscious even mentioning it because you have been so generous to offer them to us. The 6.25 inch scale prints @ 6 and 1/8th inch…but the ones that have the ruler longer..closer to 8 inches…they print even further off the mark as much as 3 inches. I thought perhaps I just needed to print them out and then enlarge on a copier but somehow, I am not having any success at hitting just the right percentage. The patterns are drafted so nicely, I’m sure I’m doing something wrong. It seems you have taken much care to present these…do you think it is possible to print them without having “Photoshop”? (which I don’t have)
And I’m also wondering…am I being too exact on some? For example…”easy A-line dress” suggests the reference line is 4.25″. When I print it out, it is 3 and 15/16. That’s 5/16 off the mark. Feel free to contact me at my email if you don’t want to go into it here..although I wonder if anyone else is having this dilemma.
Gratefully,
Dian
don’t worry about it at all! I certainly don’t take offense – I share these because I want people to play with them and not have to go to too much hassle – I’m glad you are pointing out your little snags.
we were using .pdf files for a while, they take longer to make (and some people don’t like them because they don’t want to download software) but maybe we need to offer the option if lots of people are having trouble printing these up.
if your pattern is coming out just a few eighths off the mark, they are probably okay – I may have rounded up or down a teeny bit.
one more thought – you may want to check your printer settings when you print the file to make sure that there isn’t an option like “fit to page” that’s turned on.
also, some really excellent image editing software that’s a tiny, quick download and is easy and free is irfan view. I notice MS Paint doesn’t give you artwork dimensions anywhere, maybe it doesn’t adhere to the original image’s dimensions when it opens them
link to irfan view:
http://www.irfanview.com/
Oh thank you so much!! I’ll download irfanview and try that. I will also check that “fit to page” option to make sure it is turned off. I have been so excited about doing this, as if you couldn’t tell! I already have lots of great fabrics and trims and I’m breaking in a vintage Singer machine I got on Craig’s list that should work beautifully on these small items. One of the reasons I am fussing so over the scale is (don’t laugh) I don’t have my doll yet!!! I have been trying to get Rendez Vous Chous Chous from Japan and the seller hasn’t returned my email with a quote. I’ll have a full wardrobe sewn by the time she arrives! I am looking into other sources for a doll…it has been suggested that Hong Kong is an easier source.
Irfanview worked! Thanks for all the help.
The strategy I like to use is to enlarge it until the scale is right, then trace it onto paper off of my monitor.
I want to sand because I don’t want her face to be reflective. Look at a bunch of Blythe photos and you will see where her face is shiny, you lose the beauty of her face…it just reflects glare.
I’m SO excited! This is awesome! I want both of them! I’ve toyed with small curling irons with mohair with no issue… but I am happy to see something we can finally use on our saran hair – this will make customizing so much fun – thanks for the tips and info as always!
that Palm Press looks mighty cute! I can’t wait to see your Merri Skier
One thing I would add in regard to using the curling iron on synthetic hair is to use a surge protector. I’ve used the small curling iron from Twin Pines of Maine (it is a regular curling iron but low temp and has the tiny barrel) on my Kenners and once had a hair melt from a power surge–the iron just suddenly got much hotter than it had been so now I always use a surge protector and haven’t had a problem since.
excellent tip, nancy, I would not have thought to mention that since my work space has them built in.
and linda, I’m making myself a “gentle river” clone – I miss her!
awesome!
Thanks for the great tips and info! I need to find time to give quite a few of my girls a day at the salon.
Can we get a pic with the gadgets next to one of your girls for size comparison??
Melissa, what is the temperature at 13 watts?
Ooh, interesting! I wonder if I could find a 220 volt version of the tiiiny curler…
yata – i don’t know – i guess i could measure it with a thermometer, but it’s cool enough that I can touch it with my hand and not get a blister.
Heather – I’ll take a picture. the curling irons are the same length as normal curling irons, but the barrels are skinny. the iron is about half the height of a traditional iron – the plate is about the same size as blythe’s head.
Great stuff, thanks! The Palm Press would be handy for…pressing their clothes too! Seriously though, full sized irons are a bit unwieldy.
Thank you, Melissa. This is an absolutely fantastic tutorial. Just perfect for beginners and also great tips for every KB owner.
Brilliant!
That mini iron has me all a flutter*L*
I like the idea of sniffing the individual aroma of kenner plastic!*L*
me too
I can identify all five of my girls by their smell alone.
Melissa: even when you’re blind folded? XD
yes! especially whim and vigne, since they were my first. maybe not westley since i haven’t had her as long. Whim smells like an old person’s house (a meticulously clean one, like my grandma), vigne smells a lot like a vintage thrift shop, dash smells like flowery perfume and atessa smells like hospital cleaner.
I just sniffed westley and she has just about no smell at all!
I have a question: I often see Kenner Blythes submerged in bath water. How safe is that really? Isn’t she subject to the same greening of the knees from corrosion of metal parts that other vintage dolls like the Barbie line get? Or is her knee mechanism all plastic?
Melissa thank you SO much! This is excellent and I love that you encourage all Kenner owners to enjoy her has she is when she first gets home!
I was lucky to find such a gem, but I am still wanting to find a diamond in the rough to restore to new, I can only imagine the bonding experience it brings!
I was a person that had only seen, felt, touched in person Takara Blythes, so when I got Zooey in the mail, I pulled her string and the “PIP” instantly brought tears to my eyes I was SO over joyed to have her in my life from that moment on!
Kenners are magic!
P.S. Thank you for the nylon tip – I might actually use this on a few of my takara’s with crazy bangs!
piccadilly: I’ve seen the inside of a kenner leg (remember the doggy accident blythe?) and while she does have a metal part inside her knee, I believe it may be stainless as I haven’t seen too many with green knees, or had any problems with rust.
What a nifty tutorial! I love how it’s kept so simple and reminds new owners of the dangers of over-zealous repairs. It’s funny how simple it is to fix up the Kenners, even if mine get frizzy after too many hairstyles, a simple wash, condition with fabric softener, and air drying seems to take it away. I totally agree with you not to add any goop to their hair.
Thanks for sharing all the great hair tips Melissa! I’ve thought about using a curling iron on synthetic doll hair but I’ve always been way too scared to give it a try myself.
great new site melissa! you’ve been busy!
Excellent Tutorial.
My two KB girls funnily enough smell so much alike. I probably could not tell them apart by smell.
Sweet stuff!
Good werk Mel!!
I cannot agree more with their unique smell!
help! the instructions are for boozedog, not the little lab puppy. i don’t sew very well and i need the correct instructions if possible.
thanks so much!
patty
help
Its the same method for all the dogs really, just dont attach the wire to the inside of the lab puppy : )
Thanks for the great tips! This is absolutely perfect timing – I *just* won my first KB and can’t wait to sniff her when she arrives!
I bought my Blythe purely for photography purposes so i’d like her face to have a matt finish, but i’m too scared to do it myself as i don’t wanna break her and waste alot of money. Is there anywhere i can get this done which won’t be too expensive? thanks x
I remember Belinda smelt kinda like ciggerette when she came outta her box (piiiew) And Coral had the vintagey smell XP but they now both smell like my favourite conditioner (oops!)
SO well written Melissa. I particularly love the opening 2 paragraphs that describe the rollercoaster of a first Kenner purchase. You’ve also managed to reignite my recent Kenner itch. Do i really need a fourth Kenner? LOL
How do I know what kind of doll I have? I just bought A Prima Dolly Ashlett. I love to do some changes with her and want to make sure her eyes are right.
Thanks
Shelly
this pattern is great ^^ i made a really good shirt with this
Hi there. I have a FAO Hollywood Blythe, the non-matte one, without the boggled eyes. I was wondering, if I follow the above steps, will her gaze be more extremely right and left? I want her eyes to look like Kozy Kape’s or Rosies. (As it is, she has no eyelid showing, but her eyes don’t look as extremely far to the left or right as theirs do.) Thank you.
Also, to add to what I wrote above, my girls left and right gazes point downward. I would like them to point more upward (like Rosies or Kozys). Thank you.
Hi ana,
no, boggling only affects where the eyelids rest. you would have to change the eyes completely to make her look more right or left.
Hi. I have a FAO Hollywood who I wished had boggled eyes. I notice boggled eyes look more upwards than non-boggled eyes. If I follow the gaze correction steps, do you think it would make my Hollywood’s eyes look boggled? (I realize boggled eyes means that no lid is showing, but she already has no lid showing). Thank you.
