| Since no one would commercially sell them... |
|
| I made my own custom Molly and Neffy ! |
I enjoyed the first season of 'Sailor Moon' very much.
Mostly because of the sweet, tragic romance of schoolgirl Molly (Naru in Japan) and bad guy Nephlyte (Nephrite). Although
'Sailor Moon' translations have circumnavigated the planet, no company ever made these dolls. So what's a broke fan to do,
when there's markdown Irwin Toys Sailors everywhere for $5., but no Molly or Neffy ones anywhere ? Well, there's always new
stuff to learn...like rerooting ! Then we can make our own !
And that's what I did. I wanted to give these two a second
chance at romance, so I practiced and bought inexpensive Sally Beauty Supply hair...and I made them both in a month. Molly
got a repaint, and they both got boil perms, and there they are. They were completed in 2001, but I still tweak a bit - Neffy
got a haircut yesterday ! I still need to custom-fit them some clothes - they're both smaller all over than Barbie and Ken
- but for now, they're happy and together in Mattel offerings.
And I made my own dream come true !
| Yet another adaptation... |
|
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| Jedi Kenzie ! |
This one came from a variety of sources. When the Boushh Leia and Carbonite Han went on severe markdown at Toys R Us (they'd
been on the shelves so long, the light-up batteries were all dead), Beloved Hubby got it for me. I was disappointed in the
Leia underneath the costume - her hair was glued to her head, and I'd forgotten to notice that, for the gloves to look that
good, they had to be her hands.
Head-swapped the Leia to a Barbie body, but that left me with a weird-handed body. Few weeks later, I bought a My Scene
'Getting Ready' Kenzie, because I wanted the cool claw-foot bathtub she came with. One day, I noticed the skin tones on Leia
and Kenzie were fairly close...
So Kenzie's head went on Boushh Leia's body, and she looked really cool. I modified a Barbie bathrobe pattern and added
a hood - we now had Dark Jedi Kenzie !
She currently resides in a private collection - I gave her to my cool Brother-in-Law, because she amused him.
| Here's Mari and Summer ! |
|
|
| They've been 'de-streaked' ! |
I combined this image for you, as I did the same thing to both dolls. On your left is 'Dance Party Mari' from the now-defunct
Generation Girls line. On your right is So Excellent Earrings Summer, from the Cali Girls line. Mari came with her hair in
dual braids streaked with bright red, Summer's flowing locks once held red streaks, as well, just less vivid.
I basically pulled out, strand by strand, all the red. I don't have anything against red hair, I just thought they'd both
look better with less obvious streaks. It's an easy customization, you just have to be gentle and not pull too hard, or more
than three or four strands at once.
| Parachute fabric - what made the 80s great ! |
|
|
| Gathered lace - what made it even more fun ! |
I love combining patterns from different sources and making something new. The thrift-store Barbie on your left is wearing
an 80's inspired dress, fashioned from some blue 'parachute' fabric purchased at the same time. Her skirt is from the same
Perestroika (see Links !) pattern that made Grace's, and the simple top is from 'Doll Repair From the Gay World of Dolls'
by Evelyn Gaylin, purchased from a local second-hand bookstore. Lotsa great tips on antique and vintage doll repair, but it
also has some patterns for various sized dolls - including about 16 pages for '11 1/2 Inch Fashion Dolls'.
I originally wanted to just try out the top, and didn't realize (since the patterns don't have directions !) that it was
supposed to be lined. It worked up OK anyway, so I decided to go ahead and sew on a slim skirt from 'Real Clothes', for a
fun dress. The iridescent ribbon trim hides some uneven stitching. Inside tip : whenever there's lace or other decor on any
of my outfits, it's usually to hide bad or uneven sewing ! I tend to favor simple, streamlined silhouettes in my doll clothes
!
Then, about two years later, I found myself intrigued with vintage Barbie Fashion 'Orange Blossom'. Once I learned the
lace part was separate and could be paired with any number of other sheathes or dresses, I wanted one ! But you know my budget
! I actually agonized about spending the $2.50/yd for the lace to make this !
