About

About Past Mold Company

Faces Past Mold Company was born out of the same need that I had when I started sculpting adult dolls depicting Native Americans. There were no molds available for doll makers who wanted to make adult dolls let alone men dolls. In 1994 my husband Jim joined me in a venture to offer my designs of historical and Native American dolls in production mold form. Faces Past Mold Company filled a niche that at the time, few mold companies offered and that was mold designs of men dolls especially Indian men dolls. As the saying goes “Good men are hard to find” and that was certainly true of the doll mold industry.

My name, “Michelle Mastel” is literally on every mold that we sell, so quality is a priority to both Jim and I. We found a “Master” mold maker who was an artist in his own right by the name of Craig Smith. Craig's Master Molds (which is what Jim makes our production molds from) insured that our production molds had all the fine detail that I intended them to have. Craig also understood that a mold should be easy to cast and drain so his Master Mold designs insured that they were totally functional as well. I have another saying, which is “The secret is in the mix” and Jim Mastel mixes the plaster for our molds so that they will hold the detail in casting after casting.

Over the years our product line expanded to include fine leather, wigs, tools and accessories. We traveled the country doing shows. We moved from California to Oklahoma and back again to California making a lot of friends along the way. We have seen a lot of changes to our industry and our business, but these things remain constant, Jim and I are proud of our products and the relationships we have made with our customers. We want to continue to fill your doll making needs even if there aren’t as many shows as in the past. Let us know what you are doing and how you are, we welcome any comments or questions you may have.

A little About My Journey

November 2011

I discovered my creative side quite by accident after an unfortunate mishap. You see my mother had gifted me with my first porcelain baby doll. She was a lovely little thing with beautiful blue eyes made of glass and she wore a flowing christening gown of fine white cotton. Within hours of receiving this wonderful gift, my young son who was four at the time, upset the doll which came crashing down on the ceramic floor. My son and I both cried, he because he had made me cry and I because there wasn’t much left of my dolls pretty little face. My mother had the name of the woman who had made my doll, but when I contacted her to ask if she would make another head for my baby, she informed me that she could no longer make dolls because her eyes were failing. I was lost and didn’t know where to go for help to repair my doll, when I discovered a small shop that had porcelain dolls in the window. I went in and asked the woman if she could fix my doll’s head, her reply was no, but she would teach me how to fix it myself.

I was in my early twenties and that day changed my life. The years that followed were full of classes from two of the best teachers of doll making in California, Alice Welply and Neva Wade Garnnett. I also bought books and attended doll shows and seminars. I went anywhere I could to learn more about this magical craft of doll making.

During my learning years I also discovered a profound interest in Western American history. I felt the need to marry my two very different interests. I truly needed to make dolls depicting Adult Native Americans and there were no molds available at the time that would enable me to do this. So, I tried my hand at sculpting my own Indian dolls and I found that I had a knack for it (thank goodness).

From the time I started designing my historical dolls I have never looked back. My progress has had its ebbs and flows but one thing is certain, I am so glad that I am a doll maker. My first teacher Marie, who owned that little shop, was a very good and exacting teacher. The basics she taught me are still with me today and I will always be grateful to her and my son for opening that door to my life’s passion.

I will always be a “Student” of our American History and… Herstory. Their stories were amazing, and are what inspire me!

The remembered deeds of the people who came before us were accomplished through feats of courage and character; strife and hardships. It is my earnest endeavor, to create my historical dolls or Faces from the Past in a sensitive manner. I hope to honor those remarkable people; they are “Why” I do what I do… because one cannot make up better stories than theirs.