After working very hard putting down my hubby’s office floor, and all the mess getting it back in order, I decided to do something “I” wanted to do… and that was give my new Twinkle Bailey a partial makeover. I have had her for about 3 weeks and wanted to put eyelashes on her, but if I was planning on redoing her “bushy” eyebrows, I needed to do that first, because she has to be sprayed with a sealer called Mister Super Clear.
Today was the day… my hubby was gone most of the morning and it was nice and quiet in the house and I could concentrate… Who knew painting new eyebrows needed quiet?
I am NO expert, by a long shot, but I am cheap…and to send a doll off for a new faceup costs around $150 I think. I only wanted to do her eyebrows and eyelashes…
Here’s a before…the way she looked painted from the factory! Remember these bushy eyebrows? They were too much for me…
So I used some Winsor and Newton paint remover… (you have to be VERY VERY careful with it or it will run and you’ll end up with a blank face.) I didn’t want that… I just wanted to remove her eyebrows and leave the last 3 “hairs” closest to her nose very lightly as a starting point.
I tried a few times with water color pencils and a very very tiny paintbrush; erasing them and trying again, and finally decided they were even and okay… I could have maybe gone slightly darker, but I think they will be okay… then I added the eyelashes. (Ignore all those little specks on her face… I should have wiped it clean before I took pictures.)
The eyelashes actually took longer… if you can imagine, she’s only 6″ tall, so buying adult eyelashes, trimming them down to about 1/4″ wide and then trimming them so they don’t come up past her eyebrows… It is quite tedious and can be a bit nerve racking getting them to stick where they are supposed to. I may redo them after a few times of taking pictures of her.. I’d like them to tip up more, but these just wouldn’t.
Then because I made her sweeter (at least to me!), I decided I might as well go ahead and make her a new dress… since she stole Navi’s blue eyes, I decided to make her a blue dress… from a scrap of Libery of London (super fine and delicate) fabric… that I had used for Emmie’s dress.
The dress led to trim and then embellishing and then to a hat… she just sat and smiled… (It’s nice to have a smiling doll!)
She’s quite the little cutie, isn’t she?
After all that work on her eyebrows, I used that wig I made with the thick bangs and “covered” them up… Oh well…
The dress is finished, but the hat isn’t and she needs some shoes…
Well, I guess that’s it for me and Bailey.
See you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne
Oh, I think your Twinkle Bailey looks Much better now! Those bushy eyebrows really bothered me, too.
I’ve made lots of cloth dolls, and I know it’s difficult to get them to come out even! My tip: Turn the doll’s head upside down for “the other one”! For me, being right-handed, the right eyebrow/lashes were always easier than the left, so I would do the right ones, then turn the head around (so the top of the head was towards me) and do the other one. I think it seems easier because I am working from left to right on each one, which, since we all read and write from left to right, feels more natural.
Bailey’s new outfit is really darling. Is she going to get to keep it? (Silly question….)
I see that Molly’s outfit had gotten a second bid now!! Yay!!
Barbara, I couldn’t help chuckle at your story of the church A/C that David is working on. My husband spent most of his working career as a natural gas appliance repairman (we are still using our 1968 gas dryer!!), and he used to occasionally run across furnaces that he thought for sure they had built houses around! I remember him talking about a couple that were under the floor (no basement, but just under the floor) that were almost impossible to work on, they were in such tight spaces! Sometimes you do wonder at some of these contractors who plan things like that!
Speaking of furnaces, we enjoyed having our worship service back in the sanctuary this past Sunday–the new upstairs furnace was installed last Thursday. The old one was 50 years old, and it was getting very expensive to repair–IF you could find parts! Thanks to some generous giving, we had enough money to pay for it outright.
Freida is excited because I finished my jacket last night, and have started back on her dress again.
When you mentioned turning the doll upside down to do the other eyebrow it reminded me of smocking. Geometric anyway. I haven’t had experience with picture smocking. Took a class once but the teacher wasn’t all that great. She was great at smocking just not at teaching others to do it. My furnace is in what used to be the coat closet off the living room. The house was built in 1945 and had no central heat or A/C until just before we bought it. Why they put the thing in the hall closet I don’t know because there would have been better places, but there it is and there it will probably stay unless it’s against code when we go to sell the house.
Dear Jeanne, Bailey does look adorable. The wig is flattering and the eyebrows and lashes do suit her. And her dress is so sweet.
What a difference those bushy eyebrows trimmed and lightened made, Jeanne! I think you did a great job on that! Yes, I too wondered why you covered them up with the wig! Oh well, other wigs will be made and worn, so at least you won’t be having to worry about those eyebrows any more!
Charlotte, that is genius the way you do one side, then turn upside down to do the other side! I am left handed and have the opposite problem you have!
Bailey looks adorable in that new dress and hat! It looks like she is waiting for the Easter Bunny!
Nice to see Bailey without the Groucho Marx eyebrows. I do like them better. I can see why a lot of folks leave off the eyelashes on Twinkles. Just so hard to put them on. Don’t know how you were able to handle them. I even have one Twink with only one lash. The other is floating around here somewhere. Never got to putting it back on. I don’t even notice it. Maybe she does though. 🙂 She looks nice in this color wig, but since her brows are now lighter, maybe she can wear a blond wig as well? Might be fun to see. Very cute dress for her. Love that Liberty print.
Hope you’re rested up and ready for another beautiful home project. How are George’s German Owls? Make it through the winter?
Dear Jeanne,
You are so talented. Little Bailey looks so sweet with her new eyebrows and eyelashes.
The dress is perfect for her.
I hope you all have a wonderful day.
What a great job you’ve done on Bailey eyebrows. And the eye lashes! They look great. I can only imagine how tedious that must have been. You are brave.
Bailey looks adorable in this pretty print and her little face looks so happy that she gets to be the model.
Glad you had a break from home renovations but all the work you’ve done over the years has been worth it. – your home is lovely with all the personal touches and changes.
Love the new ‘face’ !😊🤗
I realized I didn’t comment on the Woolworth’s story line yesterday. Woolworth’s was a staple of my childhood and teen years. My friends and I would stop in there if we were shopping at the mall on a a Saturday for Goody hair accessories and candy.It was always fun to go inside at Christmas. My daughter even got to experience it before they were gone.
Bailey looks much sweeter with her new face. I like her eyelashes. the new dress and hat are lovely and in a shade of my favorite color.
What a great job on the eyebrows and eyelashes. Hard to think of you working on such a tiny doll. Love Bailey’s dress and hat. My desktop computer is feeling ill today so I’m on my laptop and it’s not looking the same so I’m not sure how it will come out when I post so I’m keeping it short for now.
Oh my…those blue eyes and that blue dress and hat are beyond cute! You did a great job on her eyebrows and lashes. It is hard to make them match and somewhere along the way I was told to do one upside down too😉 The way you have her sitting is so cute too… I forget you can do fun things to pose her.
We need a pic of the “ after” floor. Is that it now? All the floors are done? Somehow “done” is not part of having a vintage home… but love them anyway🤗
Making Irish Soda Bread today. Love it toasted.
☘️☘️☘️☘️Happy St Pats Day everyone☘️☘️☘️☘️
Isn’t it funny how you can work and work on something and in the end it doesn’t show? Still, you’ll know, and if the day comes where your new doll needs her eyebrows to show, they will be eyebrows you like. A flower name would be nice for her. I was thinking Lily, to rhyme with Bailey, but I wanted a smaller flower — Pansy? Or Bailey and Becky?