smallwonder-msd

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Moving

Hello, this blog will be moving to https://smallwonderdolls.tumblr.com/ effective immediately. :-)

The main reason is that Tumblr doesn’t allow secondary blogs to post comments - only the primary blog of an account can do that. That doesn’t work for me since my primary blog on this account is completely unrelated to dolls. >_o

So hop on over to https://smallwonderdolls.tumblr.com/ and follow it if you would like to receive updates on the crew from hereon. :-)  See ya.

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Is ten years, give or take a few months, an unfortunate record for the longest time taken to develop a doll’s character? :x  Yo-SD Kanon has been name-less and wig-less since she arrived in the middle of 2008... but I think she’s finally beginning to take shape.

Rather than go on an impulse wig spree as I might’ve done in the past, I spent some time rummaging through my box of 6-7″ wigs (admittedly, I have a lot of them...), and finally settled on this sandy blonde Leekeworld wig (WD-027).  I took down the tail, chopped off a good amount of hair, brushed it out, and re-tied it.  Her signature look will be a messy ponytail, with lots of loose hairs.  I had bought her dusty lavender eyes when she arrived (ten years ago... to belabour the point), but now I think I would like her with eyes that are slightly more burgundy-coloured.  Anyone have a pair to sell? :-)

Her description has been updated on the dolls’ profile page (click “About” in the menu up top).   

The ruffley bits on top of the dresser in the photo are the side panels for the second pair of frilly shorts I’m making.  This time, I made the frills using the same fabric as the shorts, so they are much fuller and the ruffles are very defined (almost pleat-like), due to the crispness of the fabric.  I’m looking forward to see how they turn out.  I do sew everything by hand, which makes the process a little slow, but I enjoy it.

By the by, I noticed that VOLKS now sells Tangle Teezer hairbrushes on their website, for doll use...!  I have been using a TT hairbrush on my own hair for a few years now, but it never occurred to me to try it on doll hair.  It works a treat, just like on human hair.  A good tip for doll owners with long-haired little ones!

I also saved the cuttings from the wig to make short wefts of hair, which I will try to use to fill in the bald spots on this wig. (EDIT: This didn’t work ^^;) This reminded me that buying from Leekeworld used to be rather hit-and-miss... are they still like that, or has quality control improved since 2008, I wonder.

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Here is that other thing I was working on. ^-^  It’s a cute, frilly pair of shorts!  I used a lovely, cream-coloured hemp/silk blend fabric.  There are ruffles down the side panels and the waist is elasticated.  The attached ribbon ties fasten in the back, just for decoration.  

I have this idea for matching outfits for all three Yo-SDs, and this is the base of it. :D  I’m not 100% satisfied with this pattern, though - the leg holes are way more open than I had wanted.  So I’m going to try again, with the same fabric, and a few tweaks.

This pair of shorts was made using a human toddler-sized (!) pattern [link] scaled down to 35%.  

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Here’s the finished “parka”. ^-^  Both the inner shirt and the parka are patterns from Dollybird vol. 11.  (The shorts are my own pattern.  They are not perfect, but I can make the pattern available if anyone wants it.)

The parka pattern called for a light twill fabric, but I used a knit fabric with little stretch to it instead... I may try again one day with something more similar to twill. :-)  A thin, raincoat-like material would be fun.

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Current work in progress, the Yo-SD “parka” from Dollybird 11. The cream-coloured thread on the hood is going to be the drawstring. The next step is to hem the hood and front opening (the drawstring will lay in the hood’s hem).

After this, I have an idea for something cute and ruffle-y. ^-^

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Peter (Volks Yo-SD Puff), in a hat I just made. I also made the lace-up top. It’s meant to have eyelets, but I sewed around the edges with buttonhole stitch instead. Now I'm thinking about what I want to make next.

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Review: Tata’s Paradise (Taobao)

I remember Tata’s Paradise from way back in 2007. I guess the fact that they’re still around shows that there’s a sustainable market for doll stuff? :) Here’s what I got and a quick rundown of each item:

Black eyelashes - good. I used them to replace Noel’s and they work fine.

Hemostats - I never used these back in 2004-2008, but I decided to pick up a pair to make restringing and head removal easier. Unfortunately, this pair takes quite lot of effort to use. It doesn’t open smoothly. I’m not sure if all hemostats are like this, though, since I’ve not used one before.

