The story of how my dear Blaise came to be. I kept a diary when I was working on her about two years ago fifteen years ago (!!!) in the hopes that someone might find it useful/encouraging. I tend to fail at crafty things, so if an idiot like me can manage it, so can you.
18th May 2005
Stock Mademoiselle Rosebud arrived safely from Oregon, USA. She was a bargain, costing me £39.05 including shipping (gotta love cheap, boring Blythes) – eBay find, naturally. Her box was full of packing peanuts and plastic spiders – joy! I hated her hair on sight, and thought her blush was a little too extreme. Sorry if I’m offending MRB lovers, but I think she’s a let down! Her scalp lifts a little from the face plates when you tug her hair – could prove interesting!
29th May 2005
Really trying not to bond with her, as that will make me more terrified of opening her head (with a saw! or maybe boiling hot water…) – doesn’t really work. She’s spent a day being dressed up by my sister who was ill with a lousy cough. I had to play with her – it was hard to resist, and she looked lonely. Tying her hair up results in scalp lifting, and me tugging harder. Within about ten minutes, I’ve lifted the whole thing off, and she’s bald. No tools, no sharp objects, it just peeled right off. It’s all in one piece, no glue underneath, I’m quite pleased with it. I’ve stripped her and put her back in her box now – lots of exams, no time for dollies. Still need to order mohair, but struggling to decide between two or three shades. Narrowed eyechip colours down, found somewhere to get a bendy body (if that’s the route I decide to go) – I have quite a bit of online shopping to do =) Here’s a quick picture of the bald Blythe – I think she’s still quite cute ^^
15 June 2005
Finally made a start on trying to open her head, and spent two hours trying to use the boiling method of prying away the dome. It just wasn’t working! I’ve scratched up her blush really badly, with my fingernails at that, not with screwdrivers or anything else. I got bored with sticking screwdrivers between her dome and plates, and figured that sawing was probably a hell of a lot easier and safer. So, I but the bullet and took a saw to her. I had to get Andy and my dad to help get the last little bits for me, but it worked! I thought it would be much harder and scarier, but it’s really not that big a deal. I think that maybe now I’ve done it once, I wouldn’t hesitate to try it again.
I spent a while trying to take her actual eye mech out, but it was really really hard. It wouldn’t budge, and I was scared of breaking it. Then it dawned on me, I don’t actually need it out. I only need the little white T-bar out so I can give her the Kenner pip. So, it stays where it is. I can get her chips out with gluesticks. Anyway, pictures…
24 June 2005
Day off college from my two weeks A2 teaching. I was going to go buy sandpaper and make a start on sanding her, but it’s raining and I don’t really feel like it. I did want to do some work on her though, so I took her chips out (with soaking and hot gluesticks). I was surprised at how easily they came out, I thought Superior eyes were harder to shift than Excellents, but they seemed to come out much easier than Elvie’s did earlier this year. I don’t know, maybe it’s because I was taking them out from the back. *shrugs* So, while there are four sets of eyes resting in my fridge, waiting for someone with fingernails to come home, I figured I’d post here. I sort of like her without the eye chips, is that weird?
Oh, and I think I’ve been paid today, so I can order her new hair and eyes. Oh, and her lashes. And her body… and maybe some clothes. Jeez, I’m going to be so poor so fast…
6 July 2005
College is now over for the year, bring on the summer of dolly fun! Oh, and work. And college work for next year. Anyway, today was sort of productive, as Miss Rosebud has been sanded. No more icky blush for her! Also, her mohair and new eyes have arrived, and I’m waiting on an outfit from eBay. Still need to buy glasses, a body and lashes. Ooh, and chalk pastels.
No pictures, because I’m lazy, and there’s not much to see, heh. She could probably do with another quick once over to make sure she’s perfect anyway.
