KITS FOR MAKING DOLLHOUSE DOLLSDoll kits are chosen to cover a good range of ages and characters in 1/12th scale. 1/12th scale means that one inch equals one foot. So, if a lady is 5-1/2 feet tall, a doll in 1/12th scale will be 5-1/2 inches tall. We do make some kits for Smaller Dolls (and intend to expand this!), so check under that heading if you are interested.
Every doll is hand made and hand painted with care by Joy, here at Swallowhill. The china paint is fired many times between applications so that the features will have beautiful definition.
We do our very best to give you the finest miniature porcelain dolls available. You can choose from kits made from commercially available molds, or from kits made from John Parker's molds. All heads are 'swivel' heads, unless otherwise stated in their description. 'Swivel' means that you can turn the heads.
Kits mostly consist of: painted head, shoulderplate, hands and unpainted feet, to be made up on a flexible padded body with wire armatures. Body patterns and directions are included with kits - really not difficult to do. We use felt for the body, pipe cleaners for armatures, and cotton batting for stuffing. We include any necessary stringing elastic and/or wire which you will need for putting the kits together. We supply copper wire, which will not rust.
However....We do not include the body pack, nor wigging materials with a doll kit. A body pack is available for $1.00 when ordering the kits. You can purchase wigging materials or a wigging kit from us. See our Wigs and Hats page for wigging materials, information on wig kits and a wig making instruction booklet. Joy's method of 'weaving' the base works well, but you can also use a Pretty Pleater if you wish.
Click on 'Assemble a 1/12th Scale Doll' in the Projects Box for a workshop on assembly. Although the workshop deals with high neck dolls, the regular swivel head dolls are done the same way.
http://swallowhill-miniatures.com/shop/index.php?main_page=page&id=5&chapter=2 Most of the dolls shown in Sue Atkinson's book MAKING AND DRESSING DOLLSHOUSE DOLLS IN 1/12TH SCALE are made from Swallowhill kits. If you tell me the page number and doll, I can tell you which kit was used.
If you would like to see some kits 'in person' they are available through:
DCT MINIATURE FASHIONS
Edna Wheeler and Kathy Walsh
Mail order and Fairs only!
5, Correnden Road
Tonbridge, Kent, England, TN10 3AT
kathywalsh@blueyonder.co.uk
Edna and Kathy, a mother and daughter team, have a very nice illustrated catalogue which shows doll kits and also dressed dolls. Contact them to find out prices and how to get the catalogue mailed to you.
Kits, dressed dolls, patterns and more are also available from:
Country Classic Miniatures
Barrie, Ontario, Canada,
NOTE: Some of the photos of the dolls on the kit pages show only the unwigged heads. I will (slowly) add photos of finished dolls as they are done.
If you want me to assemble your doll on a cloth body, the cost is an extra $10.00
QUANTITY ORDERS: If you are purchasing kits for resale or for dressing for sale, ask about a discount. The discount (10% to 30%) depends on the size and/or frequency of ordering. Please quote your Resale Licence Number, if you have one, when enquiring.
