I've had this particular project in mind for a while now.
A few years ago, I turned this Truly Me #64 into a custom I named Anne Mizukawa. While I do really like the backstory I came up with for her and I initially liked how she looked with her long, luxurious wig, the reality is her wig was just too thick and heavy to be able to style very much, and the weight of it made her so top-heavy, I had a hard time getting her to hold a pose. I think I dressed her for Halloween a few years ago and then just kept her in the display case -- leaning against the wall because her hair kept pulling her backward no matter how I tried to position it. I felt so bad that I hadn't done much with her in so long. But then, I got an idea...
Turnabout Character
My husband and I used to stream a variety of games on Twitch (a video platform similar to YouTube, but geared more toward live content than recordings). When my husband received The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles for Christmas one year, we knew we had to stream it. We love all of the Ace Attorney games, and this one did not disappoint. We had so much fun voicing all of the zany characters and playing through yet another amazing set of stories -- together with some really wonderful people tuning in from around the world.
Ace Attorney is one of those rare series where by the end of the game, the characters feel almost like friends that you're going to miss hanging out with now that the story has concluded. By the end, I found that Susato had truly become a favorite character for me -- almost on par with Yuna! I love that her first instinct when faced with a dilemma is to start researching to find a solution. That's my usual game plan, too. Keep calm and bust out a book (or an internet search)!
Somehow... most of the characters I really love end up as one of my custom dolls... like Yuna, Marinette, or Ariel. So, it's no surprise that when I decided Anne needed a change to make her more useable, I didn't just think about replacing her wig, but the opportunity to change her into Susato, too! I still had #64's original wig, but it's a little short and a little simple compared to other American Girl wigs, so I knew there were better options out there. The hunt was on!
Fortunate Timing
I've been doing a lot of decluttering lately. Some people find the process of letting go super easy. I am not one of those people -- but I'm working on it! I'm learning how to retrain my brain to understand that decluttering isn't loss, it's an opportunity for more space (or in the few instances where I've been able to sell my stuff, more funds) that I can put toward the things I really love.
I recently sold one of my My Little Ponies -- happily, to another pony lover who is thrilled to have her in her collection. Right after the transaction was completed, I stumbled upon a great base wig for Susato -- a Nanea wig that had been removed from a new doll. It had just the right mix of brown and black for Susato's hair and the right length to attempt some of her hairstyle details.
After the wig arrived, I spent one evening removing formerly-Anne's wig, then carefully glued down the Nanea wig in two rounds. I couldn't believe how heavy the old wig was! No wonder her legs were beginning to loosen from the strain! When the wig was fully cured, I sectioned out parts of her hair and began mapping out where her bangs, center ponytail, and side pieces would be. The next day, I held my breath and cut her bangs. Thankfully, I was really happy with how they turned out! She just needed one more touch -- her signature hair ornament.
Since I didn't have quite the right components to make her hair ornament, I decided to check Hobby Lobby for materials. Somehow, I managed to time my trip with a brief but intense thunderstorm. It began just a few minutes after I entered the store and the rumbling echoed in such a surprising way, everyone around me was commenting on it -- "Is that rain? What is that?" "That's thunder! Wow, it's so loud!" I took my time searching for supplies -- including for another project I'm working on -- and by the time I'd found everything I needed, the storm had passed and the sun was out again. Bonus, my car was nice and clean!
It took a couple tries to get the hair accessory right, but the final version was made from a top layer of thin leather, painted to her signature coral color, a smaller strip of leather to help shape it underneath, elastic for ease of getting it through her ponytail (and done similarly to the concept art), and two thin, cream-colored ribbons on either side. She was already looking like Susato before, but the hair ornament was the perfect finishing touch.
From the front, Susato looks somewhat similar to the video game character. I couldn't find a good way to make her side hair loops look more ribbon-y like her game counterpart, so I opted to braid them instead. I also couldn't get the tiny ponytail to look right -- and I really didn't want to chop up more of her wig than I already had -- so I tried to give a similar look by adding an extra tie to the top of her hair. Then I gathered all of the sections of her hair into a low ponytail. Game!Susato is in her teens, so who's to say that pre-teen Susato couldn't have a hairstyle like this?
Overall, I'm really happy with how she turned out. She can actually hold a pose now and I almost feel like she looks happier haha! Now she just needs the right outfit. I put her in the Australia shirt for now as a nod to some of the Australian stream regulars that helped my husband and I as we played through the game, but I have some really cute purple with sakura flowers fabric in mind for another outfit for her. I don't think my sewing skill level is high enough to attempt her actual game outfit, but I can make her something that has a similar feel for now.