Dolllfie patterns…

Mar 222011
 

A pair of my favorite dolls are the Dollfies. I have three of them one is the Elegant Collection smooth body poseable doll and the other is the Beauty B with the many points of articulation. The last is the Goh Guy whom, I still have to finish outfits for so and  I will post photos of him later.

I love these dolls because I can move them like a human would be able to move. They are more like an adult doll than Barbie or other fashion dolls who are not as flexible. I do have to admit to loving the Urban Vita for the same reason but that’s another story!

The Dollfies were my first articulate dolls and came without face painting or even hair, along with having to install eyes! This allowed me to customize the dolls a bit more. When I got them I didn’t do much customizing though and it was several years later that my sweet heart actually did the painting for me. In the meantime however, I did manage to make patterns for them shown below.

Elegant Collection Halter Dress

Elegant Collection Halter Dress
Strapless Elegant Collection Gown

Elegant Collection Strapless Gown
Pattern  $5.00

 Pattern  $5.00
Strapless Beauty B Dress

Strapless Beauty B Dress

$5.00
Halter Top Dress for Beauty B Dollfie

Halter Top Dress for Beauty B Dollfie

$5.00
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Sue Darby
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On dolls and scales and magazines….

May 172008
 

Wednesday, January 19, 2005


One of the focuses of my business is dollhouse miniatures…. to answer the questions on scale you have several scales that are popular or gaining popularity.

1″ or 1/12 scale is the most common with tons of Yahoogroups for it and other online forums including Small Stuff Digest which is where I got my start… large international list for nothing but miniatures (not just 1″ scale tho)

1/2″ or 1/24 scale is smaller and has gained popularity in the last couple years as the 1″ scale people run out of space for minis This is a niche market that has a growing base… not saying 1″ scale is on it’s way out just that 1/2″ is growing in popularity due to the main body of crafters being retired or *my* elders (I’m not yet 30) and on space and money budgets that are shrinking.

1/4 scale is also popular but I’m not up on it much but I can say it is extremely tiny … if you’ve ever seen the original 80′s Poly Pockets those come close to the correct scale or a Z scale train is right. This is considered a dollhouse scale for inside a 1″ dollhouse!

On the larger end of the scale is 1/6 scale which is Barbie and the number of adult collectors wishing there were more things for her that weren’t Barbie Pink has a huge base. Then there’s the Tonner and larger 15-18″ fashion dolls that would dearly love more items including houses and such for their dolls.

As for places to learn about miniatures or dolls…..Ashdown Inc produces Doll Magazine (I’m a correspondent….Pattern columnist- unpaid except for exposure), and American Miniaturist (used to subscribe and adored it but budget had to give somewhere)

Jones Publishing and Scott Publications produce Doll Crafter, Miniature Collector, Dolls, Doll Costuming and a whole host of other magazines that deal with various subjects within the doll or miniature world. (Don’t ask me which publishing company publishes which I just know that those are the 3 big magazine producers)

I’ve been into dolls since 1988 when my mom started her doll business. I have been seriously into collector dolls and miniatures for about the last 2 years.

I should also add in something about reborn dolls, re-painted dolls and art dolls… there are lots of those out there too who redo, repaint or sculpt their own dolls that need and use props… you might just have a niche in one of these categories.

Sue Darby
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Newly aquired items for the week … so far

May 172008
 

Wednesday, July 28, 2004


Well I’ve gotten my dollfie… I adore her! I also decided to join in on Dana of Miniature Art ‘s online class for Madeline through Mini Doll U later in August.
It has also been determined that my Pattern Drafting for Ladies 101 class is not going to be repeated for the rest of the year. This is due to this fall and early winter where I’ll be very busy moving and with holiday work and have decided that I can only handle so much solo.
However the 102 Stylizations Class will be going on in late Sept!
The larger doll classes are ongoing and 102 Stylizations for Larger Dolls will start also in late Sept or early Oct!
I’ll have another class for a lady dwarf that is in the planning stages and looks like it will be going on sometime in October!
I’m hoping to hear back on the purchase of a Ginny soon and look forward to hopefully adding her to my collection. I also have a friend on another list who is looking to make space in her house and has some dolls to send me… I seem to be a doll magnet this month… Dollfies, Tika, porcelain mini dolls and some surprise dolls!
Keep an eye out for more info on new patterns as I am nearly done with a couple more designs for Tiny Betsy who is soooo easy to sew for while sewing for my children this summer! I am now behind on my incentive sewing for my daughter… I trade chores and good behavior for doll clothes… man does this work well! I owe her about 6 outfits now. I should also have patterns for Tika, Dollfie (gee she needs a name badly) and any other dolls that I don’t already have pages up for!

Sue Darby
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New ideas

May 172008
 

Saturday, July 24, 2004


Well I have many new ideas and a couple new dolls I’m currently going to be playing with. I bought Tika a Flava who has an unsual body. I knew humans had fit problems but this doll definitely has them. She bends and moves just under the bust making her great for poses that are different from standard Barbies but she also has an “S” curve torso that gives her a long side and a short side along with a high hip and a low hip that are drastically different. Bearing that in mind I plan to use her as a guinea pig in my Pattern Drafting for Lady Dolls 101 class shortly when I start the lessons over in a couple weeks. As for styles for this doll I’m thinking a lot of asymetrical items might be what she needs or some nice tummy show off items … crop tops and hip huggers…. perhaps a hip hugging skirt that flares at the bottom about knee length out of a mock denim (theres a fat quarter blue that looks a lot like denim that’d be perfect!) I’m also thinking a crop top peasant blouse in possibly the light blue silk I found at the thrift shop the other day ( silk scarf that was tossed in as part of a $5 bag sale that still has a new sticker on it priced at $8!) When she’s done she will have patterns and such on the Flavas page
My next doll is a Dollfie from the company Volks which is based in Japan. The dollfies are articulated in more places than most of your average dolls and are based on anime style people who usually have bright color hair with big cartoony eyes. These dolls however, have the ability to use acrylic eyes simular to those used for larger porcelain dolls which is what I opted for along with a honey gold wig. I’m not sure yet what styles this doll will want.. I like to let the dolls set what they will wear… they give me the inspiration to design and draft for them.
The last is another dollfie but this time is an uber buff man… but the poor guy has to go headless until I can order his head and eyes from Japan since the US distributor for these dolls didn’t have any in stock. I’m turning this doll into the comic book version of Wolverine for a friend to give as a gift.. but I have from now till Christmas to play with the doll and make stuff for him… IF I end up liking drafting and sewing for him he’s going to end up with a lot of goodies…provided I can find time for it all!
Other ideas include the development of special items for donation to various groups for prizes or to conventions. I am also in the planning stages of my next book on Computer Pattern Drafting for dolls and minis…. not sure if that is the final title or if it’s going to be 2 books or what yet. I have also in development, special design classes… but I can’t say more on either the computer drafting or the special design classes yet as I need to do some serious work on both projects before I can tell anyone else more!
Ok it’s late and I want to do some other things tonight before bed so I’ll end this here.

Sue Darby
~www.suestinycostumes.com

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