Current Mood : Miffed - it's just been one of *those* nights...
Sorry about the pink/red stripes that occasionally appear on my images. They're not on the original scanned items, and the scanner doesn't do that to everything. I think the stripes are a form of copy protection, since it only seems to show up when I'm trying to use licensed paper products as images. Like a watermark.
You may also have noticed some of the February images have changed. That's ‘cause I scanned the other two DP V-day sets I had - 90% off markdowns last year ! - and one set says ‘Valentine' or ‘Valentine's Day' on every card. Since I have enough images for all of February (minus Best Buy Fridays, of course), I figured I'd best use the holiday specific ones first. Of course, those are the ones with ‘Flashy Foil' on ‘em, so I have to add color to the parts that scanned black. Wheee !
Well, after fussing and futzing with both shirtwaist dresses, I've figured out what's wrong. They both bag a bit in the bust, it's just not as obvious in the stiffer muslin one. The original one is closer fitting, and I couldn't figure out why mine looked so saggy. I mean, I followed every dart precisely, was very careful with the seams, ironed it and tried to adapt... and still it bags.
Quick study of the source material - both the original 1965 dress and 2007's reproduction - shows a side dart, not a waist one. If you're unfamiliar with the terms, a side dart comes in at the side seam, a waist one, well, you know. A side dart would easily eliminate any bagginess, and a waist dart can easily be eliminated in the pattern with a simple redraw. So, yes, the fact that Aileen's Patterns has once again completely ignored the original to do it ‘her way' - but doesn't show that, just the Mattel original - bothers me.
The original doesn't open in the front, either, but with the poor directions, it was the only conclusion I could possibly reach, so we're looking at major design changes that are not reflected in the directions or on a completed item image at all. That's frustrating. If I wanted a unique design, that's fine and fantastic - but don't sell your pattern as a copy if it barely has a nodding acquaintance with the original !
You'd think that, if I could tell where the darts were from eBay auction pages, the pattern creator could tell from the actual garment she has photographed as part of the pattern package. And, yeah, I know these are only supposed to be representations of the originals, but you'd think she'd at least attempt to be fairly close to those originals !
But here's where I'm conflicted. I had two gorgeous shirtwaist dresses back in my just-out-of-University days. They saw more interviews than a just-out-of-rehab pop star. I loved them, they flowed and rippled when I walked and in the slightest breeze, so I felt so feminine and pretty in them. And neither had darts of any kind in the bodice, and they did unbutton completely in front. So, while the APF pattern is pretty far from the Lunchtime / Barbie Learns to Cook goal, it's pretty darn close to the dresses I loved, and was sort of recreating. Talk about your double-edges ! I hate the pattern because it's not like what it says it is - but I love it because it's very close to what I had. Aaarrrgh.
Anyway... I got two new doll dresses I made, and they both look decent, so I'm happy. And the doll case I won - yup, the one that drove me nutz about the free shipping - arrived today, and I'm happy about that, too. Can't wait to use it in photos !
One thing, though - the photo did not show how wrecked the mirror was. It's a good thing I didn't really want it, huh ? The adhesive from the mirror was all over that wall of the case, and on the ‘vanity' surface. A real mess. I popped off the mirror, and used baby oil to remove the adhesive residue. Couldn't use Goo Gone - that stuff'll take the paint right off the vinyl ! It's nice and clean now. I'm going to make a bulletin board to go in the spot where the mirror was, for Shinobu's patterns, notes, and sketches. It's not a vanity any more, it's a sewing table !
The worst of the mirror damage was where the folding ‘vanity' touched it, so I'm starting to think it was a reaction. Some dolls, like Miss Barbie, have heads that react to the vinyl of the wig caps. Other dolls react to vintage brittle furniture, like the Suzy Goose stuff, leaving melt marks in the furniture and melts and stains to their bodies. I seriously think that's what happened, which would indicate it's been folded up for some time. I don't think it happened in the week it took between taking the eBay photo and shipping it to me.
Otherwise, it's in good shape, just some fading and scratches on the outside, nothing major. I'm quite happy with it, but that mirror bugged me at first. I wonder if I should put out a warning. ‘Don't let Barbie anything touch anything else Barbie'. That should about cover it.
Silly Discovery #628 - the dress form /mannequin that comes on the Fashion Fever jewelry box also comes right off. I have no idea why I never tried to detach it before ! It's just pegged in there. Since that's the best-looking of my Barbie dress forms, it's going in Shinobu's sewing room. I have no idea what to do with the jewelry box...
And, while waiting for Dearest Son's bus, I finished up the fasteners on the 2.0 shirtwaist and fixed a damaged Mrs. Heart dress. It's the "New Arrival Set" one, dark pink with the white lace overlay. Originally, it came with a larger tunic to wear over the dress, to simulate ‘Mom' being pregnant. While I think I already have this dress, I've never had the tunic ! This one came in a thrift store lot, in great shape but for some picks on the nylon bodice. Luckily, there's a ribbon bow decoration at the neck, so I angled the tails of it over the picks and sewed it down with tiny stitches along the ribbon's slightly rippled edges. You can hardly see the thread. Sometimes I get the biggest kick fixing something most doll folks would throw away - or save for a donated doll !