Hi ana,
I just responded to your other comment, but maybe I didn’t really get what you were describing.
if your hollywood looks down but has no lid showing (sounds unusual – do you have a picture?) then you would follow the procedure of gaze correction (shortening the T bar a tiny bit) to fix that. you don’t need to boggle because it sounds like she is already not showing any lid, and over-boggling leads to her eye mechanism showing from the bottom of her eye, which is quote unsightly.
I have been having a difficult time finding both the Fine and Extra Fine Norton 3X sponges. Is there a known source online? Is there another brand that works as well?
I just googled “norton 3x sanding sponge fine” and this result came up pretty high:
http://paint-and-supplies.hardwarestore.com/50-268-sanding-sponges/sanding-sponge-101887.aspx
you will need the yellow “very fine” and the red “fine”
Great article, Melissa!
I would also love a 220 volt version of that tiny iron! There are traveller’s iron here, but I have yet to find a good one, that is not unstable, not having bad surface and so on. I would prefer a solid one instead for foldable design. And I would like to be able to put on its rear too, standing.
Ro, If you find a 220 volt, please let me know!
This is so cool! I can’t wait to see it either
The instructions could have been a little clearer perhaps. It was particularly tricky attaching the bodice to the skirt, but I did it. If I can think of a better way to construct it, I’ll get back here. However, I must say it fits my doll Calypso perfectly and she looks darling in it with her red hair. It flatters her chunky figure. I made it in a cream coloured cotton with a pretty small-scale floral pattern in soft reds, greens and blues.
Although it fitted my Pullip Ariel, it didn’t become her. She has a rather aristocratic demeanor. She only wears things that a princess wouldn’t scorn.
Thank you very much for supplying these patterns. Great stuff!
Hi T-T
You can enlarge it at the printing stage. Try 125% That worked for me. It fits perfectly.
I’ve just got my first blythe, I’m going to try to make her a cute T-shirt!!
thanks so much. i am going to try to make my first one this week.
Hi Prima Dolly set, Ginger, Ashlette, Violet.Now which are they?
Hi – The first series of primma dollies (ginger, ashlette, and violet) are SBL (superior). The second generation primma dollies are going to be Radiant (RBL) according to blythedoll.com
hello, i was wondering if a velvet minuet was SBL. thanks in advance!
yes, VM is SBL. she was one of the first few that also has the slightly downward gaze.
Hi,
I just bought my first Blythe doll, shes the ADG redhead. I noticed that your picture of the ADG’s don’t have a shiny face. Is that because you matted her or is that the way they come? I have not received her yet so I’m not sure.
Thanks so much!!!
Gabi
hi guys,
I just edited the post to include the model number of my cool curling iron (CD11R). turns out that a super low-temp curling iron is harder to find than I thought!
-M
hi gabi – the ADGs I have seen do not have a super shiny face, but they are not totally matte – I would call it an eggshell finish.
Thank you so much, I love this pattern! I have made it a few times and it has come out so well!
Thanks for this marvellus patron. Yol
Melissa~ Thanks very much for responding. That clears up a few things for me.
Hi there. I’m not sure if this is where I would ask this question. But…I am getting a Kenner (who I have not seen in person yet) who has REALLY bad yellow discoloration on one side of her face. It’s really obvious and I am wondering what steps I should take to get her skin tone evened out. Thanks!
hi anna. do you have a picture of your future girl? yellowing can be one of the hardest problems to correct – sometimes it is very deep in the plastic.
You also might want to read through my latest article, here
Hi Melissa,
I absolutely love your tutorials, I really don’t know what I’d do without them!
I’m hoping that you can clear something up for me when you say:
“Notice that I skipped quite a few holes in the field, but filled every hole (you can get away with every-other hole) in the hairline with a tinier plug.”
Is the hairline basically the first rows starting from the forehead? How far in do you start skipping rows?
Also, when it comes to buying mohair, is it the curlier the better? If I go with really curly mohair will it be easy to straighten as well as make loose curls later on(I want to be able to play with the hairstyles now and then)? And lastly, I have the opportunity to buy my mohair directly from a lady who shears and prepares the mohair herself. Do you recommend that the mohair come from a kid or a goat and would you recommend the mohair to be finer or courser?
I’m sorry for so many (silly) questions it’s just that this is going to be my first mohair reroot and I really want to get it right!
Thanks so much for taking the time to help newbies such as myself…It’s comforting to now that there’s help just a keyboard away!
Hi,
Could you tell me if the new prima Dollys have bendable limbs? Also why are the Prima Dollys cheaper than the rest? Is it simply b/c they are produced in greater numbers and have less accessories ? Or are they inferior to the limited release Takara dolls.
l am thinking of ordering one pre-release, she would be my first Blythe!
Thank you,
Suellen
suellen – The prima dollys have the normal EBL body, which has clicking knees but no bendable arms. I believe they are cheaper because they don’t come with very elaborate outfits, accessories, or packaging, but they are the same doll parts as the regular releases.
I ordered all three – they are great bases for customizing!
Ani – the hairline is the row around the edge – it has very tightly spaced holes so that when you pull her hair into a ponytail, you can’t see the scalp.
as far as being able to restyle mohair, I think it would be easiest to do human-style hair treatments on the wavy (almost flat) mohair. the curly is good for a basic big poof of hair, although I’ve never tried to straighten it.
as far as texture, I like mohair that is as soft as possible, but I like my mohair girls really fluffy. You should ask your supplier for samples and see what you like best and try your styling tools on it.
good luck! let us know what you find out in your mohair experiments!
Thanks Melissa!
l’ve ordered an Aubrey! l think she is pretty cute!
l also have a question about the Blythe wigs l’ve seen on ebay, how do they stay on? Will they spoil the base hair by using wigs? l really like Aubrey’s bangs & short hair but l’d also like to change her look occasionally. What’s your advice?
This is great site by the way…………..
Cheers,
Suellen
Hi, I am also wondering if there will be instructions for this one, as I can’t quite figure out how it goes together. The back piece says to cut it on a fold and so does the front. In the pic you have of yours, it doesn’t look like the opening is in the front, so I assumed it was in the back, but then why is it cut on a fold and how do you attach the hood.
Would like to say Thank you so much for these adorable patterns. I finally figured out how to print them the right size and I just love them.
Thank’s for any help you can give on the hoodie pattern!!
looks like a great pattern I think maybe what is causing confusion is the little circle sign. only the front . sleeve and hood are placed ON the fold ,on the back,waistband and wristband that sign denotes ‘fold here’ Maybe for the hood.. try butting the two back pieces together and treat that as one piece of fabric to sew the hood to ? IF that works then you could put hooks and eyes on the back opening to keep it closed.. that’d butt the edges together .that sounds Ok in theory anyway LOL.. that’s what I’m going to try
Thank you so much for sharing your pattern with everyone! It is an easy project, but it’s time consuming because it’s such a tiny little thing to work with. Here’s how mine turned out:
http://members.aol.com/riffkiddle/RifffyBlytheT.jpg
It was designed for my custom Blythe Boy to wear. Thanks again!
What cute pets !!! There are so nice, but I’m looking for the deery pattern, it’s my favourite, could you published it ?
XXX
ezy
Hi Ezy,
Sorry I cant do that pattern as its not mine, at the moment I cant find the link either, I will try to get back to this though to give it to you.
Hi again Ezy,
Got through to the link this morning http://ayumiuyama.com/ayumi%20uyama%20hp/ayumi%20works/works_main.html its the first book shown : )
debby – the circle sign means that you fold the fabric, place the pattern on the fold, and cut all other sides except the fold. for the back two pieces, cut them out seperately (mirrored) and then fold at the dot to create the hem.
here’s some quick instructions, or an order of operations:
*(if you are attaching an optional front pocket, sew it to the front of the shirt first)
-attach the sleeves at the shoulders to the front piece and both back pieces,
-fold the cuffs and attach to sleeves
-hem the front edge of the hood
-seam the back of the hood together, leaving about an inch at the bottom open
-attach the hood to the neck and shoulders of the shirt
-seam the sides of the shirt together
-fold the waistband and attach
-attach snaps
good luck!