Orange star-shaped hair clips

Black hair comb (for attaching accessories to hair)

Little white bird (XD;)

Tweed 1/6 scale hat [link] - well made, but it doesn’t fit on any of my Yo-SDs’ heads. :/ 

1/6 scale wig - Heat-resistant fibre, very silky (possibly treated with some kind of conditioner), and I like the style with the curved bangs and ends. The wig cap is very stretchy and fits well on “Kanon”. The colour is similar to the flax/ blonde from Camillia. The majo downside is the scalp exposure at the top (see pic), yuck.  

Freebies: A plastic baggie with two little sweeties and a tiny pacifier?? And a small piece of magic sponge in its own plastic bag, which is useful, at least.

One note of caution is that some items are more expensive at Tata’s than elsewhere on Taobao… for example, their 1/6 scale converse shoes, metal headband blanks, etc. Also, Tata took several days to post my order - my purchases from other sellers had reached the Taobao warehouse before this one was even sent out.

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Review: Youyou DIY Supplies (Taobao)

The second store I’ll review is Youyou DIY Supplies / 幽幽手作材料馆 on Taobao (the English name is just my approximate translation of the original Chinese).  As the name suggests, it mostly supplies materials for DIY craft, as well as some doll accessories.

I purchased mostly doll-scale trims, along with a piece of fabric, a decorative straw hat, tiny nylon snaps and metal buttons, and a Yo-SD-sized plastic float. XD  The order arrived neatly packed:

Shown with a Yo-SD hand for scale.  

The trims ranged from 1 to 2 RMB per metre, so very reasonable indeed, and there are several options which suit Yo-SD size.  If you sew for MSD or SD-sized dolls, you’d have even more to choose from.  My only issue is that the piece of fabric, though accurate to the measurements provided on the shop page, includes the selvedge edge. :-/  Otherwise, it is very soft and good quality, and the perfect scale.  The tiny buttons I bought are real metal, which is neat, and nothing was missing from my order.  it was also shipped out from the seller within a day or two.

Overall, I am very happy with my purchase and would buy again. :-)

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Review: Camillia BJD wigs (Taobao)

I’ve recently discovered that that Taobao (China’s eBay) offers BJD items and is much more accessible than when I was last active in this hobby, about 8 years ago. I went ahead and made a test purchase of some little things, and thought that a brief review of the various stores might be of interest to other doll owners.

By the by, this isn’t meant to be a general guide to shopping on Taobao - you can probably find one of those by searching online in relation to your specific country of residence.

The first shop I’ll review is Camillia BJD wigs. She shipped very quickly (the next day, in fact), and the wigs are nice quality and colour. The fibre is similar to the heat-resistant type used by Korean wig shops.  The wig caps are elasticated and rather tight on my Yo-SD Kanon, but they do fit with some effort. 

Partly because of her large head, the fibre on the shorter wavy wig (1st one above) [store link] looks a bit sparse on her in the lengths of the hair (the scalp is OK). It can be arranged for photos but doesn’t look quite as nice in person as in the store pictures.

The scalp of the longer, loosely curled wig [store link] is visible right at the top. :( Again, not an issue for styled photos (mostly), but it means I wouldn’t bring her to a meet in this wig, unless she was wearing something to cover her head.   These are not wigs that look good just plonked on - some effort and styling is required.

Overall, I am happy with my purchase as the quality is commensurate with the price (78RMB per wig plus 10RMB postage within China), and the colours and styles fit “Kanon” better than anything else I have at the moment. The wavy wig is in "flax" while the loose-curl wig is "flax brown" - the latter is slightly more caramel-brown.  I would purchase from this store again if I saw a style I liked - this time, with a better idea of the quality I can expect.

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My doll journey, 2002 - 2017

The story of how I entered the doll hobby must start with a friend from school - Djinn. I was never particularly fond of dolls as a child, so when she told me about these “super dollfies” that she had discovered, owning one myself was the farthest thing from my mind.

Then, in 2002, she showed me a photo of Mini Super Dollfie (MSD) Hewitt on the Volks website. This was the Dolpa 10 release, so he was oldskin, and this was in an era before high resolution photos were commonplace online. Nevertheless, something about him really spoke to me despite the grainy pictures, and I wound up ordering him via an official Volks reseller in Singapore (now sadly defunct) and had him shipped to me in the UK, where I was studying at university.

Then followed six years of enjoying the hobby, participating in the community, watching the number of collectors grow, and so on. I purchased a few more MSDs to keep Shiina (Hewitt) company, solidified their characters and made photostories about their interactions. I started learning to sew and craft for them. I even ventured outside the MSD size range, which I hadn’t expected to do, and acquired a few Yo-SDs.

