Thanks so much for the kind words, Spectre, Johnboy, Quazar, Phruby, Brent, and Glassman!

Quazar, yes, I know those POTF2 Leia heads are suboptimal.  I just didn't have enough spare Padmé heads around at the time.  I did a tiny bit of repainting on the eyes to try to make it just a touch different.  It ended up looking a lot like a friend of mine from elementary school! 

BrentS, Glassman, and Spectre, glad that Wiorkettle is to your liking!  She sure is a funny looking one, isn't she?  Flowing light blue dress and cape... topped with that head!  But that's precisely why I wanted to make her, because that's the kind of custom I like to make -- beautiful, but still outlandish in that Star Wars kind of way.

Phruby, I do sew all the outfits at this scale.  Once in a while I'll use glue to attach small accents or that sort of thing (also I use self-adhesive Velcro, which saves work), but the actual outfit is indeed stitched together with needle & thread.  I use a pattern to cut out fabric pieces at the right size, slightly adjusting the dimnsions as necessary so it fits the figure.  Then I pin the pieces together in the places I'm going to sew, and then I sew them up (on the wrong side of the fabric, of course).  At this scale it's not practicable to sew hems, so I protect the edge of the fabric with a very thin line of clear nail polish to prevent fraying.

For both Sheltay and Wiorkettle, the cloth parts are the skirt and cape; the bodices are part of the figure.  You can use a pretty similar pattern for skirts and capes, though capes are usually bigger (at least these ones are).  I have such a pattern posted in PDF format on here, on FFURG -- the cape/skirt is the one on the lower left side of the page. 

Thanks again, all, and very happy customizing! 

... the Findswoman

Update time!  Just finished two new customs at the 3.75" scale:

Wiorkettle, Snivvian female terraformer from Cloud City.  (No, I didn't make her up; she was on a Decipher SW:CCG card.)

Sheltay Retrac, Bail Organa's aide.  I enjoyed Johnboy Walton's version so much, I thought I'd make my own!

Also, my Ysanne Isard, from the 12th Group Project, is now up, too.

Do enjoy, everyone!  Comments always welcome.

... the Findswoman

Those are quite impressive.  Those Microman bodies look like they give fabulous results when done right (and you, Phruby, are among those who do them right ).  However, I'm afraid the bulkiness of the clothing, especially on the first figure, gives away that it's 4" instead of 12"  Of course, that's only to be expected at this scale and by no means detracts from that guy's fine work. 

... the Findswoman

Hooray!  More CHEWIE customs!  So good to see the server's working, too.

Your background aliens are, as always, fantastic.  As is your non-background stuff, of course!  Boracca looks very impressive with teh Wookiee Warrior bodie -- only thing is, he looks a little bare at present.  Are you going to give him any gear -- bandoliers, weapons, etc. ?  In any case, great job painting his head and body to match (while keeping the texture of the fur). 

... the Findswoman

Ooh, I love threads like this!  And R5Don4, I just LOVE your "boo-hoo" Medicom Vader photo.  Absoultely priceless!   By the way, where exactly are the silver pieces on your IG's legs?  'Fraid I'm having trouble seeing them...

Now, as for favorites and un-favorites.  I unfortunately don't own any of those excellent looking Marmit, Medicom, or Sideshow 12-inchers, mostly because they're expensive.    I mainly get 12" figures for customizing purposes, so I find that the Hasbro ones are mostly all right for what I do.  So my choices for favorite and least favorite are with that in mind.

Favorites: It's hard to choose just one.  I too am fond of Shaak Ti and Barriss Offee for their wonderful outfits and the super-poseable (& very customizable) G. I. Jane body -- the lack of proper feet is a small price to pay.  The "girly girl" in me is partial to the Portrait Edition Amidala dolls with their sumptuous costumes -- sure, they lack articulation,  but fashion dolls don't really need articulation.  (Though when you get both in the same figure, as with the Jedi gals, that doesn't hurt!

I was pretty impressed with most of the bounty hunters, too (guess the one for whom I have a particular soft spot).  Though, as people point out, Dooku was really impressive too, wonderful outfit and the G.I. Joe body... As I said, choosing one fave isn't easy. 

Least favorites: Nothing new here.  Zam tops the list for me, too.  I had picked one up (on clearance, of course) thinking that I could improve her at some point, mostly by trasnferring some of her accoutrements to a new body, but even that's looking like it'll be a lost cause.  I wasn't super thrilled with the Saga 12" Padmé either, but I was able to improve her at least partially (here she is -- tho' she still needs work). 

... the Findswoman

Oh, it's perfectly all right, Darth Ennis -- I jwas just joshing with ya! 

Even if the poor sales rep has no actual power to influence what Hasbro makes, I still find it really encouraging that she took an interest, on a personal level, in what customizers do.  It gives our hobby at least that much more exposure and publicity. There are plenty of folks out there who misunderstand the whole concept (no, we DON'T pull off limbs just for the sheer joy of pulling off limbs -- I'm sure you clarified that ) and others who just don't know such a hobby exists.
Incidentally, did you tell her about FFURG?   

And, as In Rem points out, Hasbro figs have gotten much more customizable as they've generally improved.  It's an encouraging trend.  What's less encouraging, though, is that the Final 2006 Saga Wave has not a single female in it -- with the exception of Gragra, who's not the most customizable of female figures!     Anyone know the status of future Hasbro figure lines, incidentally?

... the Findswoman

Nirvana, I ust LOVE what you've been doing with these softgoods accents on your recent clones.  The cotton knit fabric you've chosen is JUST right for that scruffy, battle-worn look and goes great with your wonderful weathering.  Always great to see softgoods on clones -- heck, on anyone!     

... the Findswoman