Video Tutorial: Restringing a Minifee

I have finally started working on video tutorials, so here's my latest, totally crappy restringing tutorial: a video guide to restringing a minifee.

 And in case embedding doesn't work you can find it here.

Amaranth's Guide to Fairyland (under construction)

*Updated 1/19*

Some of the information about Fairyland is just plain confusing, and it was confusing as hell for me when I first got into dolls too. Some of you may have even tried finding this info on FL's site, but found it too overwhelming.
 

I've put in as much information as I can recall off the top of my head, and I will update as I find out more.

I do not know much about the smaller sizes. I'm more versed in Minifee and Feeple 60, since I own both. 

To find a specific section, either search the blog or click Ctrl/CMD+F and type in one of these keywords: Wigs, Eyes, Clothes, Hybrids, Tiny, MSD, YoSD, SD. You can also search the specific sculpt or size you are looking for (example: Chloe or Minifee).

I hope this helps. It'll still probably be a TL;DR situation, but it should at least help newbies get a better handle on the information out there about Fairyland. It can definitely be intimidating!

Edit: Do not ask me how much these dolls go for or where or how to buy them. This is to help doll collectors be aware of what is and is not available recast currently. It is also to help the new fairyland fan find their way around this amazing company.

Doll Chateau Alberta/ Mnf Chloe Hybrid - old recast I no longer own

So I took some pics for a lovely gal on the Haven, and my Rose stole herself a body…a DC Alberta body. In the process, one of Alberta's feet hooks broke, so I'm restringing the body to fit the neck piece, mnf hands, and mnf heeled feet.

My eventual plan is to get another pair of white skin minifee legs and replace the DC legs with the mnf legs. This will make her a little shorter and increase her posing ability. I will update when I get around to doing that.

First, I have to mod the neck wider to fit the neck ball. I get out my handy dremel tool and get to work.

1. I place the ball on the neck to see how much I need to remove.

2. I wear proper face protection, and start to remove resin, testing the ball now and then.

The Big Mnf vs JID Comparison

I see this question happen so often, I decided to do a post on it. This is just my opinion, so feel free to take it for what it's worth. Some people won't be bothered by the proportions, so I'll leave it to you to make up your own mind!

The cast:

Poe, a Legit JID Girl (based on my JID legit/recast comparison thread there is little shrinkage between legits and recasts). She has a pretty bad tattoo from when I first got into the hobby as well as a broken elbow. Poor neglected thing really needs some love. She also has the old style large bust, not the new glamour bust (the body S/L have). She desperately wants that new body….

Snow, a recast mnf Rheia: she is a bit smaller than a legit body but not by much. The size comparisons should still be accurate. She has her heeled feet on, so I had to support her in a few pics.

Conclusion:

• The Mnf is obviously the better poser for the dancer-ish poses, but the JID is more sturdy.
• The JID has a more useful mobility joint, and she can almost hug her knees.
• The Mnf body is better sculpted. The new JID body, the one L/S have, is much better, imo. This body is supposed to have additional posing modifications, but JID still can't compare to Mnf.
• If you're going with this hybrid, you will need to mod the mnf neck shorter to accommodate the JID.

I had some serious formatting issues, and I don't know why. Something was up with Blogger I think, so I could not rearrange pictures, nor could I add text between them. Weird!  In any case, I hope this post is useful. Let me know if you need more pictures.

Thank you for reading, and happy collecting!

Face Up Removal: Windsor and Newton vs Isopropyl Alcohol vs Nail Polish Remover

I've removed a lot of face ups in my short time in the hobby (I've been around for about 4 years). I've used nail polish remover, Winsor and Newton (referred to for the rest of the post as W&N), and various strengths of rubbing alcohol to remove face ups.

I have a few dolls I've been meaning to redo, and I thought while I was at it I might as well take some pictures and do a few comparison/tutorial posts. The next post will be my face up tutorial. I may film it, but I haven't decided yet.