It's simply sheer gathered lace, sewn as tiers. First tier is six inches long, bottom edge sewn to the gathered edge of
the middle row. That row is eight inches long, and likewise, the bottom of it is sewn to the top of the bottom row, which
is ten inches long. I cut some lace for the wide 'waistband', sewed it to the waistband of the skirt. Cut a bit more for the
shoulder straps, gathered them a bit and hand-sewed them to the front waistband, machine-sewed 'em to the waistband in the
back. I then sewed it up the back, hemming the back closure, and adding snaps, just like the real thing. Not bad for $2.50
and a dress I made two years prior ! Even had about five inches of gathered lace left, which I can fashion into a hat or bouquet.
I wanna make more colors to go with this - guess it's 'Blueberry Blossom' now ! Hmm... you could have fun just coming
up with names for other colors. 'Tomato Blossom', 'Lime Blossom', 'Peach Blossom'...
| Advance Pattern Set A - |
|
|
| Want a better review ? Check the Index ! |
I've reviewed the pattern these came from, Advance Set A (also known as 9838) - very old but still available quite cheap on
eBay. Princess of Ireland models 'Oriental Sheath' made from a really ugly remnant, but it made a funky street-inspired cheongsam.
I do the collar much better these days ! This was a really early attempt - my second one, if I remember correctly.
Miki, another thrift store sweetie, loves her 'Sundress', which looks amazingly like Mattel's 'Suburban Shopper/Busy Morning'.
Each dress only take about two hours, start to finish.
| A very patriotic Ashley ! |
|
|
| Yet another non-Mattel doll, from Hasbro's Maxie line. |
'Ashley' is one of those truly lucky finds. She's from the Hasbro 'Maxie' line, and I'd been wanting her for a while, as I
loved her 'Steffie' like face. After losing yet another eBay auction, I went to my favorite junk shop - and there she was
! Her leg was torn at the knee and hip, and there was paint on her lips, and we won't get into how bad her hair was !
The lip paint was so bad, at first I couldn't tell if she was Ashley or not ! But once it was removed (with a gentle toothpick),
it was easy to tell how lucky I was. Doubly lucky, actually - the same trip yielded a #2 Painted Hair Ken in great shape
for a buck ! Replaced her damaged body with another Maxie I had in the Donations box - if you think removing a Barbie head
is hard, give swapping a Maxie head a try ! I thought I was gonna destroy poor Ashley trying to get her fixed !
She's wearing a blouse and skirt from Emby Quinn's Free and Quick Fashion Doll clothes patterns. I have a link to 'em
on the Links page. This particular ensemble is from a remnant bought for 25c at Wal-mart. She can wear Gymnast Barbie shoes,
but those are getting scarce.
 This summer, I
spent a good amount of time sorting through all my doll sewing patterns, preparing a hard-copy catalog and organizing the
scans. So I could actually find something specific once I got it in my head to actually sew Barbie size. I mean, who has more
clothes than Barbie ? She’s been well-dressed by Mattel for nearly 50 years. Unless you have style preferences and no
money, there’s little need to sew for Babs and Co.
Still, I got a
LOT of patterns.
It hit me that I could sew one pattern a day, and it would probably take beyond my life expectancy to sew just half of what
I had. And I still liked looking for more on eBay and yard sales ! I even had computer based patterns ! But my few forays
into Barbie sewing didn’t make enough to clothe half of my dolls. I mean, why frustrate yourself with something that
tiny when you can buy clothes for a buck or two ?
I know why. To
use some of these *&^% patterns and maybe use up some of the parsec of fabric I have ! So my challenge is this : To sew
as close to every day as possible, a new outfit for every Playscale size doll I have, using patterns I’ve never touched
before. When complete, the most recent ten outfits appear on the home page. When there’s more than ten, the oldest get
rotated here, to the Barbie page.
Here we go !
Hard to believe a few months ago, I was considering whether
or not I wanted to keep my sixth scale dolls. Now, I'm playing and havin' fun. Even started sewing for them again. It's been
so long since I did, I was actually nervous about it.
Please welcome 'Maria', the "Sound of Music" Barbie. I found
her at a flea market, missing her shoes, hat, and guitar, but for $2., I didn't miss 'em. She's one of the few times Mattel
got short hair right !
