Hard at Work in the Doll Studio!

Rag Dolls in Progress!  They still need to have their hair styled and their clothes designed!  I have an even wider variety of skin tones than this so that everyone who shares my enthusiasm for 한복 can feel included.

For the past month, I have shifted gears a bit (even though I have two SOPE cupsleeve events coming up, so I should be focusing more on that, but hey, priorities, right?), and have been working on my fashion/fusion 한복 dolls as I have some Renaissance Faires coming up this summer, and I applied for both the Downtown Growers' Market in Albuquerque, New Mexico; as well as the Railyards Market in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  I do enjoy doing cupsleeve events, but I find I'm more likely to be successful if it's in relation to BTS, as that brings out the fans with more diverse interests in the Korean wave in Albuquerque; as opposed to if it's a Got7 Event where the attendees are strictly about Got7 and no one else.  (For the record, I failed miserably at the Got7 event, but that's the nature of the entrepreneurial beast.  You win some, you lose some).

기황후 inspired fashion/fusion 한복 Doll.  Yep, there I go again with my 기황후 obsession!

These dolls are most certainly a lot of work!  I design the bodies myself, sew them together, stuff them, sew them again, hand sew three layers of yarn hair, design the 한복, and then sew the 한복.  Since I am terrible at drawing (and that's what actually held me back from doing fashion design since 1998 because I was so sure that drawing was a requirement), I do things a little bit differently.  I look at a picture of a 한복 I see from a particular 사극.  I break it down (mentally) into multiple connecting shapes.  I measure my doll, and then apply those measurements to the fabric, cutting out the appropriate shapes.  My husband wanted me to try and just sell my pattern a long time ago, but I really don't know how to draw it.  I only know how to measure and then arrange the pins in the specific shape.  I know, that sounds really werid!  So, it can take about 20-40 hours in total.  It used to take 18, but the more I improve, the more detail I add, and the longer it takes.  You seriously don't want to see what my early dolls looked like.  They were hideous!

Three layers of yarn hair sewn in.  Yes, I put in gray streaks.  Us older women are pretty, too, and deserve a little love! Besides the young ladies get all the value, when it's us older ones who have the wisdom of life experience.  I personally enjoy being in my 40's much more than being in my 20's.

Most of my dolls are wearing 한복 inspired by the wardrobe choices used in 사극 that take place in the Three Kingdoms/고려 Dynasties.  Yes, I know the 조선 Dynasty 한복 is very popular, and easily recognizable as distinctly Korean, while with Three Kingdoms and 고려, sometimes people get those confused with the Chinese Hanfu, even though the construction is actually a bit different.  One of the key components being that a Chinese Hanfu has an H-Line, while a Korean 한북 has an A-Line. I chose Three Kingdoms/고려 inspired for my dolls because it's much harder to convince adult women to wear a 한복 from that era, and they are much more expensive to make in adult size.  So, those get made in the doll size!  Eventually I'll make dolls with 조선 한복, I just think the Three Kingdoms and 고려 inspired ones are completely underrated.  They're so cool!   

Queen 선덕 inspired doll, and one of my favorites so far.  I am really proud of this one!

I am aware that much of the wardrobe in these dramas are not historically accurate, and I totally understand why.  We've got the issue of commercial appeal, comfort, the ability to efficiently make multiple copies of the same 한복, in addition to the issue of budget.  Some of these Three Kingdoms and 고려 Dynasty 한복 I saw in my 한복 book had  A LOT of layers. Not cheap to make, that's for sure!  Like the Queen 선덕 inspired doll I have pictured above, those layers are only a tiny fraction of what was worn during that time period.  And then, you have my color choices, which makes these even less historically accurate!  Which is why I call them Fashion/Fusion 하북 dolls, they are in no way intended to be 100% historically accurate.

Queen 선덕 inspired doll.

For my American Audience, I want these dolls to be regarded in the same way as the American Girl Dolls.  What do I mean by that? I want the American audience to see these dolls and be motivated to learn more about Korean history during the Three Kingdoms and 고려 Dynasties, which are very different from 조선. And if you really want to appreciate Korean culture on a deeper level, it's so important to learn about those time frames.  They are much more relevant than you think.

Inspired by both 기황후 and Queen 선덕. We have a bit more of a Chinese H-Line with the skirt, but that was because I had significantly less fabric to work with.

For my Korean audience, I want these to be looked at as a beautiful fashion/fusion inspired by a moment in history that has since past, but continues to have an historical/cultural impact. I currently have dolls available on my website. https://www.sageukparadise.com/sageuk-paradise/p/threekingdomsdolls

Three Kingdoms/Goryeo Inspired Fashion/Fusion Hanbok Dolls — 사극 Paradise

And I hope to have many more available by the beginning of April.