I've decided to do a comparison/how-to feature for these so you can decide which is best for you.

I'm not getting into the acetone/no-acetone debate thing though. I don't know enough about acetone to say either way. I've heard horror stores, but then I've used products with acetone and had no issues myself. So, it's best for me just to avoid that subject for now.

 

Feeple 60 vs Minifee Boy Comparison: Nudity/Peen Warning

Hey there, sexy.

Time for another comparison post! (Or as I came to call it, "Anything you can do I can do better" in honor of their apparent rivalry.) This is a comparison/review of the two bodies, minifee and Feeple 60. Both are legit boys. They are not sueded or wired. The recast minifee boy I sold recently could pose nearly as good as the legit boy once he was strung tight and sueded. It is possible to get recasts to pose well; they just take a little effort.

Give up Jack. I'm prettier.

When posing dolls, the trick is to find the doll's center of gravity. Then you slowly start adjusting the arms and legs until you get them into position, maintaining the doll's balance at all times. As with the girls, the boys were a bit unstable in some poses. I would not leave the doll unattended or in one of these poses for a long time, as they will most likely fall. Super duper crazy poses coming when I have a doll catcher.
 

Feeple 60 vs Minifee Comparison

Here is the promised Feeple 60 vs Minifee Review!

As always, please pardon the crap lighting and the pile of games/doll clothes in the background. Someday I'll take nice pictures. I have to reuse some of the photos from my minifee posing thread here, since both my girls need to be restrung, and I don't know when I'm going to have time to do that.

At first, I was really bummed out by the Feeple 60 body. It seemed unfinished, less refined than the boy body. It still kind of does, but I underestimated it's posing abilities. All of these pictures are taken without sueding, but I will be doing a posing post with both the F60 and girl and the F60 boy after I've sueded them. I didn't have a doll catcher, so I couldn't do a lot of really crazy poses with them, so I hope this works for now. (My designated doll helper is MIA for awhile, and my husband, bless his heart, is terrible at it.)

My helpers are a recast/legit hybrid minifee Chloe Sp mod named Zoey and a legitimate F60 Chloe.

Zoey on the left, Jill on the right.

Friday Fluff: Head Size Comparison

 

Here is a random pic to show the differences between head sizes (all those pictured happen to be recasts for no other reason than that's simply what I was working with at the time). From left to right the heads are:

• Recast Volks Lorina (SD or 1/3 size, 9"-10" wig)
• Recast Minifee Rheia (MSD or 1/4 size, 6"-7" or 7"-8" wig)
• Recast Soom Aloa (YoSD or 1/6 size, 6"-7" wig)
• Recast Pukifee Pongpong (Tiny or 1/8 size, 5"-6" wig)

As you can see, the minifee heads run pretty small. It's usually a toss up as to which size they wear best, whether 7"-8" or 6"-7". It depends on the specific sculpt as well as the brand of the wig, and you can honestly go either way. I prefer 7"-8" for fullness. With a wig cap they fit great. 

Next week I will do a comparison between some different SD and MSD sized heads, both recast and legit. 

Thanks for viewing, and Happy Collecting!

Jack and Jill, Double Box Opening: Legitimate Fairyland Feeple 60 Mirwen and Chloe plus other stuffs

(The lighting is really bad in my house despite the sunlight, so apologies for the weird lighting in the pics. I decided against doing a video, since I figured I'd have to cut and pause every five seconds for the baby.)

So I ordered these guys around tax time this year. With no pressing obligations, I was able to do a dream order without feeling guilty. I got two Feeple 60s and all the Valentine items to go with them. After nearly three months waiting, they arrived this morning!

I woke up early to wait for the postman. I figured he'd show up with the slip in hand, ready to just leave it and take off without having to carry the package (I don't blame him, the box is heavy!). He was surprised when I opened the door. He had the form already all filled out and everything and was a bit annoyed he had to go back to the truck for the box.

The box, by the way, was huge.