She's modeling a progression of the same dress - "Basic Dress" from Mari Dewitt's 'Vintage
Clothing for the Fashion Doll'. I've made it numerous times, and figured that if I started with something familiar, I wouldn't
get frustrated.
The first one, on your left, is OK, but I can see the errors. The thread is too light for the fabric,
and just screams out every mis-sewn stitch. I forgot that the skirt part had to be placed on a fold of the fabric, so it's
much more narrow than it should be. The sleeves aren't right, and the neckline is clumsy. And thank Everything you can't see
the zipper ! I hate it when I have to hand-sew zippers. I do better with machine-sewn ones.
So I sort of re-did it.
Bought some thread - it's a bit dark because I forgot to take the fabric with me - and re-sewed the neckline and hem. That's
the center photo. Looks much better, but I know I can improve...
And that leads to the third image, on your right.
Sewed the whole thing again, from scratch. Much better ! Sleeves aren't puckered at the cuffs, shoulders lie flat, skirt is
nice and poofy, and the thread is blending in better, and isn't screaming. It has snaps in the back - that zipper on the first
one really put me off doing it again.
One helpful hint - even though I've only sewn one of the book's patterns, and
it doesn't say so anywhere, the seam allowance is 1/4". The patterns show a 1/8" allowance, but that's darn near impossible
for me to sew, and the first one had to be taken in to fit as well as it does. The third one was done with a 1/4" from the
start.
The tulle thing takes some getting used to, but really does work. If you have the book, you know what I'm talkin'
about ! You can see this same fabric on Elphie, on the Peasant Blouses For Any Doll page.
| Midge is lovely in lavender ! |
|
|
This is, of course, Midge - one of only two vintage dolls I own. The other is a #2 Ken.
But let's talk about Midge's clothes for a moment. If you'd like to learn more about her, check out 'The Midge Factor', towards
the bottom of the menu, on your left.
This is from a Japanese pattern book, often called Barbie Dress Style. It's
out of print, now, but it's quite nice. The whole thing is, of course, in Japanese, but the numbered, line-drawing directions
make it easy to understand. I still messed up the armholes, and one back
seam didn't match up, but it still came together well. If I'd just paid more attention to the darts, I probably wouldn't have
messed up the armholes. It's a very precise pattern, but also rather forgiving. Even with all my errors, it still looks pretty
good !
Bought the fabric at a yard sale at least four years ago. About time I used it - can you see the tiny purple
stars ? I just love five-point stars. You'll probably see a lot of 'em.
| Janice asks 'Be My Sweetheart ?' |
|
|
"Janice" is ready to be someone's
Sweetheart - I just hope she takes a sweater before heading out ! Janice is 'Horse Riding Barbie', and I bought her wearing Anastasia's Paris gown at a flea market. Double score ! She's one of
the most beautiful Barbies Mattel ever made, in my opinion.
This is another pattern from the Japanese 'Barbie Dress
Style' book. It's a simple backless halter sheath, with a gathered neckline that tucks into a narrow collar band. Only took
about an hour to make. On the same page was a nice skirt, so you may see that one tomorrow. It's pretty short, though.
You knew it was a matter of time before I outfitted the family
! This is Shinobu, her husband Inaba, and their son Michio. Shinobu and Inaba are characters in the anime series "Urusei Yatsura",
and Michio is from me. Once I got sewing, I had to make something for everyone !
I started with Shinobu. She's an
Oshogatsu II, and her hair is kind of a mess out of the hairspray. But for many reasons, she's much-loved and one of my Top
Ten dolls of all time.
Continuing with 'Barbie Dress Style' patterns, I made her a simple front-opening skirt and
coordinating t-shirt. The skirt's the same fabric I used on Janice's dress. Hidden snaps keep things together, and faux silver
buttons march down the front. The buttons are actually tiny scrapbooking brads ! The holes are treated with Fray Check and
a facing protects her from scratches from any sharp edges.
The t-shirt material came from a 'bag of rags' I found
at a Mart for 50c. Originally intended as carwash and household rags, the various pieces look as though they were cut away
from professional sewing projects. The red used here is rather thick, so the resulting shirt looks more like a sweater. It
snaps in the back.