I guess my pattern shouldn’t have a circle on the back pieces, technically. I usually sew from tracing paper patterns and then when i convert them into illustrator for the site, sometimes my symbols aren’t 100% perfect because I don’t traditionally sew from stock patterns
if my blythe comes in slightly wavy hair,
am i able to make it as striaght as the one in the thumbnails above by soaking in boiling water or ironing it?
btw mine’s a prima dolly ginger=)
sandy – do you want all of the hair straight or just the bangs?
with the girls that come pre-curly, you can get the hair very straight by ironing under a wet cloth, but the tips will probably keep their slight curl. I straightened my skate date’s hair but the tips always curl up.
I don’t think I have ever felt the texture of prima dolly ginger’s hair, but it wouldn’t hurt to try it on your doll. just keep the cloth wet!
Hey,
I bought my first blythe last year on ebay (I live in Belgium and no Blythe shops here). It was a mademoiselle rosebut. Just thought she looked cute and she was one of the cheapest on there. In the mean time I have customized her (mohair reroot, lips carved, the whole shabang…) and loooooooooove her now. But I was wondering, why is she so cheap. What makes some Blythes cheap and others expensive besides offcourse the original Kenner dolls?
kisses from Belgium
Anneke
yup i want all of the hair striaght.
thanks for the tips!
by the way what blythe is she? as in the one with black hair in the thumbnails?
she’s really lovely.
I’ll be sure to keep you posted.
You’re so awesome…thanks Melissa!!! =]
the blythe in these pictures is my Love Mission, Nyx!.
Anneke – I believe that there were jsut more MR produced and sent to the US than usual – she was offered here through Urban Outfitters, but her pricetag didn’t sit well with her customers, so they were all clearanced for something like $20. she was also sold through Amazon I believe.
Easier to find = cheaper.
oh did you reroot it?
or you striaghtened it by ironing?
i’m so totally in love with her hair!
This is so gosh darn fantastic!
Thank you Puchi-people!
You’ve outdone yourself this time! ;D
This is the coolest web-toy EVER!!! ^__^
I love it!!! It’s a very cool and useful application
Wow!! This is way cooler than anything I have seen for quite a while. Fantastic idea
Amazing Melissa! I would kill for your clever technical skills. Very definitely the bestest, coolest thing to hit the Blythe world forever.
So BL is the only body type, besides the original Kenner dolls, that have bendable arms AND legs?
Very cool!
The best idea since.. I do not know! 
Are you going to add more options like skin colors?
original kenners don’t have posable arms (elbows) – unless you are talking about the shoulder joint. in that case, all incarnations of the blythe body have posable shoulders.
BL has hollow arms with a wire inside, and rubber legs with a wire embedded inside – like licca and jenny.
EBL, SBL, RBL, and kenner have rubber arms (no wire to “hold” the pose), and rubber legs with a plastic and metal clicking knee mechanism, like the kind found in most barbie dolls.
excellent!
i can stop playing with it now!
and very very helpful : D
oops i meant “can’t”
Wow, that’s a lot of fun! My next project was going to be a Blythe that you can interact with over the Internet, but now I don’t need to do that.
So you know Flash MX? Are you a web designer?
chantastic – yep, I work as a web developer during the day and I teach an intermediate Flash class at a multimedia school in the evenings.
My flash skills are pretty basic – I’m actually just starting to try to expand my ActionScript repertoire.
you should absolutely still make your interactive Blythe!
Melissa—
This is BRILLIANT!!! What a great tool for customizers/Blythers to utilize during the decision-making process. If not that, it’s a whole lot of fun to tinker with (like I’ve been doing for the past several minutes)
Martin will love this! Must remember to show him tonight.
Wow. I’m sure it’s a really useful customising tool, but more to the point I can pull a pull string even when I’m at work or visiting a client!
Fabulous! I’ve been playing with it & now have SO many new ideas!
I’m so vain, I think the sample girl above looks like me! HA!
melisser – no way, her lashes aren’t curled enough! i think she looks like magdalyn, but ya know, apples to apples…
How fantastic is this!!! Oh we Blythe fans are so lucky, lucky, lukcy to have you!! Thanks a million Puchicollective!!
I LOVE IT! There’s not much else to say! Again, like posted on livejournal… best PMS remedy EVER!
Woot! This is genius!
melissa you SO rock!
Innovative!!
Way Cool Melissa!!
Super Neato!!
I wish we could stream it here!
Brilliant!!
fantastic! XD
i love it!! something we all can use. great stuff melissa
.
I love playing with it but there is one thing that bugs me. . . you can’t save it or send it as a pic. I found a great combo and I wanted to email it to the person customizing my doll for me and there doesn’t seem to be a way to do it.
It is fun to play with though.
hi loretta – I am working on an option that will export your final combo out as a PDF, but in the mean time, you can always hit the Print Screen Key (it’s usually right next to the F12 key) and paste it into your paint program for saving.
Loretta – If you’re on a Mac, hit “Shift-Apple-3″ to capture the whole screen, or “Shift-Apple-4″ to get a crosshair – then click & drag over the area you want to capture.
Melissa, great work and thanks so much for sharing. Have a great time clicking so many functions. Just curious to know the face mould of this model?
Chun’s designs are amazing and top quality! My Robin will ONLY wear Puppy Love fashions. :>
i’m a big fan of Chun’s work and i’m a proud owner of a beautiful set for blythe made by her : )
omg this is so cool! awesome idea! i have made about 5 different blythes with it now XD LOVE IT! =D
xxx
eee so cute, can’t wait to make one =) x
miffy – I drew the face in illustrator, but I was using a kenner as my guide.
Yay! It’s great to see Chun & Puppy52 in the spotlight.
I love all the bits I have. Great jeans and cute dresses.
I also love your pictures and illustrations, Chun.
If I were rerooting an SBL, which you say has about three times as many rows, would I still do all the rows or miss rows?
And thanks lots for the tutorial by the way, it’s great
alex – i don’t think it’s a good idea to skip rows, but if you are going for a flatter hairstyle, make your hairplugs smaller and skip one or two holes every now and then.
How fun is this!! LOVE it!
yay chun! i love puppylove fashion
This article couldn’t have come at a better time, Melissa! Thank you!
I’ve just picked up my 2nd Kenner today, and even though I’ve fixed up my first last year, tips from the professionals are always awesome. I’m relatively germophobic (but I still do my thrift store rounds in search for Kenners!), but wahey! Have now sniffed Beatrice Dimple after this article. Old lady powdery perfume of some sort.
Such a great story about one of my favourite dolly designers!
I love Ruthie’s helmets and clothes so so much! ♥
Hello!!!You are my favourite photografer!!Sorry but I don´t speak perfect english.Your photos are beautiful!!!Congratulations!!
I really miss having the blue and the black high tops! They were my faves but I ended up selling the clothings sets for SDM and SS. Now I want them back. *sigh*
gotta love kitty helments!!! XD Goooo Ruthie!
how cool is this! thank you Melissa, very useful too!
yes, why don’t you put it online so that everyone can see it? if it’s not illegal I mean.. I would love to see little Gentle River!
Thank you so much for this lovely pattern!
I made my girl a pair of red satin flares and although they’re a really tight fit around her tighs (must have done something wrong, but when I put some talc powder on her legs it works) I adore them!
I have a really though time letting her wear anything else at the moment
(if you want to see some pictures just let me know)
Ruth is so talented, I’m glad she found Blythe so we could find her
I’m enjoying the Blythe-a-lizer! When I get tired of trying out eye shadow, lip and hair color I use the “pip” to drive others around me crazy XD It’s another great way to get Blythe into my life!
ahh i love them all just so you know im using the wallpaper with the blythe doll and her pink hair!,
I am ordering from restoredoll.com and was wondering how many skiens and in what sizes I should get them. They have Standard and Large.
Wow the first couple paragraphs was exactly how it happened for me. It must be the same for many. Ebay, Flickr, wow! This was an awesome tutorial. Do you have any suggestions for cutting bangs for Blythes? My Blythe has some bangs but I’d like more. I’m new at this. I’ve only had my Blythe since the end of January. Thanks alot!
tiffany – is your blythe a kenner or a modern blythe?
damned, how cute are those 4 helmets on the top pics. Where can I buy one??? They don’t seam to be available on the eurotrash site any more…
I admit…stuff flies out as fast as I can make it, so my site looks bare alot! The surest way to get the helmet you want is to comission one from me. Right now I’ve got a pretty hefty comissions list, but it all depends on how long you are willing to wait…
Thank you everyone for your support! Without you all who buy my things, I could not be nearly as creative as I am!
that’s a good point bigeye… that spot is very convenient for weft mohair.
