Week off

I ordered several items with the anticipation of being off from work for a week.

The Azone Neemo body came in but I decided not to spray paint it. For one thing it has rained all week. I have an ADG body that I am going to use instead for Angelina.

The new doll head was shipped from Bangkok last week and the paint will be here in a day or two. I am pretty excited about getting started.

My daughter's doll is completed now that Santa delivered her. It was my first try at pastel make up. By no means is it flawless. I must say Pinkie- real original but it was her choice- is pretty darn cute.

Until Sally's restocks there blonde wefting, my twins are on hold. The Azone body is on my girl twin. I can't believe how much I like it! I plan to order a second one when they are restocked on This is Blythe.

I will be publishing two patterns soon, one for sale and one for free.

Revamping Angelina

I am revamping Angelina. After some consideration I am not happy with her body and head match.  It was very noticable. I tried paint the body with no great success. The paint is chipping and I can't stand how unprofessional it looks. By no means am I a professional doll customizer, but it just looks sloppy. I have inquired on the Flickr group Custom Black Blythes about bodies with no response. I am going to attempt to paint a Azone Neemo

Another change I am making to Angelina is removing the apple green eye chips and eye lashes. The apple green will be place in Penelope my ADG Pinafore Purple. The eye lashes did not stay. I am going to soak the eye lids to remove the glue and try again.

Now, I am creating a new doll. I should have, from the beginning, ordered the paint to match the Soul's body. The up side to it, I will be adding a 9th girl to my collection. Funny, I didn't count my boy! Really my 10th doll! I order another one of those weird Basaak doll banks for her head.

The hair saga still goes on. But, I discovered at Sally's Beauty Supplies that they sell real human hair wefting for a very reasonable price! Enough comes in one package to make about 10 wigs. I am super excited to try this! Since the hair is human, it can be styled with heat.

I am hoping that plans work out. I will keep the updates coming.

La Clownesse Cha-U-Kao at Moulin Rouge

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec inspired garment for Victoria. 

The jumpsuit is knitted from my design with Patons Grace yarn and the ruffle is sewn from tulle. 

Inspiration painting:

The website provided is where I borrowed this image. Please, visit site to see it's original manner.

What to know more about Victoria? See my post Meet Victoria.

Updates

I have my boy Blythe off to a good start. The body obstacle has be solved by the Skipper body and my Dremel tool.  He will be about an inch taller than his girl twin- much better than like 6 inches.

I have only up to this point been referreing to them as the 'twins,' 'girl twin,' 'boy twin,' or 'boy Blythe' partly because I have been waiting for my daughter to get her doll.  Wondering why this is related? R decided to name the girl twin Sally. Well, she has repeatedly told me that her doll's name will be Sally. I have name picked out and will introduce them properly after Christmas.

One last thought on this project. Hair. I bought wefting which has proved not to be the right kind- it was too thin. Now, I ordered mohair for rooting and I just read that it isn't really mohair, but sheep's wool. I am actually allergic to a lot of animal fibers. Gosh, I don't know what to do. I guess I will resale it if I just can't use it.

Hopefully, Coming Soon-

A new little outfit for Petite Blythes. Sadly, my model, Macintosh Petite Blythe or Applesauce is missing in action. I will finish the little set and post them for sale as soon as I find her.

Elf Feet!

Ginny's New Pull Cord

Ginny has a new pull cord. I bought these cute little chihuahua bells from Etsy a couple of years ago. How perfect for a chihuahua loving Blythe.

I made the dress from a Puchi Collective pattern. Glasses from Mimiwoo on Ebay.

Want to know more about Ginny? See my post, Meet Ginny. 

Body Snatchers

The one to the right is an ADG body.

Okay, so no one snatch my boy Blythe body.  I did make a mistake in my measuring. Pretty large mistake, in fact, 5 inches too large.

When I decided to make a boy Blythe I started searching for a 1/6 Obitsu body. I diligently looked for a 12 inch one. What was I thinking, the full length including the head should be 12 inches!!!  I was very disappointed with myself.

Good news is that I think I have a solution.  I read on the Boy Blythe Flickr group about using a Skipper body with a flat chest.  I went immediately to Ebay and started searching.  There was  pretty broad range of prices. I, somehow, happened on a Ricky, Skooter or Skipper body for 8 buck, free shipping and in the US! Perfect! I bought it instantly.

The Obitsu body will one day become a full doll.  My daughter suggested a Harry Potter.