Then, with my confidence in knits renewed, I started on Inaba's outfit. The fabric that made his
and Michio's pants was the reason I bought that particular bag - I knew it'd make good pants for my guys. And one of the reasons
I started sewing was to make clothes for my male dolls - Mattel doesn't make a lot, and how many shorts do your guys need
? Shirt is from the same 'rag bag'.
I used a 'kitchen table' kind of pattern, it came loose in an eBay lot. I have
no idea who created it. It's a shame, because I'd love to reccommend it. It all went together easily, and the directions were
concise and simple. Pants took about a half hour, shirt took a little over an hour. After sewing snaps twice this week for
a half-hour each time, I put Velcro on the shirt. Pants have an elastic waist.
Michio, their son, likes to dress just
like Daddy. So I did my best to recreate Inaba's outfit for a Tommy/Kelly size body. Wow. Sewing for them's not always easy
! The knit I used for Inaba's shirt was simply too thick for Michio's, so I used a nice white cotton. Had to hand-sew the
neckline, the hem's just too tiny to remain stable for the machine. Velcro in the back, just like Inaba's.
The pants
were easy enough to sew via machine. They went together easily, and took less time than Inaba's - no elastic. The knit has
enough stretch to allow slip on/off. I'd love to tell you which pattern I used, but this was also from the eBay lot of mismatched
papers, and there's no name or signature on them. It's not commercial, someone created it, and I wish I could credit him/her.
Since this was a race day, I thought I'd share 'Miss Checkered
Flag' with you ! A former Princess of Japan, Miyako enjoys the roar of a few dozen stock-car engines mixed with the tang of
skidding tire and the bite of high-octane racing fuel. So her simple white cotton shift gives her the comfort she needs in
the stands, while the detatchable asymmetrical overskirt shows she likes a bit of speed in her wardrobe ! She'd stand out
in any Winner's Circle in this racy number !
This is McCall's 4400, View D. I originally thought the overskirt was
tulle or chiffon, but as it turns out, it can be any material I choose. The checkerboard fabric is part of the Mary Engelbreit
line, available at the Mart and Hancock Fabrics. Got this one in a grab-bag of remnants. You'd be amazed how few fabrics I
own that aren't remnants !
You may already know 'Joy' - she's a 1976 Ballerina Barbie.
Or at least, she was. Her body was too badly damaged to save, so I transplanted her beautiful head to a belly-button body.
And she's today's model !
I was dreading doing yesterday's overskirt, because I don't like to work with tissue-like
fabrics. They're difficult and slippery to sew, although they do come in the most beautiful colors and textures. It got me
to thinking - I really shouldn't dread using any fabric. I learned how to sew knits, I can learn tulle and chiffon and voile...and
whatever other material's a challenge. I did give myself a break on her white palazzo pants, they're simple white cotton.
The shirt, though, is made of a slippery lining-like fabric, stuff I usually avoid. Again, it's a remnant, so I'm
not sure exactly what it is. It also features tiny pleats at the front neckline, also a challenge. I've played with pleats
before, but never really sewed them. Worked out as well as I could have hoped, but I know they're hard to see in the photo.
Both pants and blouse are McCalls 4400, view C. Didn't do the belt.
I really do need to sew some guy clothes. But
it's soooo much fun to sew for 'the girls' !
"Ashley" was supposed to get yesterday's pink and white set, but it was too tight in the sleeves...even
though the pattern did say 'Barbie and Maxie size'. Grrrr. Anyway. Different day, different pattern. This is McCalls 5738,
view E. It's shown in the photo with the straps crossed, but as you can see, it can be worn either way. Think I'll start including
a small piece of what the pattern envelope says the final item should look like.
