WIP - Mohair preparation for Reborn Babies

So, my house smells like a barn right now after boiling some raw mohair fiber...lol!
I have worked with larger batches of fiber in the past when I made my limited edition original porcelain dolls. The wigs were hand sewn and styled for the correct period of the dolls.  I loved working with mohair because of the feel of this fiber.
Here is a batch of beautiful mohair that I've just washed and dyed with wool dyes. Wool dyes are boiled into the fiber and are absorbed by the fiber and will not wash out. It is soft and shiny and I love the way that it picks up the light. This batch of fiber has a light wave to it. I will be using it to root two of the reborn babies that I have been working on.  I will be testing other fibers soon. I received a beautiful batch of llama fiber in a really nice chestnut color. I'm not sure if the scale is suitable for the babes. If it doesn't work...I might just make a warm woolen scarf for myself...lol!
Enjoy your week!
Hugs to all,
Morena

It's a Boy! Reborn on Ebay 3/5/12

This little boy looks like a tiny Prince. He is about 16 inches, the size of a newborn preemie. It took some time to paint all of the details. There are hundreds of tiny veins and capillaries on the vinyl and of course the hair rooting took forever!!! LOL! He is a Pratt doll - Teagan.
I spent quite a bit of time to get his outfit just right. I took it apart three times and finally got what I envisioned for him. I found this tiny bear and redesigned it for him too.
More pictures along with a complete description on this little one can be found on my Ebay listing . You can click the link below.
Enjoy!
Hugs, Morena

Ebay link - Dreamartdolls

Ebay 2/18 - 2.5" Soft Body Baby Girl and Bunny

They are sooooo tiny! Finally got back to making these mini babies. This little girl is wearing a sky blue thread crocheted dress with matching bonnet. Tiny pink rose buds and silk ribbons complete her outfit. I crocheted a little bunny friend for her. Bunny is just around 1/2 inch tall made with butter cream thread and a violet silk ribbon bow and a rose bud tail. Sweet set.
Enjoy!
Hugs,
Morena

Ebay - dreamartdolls

http://www.ebay.com/sch/dreamartdolls/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=25

WIP -Reborn Baby Preemie Teagan

Just finished painting this little preemie. Should be about 16 inches long. Not sure if it's a boy or a girl. The veining took some time. I'm using a very tiny three bristle brush to paint on the capillaries. You can see tiny milk bumps around the nose and the cheeks...cute! I opened his nostrils just enough to look realistic. I also did some fine lines to mark the brows and some for lashes. I'll be rooting light brown or blond mohair over the painted lashes and brows. The hair should also keep me busy for a while. See you in a couple of days!
Hugs,
Morena

Happy Valentine's Day

Enjoy your day!
Hugs and kisses!
Morena

It's a Boy! Reborn on Ebay 2/9/12

It's a boy! He is finally finished. Crocheting this little outfit took a long time. I have just listed him on Ebay.
You can find more information on him there. Just click on the link below

Ebay - Dreamartdolls link

Enjoy!
Hugs,
Morena

WIP -Reborn tiny baby - Marita Winters- Rooting

Such a sweet little baby!
I've been rooting the head and it is taking hours. I started with the lashes and then did some wispy brows. I don't want to add too much hair to this little one. He reminds me of a baby chick so the hair should be more like fuzz...(chuckle).
This tiny baby fits so nicely in my hands. He is the size that I most like to work with, especially when I create my one of a kind polymer babies. I used my original doll drying stand for him made by placing bamboo skewers in some floral foam in a heavy glass container. His body part openings are small so the dowels that I used for the larger dolls would not do.
I will be adding tiny glass beads to his limbs and body. I need to take a break from rooting...lol! When I finish rooting I will add glue to the inside of his head adhering the mohair fibers and then finishing up by adding glass beads and poly fiber.
Enjoy your day!
Hugs,
Morena

WIP -Reborn tiny baby - Marita Winters - Zachy

I was very fortunate to have been able to purchase Marita Winters' tiny Zachy vinyl parts. Marita is such a wonderful artist and a very sweet women. I've always admired her work. Her attention to details is amazing as you can see from the picture that I took of his mini toe nails. This little one will be about nine inches long when completed. He is a tiny bundle of sweetness!!!!!
I have painted and baked all of the pieces including the head five times. The many layers of paint inside and out give his skin depth. Here you can see that the tiny nails have been glazed. The most difficult part for me is the time consuming rooting of the lashes, brows and hair. This rooting needle is so small that it will only pick up one hair at a time. It make it a bit more realistic, especially on such a small baby. That should take hopefully only five or six hours. I'm hoping not to stab myself with the needle this time...lol!
I'll post more pictures when I have a little free time.
Special note:
My Soft Body miniature babies are coming along. I hope to have some for my miniature collectors in the coming weeks. I needed to take a little break from using my magnifiers.
Enjoy your week!
Hugs, Morena

Link to Marita Winters' site http://www.winterswhimsies.com/

Reborn Baby Girl - On Ebay 2/4

She is finally finished! Such a sweet baby girl.  I have listed her on Ebay. Hope she finds a loving home.
Enjoy!
Hugs,
Morena

dreamartdolls Ebay http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Reborn-Baby-Girl-Morena-Ciambra-Dreamartdolls-/250988806664?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a70194208

WIP Reborn Baby Doll - a tiny head

It's taken two days to prepare the head and paint and root to this point. I have opened the nostrils and the mouth using small blades and electric bit sander. Then came the many layers of paint making sure that I added hundreds of tiny veins. There are little white milk spots on the nose and on the cheeks. I've baked this head five times and will use a heat gun to add more details as I go along. You can see that I was also able to start rooting the eyelashes with natural mohair in a honey blond color. This has taken some time with a tiny felting needle. One hair at a time. I have started rooting the hair on this little one's head but it seems that it will take a couple of days to complete. 
I've been thinking about how to use this process with polymer clay. I have this urge to get my hands in some clay right now but, I'll have to wait and complete this before starting something new.  This process is similar to working with china paints on porcelain except that the vinyl absorbs the paint and the light giving it a more realistic skin effect.
Enjoy!
Hugs, Morena

WIP Reborn Baby Dolls - a little hand

A tiny hand with glossy nails. Many layers of veining and blushing. I've used a matte varnish to add another layer to the skin texture. Okay, I think I'm ready to  work on this lovely baby's head.
Hugs, Morena

January 2012 - WIP Reborn Baby Dolls

Winter has arrived in New England and there is a biting chill in the air. January is the month to reorganize my work space, order supplies for the new year and learn about new things. I've been teaching myself the art of reborn babies. Working with vinyl is something different for me. I've always worked in porcelain, polymers, fabrics, wood, paperclay etc.....
I like the feel of this material and the effects that can be achieved using many layers of heat set paints. You can see the veining and the skin texture on the vinyl of this newborn doll's leg above. I used a light blue and a warm red paint to achieve this then I stippled a flesh tone over it and then back to the blue veins and warm red. I did this several times heat setting the paint between layers. I'll be working on the limbs today then on to this baby's sweet face. I'll keep you up to date on my progress. The doll parts that I'm using are Kelzie by Cheryl Webber.
Enjoy your day!
Hugs, Morena