This is an article about dolls, but also people. The mother of all western fashion dolls came out in 1959.  This is the kind of thing sold in teen girl fashion magazines at the time: Looks pretty familiar!  I may have some vintage doll dresses that look exactly like a couple of those styles, right down to the shoes and plastic ring bracelets.  Underneath, these gals were probably wearing something like this: With names like "Figure Controller" and "Mold 'n Hold" let's make no mistake here: This is shapewear.  It's not a corset, but that's only because the underwear techno ..read more

If you read my review on Abbey you might have noticed that I have a problem with the new G3 Monster High hands.  Someone suggested I contact Mattel's customer service for replacement hands, so I'll pass on that advice to anyone who has already had hands snapping off like me! But, being a customizer and dolly doctor, I sat down with my dolls and did some experiments to see if I could find a preventative fix.  I did, and it's pretty easy, so let me show you how: Examining the wrist, it seems like the issue is the knob on the hand peg is just too big.  I first tried to make it sma ..read more

Hi Everyone!  10 years is a long time.  Realizing you've been doing something for ten whole years comes with lots of feelings and introspection.  Thankfully most of that has been good because I love what I do, but I have decided some stuff needs to change. Like my URL: RequiemArt.com.  Wait.  I go by Requiem Art Designs as a business, what's wrong with my URL? ...because people who don't already know me generally read the URL as RequieMart.com.  And RequieMart.com sounds like a cheap Alibaba.com knockoff hosted somewhere on the other side of the world, possibly ru ..read more

I had a new ken doll in the review queue but whenever a new MH doll is leaked I start getting questions about sizing immediately. Guys, Mattel doesn't send me stuff in advance!  I get them when I manage to find them at a non-scalper price online or IRL, which by my local stores is 2-3 months after the actual release.  Abbey is my favorite gal from the not-main cast (main cast fave is Cleo) for pretty much the same reason I love Cleo.  Strong personality, independent, equally good by herself or with friends.  And she can pick up Heath when he's being too annoying! Now I *lo ..read more

I've been waiting for this guy to show up for a long time!  Eiji was a Volks preorder doll, which means everyone who wanted one could get one but that also means a lot of dolls had to be made to be delivered so it's been... about 8 months since I ordered him. Let's see how he measures up! TBH I expected something a little more on the lines of a Smart Doll Boy.  Not necessarily in height, but erm, a little more boy-shaped? I should probably explain that better.  There are certain aesthetic ideals to male/female bodies that tends to follow sex differentiation but in dolls is a ..read more

Dang this was a tough decision!  I decided to go with this style for the anniversary pattern. My ideal anniversary giveaway pattern was something (nearly) everyone will want to sew and something (nearly) everyone can sew with not a lot of frustration. I think of the finalists this fits that criteria best, being something that most people won't need to go buy special supplies for and the one that will involve the least amount of tricky hand and/or machine stitching. I can hear some of you through the screen going "but I wanted something complicated, that's what I need patterns for ..read more

I've been eagerly checking the votes every day!  Some entries had big early showings and some kind of steadily caught up.  BUT FINALLY WE ARE HERE: The Finalists! I don't know which one I'm going to pick.  I have to hit up the fabric store and do some testing because 3/5 patterns, I need to make sure the necessary supplies are readily available.  And by that I mean stretchy lace ruffle in small enough scale, silky sheers that will drape on dolls, and doll-scaling trim for said sheers.   That is why I gave myself to the end of the week to announce the winner! He ..read more

On April 18th 2013 I put my first pattern on Etsy (this one) because we all loved our Monster High dolls, but there were close to zero clothes options for them.   I was a hobby dolly doctor and customizer, so I figured it would be another fun thing for the few people who needed patterns the same way my repair tutorials and customizing tutorials had been.  10 years later this is my full time gig.  I wore out my drafting ruler.  My scissors are covered with scratches from being sharpened and re-sharpened.  I've replaced 2 brand-new sewing machines.  And I'm st ..read more

I gave Draculaura and Cleo as 'new' body types their own reviews, but all the other new body types followed the Ever After High method of shortening/lenghtening the calves to make tall/short bodies so they are pretty much all the same for sewing purposes. First, let's compare the different generations and spinoff dolls: These pics are taken straight from the new PS size chart btw so you can download that if you want a local copy to refer to. The good news is overall the basic body shape has remained the same so the new dolls can (mostly) fit in the PS pattern size. I suspect the gradual thick ..read more

I think I started off my last review with the disclaimer that Monster High has a special place in my heart so I have a certain amount of bias towards the original line.  Well, my favorite original line doll was Cleo.  I love her looks, I love her personality, I got more Cleo dolls than any other character.  So whatever high bar I have for Monster High, it's especially, ESPECIALLY HIGH for Cleo.  ...Cleo is also my favorite new G3 doll!  But I also have some serious issues with her body.   Ok, from left to right I've got a G1 Cleo, a G2 cleo with a G1 head because ..read more