Tulip's flowers are handmade entirely out of felt
Each tulip is molded, constructed, and delicately airbrushed
After stuffing, each rabbit is carefully trimmed
Each bunny requires extensive hand work
Here the whiskers are skillfully added
Artistic airbrushing brings the bunnies to life
A small group of Tulip bunnies in process
The shipping area is soon filled with rabbits!
Each Tulip bunny is carefully packaged
The bunnies are headed out to celebrate spring!
Mouse heads under construction
Red Riding Hood's tiny basket is hand woven
Each mouse receives her costume details
The hood is tacked in place
A tray of dressed mice await final inspection
Tom Thumb's peasant shoes being sewn
Each tiny shoe is turned inside out
The lacing is threaded through each shoe
Tom's wooden sword is handcrafted
A tray of completed Tom Thumb mice
Each Tom Thumb receives its own wood sword
Gretel's costume is sewn together
A group of Hansel's on a production tray
Various aspects of the Gretel production
Cinderella's lovely silk ballgown is sewn
Several ironing steps are required
This tube wrap helps to tame the drape of the costume
A tray of Cinderellas approach completion
Cinderella's tiny slippers are embellished with crystals
Each mouse receives her crystal tiara
A group of Cinderella mice ready for boxing
Aladdin receives his whiskers
Each mouse is costumed in stages
A tray of molded felt fez's
Each fez is decorated with a tiny felt accent
A tiny metallic tassel is added to each hat
Each shoe is hand trimmed after being sewn
The toes are curled on Aladdin's shoes!
The completed fez's are positioned over one ear
At last, each mouse receives its own magic lamp!
A group of Aladdin's await numbering
The tip is added to the Little Mermaid's tail
Each mouse receives her decorative headpiece of tiny pearls
Pleated fabric is added to the mermaid tail
The mermaid tails are positioned in place
Silver cording and pearls are added at the waistline
Delicate crystal stones are applied to the mermaid costume
A group of Little Mermaid's resting on dry dock
Various Tin Man items on a design room table
A felt lower leg gets its joint mechanism
Molded felt torsos and legs
The elbow socket joint is put in place
Decorative rivets are applied to each glove
Hand procedures to the top of the Tin Man's suit
Many detailed assembly steps are required
A tray with some completed 'tin' torsos
The metal rivets are individually attached
Various sections of the Tin Man's elaborate buckram costume
A worker focuses on the arm sections of the suit
The leg sections are carefully assembled
A tray of completed arm sections
The rim of the Tin Man's hat is rolled
A group of completed funnel hats
The Tin Man's unique shoes are hand cobbled
The sole is attached to the bottom of the shoe
The face is formed of felt with a buckram foundation
Molding occurs in the hydraulic press
In the foreground: a tray of preliminary felt heads
A first application of gesso is applied
The heads are repeatedly sanded between coats
A coat of silver paint is applied
Several decorative rivets are positioned on each head
The mouth painting begins
Each feature is precisely hand painted
The Tin Man's face comes to life!
A tray of completed Tin Man heads
Work begins on the Tin Man's wooden axe
A group of rough-cut axe parts
The parts are carefully cut into preliminary sections
Each handle is carefully sanded
A pile of assembled axes await finishing
The parts are first painted with an undercoat
The Tin Man's axes receive their final finish
The tin suits go over the cotton underwear
The Tin Man's suit receives its detailed rust coloration
The heads are attached - He's alive!
Finished dolls are carefully packaged
The Tin Man officially joins the RJW collection
Digby's arms are turned and the claws inserted
Hand sculpting the paws with the electric trimmers
The tiny paw pads get their airbrushed detail
The molded paw pads are positioned in place
Hand-stitching the feet
Hand brushing the seams after preliminary sewing
The tiny felt flowers of Digby's poinsettia are sewn
A tray of wired poinsettia petals in process
Each petal receives its molded details
A poinsettia leaf receives its vivid coloring
Many assembly steps are required to make the all-felt poinsettias
The lovely Christmas flower begins to take shape!
A view of the RJW 'Florists' at work
Each flower is carefully hand assembled
A group of completed poinsettias
A tray of Digby's await final inspection
Each bear is beautifully boxed with certificate
The star motif is embossed on the tunics
Starch is applied only to the areas where stars will be
This photo shows the embossing process
The tunic is artistically airbrused with several colors
Dressing begins on the doll bodies
An angel wing is molded in the pneumatic press
The wings during the first molding process
A tray of molded all-felt angel wings
Following sewing, the wings are turned rightside out
A wing is hand-stuffed with kapok
A tray of beautifully painted angel wings
Sanding occurs on the Hummel violins
Various aspects of the violin production
Each violin is carefully hand painted in several stages
Work on the violin bow is also happening
Real horsehair is used on the tiny bows
The violin accessories are made entirely at the RJW workshop
A tray of completed wood violins
Each violin and bow is beautifully crafted
The felt bags are shown in the background
Each bag is artistically airbrushed
Dolls await accessorizing and finishing
A chorus of musicians playing fills the air!
The dolls practice playing for their new owners
Each Celestial Musician is beautifully boxed with certificate