It's a knit, and one piece. Took
less than an hour, start to finish. Didn't make the belt again ! This knit came from a t-shirt Dearest Son wrecked, so there's
not much stretch in it. But it still looks great, I think !
| Rick Hunter and Lisa Hayes - out of uniform ! |
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|
You may not be familiar with these dolls - she's Lisa Hayes,
he's Rick Hunter, of Robotech : Macross, an animated Japanese series I've always loved. Bought Lisa as soon as I could
- and I didn't care that she'd have to spend the next three years in my Army locker with Princess Leia. I just had to have
her, that was that ! Rick followed about fifteen years later, when I found him in a toy booth at the big flea market at the
fairgrounds. They're made by Matchbox - yup, the company that makes toy cars. About the only other Matchbox dolls I've heard
of are the 'Real Models'. Wonder if their shoes would fit Lisa...here, she's wearing Barbie 'gymnast' shoes. Rick's wearing
slightly snug Ken shoes.
Lisa's dress and matching bolero jacket is from McCalls 5738, view D. I was supposed to gather
the top to highlight her bust, and use elastic to hold the dress up. But it fit without, and looked good straight, so I left
it alone. I'd have much rather made this from cotton, but the pattern specified a knit, and it is pretty snug. It's made from
the same knit that made Shinobu's sweater, shown on the Barbie page.
I think it gives Lisa a sexy 40s-era look. I'll
have to make her a matching little hat, with a veil, for fun. After a few month's hiatus, I made this outfit for her hubby-to-be
Rick.
Much as I'd love to give credit for his outfit design, it's
another from the Bundle 'o eBay Patterns, so I have no idea where or who it's from. I ended up making the shirt
twice - made the usual way, it's too tight and only fits Jem dolls, but made to directions, it fits fine. I even made
the sleeves too long, it has cuffs, but I had to tuck them under.
While it's secured by hidden snaps,
the tiny buttons look great - they're scrapbooking pieces from Jesse James, available at big craft stores like Hobby Lobby.
If you have a needle small enough, they're just regular, if tiny, sew-through buttons. Both pieces of his new wardrobe
are made from discarded Beloved Hubby garments.
Another doll you may or may not know - this is Synergy, from the Hasbro line of Jem dolls,
produced in the mid-80s. She was found at a thrift store, nude but for her headband and one gauntlet. Her soft violet
skin tone intrigued me, so she came home to Chez Insanity several years ago. I'd intended to eBay her original outfit and
display her on my nightstand, not with the 'play' dolls. Synergy changed those plans by refusing to stay on any stand ever
made. And I never found her outfit. So now, we play !
Once I realized, about halfway in, that the shirt I was making for Rick Hunter would never fit him or any Ken, I
finished it anyway, and tried it on Synergy. Wow. It really looked great on her, I thought. Today, I measured her for Doll
Shop Deluxe and made her the matching skirt. Yes, I know, I'm supposed to use patterns I never have tried before, but I look
at it this way - I never measured Jem for DSD !
I really like how this turned out. For some reason, when I look at the picture, I hear Hall & Oates "Private
Eyes" in my head. She definitely looks as though she's up to something ! Her awful shoes are cut up Ken ones - lousy,
but the best that I can do right now. Jem shoes are often twice as much as Jem dolls ! Her black vinyl belt used to be a bra
strap. I think everything but her shoes came from yard sales or flea markets !
(Private eyes...they're watching you..yeah, they see your every move...baby...)
This is 'Cali', a California Dream Midge. She came to Chez Insanity from a flea market with
her equally cute beau Allan. I'm sure he'll show up here eventually...but I said that about Jem's Rio, too, and I haven't
restarted his project yet ! Cali has the unfortunately common problem many late 80s dolls share - white spotted legs. But
that doesn't keep our girl from enjoying nice weather and new shorts !
Her blouse, from Simplicity 8377, views 1,2,3, or 4, was an attempt to make Agatha Heterodyne's
underwear. It's too tight for the faux front button opening, but I think it looks great on Cali ! Her shorts, from Simplicity
9334, view 8, use up the rest of that fabric pretty well. I'd originally designed them as three-panel print, one panel
denim, but a (*&%ing telemarketer distracted me, and I miscut the last of the available material. Oh, well. Shorts look
cute as half and half too ! :) Both patterns' clothes fit well and went together quickly. Left me plenty of time for a sunny
photo shoot !