In 2008, I began working life and found that it gradually began to demand more and more of me. I had no time for hobbies and hardly any time even for family. I barely played with the last couple of dolls I had acquired (Yo-SD Puff and Kanon) - Kanon in particular was unboxed and then more or less left to her own devices. In 2009, as work swallowed up more and more of my time and life, I took an unplanned hiatus from the hobby and basically disappeared from the doll community altogether.

Since this is about my doll journey and not about myself as a person, it will suffice to say that, since 2009, I have learnt not to let what I do define who I am. :-) I began to recover my life in 2012, but with other interests and even an overseas stint, I didn’t feel drawn back to the hobby till late 2016.

So here I am, playing with my dolls again, over a decade after we began. These days, I find that I enjoy my dolls mainly through sewing for my Yo-SDs. I can’t find much clothing for Yo-SDs in the style which I like, especially for boys, so why not make it? It would be amazing if I could put out a collection of Yo-SD boy clothing some time later this year. I’m also actively searching for my Yo-SD Kanon’s permanent wig and name. Poor little thing, she really was left in limbo when I dropped out of the hobby.

I’m very much looking forward to rediscovering the hobby, enjoying my dolls (especially Tatsue, Peter and “Kanon”, who are relatively undeveloped character-wise),  making new friends in the hobby (maybe even in Singapore?), and reconnecting with old ones. :D And thank you for taking the time to read this!

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I made a collared shirt for Yo-SD, with tiny 3mm buttons and working buttonholes. Thoughts: the difference in scale compared to sewing for MSD is perceptible, more so than I had expected. The pattern I used is a free Yo-SD pajama shirt pattern by Undead Threads which I printed at 85% scale. Reducing the scale made the body much too short and the neck slightly too tight, so I'll definitely modify those areas in the next shirt I make.

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I've been getting back into the swing of sewing lately - made these suspender shorts and shirt for Peter as experiments. Henley-style necklines are really finicky to do at Yo-SD size!

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What to do when you’ve just been properly restrung after spending the last seven(!) years with overly high tension… get into some comfy flannel pajamas and lounge in bed, of course. Whilst staring balefully at your negligent owner XD

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BJD on a budget

Save your pennies!  The items below fit Volks MSD or Yo-SD well, and cost a lot less than brand name equivalents.

Kemper Dolls suede boy hiking shoes in 60mm

Kemper Dolls “Nikki” mohair wig, suits Yo-SD and MSD beautifully

Kemper Dolls Modern Mary Jane shoe in 45mm (though mine have cracked since I purchased them 8 years ago)

Monique Classic Ankle Strap in 64/26mm

Monique Plain Stocking  (#550) in size 0 fits MSD (size 2 also fits, but not as snugly)

Playhouse ribbon flat (#5200) in size 45mm (still in perfect shape after 8 years)

Stockings, socks and undies at Dale Rae Designs

I’ll add to this list from time to time.

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How the girls are doing today.

Laurie wears one of my favourite dresses, from Sweet by Nim (Thailand), and crochet shoes by Rosa. And I always say I’m not into lolita, but “Kanon” just suits it so well, no? Her outfit is from Y!JA and her shoes from Playhouse.

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Just eye candy of Laurie (Yo-SD Anne Sweet Dream), in Volks raincoat and rain boots.  Ignore the outdated watermark, please.

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the setting of Small Wonder

I have discovered bits and pieces of my old doll websites lurking around, and have been amusing myself by reading my own writing from around 10 years ago. XD  

Here is how I described the setting for my dolls:

“ THE SETTING…

of Small Wonder is a private school community for children from ages three to eighteen. Divisions from kindergarten to high school are all contained within a village-sized compound, complete with gardens, cafes, a working farm, sports facilities, and even a forested, mountainous area for hiking. All students elementary level 4 (ten years of age) and above are required to stay in one of the seven boarding houses within the compound (younger students mostly go home after school). The handful of kindergarteners who live here stay in special houses with resident care-takers. The boarding house where Shiina, Mitchell, Noel and Tatsue live comprises four floors accommodating around sixty students in total, from elementary levels 3 to 6.  It has a dining hall, ground-level and roof-top gardens, common rooms, and so on.”

It doesn’t even mention the Yo-SDs, but, besides that, I don’t think I would change anything, setting-wise (as of 2017).

I also realised that I did have some people I would call “friends” in this community, when I suddenly disappeared from it in 2008/ 2009...  I feel a little sad for leaving for so long, and wonder if any of them are still around online and/or in the hobby.