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I know, I know, I was supposed to write about something else but I just received this tiny violin a couple of days ago and it's so neat! I was just going to squeeze a picture of it in the J-doll post then I decided to separate it and I'll explain why...
When we were browsing J-dolls, mum saw some dolls posing with a violin like this and asked "Do they come with it?" Um, you wish! But when I was deciding between this doll and another, the other was 7$ more expensive, and I felt justified to spend the difference on a violin prop (it's exactly what it cost, by the way). Hubby is learning to play the violin and I thought it could be a nice reminder for him to visit his teacher more often. I already knew this style sort of works with J-dolls, although they are described as "dollhouse miniatures" (1/12 scale).
You can find these tiny wooden violins all over ebay if you search for "doll violin". They can either come on a vertical plastic stand or in a case lined with red velvet. Mine is the cheaper set with the stand. The set includes a bow. I should have taken a picture, but I thought of this after I struggled to pose it on the doll and I don't want to take it down. The violin is 7cm long (2 3/4"). For comparison, hubby's 4/4 violin is 59cm (sorry, inch people, I was too confused to convert the rest of the numbers). I tried to to the math to find out the corresponding size for 1/6 scales but however I went about it, the numbers were oddly off because dolls are proportioned differently. The violin was laughably tiny for Barbie but passable for J-doll, even though the difference in height is 2cm at most. It didn't seem right.
And then it hit me that 59cm is about the length of my coat sleeve. Sure, measure it against the arm! Cause that's what holds the violin! Barbie's sleeve (shoulder to base of thumb) is 9cm so they would need a 9cm violin. J-doll's sleeve is about 7,5cm, which explains how the violin can be made to work. For reference, Monster High arms are about 6,5cm, which means it would work even better on their bodies, but I think the realistic violin would clash with their cartoony style.
I managed to make it stay as best as possible, in spite of the bum wrist. It's perched precariously halfway between the boobs and the shoulder and pressed into a horizontal position with the bow, which is why I'm scared to move the whole composition too far from the doll shelf. The bow fits snugly between the thumb and the palm. The doll looks ridiculously good playing the tiny violin. It's like they were made for each other. It's the most adorable thing that has ever happened on my shelf.
The violin itself is a work of art. It has the S-shaped holes in the body, the chin rest (although nothing rests on it because of the long neck), even the strings each goes to its own screw in the tail! I highly recommend these 1/12 wooden violins even if you don't have dolls, they are just too cute! Will you get one?
The Black Kitty
(^^)~~
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ReplyDeleteOh, that violin is a work of art! It's incredible to see so many details in such a tiny thingie! And for a REALLY good price too. I may need one too eventually. XD (And so smart of you to think of the arm and violin size comparison!) Lavalle looks just adorable playing it, and I have to say I like that outfit more every time I see it. It's classy, elegant and has a nice amount of "darkness" going on too, considering her whole look and all. (And I would love to see it with a corset, and maybe boots *__*).
ReplyDeleteThe ebay shop where I got the violin from had worldwide free shipping, so really, go for it! And if you don't have a doll in this scale you'll have a legit reason to buy a J-doll as well >:) I love mine more with each day. You are reading my mind about the outfit and the things to add to it. Recently life got so much in the way of crafting for dolls that I'm afraid I forgot how to do it :-S
DeleteHahah! So true! I can sure use the violin AND the excuse to get a j-doll. XD
DeleteAnd I'm looking forward to seeing what you'll do with the outfit. <3 Don't be afraid, you can do it! You are so talented and patient to do super detailed small beautiful things. I know whatever you do will end up looking awesome. And good luck on making more crafting time, God knows that crafting and dolls are what keep us sane for most of the times (at least in my case ^^).
It's probably too late to warn you that the j-doll fever is contagious! Thanks for the words of encouragement, I definitely need to organize my time and work on dolls even though I'm tired from decorating the house... lately it seems I'm only bragging about purchases and not doing anything creative or useful. I meant to reroot my first doll in time for my first blogoversary next week, but it's obviously not happening. Sorry about all this whining. I appreciate you being here to listen <3
DeleteYes, too late indeed! I even have a j-dollS (did ya notice the plural? XD) want list now!