Awesome love the gun print!
I love this! But one question, what is, and where can I find “cake wire”? I’ve searched cake supply stores but come up empty!
Thanks!
My girls have warm heads thanks to Ruth and her wonderful helmets
Hi,
Hopefully if you can find a specialist cake decorating store they will have it, but if not you could substitute florist wire as well or any thin wire. I just like the cake wire because its wrapped in paper and comes in a good variety of thicknesses. Cake decorating courses in your area might be able to put you on to a supplier?
Thanks a million!
I just purchased an ADG redhead, and she seems to have the downward gaze. Will this method of correction work for her?
cute! will this t-shirt work with fabric glue?
Hi! I was reading what Linda wrote about a third eye being placed where the 3 screw is. Funny thing is that a I believe a Spainish dollwriter did in fact place a third eye in the fore head of a Goddess style doll she wrote. It was both odd and beautiful. If you’d like to see the pictures (I save a lot of Blythe pictures from Ebay auctions) I’d be happy to show you. TTYL
Hehheh, I want one of those kitty helmets for myself!! They’re adorable!!
Oh this is soooo FUN!!! I’ll be playing with it for hours!! I know it has the purpose to test before customs, but I just like it anyway XP!! ^_^
Ahh, I love Stripe-o-vision and The Pest the best! So cool!!
I agree with Alex. There are some sites that are really good, but they’re all in Japanese, so there are all of these buttons to press, but I don’t know what to do >_
Hi there,
I am thinking of buying a Kenner who has no eyelashes. Is this a major issue that requires a lot of expertise to repair or something with good instructions I may be able to do myself. Thanks a ton for any info!!
Krista
rebecca – I don’t really know as I am not really familiar with fabric glue – but this is a nice simple pattern to try. if it doesn’t work out, you could always toss it.
hi krista – I have repaired many girls with missing eyelashes and can tell you that to do it right is quite a painstaking operation, one I would not recommend for a beginner. Kenner eyelids have a VERY shallow and narrow gap to hold the lashes in, unlike takaras that are very deep and wide, easy to fit new lashes in.
since you have to use superglue to hold kenner lashes in, you must open the head first.
Melissa,
Thank you very much for the information, I certainly would not want to touch them myself having this info. Would you mind e-mailing me an approx. cost for this kind of repair. I am sorry to not have pics or anything(the doll is not mine yet) and depending on how costly this repair may be, may never be!It is very clear that she has no eyelashes whatsoever. Thank you for being such a great resourse.
I tried the right click and save thing and it still didn’t print at the correct size.
carrie: try my suggestion offered here.
Hello!!Puchi collective is beautiful!!I won a blythe in ebay,a ADG redhaired.She will be my first blythe and her name will be “Julieta”.PLEASE PUCHI COLLECTIVE IN SPANISH!!I´m spanish and I don´t speak perfect english.Regard´s Adrian. >.-
I was really afraid to iron my Blythe’s hair but your tutorial convinced me and now it looks great, thank you so much!! =D
Hi Melissa,
I’ve seen quite a few KBs on ebay without arms and legs, yet they looked stunning (a little pathetic too unfortunately). I’m very tempted indeed. Do modern blythes’ arms and legs fit into KBs’ bodies well?
Rina – yes, EBL/RBL/SBL arms fit into kenner armholes. they are a little loose sometimes, adding a little drafter’s tape around the joint usually fixes it right up.
legs though, are another story. it requires surgery on the Neo body to make the waist joint fit the kenner body. you can’t use the legs alone because the joint is very very different.
Looks great! Trying now. Thanks!
This is so cool and useful.
the tutorials are great! but what is elbow grease?
Hi. After months of shopping/trying to decide on a girl I bought my first Blythe, she’s one of the new prima dollys, and I want to sand matte her face, and I was talking to my dad about it, and he suggested I use this 600 grit sand paper that he has for working on flutes. Do you think that this will work? Do you think 600 grit is too fine? Should I seek out the norton sanding sponges? or do you think its safe to try with something else?
Also, where is the best place to buy new eyechips?
Alice – whenever trying out a new sand-matting product, I recommend that you test on the back of her head before matting her face.
I haven’t bought eyechips in a long time, but you could always try eBay.
Thanks for the tips! I love what you wrote…Smell her scalp and notice her unique sound….I did that too! LOL~
Way to go Ruth………love your fashions.
A great idea! Just brilliant. Thanks!
I have a question. How about freckles, what sort of paint would I use for that? Thank you!
christine – I use regular craft acrylics thinned out with acrylic extender, the same kind I use for lips
Hi Melissa!
I’m new to all this as well as the others, and I’m wondering where to buy the curly white mohair. I’ve seen wavy, but I want that poofy look
Any ideas? Thanks!
I have the coolest auntie ever!!! luve ya Ruthie.
Any updates? I’m ready to mohair reroot my Aubrey. Should I be worried?
WOW! damn i already painted … this tutorial would of helped a lot… well my customed lips are like sbl and kb mixed!
Tina, before you remove the hair from your Aubrey, there’s a few people with Aubries that has problem hair… I would suggest you to open the chance for scalp trade.
For example at This Is Blythe forum aswell as Blythedoll LJ community.
eeeeee! too qyute!
Thank you for sharing this pattern! I’m going to give it a try.
Thanks Chun & Sherri!
Sherri, you inspired me to draft this pattern because of your impending LaTi arrival
I can’t wait to see what you make with this pattern!
I’m From IRAN (codometon irani hast)
yay, new pattern!
Melissa, GREAT JOB O_O she looks so sweet and pretty! I also gently scrape off a bit of my star dancer’s bottom lip to give her the “kenner pout” XD
She is the best customized Ebony I’ve seen so far – so sweet and sassy.
This is what Ebony *should’ve* looked like! Nice work as always Melissa!
oh she is beatiful, amazing job… but there was my idea for my own ebony… turquoise pastel for eyes (the interior too), natural lips in rose or soft orange, sixties haircut…
your ebony is my ebony… but you do it earlier…
ag…
congratulations anyway! but today is a day a little sad for me …
sorry for my bad english!
la marquesa – do it! I think blues/turquoise/greens are a natural fit for Ebony and your plan sounds lovely!
I was very inspired by the results that other people got when they put light blues on their Ebonies – I just happened to have mint green paint.
all blythes are unique because of what the individual artist does to them. Your ebony will be your special creation!
I’d love to see pictures when you are done.
La Marquesa – I agree with Melissa, even if two people have the same plans for a doll, they will still come out completely different because the artists have different styles! Her Ebony’s eyeshadow is more of a “mint green” than your turquoise – your “rose” or “peach” lips would still be different from hers.
You should totally customize your Ebony and share pics!
i know i know!!!!! i agree with us!!!
i will make my own ‘turquoise’ ebony and share my pics!!
but when i open Flickr and i saw Ebb, my heart does ‘pumpumpumpum’ (my terrible english again…)
is difficult to explain!!!!
but i love your job anyway!!!!! i know that each artist is diferent, in fact, you are better (this will be my first personal custom…)!!!!
ay… love the tutorials and all the help that you give to blythe fans…
like me…
She is absolutely absolutely stunning and so so pretty. The colours are just gorgeous and remind me of the ocean. Thank you so much for sharing your brilliance with us and for inspiring us to ‘give it a go’
Keren
xx
Melissa I’ve already drooled for 2 days over her… but I must say I really really REALLY love her look! You did an excellent job!!!
I only have ONE step left on my Ebony. Someone get me off the internet & put that dolly head in my hand!
Wow! Thanks Melissa… now I want an Ebony too
What a great inspiration! She is very lovely! I am a little sad over Ebony, she’s got fun bold makeup for once – BUT it clashes to her skin… And the hair is the worst.
I pondered over if I could paint the lips white on my ebony – but then it would be sad for my FaPa that haven’t even arrived to me…
OMG! she looks FANTASTIC! makes me want to run out and get an ebony afterall. i absolutely love everything that you’ve done with her. you are one amazing dolly makeover artist!
i wanna see more pics now.
She looks amazing! I wish I had the skills to paint eyelids like that, the idea and execution is brilliant. I am inspired to do that to my StarDancer, as I think she would look better with dark hair. Thanks for the inspiration.
