"The Foot" which allows doll house dolls to stand without doll stands was invented  by innovation and inspiration.  I had been sculpting the head, hands and feet for dollhouse dolls out of oven hardening clay then placing the pieces on a wire armature in a cloth body.  I really wanted to spend my time dressing the dolls, but the time was going into sculpting.

It was an afternoon well over a decade ago, I had been helping my son with his balsa racing car model, I was showing him how to  place fishing weights in the nose of the car to make it go faster.   Some of the left over weights were left on my work table and as I sculpted another pair of feet, the idea of placing them in the feet of clay developed.

It was the effect I wanted.  The doll was so light, I had my answer for a doll to stand balanced.  But, for a porcelain doll head and body, it wouldn't work.  Porcelain is too heavy.  I used pliers to mash the metal into better shapes for slimmer feet and kept thinking.  Metal is soft, it can be formed...like bullets...like little metal soldiers.  It can be melted and formed with a lost wax process like jewelry.  I found a jeweler but the person I needed to talk to was always out, so they gave me the number of the forge.

I've been working with the folks at the forge since then.   I learned how to become a metal patterns maker.

Dolls are now standing on their own two feet and because wire is attached at the knee, they also sit nicely.  Many other doll makers have been using "the Foot" in one inch, half-inch scale dollmaking and smaller.

I am happy to have changed the world of miniature doll making.

Enjoy,

Laurie Sisson - L. Sisson-doll artist