Maryanne Oldenburg

The first tool I used to teach myself how to sculpt, is still my favorite. It's the simple "orange stick" used for manicures, from the drugstore. But it has since evolved from wood to metal and in several different sizes. Everyone of my students gets a hand made one, thanks to my husband.

Second to that has to be my "double pointed dividers", can't live without them. And third, but certainly not least is my "wallpaper seam roller". It's the best for smoothing larger areas of clay. Oh, and then there's the short knitting needles in different sizes! And, and, and.......

Jean D Lotz

This tool is essential for so many things and it is simple to make. I cut off the upper part of a needle's eye to make a two prong fork shape and embedded the pointed end of the needle into a handle (a comfortable size dowel). This can be used as an extra hand when working in miniature, helpful while gluing small objects, used to embed rooted hair, larger ones can be used as stuffing forks, and so much more. Note: cutting needles is dangerous! The metal is very hard and pieces will fly uncontrollably, so you must take safeguards.

I made a drying cabinet out of one of those large plastic trunks. I sat it on end so it opens up like a cabinet, and placed a 40 or 60 watt light bulb screwed into a short ceramic bulb ceiling fixture inside. This fixture was wired with a cord with a on/off switch which sits outside of the box. I leave the door slightly cracked for air circulation. It gets nicely warm and dry inside. I fixed up some removable ventilated shelves inside and also use shallow loosely woven baskets to hold drying doll parts - nothing to block the air flow. I use this primarily to dry my oil paints, tung oil wood finishes and papier-mâché.

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