How to you get the hair to flip under like that?
Alice – I use a very low heat curling iron (hard to find one that won’t melt plastic hair) but you could also use inexpensive foam rollers and then iron them through a wet towel .
Melissa, Ebi is such an inspiration! As soon as I saw her pictures I ran to pay for my Ebony pre-order that had been languishing away due to indecision. . . I’m so excited to try my hand at my first custom!
BlythesBoi: Go for Large X2.
Melissa: Thanks for the fab tutorial – you explain things really clearly
why is it not possible/good to wet her face to get rid of her make? i am new to blythes (she’s on her way). i’m just scared that if i keep changing her make up, eventually there will be nothing left of her!!!
She’s so lovely!!! You’ve turned her into such a lovely thing!
Thanks for much for all the great tips! Your Ebi is beautiful! and you gave me some courage to customize my Ebony!
Wow!!!!!!
Hi Melissa!
Do you know if “Shoe Goo” is a good alternative to use on my SBL’s scalp? I made a boo-boo while trying to take her head apart and accidently ripped part of her scalp, just below the hairline at the back of her head. D:
I bought it because it’s made for vinyl and rubbers(soles on shoes, etc.) and thought it might be a good solution(it was actually my hubby’s idea, he’s usually quite clever!). I’m also curious if it would work well when it comes time to glue the scalp back on. I just want to be sure that I’m not going to cause permanent damage and destruction by using this but I really need a glue that will hide the tear in the scalp. The active ingredient is called Perchloroethylene, if it’s any help!
Thanks again for your awesome tutorials! I don’t know where I’d be without you and the PuchiCollective!!!
Thank you so much for this, and i’m wondering how to open lati head for makeing up…
She is lovely!! I have started to customize my Ebony, but am brand new so taking it slowly.
She is beautiful! This is the first Ebony I have seen that made me want one of my own.
WOW! I love it! I’m waiting for my first Blythe to arrive and have I got stuff planned for her now!
Imagine 35 years ago at Kenner when they said “She’s a dud, turn ‘er off”, they would never have imagined.
Very well written – I really enjoyed it! Doing my research for the arrival of Claire…
tiff! you got a kenner! congratulations
You can also use pipe cleaners
http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/920/img0497tf9.jpg
http://img249.imageshack.us/img249/5984/img0497py3.jpg
http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/4835/img0496nm1.jpg
http://img265.imageshack.us/img265/282/img0502gu3.jpg
http://img265.imageshack.us/img265/6845/img0501zo8.jpg
Would any of your patterns fit a Pullip Dal?
Thanks
xox
Ani – I have used a vinyl mending glue on scalps before, it works quite well on torn bare scalps (the kind of glue that melts vinyl), but i think that if the scalp has hair in it, it would damage the hair plugs. So if you are rerooting the scalp, fix the tear before rooting. you can reinforce the tear with e6000.
as for attaching the scalp, I would still recommend water soluble glue for temporary bond, and superglue if you are going for a factory seal. you could test on the dome of her head to see if the hard plastic would have a reaction to the glue you want to try though and let us know what happens!
good luck!
omg Melissa … err … after the fiasco of my messsed up girl I bought another – you’ll be hearing from me soon. She has a chip floating around inside her head.
wow! ha! are you going for a group discount?
Here’s my Ebony after her somewhat drawn out make-under:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dollyblur/tags/ebony/
I fitted her with MRB’s scalp, and gave her blue-grey and sky blue eyemakeup, soft pink cheeks and natural lips with light pink highlighting.
yummAy tips Melissa!
I don’t do much customizing but this article made me want to get a Dremel kit now! Cus you never know when it’ll come in handy!
Is this a wordpress blog? or some other software?
wordpress with a custom theme.
Excellent! Thanks for this! I had been wondering how useful the Dremel would be in Blythe furniture making.
Yay for Dremel lovers!! I’ve had mine since college days when I had to work on architectural models, but good to know it’s handy for Blythe projects too!! I don’t even use the drill press and router Dremel attachments much, but I’m now coveting that Dremel Stylus….*lusts*
This is a great article! It’s so interesting to see how Gentle River came to be! I can’t wait to see her in production! She’s so gorgeous!
ohh this was such a happy read! i loved reading about how Gentle River was born. you guys are so amazing it’s beyond words & i can’t wait to read more!
Looks great Melissa! I love the Tree design & the squirrelly squirrels!
Wow, what a cool article! Thanks for sharing the awesome story of how Gentle River, and Team Sibley were created.
Can’t wait to read part 2:)
This is sooo exciting XD thank you for sharing with us Melissa!
fantastic! can’t wait to see more!
love the graphic at the top!
you are making me really really excited for her. Even as I write this I am having second thoughts about selling my Merry Skier! I can’t wait for River … eee!
Fantatsic article – thanks for sharing!
I’m really looking forward to seeing the production doll
Very exciting! Can’t wait to see the dolls
what a brilliant story. thanks for sharing. I love seeing all the pics too!
Eeep! I’m so excited for River to come out – you all must be on pins and needles waiting for our reaction!
Great read… I’m glad I have stuck to my good resolution of waiting for Gentle River. She’ll be my one and only RBL !
Thank you for sharing the story. I’ve been dying to find out how she was created from the first time I saw her picture last year. I even bought the Dolly magazine with Gentle River on the cover so I can look at her on a glossy cover. I kept wishing I could read Japanese coz maybe there would be a story about her creation.
I can’t wait to read more. Thank you again for the lovely article, it made my day!
It’s great to read about her creation and see the work in progress pictures and sample shots of the outfits.
I realy love her subtle make up lovely lip clour and shape and fantastic outfit. I can’t wait to see her in production. It’s so exciting!
oh i love her story, i can’t wait to have a gentle river on my own
Its really interesting to get a behind the scenes how it was all done sneak peak. Thank you for sharing the process.
I’m also glad I’ve waited for Gentle River! She’ll be my first RBL too. Hearing of all that went into her is really interesting.
That was the best morning-read-over-coffee evar!
You guys are a wonder, and it is so fun to read (and watch!) the process. I am eagerly awaiting part II.
Also, your new puchi-layout is super-fab. River will feel right at home.
I love the design! Now on to the article
I love the story! I can’t wait to read more. I want to know everything.
And of course, I can’t wait to see the promo sketches, and then the actual photos. And then of course having my own River.
It is so exciting this one!
Gentle River’s story is very interesting. I can’t wait to read more.
very interesting. I’m so looking forward to hearing more.
I want a dremel.
(I’ve wanted one since a few years..)
argh! I am going to reroot my aubrey too! nightmare! I’m dying to see a tutorial on RBL scalping and reattaching!
So very interesting and fun to see how River came to be.
It’s been wonderful to read about Gentle River’s creation. I’m excited to see the RBL dolly and the box design.
Thanks for sharing this story! I’ve often wondered…
Thanks so much for sharing the behindthemusic story! (and no rehab involved!) Palm Frond, I mean River, Gentle, is such a gorgeous doll on so many levels. I truly can’t wait to see her and own her.
(and when I first saw her hair, I did think of Kallisti too!)
This is so cool that you are documenting this to share with the rest of us! I’m so excited for the repro Gentle River to come out. You guys did a fabulous job!
Hello, could you please tell me the difference between semi-gloss and Flat to seal the made up on blythe. As Flat looks to dull to me, but I may afraid the semi-gloss will looks as shiny as original blythe. Please help me… thx a lot
Totally inspiring peek into the creative process!
This is a very helpul guide. =D
eee! she’s amazing!
Niice! I love her! I wonder though, are she just made for your own enjoyment or is she going to be in any competition? Oh, oh, I think it is still a secret.
Wow I cannot wait to see more! Amazing
Simply amazing work from TS again, can’t wait to find out who/where!
This makes River all the more real, and increases the excitement of her release – what a great story!
GLAM!!! i love it & can’t wait to see more
This all looks so cute!
To print patterns on the net correctly. Before printing straight from the website, I go to File —Page Setup and then I turn all my margins to 0. The computer automatically resets them to the smallest allowed value and then the pattern seems to print to scale. Not sure if this will work for everyone but just thought I would share it as an option.
Zounds!! O.O
Well, I’ve been looking for a kenner but couldn’t find one that I could afford, so I settled for a ADG, but her hair is starting to frizz, does the method for Kenners shown above work for ADG?
to be quite honest, I haven’t spent much time working on ADGs! maybe someone else here can shed some light on the subject.