Pull Cords

I bought some supplies to start customizing a few of my dollies' pull cords. 

The Twins' Faces

There is enough similarities that my ADG (left) and Basaak (right) could pass as twins.  The boy features are larger than the girl features which seems to work to my advantage.

As of now, I have carved the lips and the nose. The eye sockets have been sanded out a little too. I removed the eye lashes. Next to come-

Eyebrows
New eye chips
Lip painting


My 5 year old has heard to talking about the twins and it must of peaked her curiosity.  She asked me as we were working on the Christmas tree how are twins made. I gave her the simple version of how there are sometimes two babies and other times one baby splits into two before they even look like babies. Then she wanted to know just how they fit inside the momma's belly.

Before Shot

This is the before shot of my little boy Blythe. I am terrible about jumping in before any photos.  I caught myself just in time, I was about to start sanding.

Once again I have an eye chip dilemma. I am using eyes to emphasize the twin part.  These chips are original and they are definitely staying.  I am trying to decided which to switch out. Having these that I like so much makes it hard.

The Twins

I purchased an Ashton Drake Roaring Red doll several months ago. I was disappointed with her. Her hair was unmanageable; although, she was brand new out of the box.

One day I noticed her spring was about to slip off the notch. It slipped on into the head and I couldn't fish it out.  I scalped her and cracked her open from there she has received a complete make over.

I did some reading before scalping and EVERYTHING about her was wrong. The glue was NOT water based. There was NOT a trench to pop the scalp off. I got my info from Puchi Collective tutorials and a Flickr group that was specifically about customizing ADGs.

Now, I am trying to decide my best method of hair. Should I use wefting or try rooting? Mohair or synthetic?

Wondering about the twin?

I noticed several boy Blythes on Flickr. I decided I needed to make one. I ordered a weird little doll bank Basaak and an Obitsu 1/6 boy body. The twin part started by the fact I prefer him to be considered a brother rather than boyfriend. I want him to resemble a little boy over a man. A bit silly really.

I am excited! I think all of the supplies will be here in time for Christmas break.

My Daughter's Doll

My 5 year old wants a Blythe. Well, spending the money on a real Blythe just wasn't going to happen.  Although she is really good to her toys, she is still a little girl. I know I wouldn't allow her to play with it.  Solution, a Basaak doll.

Basaak is a really nice way to purchase a doll for a child or first time customizing.  On Angelina, I just knew that I would be highly pissed at myself if I ruined a Blythe and my next project, I was looking for low budget.

The Basaak is a cute doll but adding personal touches really amp-ed the cute level up.

Here is the customization list:

new eye lashes
purple eye chips
sandmatting
pink lip repaint
purple eye lid paint

If you didn't catch it, my daughter's favorite color is purple.

Customizations yet to be done:

blush
eye shadow
sleepy eyes
freckles, maybe


I think Santa did a good job this year.

Petite Dresses for Petite Blythe

Petite Dresses for Petite Blythe

Prefer PDF? It is now available!

Supplies:

US 2 needles

DK weight yarn

Yarn darning needle

Notes: This is a formula that gives you general guide lines to construct a Petite Blythe Dress.  It can be completely customizable.  Make sure to cast on extra yarn to use as a tie.

Instructions:

CO 11

Work 2 rows.

Work 4 sts, YO, work 3 sts, YO, work 4 sts; this should be on right side.

Work 5 more rows (less or more to your desired style).

Increase on right side as many or less as you prefer.

Work shirt rows to your preference.

BO on wrong side.

Stitch up the skirt portion until it is sufficient space to slip the body inside the dress. Weave the stitching yarn up to the neck. Anchor and use as a tie.

Want more specific instructions?

Pink Example                                                   

CO 11

Garter st for 2 rows

K4, YO, K3, YO, K4

St st for 5 rows

*K1, KFB* repeat to end. (I ended with a K1)

Garter stitch for ¾”

BO on wrong side

Stitch up and create ties.

                               

           Grey Example

CO 15

Knit

Purl

K4, YO, K7, YO, K4

Purl
Knit

Purl

*K2, M1, K2* repeat to end.

St st for 1 1/4 inch.

BO on wrong side.

Stitch up and create ties

Copyright by Natalie Scrimshire 2010

This is for personal use only.  Please do not sell pattern. I can be reached at nscrimshire@gmail.com or at Ravelry user name- PandoraPhelps

Meet Victoria!

Meet Victoria!

