Doll plans for 2024
Over on Instagram there have been a lot of stories and story templates floating around about doll goals for 2023 and plans for 2024. They're super fun, but there's not a lot of room to write down the details. So: here are my thoughts about 2024.
New dolls over 2023 and 2024
I bought a slightly embarrassing number of dolls in 2023. 2022 was the year I re-joined the hobby after about 12-14 years away, and over 2023 I mostly bought whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted (finances permitting, of course).
However, my purchases definitely outpaced my ambition for actually working on or playing with my dolls. I've been trying to do my own faceups and make my own outfits, but because I work and have a young child, it's been hard to find much time for that kind of creativity. It turns out that window shopping (and actual shopping) is easier than working on a tricky sewing project...
Also, I moved my hobby area part-way through 2023, and haven't finished setting up the new space. I don't yet have a place to display all my dolls, which means it's easy to forget about them slightly (and then get distracted by a potential new purchase). In 2024 I want to buy a new Billy bookcase from Ikea, plus some new stands, so that I can see all the dolls at once and get inspired/reminded to create for them.
In general, I don't want to buy many new dolls in 2024. Given the number of ongoing doll projects, I can't really take on anything else without feeling stressed about it. There are two exceptions:
- I will likely enter the lottery to get a chance to buy SD13 Elizabeth. She's really lovely and I think the chance of winning is very slim, but I'll try anyway.
- At some point (not necessarily in 2024, but let's see what the end of the year brings) I'd like to get a F-101 in tan via the Full Choice System. Every time I see this head I love it, and there were some gorgeous tan one-offs (1, 2, 3) that captured my heart.
I'm not going to outright say no to new dolls, but I want to think about my collection as a whole and be strict with my purchases.
Buuuut, for the record, some dolls I've been thinking about but probably won't get:
- SD16 four sisters
- SD Le Petit Frere
- SDM Hina
- Kurumi/Miruku on a DearSD body (I'd love one, but it would be very expensive/difficult to get)
Bigger projects
Currently I have the following big doll projects that I would like to make progress on:
- Look into de-yellowing my oldskin beauty white old F-28 SD13 boy Sadame. I need to do more cleaning of the head and body, then I'll try some light sanding, and lastly I may see if I can use PanPastels on the head to make it a bit less yellow. After all that, he needs a new faceup (and wig, and clothes).
- Decide what to do with my pureskin fair F-16 SDGr boy. I thought about having him be a replacement for Sadame, but that depends on how well Sadame's restoration goes. I'm also not averse to having twins, because I love this head. Again, new faceup/wig/clothes needed.
- Faceups for all my YoSDs. I gave 2 of them faceups in 2023 already, but I think I can do better.
- Clothes and wig for Altaira, my gorgeous Bardo Research Anitya.
- Redo the faceup on Lizbet, my SD Liz. I love her one-off faceup so I'll need to work up some courage for this one.
Photography
I have a very old Canon EOS 350D/Digital Rebel XT (made in 2005). In February 2023 I bought a nice new lens, a Canon EF 35mm f/2, which I'm delighted with. I intended to buy a new camera body, but decided to hold off until I could see how much I used the older camera.
The old camera is perfectly good and takes nice photos, but I'm excited about a few features that a newer camera would give me:
- A larger back screen
- Transferring photos over Bluetooth/wi-fi
- Less noise in low-light conditions
- More focal points
After some research I think a used Canon EOS 90D or 800D body would be a really nice upgrade without being too expensive (given how much I'm likely to use the camera), and I'll probably buy one later this year.
In 2024 I generally want to take more photos, especially for holidays or with themes. I felt like I really missed out on autumn and Christmas photos this year.
Sewing and knitting
There are so many outfits I've been thinking about making, pretty much for every doll I own! I've been avoiding I'm very pleased that in December 2023, I finally organised my fabric stash:
I need to do some more organising of my sewing supplies, because a big barrier to sewing is that since I have limited time, not having everything to hand means that I waste that time trying to find things instead of actually sewing.
I also want to finish and document a couple of historical sewing projects that I've started:
Knitting went much better in 2023 and I finished quite a few projects, but I would like to use up my yarn stash as much as possible. Once upon a time I even sold some doll knits, and I would be open to doing that again, but it's not a serious goal for 2024.
Conclusion
- Fewer new dolls (but not none, probably)
- More time having fun with my existing dolls
- Make my dolls visible
- Improve photography and sewing skills
- Organise all my supplies
Thank you for reading, and I wish everyone a healthy and happy 2024!