I do remember that my ADG’s hair did not respond well to heat, but a wash and condition would probably be harmless.
Thanks for your help! I’ll try it out and tell you how it goes.
OooOoooh! I’m intrigued! She’s very glam as Linda said. Wonderful colors
I absolutely love Ebi’s new look (perfect name too!) . I think Melisser’s girl is super cute too and will be checking out everyone’s links
Will there ever be P-chips available to the masses again? Wishful thinking I guess considering how much goes into making them!
I love you Linda!! Kiku does too ^_^
Wow!!
Gotta love that metallic airbrush! The shade of hair is awesome as well. Can’t wait to see more!
Yay! You and all of Team Sibley must be so excited!
i can’t wait to see the promo pics!
I really hope thats just a partial artistic intepretation of her hair and they dont’ get rid of her gorgeous curls!
You know I didnt even think it might not be Kosher. I imagine it is though, they are so hand in hand with Dollydolly. *eeeeeppppp!*
I’m going to try to sew this one this weekend!
yay! you’ll have fun with it
Wow. This is a fascinating glimpse into what really goes into designing a doll. I hope the myriad of whiners out there realize that you can’t have a spectacular doll with lots of goodies, and still keep the price low. I can’t wait to read more! And of course, see Gentle River in person…
I am SO excited!! What an exciting project…yay yay yay!
I am in awe. Thanks for sharing this with us!
Perhaps buying 2 isn’t a bad idea!
Thank you so much for this! It is so interesting and has really made me think more about the whole Blythe business. Can’t wait to see her!
Melissa
Can I straighten my Ashton Drake Dolls hair using an Iron? Is her hair different thant the Takara Blythes? I just received her on Thursday. I gave her some short wispy bangs and added the little side bits of longer hair into her bangs.
What is the boiling water method? I don’t have a working iron at the moment.
I just got my Aston Drake Blythe, do I follow the same method for freckles? I am already ready to take the plunge and customize her. I thinks she’d look cute with some freckles.
I am so excited.
First the sneaky promo sketch, then this post.. eeee!
Hi katsola – you can use the same types of paint for freckles – acrylics with extender. try dotting it on with a toothpick.
I’m actually writing a freckle tutorial as we speak
I have actually never flat ironed an ashton drake, so you should take a small cutting from the back of her scalp to test first.
for the boiling method, basically you boil some water, then remove it from the burner and wait a few minutes after the bubbles stop, and then either pour it over your doll’s hair or dunk her head in and comb it while it’s still hot to smooth it out.
please be very careful with the hot water. you might want to wear oven mitts
An absolutely fascinating read — thank you so much for sharing the process.
I’m so so happy for all of you!!!
I have never been this excited over a doll!
I cannot wait to have her in my hands.
You guys did amazing work.
Hooray for everyone!
wow this is just TOO COOL
I’m really enjoying these entries, thanks so much for sharing with us the making of! 
I absolutely cannot wait for GR to come out! I’m in awe of everything that’s gone into creating her, and love that you’ve shared the *behind the scenes* for all of us to read!
I am SO excited. The more I hear about her the better and better she sounds. I of course WANT her no … NEED
her badly but also I may have to buy my very first petite now! This whole thing is just too cool.
This is so cool! I am really loving these behind the scene updates. It does seem amazing how CWC produces so many dolls when there is so much work that goes behind the production of just one doll. Pretty cool stuff! I am glad that you guys are sharing your experience here. I hope I can get my hands on one of them somehow but I have a feeling she will be very popular
.
Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful experience. I’ve been a fan even BEFORE she won the contest. Congratulations on all your hard work. It is so inspiring to see creativity being recognized.
I really hope I could be one of the fortunate ones to get this doll. I’m going to have to start my GR stakeout mission.
I look forward to more Team Sibley creations and stories.
Exciting news, I can´t wait to se the official pictures. She will be in preorder in hlj? I love all the little details off her, the red lips ,the dark eyeshadow , the gorg outfit and the new shoes !
Fantastic Reading! Gorgeous box sketches. Very exciting! Can’t wait to see her!
I enjoyed reading this!! Thanks for sharing! I’m so excited and can’t wait to see her real pics! It’s amazing how many decisions have to be made and how many effort and thinking goes for the making of one doll. I’m sure I’ll love her, the original girl shows how creative and talented the people who made her are. I’m looking forward to seeing her! ^__^
Wow, she looks so wonderful!! I love her make up and hair style. The outfit is magnifique
I am so so so SO excited for you all! It’s amazing to know how much goes into a Blythe doll being made – I can imagine how hard CWC works on their concepts but to know they are pleasing not only your team but in some ways the masses, since we all watch your creative team work on a daily basis through tib.com and flickr, I can only imagine how much pressure CWC feels in making sure this doll is not only ultimately what you all want her to be, but also to live up to all of what your fans hope she’ll be.
I think it’s great that they were so careful to check out each detail that you all had for skin discoloration etc. And as much as it pains me to see her hair won’t be a red-ish brown like Ultimate Tour (because it’s a great color) I’m very excited to see the color you all did choose. I think she’s going to be a true winner and I can’t wait to find out about ordering info and or when or where I can get my hands on her… I am really looking forward to her!!!
CONGRATS!
You must be so proud! It’s all so exciting! I bet I can guess which box design you went with, though they are al wonderful. I just cannot wait to get my hands on Gentle River and her Petite deery pal.
These articles are so interesting – I had no idea there was so much behind the scenes work… I bet you must be thrilled to be so involved with the production! I mean, winning & having her produced is amazing enough, but to be involved right down to the box designs? Sheesh!
I’m beyond excited about the release of Gentle River – I can’t wait to see her!
I really love reading all of these GR stories! It’s so cool to get an inside scoop of how the dolls are made. I can’t wait for GR to come out! I just hope she doesn’t get bought up super fast leading her price to sky rocket. I’m trying to refrain from buying any doll stuff just so I can buy her!
And those box designs are incredible! One of the reasons I wanted NF so badly was because of her incredible box. Looks like this box won’t help me to stay away from GR!
I can’t wait to buy Gentle River. If she turns out like your doll, I will definately buy her. Awww! Thanks for sharing
뭐라하는지..
This so facinating! I am really enjoying reading River’s story as it unfolds.
thanks so much for sharing this information! congratulations to Team Sibley! You must be thrilled beyond belief! I am excited for you! What a tremendous experience!I think we are all looking forward to Gentle River’s debut!
You know, after reading all the things that go on behind the scene of producing Gentle River, even if someone were not to like her (but serious, who wouldn’t?!), they should still get her to show their support for CWC and the amazing effort that they put in to create her. Plus, it’ll be such an amazing boost for future consumer/Blythe enthusiast and CWC collaborations!
I can’t wait for the end of May now!!
That eyeshadow, the hair colour… I want to see more!
Congratulations to the whole team. What a conglomeration of effort with all of you creative people in Team Sibley and CWC.
As everyone has mentioned thanks so much for giving us a REAL insight into how a doll is made and all of the minute decisions that have to be made and agreed upon before the doll comes to fruition. And the explanation of why custommade features such as sausage curls cannot be reproduced on mass ( wiping tears from eyes in this case! LOL).
Gentle River we welcome you xxx
What a truly amazing accomplishment for Team Sibley! Then again, when you put a group of incredibly talented and creative folks together like you guys—–wonderful things happen!!! I am SOOOO excited to see the gorgeous girl come to life. It is so interesting to know what goes into the making of a new girl—so much detail, decisions and many parameters that all need to be carefully aligned. Thank you for sharing this will all of us and most of all a HUGE CONGRATULATIONS to you all!!!!! I can’t wait to meet Gentle River!
Stunning hair and makeup!!! Hey—I need a make-over. I’d like to make an appointment with Team Sibley, please. You guys are the best.
you really really really should be working for them! I have never been this excited about a release … EVER!
i wish i saw this before i cut my blythes bangs way too short =(
Oh god my heart beats a bit quicker whenever I read about her. I know I’ll never be able to afford one but I just wanted to let you guys know she is BEAUTIFUL and inspiring!
Yowzah! She’s smokin’
in the best possible way! Very Glam. Beautiful!
