Tip...How to tame Hair Frizzeys

This tip works very well But and it is a big BUT. Be careful with this tip. I use a lighter and quickly run the flame over the finished wig. It might be a good idea to do this near a sink or at least a dish of water.

Tip...beanbag helper

To make a handy dandy beanbag helper, you will need uncooked beans from the grocery store, opaque panty hose. I used white, but any color you may have on hand will work. You can make the bag any size you want.
1...I cut a length of hose about 5 inch long.
2...Sew one end on your sewing machine or by hand.
3...Turn inside out.
3...Fill with beans, but not too full. You want it squishy so that it will hold things securely.
4...Sew opening on your sewing machine or by hand.
Presto you are done in about 15 minutes or so.

Uses for the bags. When photographing my dolls I rest my camera on a few bags stacked  on top of each other. The bags keep the camera steady, and  I can easily and quickly reposition my camera for a different angle shot.This works much better for me then repositioning an awkward tripod.

On a small Lazy Susan I stack a few bags. Now I have a hands free seat for my doll to sit securely on while I wig her. I can feel comfortable that she is not going to fall off as I turn the Lazy Susan to check out the wigging process from all angles. It also makes for a quick place to stick the corsage pin I use as I style her hair.

If you can think of any other uses for the handy dandy beanbag helper please share them in the comment section.

Tip...Glues

Tips... GLUES
FABRIC TAC
 
    When you buy it make sure it is fresh and that it has not been sitting on the shelf forever. Tip the bottle upside down, a bubble will form. If it take more then 10 seconds to rise, do not buy it.

   I put about 1/3 of the glue into another bottle . Recap the first bottle and do not clip the tip and  It will stay fresh longer. I do this will all of the glues I use. Except the glues that come in tubes.

   Get yourself some of those metal tips . Amazon has them sometimes. Buy several and when one becomes clogged remove it and drop it into a small bottle  of Acetone. Replace it with a clean tip. Put a  pin in the tip and store it upside down in a piece of Styrofoam  or a small glass.
  
It seems like it takes forever for the glue  to get to the tip if you forgot to store the bottle upside down. All you have to do is stand up and swing the bottle over your head 360 degrees , a few times..  This trick works with tube glues and ketchup bottles. Make sure the ketchup bottle  cap is secure. Its really hard cleaning ketchup off of the ceiling.

    Got your doll all dressed and you find unwanted glue spots..Test the  Acetone on a piece of scrap fabric.If it dose  not run, or disintegrate,  then put a dab on a Que tip and gently remove the unwanted glue.

Tip...Doll Protection While Wigging

So its time to wig your doll. Sometimes it takes a few tries to get the wig just the way you want it and you do not want to lose the freshness of his or her dress.
 The answer is the Asian Pear. Well not the pear but the wonderful wrapping that protects the individual pears.  It is light weight, reusable, and it is expandable so it accommodates many styles of dress. Lastly it makes a handy Dandy stand for the doll as you wig it.
I have used it here to help me wig my Mad Hatter. 

Tip ....Pincushions

Well its been forever since I have blogged. Actually its been since July 25 2010. So to get back into the swing of things I thought I would share some tips that I have found helpful and maybe they will be helpful to you too.

Today was one of those organize my desk days, since my available workspace was only 2 inches. It took me about 35 minutes to recover about a 2 foot square clear area. Hummm it looks good to me. Then I spotted my three overflowing pincushions. Whew through the years I had accumulated what looked like a ton of pins all stuck into these three pincushions. It occurred to me that I had NEVER organized my pincushions. So I figured what the heck why not. I stared with the white headed long pins. Every other one I pulled out had glue on it. (I use pins to spread glue) . Actually it was starting to annoy me when I worked. It seemed like I would pick up a pin to pin a pattern and it was all funky with glue.It took me a little while to clean these babies up. Then there were the ones that had been run over by the vacuum and were all bent. No saving these pins. I don`t know how they ever made it back to the pincushion in the first place. It was exciting to find a whole stash of those expensive tiny pins that the quilters use. These pins are wonderful for pinning tiny pattern pieces to materials. I love these pins and I thought I would have to buy more because I had so few left. The silk pins, now they are in their own section on the pincushion and easily found when working with silk. I can`t tell you how many sewing needles I found buried out of sight .
So you get the idea, organize your pincushions and you will save time and frustration . The rest of the tip is to keep it organized. Well we will see if I can do that. LOL

Joyce Miko AADA

Here is an updated picture of my very very good artist friend Joyce Miko. She was also in attendance at John and Cile`s house for lunch. She and her sister founded AADA Academy of American Doll Artist. Sadly her sister has passed away. I know many of her fellow doll artist have asked me how Joyce is doing. She looks great , her health is great and she has asked my to say hello to all that know and love her.
Joyce and her sister were responsible for the next phase in my dollmaking journey. The OOAK (the one of a kind phase.) We had over the years many WOW(week of workshops). We gathered the best of the best teachers and students together and traveled to foreign lands. France , Italy and more. Oh what an exciting time in my life.
It was sad indeed when Joyce had to phase out AADA. But as we all know nothing stays the same. We can only savior the memories.
Joyce has moved out of the big Victorian house and into a small comfortable home in Goffstown NH . She is realizing her passion for quilts. She sells on ebay under the name of Quilt Divas. If you have any messages for our friend Joyce leave them on my comment page and I will see she gets them.
One last thing about the Burbridge Lunch post. I didn`t get the pictures in the order I wanted. I hope you will bear with me as I learn more about blogging.

Me and John Burbridge