At one point, I had the stellar idea to make Agatha Heterodyne ('Girl Genius') outfits for
my dolls. I've about given that up. But when I was trying, I decided to start with Aggie's undies. That brings us to today's
odd outfit. Please meet 'Honey'. She's a Bandai "Cutey Honey" doll from 1995. Sold only in Japan, I got her unidentified
and unknown from a West Coast eBay auction, misguidedly believing she was a Ma-Ba Barbie. Known more popularly as
'Cutey Honey Nurse', she came in a short-short blue and white jumpsuit that looks more like a sexy bellhop costume
than a nurse uniform !
near forever to dry when it's humid... This top will also look fantastic if the 'back' is
the front, with some 'eyes' (from hook/eye sets) and a ribbon lacing through them...(wink, wink, nudge, nudge)
Her knee-length white pants (eventually 'pantaloons') are from Emby Quinn's Free Barbie Patterns.
See "Links" on your left. I messed up the waist, and they're now too tight to fit Babs & Co., but when you have lots of
different-manufacturer dolls like I do, darn near anyth
The blouse, again from Simplicity 9334, was gonna be our 'Aggie Undies' winner. I just had
to add a bit more to the back closure. And work on a more rounded neckline - here it's half round, half angled. (sigh) Since
Honey has a slimmer body, the top sort of floats on her, but on a regular Barbie...it's as 'boobalicious' as Agatha's underwear.
Only took about 45 minutes to cut and sew, but this fabric scrap is thin and frays easily. Fray Check takes darn near forever
to dry when it's humid... This top will also look fantastic if the 'back' is the front, with some 'eyes' (from hook/eye
sets) and a ribbon lacing through them...(wink, wink, nudge, nudge)
Her knee-length white pants (eventually 'pantaloons') are from Emby Quinn's Free Barbie Patterns. See "Links"
on your left. I messed up the waist, and they're now too tight to fit Babs & Co., but when you have lots of different-manufacturer
dolls like I do, darn near anything you make will fit *somebody* ! The pants did fit before I felched up the waist hem. Wanted
you to know that.
| Caught close at the 'Giant Fuzzy Cube' exhibit... |
|
|
The Giant Fuzzy Cube is always a popular spot for lovers...and
here's Jem and Rio ! Busted !!
Jem's wearing a 'Two Piece Sundress' from Doll Shop Deluxe.
Took three tries to get her measurements right, but most outfits came out well anyway. It's funny how the darts in the front
match, I didn't plan 'em that way. It's all outlined in orange thread, complete with 'jeans seams' on the skirt.
Sharing denim cut from the same yard-sale jumper is Rio. He's
wearing a Ken-sized ensemble from a Finnish or Swedish magazine pattern. Had to enlarge and lengthen the pants - the inseam
was waaay too tight - and I messed up one of the front pleats. But I can do front-closure male doll pants now ! His shirt
looks great, if a bit snug - later I'll lengthen the sleeves a bit. It may be that the pattern doesn't have the standard
seam allowance. I don't know, 'cause I don't even know which language the directions are in, much less have the ability to
translate 'em !
Jem is a first season doll - later ones have an almost-Barbie
smile - and Rio always looks the same, no matter which season his doll was released. Purple hair and all, baby ! They can
both wear Ken casual shoes, like sneakers.
| Malibu - home to Fire and Ice ! |
|
|
Bought this print's-too-big-for-dolls fabric to repair some of Dearest Son's clothes, and
I had some left. What to do ? The Malibu girls - that's PJ on your left and Barbie on the right - needed new clothes,
since they came to Chez Insanity starkers. So I took a gamble and made dresses - and whaddya know, the print is fine on them
!
PJ is wearing 'Hot Tropics', Simplicity 4422, View 1. The original calls for lace at the sleeves
and hem, but I didn't have suitably tiny lace in black. And I was too lazy to go out and buy it. So I used ribbon. You can
hardly tell it's on the sleeves, but I think it looks good at the hem. It helps the skirt stand out a bit, as the ribbon is
stiffer than the fabric.