DeleteAs for doll time, you do have other things going on, it's not like you aren't doing anything with your time. But after you'll be done with that, then you'll be able to relax and enjoy your dolls and projects a lot more! They will feel much sweeter. I know how life can get in the way of so many of our plans (just see all the time it took me to answer you back..), but let's pat ourselves on the back for the things we did get to accomplish, even when they aren't doll related. =) And hey, it's not bragging, it's a really nice thing to share your beauties with the rest of us here. ^^ (Reading about dolls always lifts my mood.) Also, despite all things that got in your way, you still found a way to keep posting, and that too is awesome! (I didn't post anything at all last month.. Though I did a couple reroots and took the opportunity to pic them for the next post, on rerooting - it's something!)
On the reroot, eventually you'll get it done. It does require a lot of time and patience, specially the first ones, so don't be in a hurry to do it. Choose a calm day when you'll have a lot of spare time, really. And always feel free to unload as much as you want, I may be a bit slow sometimes, but I'll always be around for you. ^__^ Big hugs! <3
Oh, I'm not losing patience over reroots, it's just the one head from my first ever Barbie that matters, Ken and the rest can wait. I promise to get started right after I read your blog. I'm using the method where the hair is doubled and looks like a crochet chain on the inside, which many people complain it's too fussy, but I can't imagine it otherwise, I'm paranoid it will fall off by any other method...
DeleteAh, the chain method! O__O I tried it once, with a scalp I cut off from a big headed doll, and still it turned out a bit messy, then I went back to the knot method, because I couldn't imagine doing the chain one on a barbie when an open scalp was so hard for me.. I didn't give it up completely (I even got an extra liv scalp to try again), because the neatness it has when it is done properly still is something I would love to achieve, but I think I'll only try it again when I'll have lots of time and patience in my hands.. The knot method I use is pretty secure (if we pull it with enough strength it will tear up the head instead of having the hairs come off), and really easy, but the con is that all the knots inside sometimes make the head hard (and tricky to finish the reroot if we get carried away with the hair amount). I'll talk about all that in the next post. So sorry it's taking so long (^__^'), I took a gazillion pics for it, and now I still need to sort them and write, but I'll work more on it this weekend! :D But really, I'd advise you to start with a head you don't care as much about, just in case. Do you have any extra heads, like clone ones?
DeleteAaaand it's called lock loop! :D Just remembered an article I read on that, and here it goes:
Deletehttp://www.blythe-doll-fashions.com/2010/10/10/the-beauty-of-saran/
It's a really great and useful one (just look at how neat it is! That's what I love about it *__*)!
I did one and a half heads in this method with yarn. It came very naturally, it's time consuming but didn't seem difficult to me. I don't know if I'd do better with the knot method, having to catch all the ends and position the knot properly. It's good to know it doesn't come undone, because it will come in handy for non-yarn reroots where the hair may not be long enough to be doubled. Oh, speaking about hair length - will you write about hair sizes from different suppliers? I messaged some of them asking how many hanks of a specific size I needed to root a specific head to a specific length and I couldn't get a remotely clear answer. Since shipping is usually more expensive than the actual purchase for me it would be good to have an idea of the amount of hair in all those different hanks.
DeleteCan you belive that according to a "legend" I created for my Lavalle, my Jdoll is a famous violine player, Agustina Martina Lavalle, descending from an aristocratic family :) And she has the same violin and a little daughter she abandoned to keep up with her musical career, but recently the family reunited and Agustina was surprised to find that her daughter also likes toplay violin? That s the girl http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3789/13190428195_9ea958bab9.jpg And here are Mommyand daghter together:https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7221/13945250583_1e061c2615.jpg
ReplyDeleteI actually could not believe until I saw the photos :) Lavalle's melancholic face is BEGGING for a violin prop. The little doll bears a resemblance to the "mother". Is it an Obitsu? I enjoyed your photos. I wish you'd given me a link to your whole flickr. Do you have any more places where you share your dolly love? It's fine if they are in Russian.
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