Fluff Post: My Addiction to Multiples of the Same Sculpt...Especially Chloes.

I have this thing for owning multiples of the same sculpt. It's like, I get one and suddenly I need fifty.

It doesn't help that my favorite sculpt is the sculpt I first fell in love with but tried to avoid. It's like I'm compensating by buying tons of them.

I have a Vampire Chloe (Nanuri 10) boy from Fairyland….and I'd kill for another to be his sister.I have a modded sleeping Chloe…and I'm saving for like three other minifee Chloes in white, normal and tan skins, plus a Feeple 65 Chloe. I'm lucky I don't like Chic Line dolls or Littlefee much anymore. They make a pukifee Chloe and I'll have to add her to the list…

I managed to snag a Nanuri A Chloe (dreaming elf) and found myself scouring the MP for more…I'd love to own like…three. At least. My Nanuri A doesn't even have a body yet (I also do this weird thing where I buy floating heads of the size/make of the dolls I have incoming).

Friday Feature: Willow

This week's Friday Feature is Willow, my personal favorite girl Karsh, who's owner is AtticFlowers.

"Meet Willow! She is a recast Fairyland MNF Karsh on a female body.



 She was purchased secondhand from another collector who needed to thin out the herd, so to speak.

Sewing Tutorial: Minifee Sundress (Large bust, but can work for small bust)

Hi all! Sorry for the delays in posting. I've had a busy last few weeks (we're trying to buy a house and let me tell you, it is a pain in the butt), so I haven't been able to write anything. Here is a delayed but fun tutorial in time for spring for a Minifee Sundress (I'm sure this can be modified to work with any doll).

The minifee version of this pattern was inspired by an existing pattern called Robe Soleil, located at MHD Designs here. "This ensemble is based on a fashion pattern from MHD Designs." The originator of the pattern has asked to be credited, so there ya go!

This pattern is incredibly versatile. As the original creator noted, you can change the length of the skirt panels, add more panels, change the shape of the halter, add ruffles, hem the skirt, leave the skirt to fray, etc.

Friday Feature: Munin

Welcome to our first Friday Feature! Today's featured doll is Munin, a legitimate Minifee Woosoo girl. Her owner, Scarlet Study, has written up some info about her girl and shared some pictures. Read about her character and enjoy!

Legit vs Recast Mnf Muscular Boy Comparison

I have a legit muscular boy as well as a recast muscular boy so I thought I would a comparison between them. I will summarize my thoughts into a few points, give my review, and then close with some comparison pictures.

Our subjects are a legit Vampire Chloe boy, and a recast Karsh boy, Hunter. Hunter is a recast. Both are normal skin.

Some Minifee Poses

This is a few poses I was able to get my recast minifee to do after restringing. I've been able to get my legits to do most of these too. These are some of the better poses, more sure to follow. Please pardon the crappy lighting as it was very late at night.

All of these poses are unsupported, and the doll is not sueded or wired (but will be soon). This doll doing the poses is a recast. I left hands and head off because they would most likely break or crack if she fell, and it was easier to play with this way.

The purpose of this post is to show some of the wide range of poses minifee are capable of as well as to demonstrate that recasts pose just as well as legitimate minifee. 

The trick to getting minifees, and any doll for that matter, is to find their center of gravity. Then, you just start moving little pieces a little bit at a time until you get everything in the pose you want it. Keep hands nearby to catch them in case of a fall!

The cast:

Recast Minifee Body, 100% Legitimate VE Chloe boy, Recast Littlefee Luna

Let's begin!

Restringing A Minifee

Okay, next in my line of restringing tutorials is the minifee tutorial.

Posing pictures can be found here.

Note:
If you are restringing a recast, please be a bit gentle, especially with the thinner areas near the ankles and whatnot.
Materials:

Standard restringing tools, like new elastic, calipers, a chopstick or pencil, a ribbon or cord, etc. An extra pair of hands will always make the job easier!