Props Wazzy's Woodcraft Journal (Doll Stand / Restring Board / Furniture / etc.)

Hello everyone, may your day be lovely and may your dolls bring you joy!

I'm starting off with my first thread by making a personal "Woodcraft Journal"

Here, I'll be sharing what I'm making that's doll related out of wood or wood-like materials. This will include faux wood (such as painting cardboard or card-stock or foam board to look like wood, etc.)

I will try to take progress photos where I can remember. But chances are it'll mostly comprise of me taking the end result and writing a lengthy post of the steps I took to make the things. Including material list and so on. Hope you can enjoy the result or be inspired to make your own. And I will happily answer any questions where I can.

Cheers!

 

***DOLL STAND***​

Hi everyone,

So,

Over the last few days I decided to make 2 more doll stands for my 1/3 scale BJDs.

Materials:

• Wood base / blank plaque
  
• Wooden dowel rod / 8cm diameter
• Wood glue
• Wood stain / Mohogony
• Polyurethane wood finish
  
• Modge Podge / shiny
• Fine brown Glitter / optional
• Ribbon
• Felt

Tools:

• Power drill / 9cm diameter wood bit
• Scissors
• Sandpaper
• Hand drill / pinvice
• Paintbrush
• Sponge Brush
• Disposable towels / thick paper towels
  
• Popsicle sticks
• Drop cloth / Newspaper
• Lighter / or matches
  
• Needle with a wide eye

What was done:

1. I marked where I wanted the dowel to be placed by first measuring the center of the plaque, then going half up from the center so that the dowel is behind the doll, putting the doll's center of gravity in the middle of the plaque. The length of the dowel was measured to reach up to my doll's navel zone.
   • NOTE: Each doll is different so always measure where you want your ribbon to generally tie around the doll. A stable zone for me was around the navel. But you can add more then one tie point. So mid body and hips and thigh, as an example.
2. Using the power drill, I drilled a hole all the way through the plaque.
3. I dipped the end of the dowel into the wood glue and shoved it into the hole. Then used some paper towers dampened with water to wipe off the excess glue.
4. Once the glue was cured, I went over the whole piece with fine sandpaper to smooth over any rough spots and avoid splinters.
5. The whole thing was stained with a sponge brush, then the excess stain was wiped off with the paper towels until I got an even coating. The wood itself had interesting grain patterns so the staining lightened or darkened on its own, and I rather liked the outcome. I let it cure outside overnight.
   • NOTE: The brand of stain I used was a 2in1 that was both a stain and a finish. If your brand was only a stain and only a finish in separate cans, you'll have to stain the piece, let it cure overnight. Then finish it, and let that cure overnight before continuing. (I say overnight because you don't want either of that stuff letting off fumes in the house)
6. I then mixed some Modge Podge with brown glitter and covered the whole piece in one thin layer. I like the effect and texture the glitter adds, which also gives mild friction so the doll's feet don't slip around. When that was dry after 6 hours, I added one more thin layer of Modge Podge. (pure from the bottle. without anything added this time)
   
7. With the pinvice, I drilled a hole at the top of the dowel by hand.
8. I cut a piece of ribbon and burned the end with a lighter to stop it from fraying. I then used a needle to thread it through the hole and double tied it in the back so the ribbon won't slight around.
9. Lastly, I slathered more Modge Podge under the base and pressed a square of felt down over it. The felt had about an inch of overlap while it was drying. Once it fully dried, I cut off the extra felt with scissors.

And there you have it. A wooden doll stand to keep your models upright and healthy

Craft 1 - Doll Stand Finish.jpg

• Note: The surface is smooth, the glitter just adds some friction point and sparkle to the wood. Was unable to show the glitter on camera here.

​

Craft 1 - Completed Doll Stand.jpg
Craft 1 - Felted Base
Craft 1 - Stand Ribbon Tie
Craft 1 - Dollstand with doll.jpg

• Note: I tied the doll around his navel under his shirt. And since the dowel was placed off center in the plaque, you can see he stands within the middle of the base.