I love them all! but in my opinion, I prefer Lemon butter, I think it’s her hoodie:)
eeeeeee river has auburn hair! *dances*
I feel so touching when I read this article. It’s so amazing, like the power of your team to make this doll done! CONGRATULATIONS to all of you! And I hope Gentle River will be in my home soon!
I love both of them!!! They’re soooooo unique and cute XD… I love both of the designs. But I like Gentle River better. Maybe I can buy it in Japan… But anyways hope you can make more blythes.
I love the eyeshadows it’s soooooooo shiney and pretty. I want to see more of it. So far it looks really good.
Question:
Why does it have to be LIMITED? Why? Why? Why?
hi nice site.
where do I buy this issue without subscribing?
Craft: magazine is available at Michael’s, Borders Books, Barnes & Noble, and probably many more places that offer crafting magazines.
So, does LIMITED automatically imply release by lottery only? I was reading that GR will be released by lottery, and not available for direct purchase in the US. . . : (
just got my little kenner sweetie and her hair is much worse than i was led to believe!
i have washed it and used the fabric softener and have been slowly using a ceramic iron to flatten sections to defrizz as best i can.
it looks great at first but then dries out and is back to frizzy
is there anything that can be used to moisturize the hair?? dont know what i am doing wrong with her! i want her to be frizz free
thanks for having such a helpful site!
Jessa – unfortunately, your girl will probably never be frizz free. you can try a silicone-based hair smoothing gel (just a little bit!) to lubricate the surface and aid brushing. try your local beauty supply store.
have you tried putting her hair in large curlers? my frizzier Kenners look best when they are fresh out of their curlers.
First, you tutorials are incredibly helpful! Thank you sooooo much for sharing your knowledge!
I scalped my Prima Dolly Violet this week. I put her back together, but her eyes don’t open all the way. There is a click when I pull the string and the eyes change, but I have to use my finger to get the eyelid to open. I’m thinking (based on the comments above) that the spring is a bit stretched out. How do I repair that?
Thank you again!
My first blythe is in the mail, a Prima Dolly Ginger. I rather like her hair as it is very similar to mine only without curl, so I’d like to preserve the scalp and wig and do a second wig reroot myself for customization. I know she is an SBL. After searching Ebay and reading your lovely description, I’m still unsure about whether the rubber scalps are, for the most part, interchangeable. Are the wigs on Ebay actual wigs or rerooted scalps (or both), and will a scalp from any style blythe fit any other, or should I be hunting for an SBL scalp only?
BRASILEIRA
BEIJOS…
mermaid?
lothruin – blythe wigs on eBay are just that – wigs. they have a soft mesh cap with hair sewn to it. If you put a wig on a girl with no scalp, her head may look a little flat since the scalps sit a good quarter inch above the head.
if you are looking for a perfect fit, you need to buy an SBL scalp. EBL scalp will fit with a gap in the back.
I am not sure how an RBL scalp would fit though, they have introduced a new system with a hard cap attached to the rubber scalp, and I haven’t pulled one apart to test it. Maybe someone else out there has tried it though and can answer you better. You can try the forum members at http://www.thisisblythe.com .
i havent put her in rollers yet! i will definitely try that though!
i just wish there was some kind of a moisturizer that could be used…
maybe we should start a line of hair care products for dolls!
right now my girl is in braids that looks adorable of course but i love her hair long!!
yep, sounds like the spring to me. if the spring shows signs of stretching (gaps between the loops) take her spring out. With a pair of sharp wire cutters, snip off a loop or two, then bend the new cut edge into a loop with a pair of needle nose pliers. don’t take off more than 2-3 loops at the most.
Hi Melissa,
Thank you so much for all the great tutorials!! I’ve learned
so much. I’ve been rerooting with the mohair and I noticed
that if I get a knot or even pull at the mohair very much when it’s dry it comes apart. Is this normal? Or is the mohair that I’m using too fragile?
Thanks so much!!
I’m guessing “Miss Special Beauty?”
After the lips are dry, if you want to repaint a different color later, what’s the best way to remove the paint? Specifically, is there a way to do it w/o removing the original (factory) paint?
I am so excited for this release and very excited for you and the rest of Team Sibley!! Gentle River is by far my favorite Takara release to date and I’m bent on getting her through whatever means I can!! Yay!!
I love the hair and can’t wait to see the official pictures, and her clothes, the colours and of course I’ve gotta mention those boots!! My head is just spinning!
Lemon Butter is also just as fabulous and if I can get my grabby hands on her too, then she’ll be my very first(and perhaps only) petite!! Way to go Melissa, everything about this is just fantastic!! Could I gush anymore? Yes, I probably could!! haha!
Thanks for the in-depth tutorials, they are SO HELPFUL! Will there be a tutorial on scalping the ADG dolls?
I cannot believe people didn’t know this would be limited–it’s a very special doll with an extensive wardrobe of great quality that a lot went into. OF COURSE this is going to be a limited doll. It’s probably one of the most special dolls they’ve produced, because it’s the first customer-designed.
Anyway, I cannot wait to see the actual picture of her and Lemon Butter and thanks for walking us through this amazing process, very neato. =D
oh dear this is all harder than anticipated, im killing my dear prima violet eek, ive never done this before
Hi Melissa,
I just got my Takara Blythe a few months back and I’m thinking of customising her, but I don’t know how to tell if she’s an SBL/EBL/RBL type. She’s a Fancy Pansy.
I want to change her hairstlye/colour as I find it a bit too short for my liking… any good website to recommend buying saran reroots? I’ve tried eBay but currently they don’t hv any auction going on for saran reroots or eye chips… i’ve only managed to find eyelashes for her for the time being…
And I was looking around some customised blythe and they hv added an additional pull-string for the sleepy eye effect.. any advice on how to do this?
asstha – FaPa is EBL.
for saran hair (it’s loose hair, you have to reroot it yourself) I like restoredoll.com.
sleepy eyes are done by removing the spring. the spring is what pulls the eyelids back up after you pull the string. instead of the spring, the second string must be used to “reset” the eyelids and is simply tied on where the spring was removed.
Hi there! I had a question, what do you do if a small crack shoes between the face and the scalp? My girl does not have bangs at all and it is a bit noticable.
tracy – what type of glue did you use to attach it?
for the cleanest, tightest bond on the front half of the scalp, I like to use zap-a-gap, a hobby brand of superglue. I use a waterbased glue in the back of the scalp in case i ever have to open the doll again.
it helps to have an assistant hold the scalp while you apply the glue. use rubberbands to hold the scalp down while it sets up.
Hello
I also want to sand a face,but don’t know where I can buy the sabding sponges,I live in the Netherlands (europe) and we don’t have it here.
maybe you can help me.
I have a question about freckles. Do I need to varnish them after I paint them on?
And if so, just a dot on each freckle? I’ve never done this before! Thanks!
I would say that it depends on how much you plan on handling her. I don’t seal my freckles because I like them to look as flat to the skin as possible, but you could put a dot of matte varnish (if she’s matted) on each one. you could thin it with extender or thinner if you are worried about it leaving a raised dot.
julia – if you haven’t sealed them, very hot water and soap will melt the acrylic paint off. becareful not to get her stock eyelashes wet of course.
if you did already seal it, you can try a quick swipe or two with rubbing alcohol on a q-tip. be warned though that the factory paint may be affected if you wipe too many times or take too long to do it.
aww! such a special girl, whoever wins her will be a lucky duck!
Aww! Adorable! I see she’s got a new hat! I wish they produced the hat too.
I also wish they made a River-inspired dress set.
yea its a terrific article ( and how I found out about your site!)
I picked up my copy of this issue last Saturday at Crafty Wonderland in Portland.
oh wow! whoever wins her is truly going to have a real treasure!
I’m not surprised, nor bothered, that Gentle River will be limited and I certainly have no problem paying more for this ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE doll. I am, however, disappointed that she might be available by LOTTERY only, excluding those in the United States. I find this especially ironic given that Team Sibley is a North American team with a loyal following!
oh…y dose she have to leave you?(wht a pity………………….)
takara will not give her back to u?
nicola – it was one of the stipulations of entering the contest that the finalists would be sold for charity, so we knew this day would come all along. She has had an amazing journey and I hope she ends up somewhere equally as wonderful!
thanks for all the tips – i was having a problem printing these as well.
hopefully whoever wins her will be someone who regularly posts pictures.
I hope she will come to a loving home.
