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Boil Perming!
Boil perming is so easy to do! Just take the doll
of your choice and wet her hair down. If she has
ratty hair then wash and condition the hair and
comb it out until tangle free which can take some
time but must be done. Then just section the hair
off and using perm papers and rollers, wrap a
perm paper around a section of hair and
roll it up in a roller nice and tight. Do this on
all sections of hair until complete. Put a pan of
water on to boil that is filled enough to
submerse the dolls head in. Only dip in up to the
hairline of the doll so the rooted lashes won't
get all messed up if you have performed a reroot,
and count up to 15 seconds, then take the doll
out and dip her hair in cold water to stop the
heating process. Keep her in the cold until her
hair feels cool to the touch and then take her
out and let her dry out. Drying can take from 1-3
days but usually after leaving her overnight, the
hair will be dry. Especially in the winter months
when the house is filled with dry air. Now just
carefully take out the rollers and perm papers
and style as desired. I then spray the heck out
of their hair with Aqua net super hold hairspray.
All done!
Eyelash Rerooting!
To do eyelash rerooting the head must first be
removed by prying it upwards over the flat part
of the neckknob and then the hook. This
takes a little practice so be careful and try not
to bust the neck in the process. It took me a
couple of times before I could achieve this with
no damage to the doll! After the head is removed,
use a long thin needle, threaded with black or
dark brown thread and from the outside of the top
of the eye, push the needle into the head and
guide it down until it is visible in the neck
hole. Also, I thread the needle double so that
there should be two threads in each eye plug. I
use small needle-nose pliers to pull the needle
through until the needle is just under the neck
and cut the thread just inside of the head. Start
with a long enough piece of thread so that this
can be achieved and leave plenty of thread
hanging from outside the eye to be trimmed later.
I do about six of these on each eye and they
should be evenly spaced from one another on both
eyes. With this method, there is no knotting to
keep the eyelashes in place, but they stay put
nicely! After both eyes have been rooted, and I
hope I made sense, trim them to the desired
length. Hair can be used also but I find thread
alot easier and I personally like the look!
Facial Repainting!
Most people use acrylic paint for faces. I
started out with the cheapest paints I could
find. Try to find the smallest brushes. You'll be
surprised just how small some of them are! If you
make a mistake, acetone nail polish remover can
be used to clean the paint off and you can start
again. I paint over the existing eye using it as
sort of a pattern. Don't be afraid to experiment
on a cheap doll because it's alot of fun to
change the color/appearance of the eyes. You can
paint over the entire iris with white first or
just paint right over the existing iris without
covering it up first. The pupil is best achieved
in a round look with the end of a small
paintbrush dipped in black. I then add the small
white reflections in the eyes with a toothpick. I
don't change the eyebrows but you can if you
like. Lips are not difficult at all, just try and
do the outline of the lips first and take your
time to make them look even on both sides and
then fill them in. After you complete your facial
painting it is best to seal it so it cannot
scratch off. Polyurethane is the best product to
use in a satin, gloss or matte finish.
Sewing!
Patterns
for Barbie or just about any other doll can be
purchased at most fabric shops. Look for them in
McCalls, Simplicity and other pattern books at
your local store. Start with something simple and
work your way up to the more difficult patterns.
Most people have a favorite type of design that
they use frequently in their creations, I have
several different patterns that I use and I
always mix and match them or they can also be
altered by lengthening or shortening...ect. The
secret is to get a nice fit! With practice, darts
in the bodice and so on becomes a piece of cake
and before you know it, you can create your own
patterns for Barbie and other dolls. There are no
limits to what you can create so let your
imagination run wild and you can become another
of Barbie's personal fashion designers! Some
fabric is more difficult to work with than others
so try experimenting. The easy part is sewing but
then it's on to the trim/beadwork area where you
can really get creative! Try sewing a gown for
Barbie, you'll be surprised just how easy it is!
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