Hi There!

Welcome Elys You picked out a very pretty doll for your first. And, I'm in the same position as you regarding AE, so many pretty dolls but haven't picked one to bring home myself, so admiring from afar for now. Agnes and Azuki seem often rereleased by AE, so don't rush to choose one before you're ready. Your crafting plans sound like a lot of fun! I'm also learning to sew for my dolls, but wigmaking seems somehow scary. Show off your skills when you figure it out, okay?! Also, don't dread the face up artist, the wait is totally worth it when your doll comes back looking more amazing than you imagined!

Regarding the feet, reach out to Denver Doll and ask them! They may be able to try the feet on the other body if they have them in stock. Or otherwise, they could ask DV for you. The size of the ankle ball on the B4-02 is not listed anywhere that I could see. The foot size of the heel foot is a few mm bigger, but that doesn't mean the ball necessarily is. I would heed whatever advice they give, because you will want your doll's ankles to be stable. But there's hope, the foot/hand changers they sell for 1/4 size are universal, so maybe you'll be in luck.

 

Welcome! Congratulations on getting to the point as an artist where you can afford to start collecting bjds! I also support myself largely through artistic endeavors, so I know how much commitment that takes.

Sewing can be intimidating, but my advice is to give hand-sewing a try as well as machine-sewing. It can actually be easier for small garments! And also learn about garment construction and construct "in the flat" as much as possible (for example: for dolls it is often easier to attach the sleeves of a top/dress to the bodice before sewing up the side seams, whereas in human garments the sleeves are often inserted into the bodice after assembling it).

1/4 is a good size to start with - it is small enough that you don't need much fabric (or yards and yards of trim, etc.) but large enough that you have some space to work with. Are you planning on purchasing Silence with the extra arm? That would be an interesting sewing challenge!

I haven't researched Dream Valley dolls very much, so I don't know the answer about the heel feet, however, if Denver Doll doesn't reply in a reasonable amount of time, you could try BJDivas. They also sell Dream Valley sculpts and when I've messaged them in the past they have always been prompt to reply and very friendly.

I hope you'll be able to order your Silence soon. I think if she's still haunting you after a year that says something I had that experience with Bimong's Dandelion - I now own several of the sculpt and still love her, even though she's blank and bodiless at the moment, poor thing.

 

Ah, I understand chronic conditions - I have a few myself - I hope it won’t effect your ability to sew and craft too much.

I find a sewing machine helpful for things like long, straight stitches (hemming skirts, etc.) but I have hand-sewn most of the clothes I’ve made so far (although admittedly, these were for a 17cm doll, so the machine would have struggled with the size).

The two dolls on my current “sew for” list are 30cm and 56-57cm, so that will be a bit easier. I just need some time to work on outfits for them.

I think waiting on the extra arm is probably a good idea - it would definitely complicate garment-making. But, as you mentioned in regard to Dandelion, good sculpts offer many possibilities for styling, so having multiples of the same sculpt can be a lot of fun. Part of the fun of dolls for me is definitely the planning: choosing palettes/themes as you said, collecting references for their outfits, giving blank sculpts Photoshop faceups to experiment, etc. Lots of opportunities for artistic expression!

 

Hello and welcome! I hope you can order your doll soone. Anticpation is hard but using the time to prepare for your doll's arrival is half the fun.