​

 

***RESTRING BOARD***​

Hello, everyone!

Today I'm making a tool to give me that extra hand I need. So let me ask you:

Ever have trouble restringing your bigger dolls from the neck to the feet? I typically struggle with the tension in the ankles because one side of the elastic always slips through the neck hook and the tension gets imbalanced for me. This means I either need someone to lend me that extra hand to hold the doll's body for me, or, I usually end up on the floor with my feet in clean socks going all monkey mode to pin the body down while I struggle with those darn ankle hooks.

NO MORE! I say.

So here's a board I made to help me out. And not a moment too soon since I need to suede all my dolls' joints anyway. (Such kicky little beebs!)

Materials:

• Thick wooden board
• Wooden dowel / 8mm diameter
• Modge Podge
• Felt
• Velcro Strips

Tools:

• Staple Gun
• Hammer
• Power Drill / 9mm wood bit
• Scissors / or exacto knife
  
• Brush
• Drop cloth / Newspaper

How it went:

1. I first measured 3 marks on the board. A place for the peg that will be the crotch guard. And two lines for the velcro to fold over the doll's hips and torso.
01 Materials.jpg

2. I cut the vencro strips with enough length to wrap around the doll.

NOTE: Cut more than you think you need. You can always trim it later with use.​

02 Cut velcro.jpg

3. With the staple gun, I pinned the velcro down.

NOTE: Put the fuzzy strip face side up, and the spiky strip face side down. This means the soft velcro will always face your doll and the rough one faces away from the doll to prevent scratching.​

03 Stapled Velcro.jpg

4. I'd already drilled the hole for the peg. The peg was cut from a piece of dowel and sanded on one end to make it smooth. I'm choosing to keep this peg loose to make it easier to store the board later. The board is thick enough that it won't move around when set in place.
04 Peg and Hole.jpg
05 Peg Guard.jpg

5. I cut a piece of felt with about 2 inches of overlap around the whole board. To measure where I need to cut slits for the velcro straps, I placed the felt flat over the board. I then pulled it away until I reached the seam of the velcro. I rolled it away into a hem that was as wide as the velcro strip. Then I marked the lines based on the staples. Repeated for the second velcro. Then I cut those lines with scissors.
06 Seam to Velcro Line.jpg
07 Fold back to measure.jpg
08 Mark Cut Lines.jpg
09 Marked Felt.jpg

6. I then fit the felt over the board and fed the velcro through the slits.

NOTE: Be careful the spiky strip doesn't snag your felt as you do this part.​

10 Fitted Velcro.jpg

7. Now for the sloppy part. With my trusty brush and Modge Podge, I had to pull the felt up from the soft side to glue down that center zone first. I painted a thin layer and pressed the felt down flat. Then continued doing the rest of the board in sections. I went from the top of the board down.
11 Soft Side Up.jpg
12 Glue it.jpg
13 Glue it More.jpg
14 Press it Flat.jpg

8. Lastly, time to tuck those edges down. I painted glue along the border and started with the corners. Tuck, and staple. First the corners. Then the edge nearest the corners. Then the middle of the hem. Then added more staples where needed between. Once it's all down, I trimmed the edges with scissors to clean it up.
16 Tuck the Corner.jpg
17 Staple the Corner.jpg
18 Fold the Hem.jpg
19 Staple the Hem.jpg
20 Trim the Extra Felt.jpg

9. The finished board.
21 The Final Board.jpg

10. Quick demonstration with my RingDoll teen body. The idea is to clamp the board to your table. The peg will guard the crotch and stop the doll from sliding down as you pull. And the velcro belts will hold the body in place.

NOTE: I'm using large cloths pins just to demonstrate the concept. I'll be getting proper clamps later to hold it in place. ​

22 Doll Prepped for Re-stringing.jpg​

That's it for now. I suspect I'll be putting this board through a lot of use as I meddle with my dolls and their limbs. Take care everyone. And safe crafting.

​