When I purchased Simply Mango, I really wanted that chihuahua. Don't get me wrong I love the way Ginny looks, but Takara Very Vicky was my ideal doll.  Only thing I am changing is the stock orange eye chips.

Speaking of orange eye chips, I am in a dilemma.  Should I or should I not use the dark blue ones?

Just in case, I have light blue chips on the way from This is Blythe.  

I had two surprises when I got her out of the box- earrings and a brown stand! The earrings was especially surprising. I must of read her description a dozen times and missed it.

Winter time will be here in Arkansas soon, so I will making props or something for photos. I am a bit bored with the fence and grass.

New Pattern Coming Soon!

Doesn't all Blythes need a Jackolope Hats? Of course! I will soon be releasing this knitting pattern for sale through Ravelry.

It is a simple hat and ears with the more challenging antlers. I used magic loop method for the "bunny" parts and DPNs for the antlers. However, the pattern in open to using any circular method that makes you feel comfortable.

The yarn is any small amount of DK and sock weights.  Felting is an option for the antlers and the ears. This example was not felted so the ears are more floppy.

Good words to know while knitting this cute hat-

Backwards cast on aka thumb cast on- using ones finger or thumb to slip a stitch with the working yarn onto the needles

This image is from knittingdaily.com. I am not claiming it as mine, please follow the link to see it in it's original state. 

Here is a helpful video, also:

video link from KnittingHelp.com

SSK- slip, slip, knit; is a left slanting decrease.  Slip the 2 stitches knitwise individually to the right needle and knit them together by inserting the left needles in the front of the stitches.

Tines- the point on the deer, or in this case, jackalope's antles. This important for the pattern because I do refer to them individually as tines.

One last photo of Ginger just for fun.

Meet Ginny

Meet Ginny!

She was my very first Blythe doll.  I was so excited seeing a chihuahua, I was counting down the days until she was release in April (2010).  The only modifications are the freckles and snipping her fringe to look more natural. I used a tutorial from Puchi Collective.* She is a Takara Simply Mango.

I am a member of the knitting and crochet community on Ravelry. I found Blythe while searching through doll clothing.  How could I not love such a unusual doll? When people ask about Blythes, I describe her as a Betty Boop head with a Skipper body.

In the photos she is wearing a dress of my design. The shoes are from This is Blythe (I have seen them on Etsy, too.) Her little chihuahua friend is wearing my sweater pattern.

*Puchi Collective is no longer active.  You can still access some of the content through the Wayback Machine.  8-5-2015

Meet Angelina

Meet Angelina! She is a customized Blybe (clone) doll. Funny Bunny, www.funnybunny.se, has a beautiful customized doll named Chocolate Pudding that inspired Angelina.

Angelina's customizations include:

Body transplant; World of Love Soul is the donor
Spray color
Sleepy eyes
Eye shadow
Apple green eye chips
Green and blue eye chips
New eyelashes
Light lip color
Wig

Unfortunately, the color of the body and paint did not match. Now she wears brown tights with every garment.  In the photos she is dressed in vintage World of Love clothing.

Before shot:

Photo by Ebay seller rich_amphai

New Dress for Petites!

I spent the day making little "matchy matchy" dresses for the Petite Blythes.

Yarn: Plymouth DreamBaby DK
Needles: US 2 DPNs used as straights

I casted on about 11-15 stitches and used YOs as the armholes. Increasing depended on which style I chose for that particular dress. I just used the beginning and ending yarn tails as the closure at the neck.

These are the first successful outfits I have made for the little gals!

Blog of Intent

I am starting a second blog to relieve my first one, pandorasknittingbasket.blogspot.com, from all of the Blythe related post. It has been over run with them!

I will start off by telling about my dolls. I have 4 Blythes, 1 Blybe (clone), and 2 more on the way! I purchased the Littlest Pet Shop sets with the Petite Blythe with the intent to keep one for myself, but I have a little 5 year old monster who thinks they are all hers. And she is probably right.

Speaking of Petites, I have 2 on the way also.

To break it down even further:

Ashton Drakes- Pinafore Purple, Pleasant Peasant, and Roaring Red.

Takara- Simply Mango, and in route, Prima Dolly Ginger, and Very Vicky

As for the Blybe, I have no idea if she has a name.

There is one more clone that is a Christmas gift to my 5 year old, a Baasak. Same as the Blybe I don't know if she has a name.

I am customizing 3 of them right now.

This photo isn't great but you can see them a little. Better and more detailed photos to come soon.

First Generic Post

Hi, more to come soon.