Kathryn's Gallery

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(1.3.12 some new reroots should hopefully come this year. I have one I want to make for me, and I hope to make a new doll and costume for each season)

If you look in the Barbie Vault you will find pictures of complete dolls. However, they are quite old and do not reflect my current style. As I finish them they will be posted below.

Well... I found a new passion, imagine that. I am really liking rerooting vintage repros. I am too scared to touch a vintage one. I do not alter vintage dolls… in general. Fashion Queen heads are plentiful, and an eye change color or lip color is great. (Working on two ladies now). She is a queen of fashion, and as thus, should be able to change her look as she does with her hair. Other dolls…. I will alter a repro in any which way. I am not big on altering vintage dolls.  Krista appears to be one of the best, and also for restoring dolls to their glory. That’s not who I am. Just like with fashions I don't recreate a replica, but like to make it new.

For starters, the original Barbie would have been my mom’s had she liked dolls. I am true Rocker generation; yes I know there are stigmas related to post vintage and mod generations. To be completely honest I don’t get the hype of keeping hair color exact, or not restyling, yuda yuda. I, however, RESPECT the tradition of dolls and original form. I bought a box of heads, that sounds odd, to re-root and re-style. I just couldn’t bring my self to do it. Give me a 1990’s mass-produced doll with bushy hair, generic face, and ill-made clothes and I will gut the hair, acetone the face, and redo as I see fit. The box of heads has sat for two years now…. Out of respect I just couldn’t do it to them. I noticed on a birthday gift to myself, the clearanced and then sale-priced Barbies on barbiecollector.com, that the repros are quite atrocious. Some of the repros were quite good. Now it appears they went back to a plethora of bushy hair. These ladies I feel no guilt towards when re-rooting and altering.

What does all this rambling mean???? The only vintage altered dolls will be from the reproduction lines, and these ladies may be altered into whatever I want. There is no guilt restraining me here. The 20+ post superstar era dolls will remain cleanly shaven and begging for hair.

My Style

I use the knot method. I have used the reroot tool. It is effective, but I am not patient and I wasted a lot of hair. 

1. I make plugs. I DO NOT knot one end. Instead I fold the hair and knot it so there is a loop in the middle. It is quicker and less messy -- my kind of method.

2. After doing a chunk of the hair I start to root to see how much more I need.

3. Depending on the style I have two methods for rooting. For Ponytails I do the forehead first, and then work from side to side the back point. For Color Magics or American Girl syles I start (generally left side) in the back section. I don't work in a row. I sort of create a triangle from the back point. I DO NOT use all holes on the repro heads; doing so creates the scary troll doll look. I rubber band sections as I go for full roots. I use seran wrap around the head and hair when I reach the part. 

4. I style. With the head on the doll I either put in a ponytail or boil settle. Then I trim. I trim ponytails after boiling. 

About the Images

2011~ Well seven have been completed! 3 Color Magic styles, 2 Swirls, 1 ponytail, and 1 center part.

2010 ~ I hadn't done a reroot in about 10 years. My sister and I redid several dolls. About 6 years ago I bough hair and a few garage sale dolls to make over. I knotted hair, started... and our then puppy found the head while I was making dinner. She dropped it when I screamed, but the damage was done. I haven't been motivated since. Each year I'd buy some Saran thinking I'd get to rerooting again. Last year I even bought 20-30 dolls, cut hair, plucked and washed. I painted scalps to go with hair. I started one and she still lays in the bin with a few rows rooted. I doubt she'll ever been finished. I have in one week rooted two dolls this year, 2010. The Color Magic is the first time I ever did a part. The swirl's part is MUCH better. I didn't want to poke additional holes in her head when I am just reving up. I did a bang root and styled it into a swirl.  

More Information

Complete dolls may become available for sale, however, I do not do requests on dolls. Sorry!

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