Now Playing: kittens snoring...yes, our cats snore. Go figure.
Current Mood : Industrious
Not a lot happening today. Fixed the Dorinda doll's jeans, took a tacky sewn-on design off an otherwise neat pink and silver Barbie tunic, and repaired a slight hole in the knit, and sewed up the ripped multicolored ‘Marcia Brady' dress that came on the Bubblecut Barbie I bought last month. The dress is such a riot of color that, in the photos, Bubblecut is wearing it torn, but ya can't tell. My stitches are painfully obvious to me, but from three feet away, again, it's such a wild print that the repair is hard to discern. It looks much like another dart. Bubbles is wearing the pink and silver tunic in today's photo, posing in the box liner to the Island Princess playset. I think she looks great !
Speaking of the Flea Market where Bubbles was purchased - I really have to get her a better name ! - it's back again this weekend. I may go Friday, just to get out of the house. In the meanwhile, though, I'm gonna wash the pink and white dress that came on last month's yard sale Cinderella doll - I have two ‘Cinderelly's Surprise' dolls and dresses now ! - and once it's dry, I'm gonna dye it green. Already have green dye, and I'm curious how it'll come out. If it ‘s completely wrecked, I'm still not out much. If it works, I just need to make a simple slip for the doll to wear with it, so the dye doesn't stain her. And I've opened up a whole new field of what to do when I have two or three of the same doll outfit. I have three blue Cinderella LDP dresses that are identical...
I'm also hoping, next time I'm out, to find hair dye for my Little Princess Molly (Sailor Moon) doll project, and brown Fusion for the chest and maybe vanity from the Island Princess playset. When I mentioned doing a dye job on one of the Disney dolls' hair, I neglected to mention that, yes, I am using regular old hair dye. Rit dye will eventually leach into the vinyl of her head, so I can't use that stuff. Hair dye - especially a good brand with lots of color - will work, without dyeing the head. I've used Clairol on the MSB girls, and learned a lot from the experience !
Now, a word of caution before I jump in with all the gory details. This is just how I did it, based on other folks' directions. They didn't take responsibility if I wrecked my doll, so I'm gonna pass along that fine tradition of ducking it, too. Don't do this until you've experimented - or do it anyway, it's your doll and your risk. This is me, dodging responsibility. Ok, then.
Basically, I pick a time when nobody's home but me. The doll's hair gets washed well, and allowed to dry a day or two in advance. Any styling product or even dust in her hair will affect how well the dye takes. Her hair gets combed until there are no snarls and the smallest comb can go through easily. Her face and head get shielded with masking tape along the hairline and plastic wrap taped to that, and secured. Then, she gets suspended upside down from the shower curtain bar in the bathroom, with rags beneath. Her hair gets brushed one more time, to hang straight down, and it's dye time !
Boy, does that stuff stink ! Mix the dye according to package directions, grab an old comb and the rubber gloves, and we begin ! I often start with a good all-over application, then get down to slowly combing it in, making sure to get all the hair. Believe it or not, the MSBs each used a whole bottle of the stuff, with just a bit left to dye a regular Barbie. Once the dye is used up, and the hair is well saturated, the hard part begins. Waiting 4 or more hours for the dye to soak in. It seems like it takes forever ! I often check it, just to make sure I haven't melted it or anything.
When time is up, haul the doll down, and give her hair a good rinse. Lots of dye will come out, but there should be plenty left in ! I usually secure a towel around her head, under her hair, with a clothespin, and comb her hair out again, and let it dry overnight. I've skipped and used the included conditioner, and it didn't seem to matter, really. They both have soft, pretty hair.
Now, that's just how I did it for them. For all I knew, the hair would dry up and fall out ! So, like me, if you decide to try this, you're on your own, kid ! I figured, if the hair went completely to h#ll, I'd just reroot new stuff. I really wasn't risking much. And it turned out fine. But there's lots of different fibers used for doll hair, so proceed with caution and I completely absolve myself of responsibility !
One thing's for sure - that blonde hair alters the color. If you want, say, a medium brunette doll instead, you'd best choose a dark brown dye. Both Gracie and Casey's hair is lighter than I intended, but still very pretty. And now, I'm considering doing it all again, if I can find a good color. Wish me luck in that !