Barbie - who's blonde now, but will become brunette as soon as Autumn makes it cool enough
to reroot around here - models 'Ice Night'. It's an adaptation of the classic Barbie sheath Pak dress by Aileen's Petite Fashions,
number 23. After the 'fire' print leftover fabric worked so well, I wanted the 'ice' blue version of it, too. And lucky
me even found it as a markdown remnant. Since PJ's dress was so fluffy, I wanted a snug dress as a contrast. I left
off the pockets, because I didn't like them. Gold beads as buttons, too.
I also made a Malibu Ken matching tank shirt, but I didn't have directions, and it came
out much too tight. Probably because the pattern called for a knit fabric, not a woven one. Oh, well. You may yet see it on
a doll, as a vest or something.
| Enjoy a Coke and a smile with Meg ! |
|
|
A vintage pattern - on a lovely doll ! This is Meg, formerly
a Megara doll from the Disney "Hercules" line. From her earrings (one of which I broke), she seems to be a part of the 'Legend
of Love' gift set - she came to me from a flea market.
Her dress is McCall's 9099, view D, seen in the inset. The
denim's from a stuff-a-bag-for-a-buck yard sale, the floral came from an Ann Taylor blouse I found for 35c at a
thrift store. Came out pretty well, I think, but I still have trouble with tiny armhole and neckline hems. Whole thing took
about two hours, but half of that was spent on the accent bow and strap on the front. Normally, I'd skip it, but I realized
it would be lacking without it. The bow and strap had to be hand-sewn, and it took *forever* !
The Coke machine came from a flea market too - it used
to hold soda fountain glasses ! I find doll stuff everywhere...
"Charlene Hyatt" was found recently at a flea market, with
missing hair plugs and a pair of decomposing leatherette 'Rollerblade Barbie' shorts on beneath a sexy greeen Christmas dress.
I picked off all the flaking white bits stuck in her skin, transplanted hair from the back to the front, tried to fix her
almost-broken neck and figure out what the flip-switch in her back used to do, gave her a good bath, and made her a new dress.
Not a bad restart for a doll who may potentially be 29 years old ! That's right - the SuperStar Barbie head mold
debuted in 1978. I feel like I should have a birthday party for them next year, Mattel made so many of 'em ! It's like there's
definite Barbie eras that don't really go by decades - Vintage, Mod, Malibu, SuperStar, and Mackie.
Well, anyway. Her hair cleaned up beautifully, but hair back
then wasn't rooted as thickly and abundantly as it was in the mid-80s. The bald, never-rooted spot behind her missing
hairplugs really made the absence noticeable. And other hair colors just didn't look right, so she got the 'transplant' reroot.
It's amazing to me how good her hair looks - it's even at the bottom and still waves prettily. Her dress is View 7 from Simplicity
6097. I was supposed to use elastic thread to gather the top and bottom edges of the sleeves, but I liked how the sleeves
looked as-is. And I didn't have elastic thread. I've gotta start reading *all* the directions and supply list before I start
sewing...
I'll make this dress again - I like it. Probably next
time, I'll actually do the sleeves the way the pattern says !
And now, may I introduce you to 'Erin' ? She's a former Happy
Family Midge, but as I already have Midge (1962 vintage) and California Dream Midge ('Cali'), she got a new name, too.
Guess it was her red hair speakin' to me ! She was in the same flea-market group of dolls that netted me Meg, Poison Ivy (still
needing a rebody), Christie, Derek (brunette 'Rockers' guy) dolls and our son a Jesse (Toy Story 2) doll.
She's wearing View 4 from Simplicity 6097, a loose, drop-waist
dress with slight gathering at the hips and a lace collar. As you can see, I still need work on collars and necklines ! I
printed out most of View 4 while printing View 7 for Charlene yesterday, so decided to use it. Printing out 4 also got me
all but one piece of Views 2 and 3, so you may see them soon. It's a thicker fabric, and you know how those go - the thicker
the material or wilder the print, the simpler the cut has to be. And this is dirt simple. Front, back, sleeves. It also called
for elastic thread again for the cuffs, but I used regular ole elastic. Call me a stick-in-the-mud !
Erin's enjoying some of our lovely, if cool, weather as Fall
settles into approaching winter. And I have plenty to keep me busy inside where it's warm !
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