What an incredible journey Team Sibley has been on, and how proud you must be to see your hard work and dedication yield these amazing results! I think everyone should read this article, if only to gain insight into the painstaking decision-making process that helped Gentle River become a reality, as well as gain an appreciation for the effort that CWC put into reproducing Gentle River as close to the original as possible!!
Congratulations to all of you on creating this perfectly gorgeous doll!!!
*digs frantically into empty pockets in vain*
I hope she goes to a home where we she will be loved and truly appreciated! I also really hope to see her again once in a while!!
hi im having a bit of difficulty understanding this pattern,firstly im planning on doing it unlined,but i just cant see how the pattern goes i cant see it in my mind!! should i still be cutting out two lots of the pattern even if im not lining it as i cant see how the one piece is done into a dress and the place on fold bit what doers this mean???
help lol
thanks hope im making sense???
sorry forgot to say co sthere is no picture i juts cant see how its supposed to go!
hi thtere again any tips on how to print out these patterns from scale as mine are either coming out way to small or way to big on all the patterns on here
thanks
x
sophie – “place on fold” is really common with clothes that are symmetrical – it saves space on the pattern piece. basically it means that your finished cut piece will be mirrored at that line.
Here’s a similar dress shape except yours will be made of 1 type of fabric, not two.
fold your fabric, lay the pattern piece’s dotted line right on the fold on it, cut it out (do not cut the fold!), and you will be left with ONE piece that looks like the letter Y. when finished, the fold like will be running right down your blythe’s torso, the skinny parts of the pattern are the shoulder straps.
and I really recommend lining it, it’s much harder to hem the sleeves and neck without a lining.
good luck sophie.
What a wonderful article!! Congratulations to Team Sibley!! Gentle River is absolutely stunning and will be the most special Blythe ever because she was created by such wonderful artists! Thank you for all your hard work and dedication to the Blythe community!
I cannot congratulate all of you enough! *Wooohoooo!!!* thanks for sharing with us!
:D
She is BEAUTIFUL! Wow….
Bean feet! : )
yay! she’s wonderful! congrats!
Absolute perfection! Congratualtions to all!
They did an amazing job — and you guys did an even more amazing job dreaming her up! I love her hair color, I might still try to get weeny ringlets out if it though!
Wow its soo cute! Im gonna give it a go with some random scraps i think
I have run into disaster! a few of the holes tore while i was pulling. I was thinking about moving the part to the other side anyways but will the hair slip out of the places where it tore?
also, I dont have the right crochet hook, but I read elsewhere that you can use a needle… but even the smallest one is too big for the holes (and I don’t want to risk ripping any more)
any help would be greatly appreciated!
feelthesky – I strongly urge you to purchase the correct size crochet hook from a craft or knitting shop. they are inexpensive and will make the process much less scary.
you do need to push hard to get the needle into the holes – the rubber should stretch. if the part line is weak from the original roots, you can move it over and poke new holes. if the tear is large, use a rubbery glue like e6000 to mend it before rooting.
Out of this world! Metallica!
thank you very much for the help! I will do that
When is she going to be available? Is she going to be a regular release or a limited edition? ALSO, is it an SBL or RBL body?
She’s perfect, just perfect! I won’t be able to get her myself, but I’m very much looking forward to owner pictures! Congratulations to you all!
I’m having the hardest time doing this. the hair keeps falling out of the hook as I am pulling it through the holes
I think it’s because I can’t really hold the hair straight with one hand and pull with another. Is there a way to keep the scalp in place while I reroot?
also, whats the best way to poke new holes? I was thinking a small needle perhaps?
hi, may i know is it all soft pastel will do just like what we have for art class. or is it a pastel for blythe doll or dolls
dollra – yes, just regular soft pastels from the art supply shop.
blythesa – flat means flat – no shine. it leaves a matte finish.
gloss = maximum shine
semi gloss = somewhere between matte and shiny, also called satin, eggshell, etc…
I hope the winner will take lots of pictures of her, she’s so amazing!!!
Have a great time! How exciting!!!
This has gotta be one of the coolest customs ever!!!
Sounds wonderful! I’ll be in Osaka during the event, but I’ll see if I have time to visit Tokyo too.
I love your website, it’s very informative! I’ve just received my first Blythe doll and want to customize her.Do you have any tips in how to sculpt her lips and waht do I use to dye her hair? Thanks a bunch!!
monica, before diving into such complicated customizations as lip carving and hair dying, why not take some time to get to know your new little muse. Take some pictures, dress her up, let her personality come out!
I personally don’t have any published tips on lip carving because I don’t typically do any sculptural modifications to my blythes. I think her lips are the second most important feature (the first of course being those big eyes!) that makes her “blythe,” but that’s just personal opinion.
search the thisisblythe.com forums for “rit dye” and you will probably find many hair coloring tips.
good luck with your new girl!
Definitely exciting…. I can’t wait to see her actual pictures!!! I’m completely dying just from seeing the eyes!!!!
P.S. this page looks SO adorable – I’m smitten by the tiny squirrels!!!
Thank you again for all your help, I hope you liked the article and are happy with how everything turned out! I thought your photos looked fantastic (and how about that cute Blythe icon they made from your pic– the one in the article header?). XOXO
Power? um Wonder Woman powers
!
I would love to take her home. She is more darling than the reproduced one! I wanna enter this year’s contest!!
wow can´t wait to see more pics of her. I´m sure she is great!
How exciting!
I really love this little room for the Team sibley
. Can´t wait to see all the sneak peeks. You all are working so ahrd and we are enjoying everything you do ^^. *Heart team Sybley*
Melissa you rock!
I love it so much. You´re getting better and better in flash 
.
aaaaah Paul I can´t believe it´s been sooo long. Dutchess is so lovely
. I still need to send youtoons of pics of her spanish adventure 
. There are a lot of people missing her here 
.
haha Melisser I love your posts
. And how I missed your stylish girls ^^. i´m glad to see them here 
.
Great converse guide for our girls. ^^ Thank you Linda for writting this little guide
.
The best tutorial ever;). aaaaah Paul can´t wait to see more of your tutos ;. You know I´m one of your big fans
. hehe
I really like the new “Puchimadam” site and I´m very happy to see some of my “fave people” working together to bring us the latest news, tips, tools, tutos. Thank you very much Puchi team for this awesome work
.
oh my! the red carpet! eeeeep. Can´t wait to see it either
.
Another brilliant tuto Dr. Melissa.
I thinkn I´ll have a look at this book. It looks interesting or at least as Leah said informative
. Thanks for sharing it.
This was a very helpfull guide when my friend and I were sand-matting my first Blythe (RRe) but she introduced me to steel wool as an alternative to sanding sponge, it’s a lot lighter, but it doesn’t do the full job so I would reccomend (if it’s ok) that if anyone wanted to sand matte just to get the shine off, steel wool is a good choice. =D
(p.s. luuuuv the website. )
thanks for the patterns – i finally made the flared pants and the t-shirt! they turned out so cute! I’m going to try and post a picture here. your’re patterns are awesome! thanks for sharing them!
[IMG]http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m161/ralphster5/DSCF6041.jpg[/IMG]
hi! i am getting my first blythe
and i am planning on customizing it and sand matting to the point where the makeup comes off, so i was wondering how and what you use to do their makeup :3
How wonderful! I love the swooping makeup/mask
Have a great time M and P!
Hi Melissa,
How do you think, can Copic Airbrush system be used on Blythes?
There’s some info about it here:
http://www.edinburghimports.com/shopping/FU8.asp
I was thinking about it, because it seems so compact and is widely used by teddy ebar makers.
Thank you! Your opinion would be much appreciated!
Hi.. How do i put it back again? Do u know how to crave lip? Thanks… I’m so new to blythe and in Singapore, u cannot get much help^_^
Sammy – check out our tutorial on Pastel Makeup – it’s great for just starting out with customizing blythe. the pros use Airbrushed acrylic paints.
lisa – thanks for showing us your picture! your holly looks so sweet in her new clothes
. Nice job on the embellished neckline of the top!
Felicia – did you pull the soft flange completely out of the hard cap? if you did, you’ll have to experiment a bit or maybe someone else can comment on how to get it back in – I have never taken the scalp all the way out of a RBL before.
if you just took the three pieces of the head apart, all you do is reverse the steps above – screw the scalp to the front faceplate, snap on the back faceplate and put in the 3 screws.