My next step is to start the reroot. I have obtained crochet hooks, and am trying to grow the balls to make a start on it. *shakes head*
21 July 2005
Mohair re-rooting begun a couple of weeks back, and is moving at a steady pace. I have one battle scar so far – I stabbed a crochet hook into my finger, and didn’t realise it was there until after I’d wiggled it about for around half a minute. It bled like mad, and left me with a nice deep gouge. Has healed pretty well though, lol. I have about five more rows in the field to plant, and then the hairline.
Licca body arrived, it’s painfully cute. If nothing else, having a bendy bodied girl with stave off the cravings for a BL-girl… o.O Should be ordering her lashes within the next day or two – I get paid tomorrow XD Ooh, and the outfit arrived too. It’s to die for, and it’s hard hiding it from the other girls!
A few pictures below, showing progress and wound…
11 August 2005
Tonight, I finished rooting. I’m damp, covered in bits of ginger goat fur (mohair is from goats, right?), and so so tired. The hair is drying out a little downstairs, and I’m so relieved. This means I can get her chips in, do her eyeshadow, send her off to Andy to have her lips done! Her lashes should be arriving within the next couple of days. She’s close to completion, and I’m close to sleep. Ooh, her name has been 99% decided too, but it’s a secret for now… A few pictures for you, below.
The encouragement (beatings) to finish the final row came from this monster, also known as my little sister Vicky.
Your host, most likely cursing, needing sleep, looking her worst, needing to be doing anything but messing about with fluff and crochet hooks… oh, and the completed scalp. Yeah baby – just you wait til it’s back on the doll!
13 August 2005
Yesterday, I put all four sets of eyechips in her head. Apple have green paper behind them, Toffee have blue paper behind them (it looks so edible!), Forest has blue behind also, and Slate Grey has plain white paper. I decided against foiling, as Elvie’s foiled, and I’m not as keen on foiled chips as I used to be. Plus plain paper seemed to make the colours prettier.
(clockwise, from top left – Apple, Slate Grey, Toffee, test run of Forest with white – now has blue behind and is much darker.)
So there you have it, that is how the new chips look, with the exception of forest, which you will see soon enough. Oh, and her scalp isn’t back on, I was just holding it there for the Slate picture – it looked cute is all ^^
16 August 2005
I owe Andy so so much… he tolerated my indecisiveness for way too long yesterday, helped me do the eye shadow, and put his steady modellers hands to work painting her lips for me. It took a good couple of hours, but her eyeshadow is a mix of brownish and purpleish chalk pastels, and her lips are a mix of Blood Red, Bronzed Flesh and Skull White. Oh, and one coat of some Tamiya gloss varnish stuff – it’s not that shiny, which is good ^^
Anyway, after all the makeup-doing, I put her head back together and got her body in. Tried to re-attach the scalp, and it just wouldn’t work last night. I gave it another try today, and it seems alright. She’s elastic-banded now though, and I’m just hoping she’ll hold together.
I need her lashes to arrive. Gah.
Pictures below anyway.
27 August 2005
Her eyelashes arrived on Saturday morning, were put in, came out and had to be re-put in, and have since stayed in. Her scalp hasn’t budged, though there is still a tiny gap at the front – you can’t see it in pictures, so I’m not worried as such. I ordered the I See Blue sunglasses set from Nasty Nip on Saturday, and it came on Tuesday *happy* I removed the lenses from the cat eyed glasses, and they belong to her now (although I have taken a few photos without them just for the sake of it) – I can’t keep rambling, she’s too cute for words!
Everyone, meet Blaise –
(teaser – for the good stuff, see her Flickr set)
So, that is it. If I can do it, anyone can, and everyone should! Mohair girlies are fun… and painful… and make your eyes hurt… and leave fluff everywhere… But yes, go custom your own mohair girlie. It was easier than I expected it to be, and more fun. And you know what’s the best thing about it? I really do feel like she’s mine. I feel so attached to her, and she’s only been finished a couple of days. I am officially in love with her.