Frequently I get asked a number of questions about my creations. Below are some examples and my answers.

How do you soften dry dull hair?

For Kiddle hair that seems to be a liddle dried out and dull, the answer is fabric softener. You just wet the hair with water first then towel dry it a liddle and add a small amount of fabric softener to the hair and work it in with your fingers. Leave it on for a few minutes then rinse the hair thoroughly.

How do you re-root kiddle hair?

The first step to rerooting a doll is removing all the old hair. (Tip: If you are rooting a doll the same hair color and the doll has bangs, do NOT remove the original bangs. It is very difficult to get rerooted bangs to hang downwards properly). Use scissors to remove the long sections of hair. Use a pair of sharp nail clippers to snip the plugs as close to the scalp as possible. It is not necessary to remove the plugs completely unless you are rooting with a much darker hair color and don't want the old hair to show through.

The scalp color will show through if it is light colored and the hair you are using is dark. Try to match the color as closely as possible to the scalp. If this is not an option, you might experiment with dying the scalp or perhaps coloring it with a permanent marker that won't run. The marker thing is an "iffy" proposition, since it is often necessary to get the finished hair wet for styling. Exercise caution.

Decide on your hairstyle. If you are doing the doll's hair in a ponytail, it is only necessary to root in a circle around the skull. If you are doing a full head of hair, start rooting at the bottom and work your way up to the top. You can follow the pattern of the original rooting or you can create your own style.

Yeah, you're ready to start the hard stuff! First cut off a long section of hair. The longer the better, because as you read on you'll see a time saving tip. You'll have to experiment to get the right amount that will fit through your needle head. (Keep in mind that small sections fit easily through a needle, but might pull through the head if you pull on them. Thick clumps on the other hand make too big of a hole in the head and look unattractive). Threading the needle can be tricky. I've found that folding a tiny piece of medium thickness paper over the evened up edges is helpful in feeding the hair through the needle.

Once your needle is threaded, go to the end of your strand clump and tie a knot in the end. Make the knot as tight as possible. Then take your lighter and carefully melt the ends of the strands on the other side of the knot together. If you are not careful, the fire will spread too far and you'll have to re-knot the strand. (Check your homeowners fire policy before you start this procedure!!) Gently melt the ends together then quickly blow out the flame. WARNING: don't touch the melted end for a few seconds as it gets very hot.

Run the sharp end of the needle through either and existing or a newly designated hole at the base of the scalp. Pull the long strands all the way through till the knot hits the inside of the head. DO NOT TAKE the needle off! Grab the short ends of the hair coming out from the needle. Knot them and melt the ends together then pull the hair through the needle so the knot will be available for your next pull. The strand is still attached to the head at this point, so at this point it's safe to snip the hair the desired length. Now you have a prethreaded needle and are ready to keep rooting.

Depending on the length of the strand you cut and the length of the dolls hairstyle, this procedure should get you through several strands before you have to rethread. I have experimented with making the strands very long, but have found that the hair gets knotted up if you make the strands too long. TIP: Pulling the needle through the vinyl can often times be difficult. Pulling too hard can rip the vinyl and can also hurt your hands. Rubber needle grips can be helpful as can be needle nosed pliers.

Making a part is relatively simple. Root the strands as closely together as is possible without ripping holes in the top of the head. Then separate the hair on each clump and pull half to one side of the head and half to the other.

Other notes of interest: Always root the dolls hair longer than you need it to be. Wait until you are done to style the hair. Mousse, water and scrunchies will help train the hair to go the direction you want. Short hair styles are often difficult to get to lay flat.

How do you dye a kiddle so she looks African American?

I usually use 2/3 to one third ratio in about 2 cups of recently boiled water. For the African American Kiddles, this is 2 tablespoons of dry RIT cocoa brown dye, and 1 tablespoon of tan RIT dye (this is Paris' recipe). I dye the heads and the bodies separately, but in the same dye bath (so their color is matching). You should be able to determine the time by looking at them. Usually it's not more than a few seconds. Be sure to dissolve the dye completely. Sometimes it is helpful to pour it into another container before putting the doll in, so the cruddy stuff at the bottom, doesn't make spots on the dolls.

Only 2-3 Kiddles should be dyed in the same dye bath, and the water should be as close to boiling as possible (and still be able to handle it without 3rd degree burns). I make a fresh batch for every two dolls; just to be sure the color stays fresh.

Remember that the color does not change much after it is dry, so it is pretty easy to see what it will look like, even while it is wet. (It is usually when the dye bath is too used that the dolls will fade considerably to a grayer, lighter brown, but I have had to refresh a few doll's color, even using this method you just never know)