Mood:  incredulous

...wanted to show Beloved Hubby the red-haired version of Elphie, at first called 'Poison Ivy', but later renamed 'Haunted Stroll'. I often wondered who has the rights to 'Poison Ivy', but that's not important right now. Anyway. Saw the 2007 dolls, because I could never get to the 2006 ones. Every time I clicked an '06 link, it took me to the newest ones. Ended up finding 'Haunted Stroll' photos on eBay.

Didn't find much interesting, it's been a long time since I went there. Last time I didn't see anything I liked for Elphie, thought the New York City Ballet dolls looked waif-thin and imperious, the flagship Tyler Wentworth stuff had a few interesting but too pricey for me pieces, and while the Cinderella dolls were nice and the plus-sized 'evil stepsister' intrigued, it kind of bugged me that she was somehow the more evil of the two. Of course, the nicer one was thin and sweet looking...I guess I wasn't s'pposed to notice she's still an evil stepsister.

So I wasn't expecting much out of the '07 collection. Haven't been back to Prego since the last blowout, I'm proud to say, so I have no idea when the newest 'buy it, get it, brag about it, put it in the closet, repeat' acquisitions' photos were released. But, long as I was there, I had a look around...

(sigh) And there's a brunette Elphie this year. She's available as a Basic, and her outfit is better than last year's, even if she does have the crap plastic shoes. I know I don't want her. I know I don't need her. But I've thought about her ever since. AAARRrrggghhhh !  

We're still mosty iced in, it's just begun to melt a bit. Now the East Coast is getting what we got, and I don't envy 'em. Dearest Son's school is closed tomorrow, so we'll get another day of runnin' round the house.  Earlier tonight, we watched my ancient first-release VHS of ET:The Extra-Terrestrial. Son was intrigued, but by the end of the movie, he had some advice for the wandering star - "Stay HOME ! Don't wander off from your friends ! Then nobody's gotta come after ya.". Our ever-practical boy...

Posted by dorriebelle at 12:01 AM CST

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Mood:  chillin'

...because I can't tell you. Maybe it should be filed under 'Fools Never Learn'.

Sewed the pants that were on the same page as the dress I sewed yesterday, from Sewing for 20th Century Dolls, Vol. 1.  Didn't add a seam allowance. And, of course, the pants are much too tight, and even adding 1/4" all around wouldn't help much. Even with that, she still couldn't sit, or even move her legs.

Just to compare, I went to open Doll Shop Deluxe. And that wasn't working either. Only opened into one corner of the screen. Printed out all my measurements, then went to download Dress Shop again. Found out that updating Internet Explorer does that to DSD, and LivingSoft already had a patch, ready to go. *&^% automatic updates. We don't even use IE. But I decided to go ahead and download the whole Dress Shop set again. I only  had v. 5.19, what I got today was 5.33. There's a few new collar options, but I swear, it seems like there's fewer patterns. That could just be my imagination, though, when I see all the 'gray out' choices I can't use.

Anyway, comparing DSD to 20th Century was like comparing today's weather to last week's. You can hardly form words adequate enough to meet the challenge. So, fark it, I'm about done with 20th Century. 

And what else did I do today ? Spent three hours fitting yesterday's too-big 20th Century Dress A : Attempt #1 to Isabella (Interactive Belle). It didn't take me that long to make the dress to start with ! But you know how I am, I hate to toss anything, and I'm definitely gonna have to bin the pants I sewed today. (sigh) Not quite done with Isa's new dress yet - heck, I didn't finish Crissy's, once I knew it fit - but I'll get photos up as soon as I can.

Right now, though, we're on Day 3 of 'Crappy Weather : Stranded Indoors' , and I'm getting a bit of a headache again. One of the good things about it all is that I've definitely caught up on my sleep ! Roads have been too treacherous to go get Dearest Son from his dearest grandparents, so it's been awful quiet around here. Yesterday, the elastic broke in the cute little slippers they gave me two Christmasses ago - and I fixed it within ten minutes. I'm a little bored on occasion... 

Posted by dorriebelle at 5:05 PM CST

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Mood:  irritated

Grrrr. After slamming Sewing for 20th Century Dolls, vols. 1 & 2 to the Crissy group, I kind of felt bad. I mean, it might not be Johana Gast Anderton's fault that the two projects I tried from her book were both failures. At the time, I was still fairly new to sewing, there's a very good chance it was completely my fault. Although the directions were sparse, I may have misread or overcomplicated things - I do that a lot. 

So, when Day 2 of our ice storm dawned, I pulled out a scan of the patterns from Vol. 1. I don't actually own that one - shelling out $20. plus shipping for the semi-useless Vol. 2 did not encourage me to spend more on what was probably more of the same. So a friend sent me copies of the Crissy stuff from hers in a trade. I've always wanted to make Crissy's orange lace issue dress in other colors.  What better time than the present ?

I got the pattern all printed out and even cut from the copy paper when I noticed the dreaded "Add 1/4" seam allowance". Aww, s#it. I hate doing that. I always obsess and worry that I'll lose some of the item or it won't match up correctly if I don't reproduce that curve precisely so. As it was, I stupidly added 1/4" to the center front, like an idiot. Center front isn't a seam on this dress. Baka, baka. Took me over half an hour and gave me a headache, so I napped before cutting fabric and digging in. 

The pattern itself, though, was amazing. It went together very well, matched up beautifully. Even the sleeves went in on the first try. I thought, 'Now this is gonna be an amazing dress !', and reached for my Crissy. 

And the dress hung on her like a bag. Shoulder seam was halfway down her shoulder, the dress front was, of course, too wide, but that was partially my fault. What in the world ? Only thing I could think of was that the 'add 1/4" allowance' was wrong, it was already in. The pattern itself had been reproduced and printed correctly, I verified that before I cut the fabric.

So I redid all the seams I could, taking it in 1/4" inch everywhere. Now it fit, but thanks to my blunder, the dress still didn't fit right. I have no idea why I added the seam allowance to the front center, it's not a seam. But I could tell, if I'd just skipped the 'add' part that took a half hour and gave me a headache, I'd have had a great dress from Attempt #1.

There wasn't much I could do with the first one, so I attempted a second, after carefully cutting off the unnecessary seam allowance. It worked up great. Sleeves went in like a dream, everything matched and looked great.  It's just frustrating that I followed the directions and screwed it up. 

But, hey, that's my experience with Sewing for 20th Century Dolls. I'm glad I gave it a second chance, but it's still screwed up. Such a simple blunder on the author's part, I just don't understand. Why am I finding so many screw-ups that are so easily solved ? Just doesn't make sense. 

Anyway, here's Attempt #2. I really like this one. Fit is fantastic, and about all I'll do differently on the next one is hem the sleeves a bit more. This one still needs a hem and back closure, but I'll get to that later.

First the Velvet dress and panties, and now this one. I still just don't get it. If I was selling a pattern book for anything, I'd spend half my life making d@mn sure everything fit and worked. That the seam allowances were there already, and that anyone could pick this up and work it successfully.

Ironically, I asked the Crissy group members if anyone else had soooo much trouble with Ms. Anderton's patterns. Several members mentioned they had one book or another. So far, no answers. I'm starting to think that most of the folks who have this book / these books have never sewn anything from it / them. But they do look darn good on a bookshelf, and they are fun to leaf through.  

That's not enough for me. If it's a pattern book, those patterns had darn well better be usable, functional, and maybe even fun. I don't understand how anyone could put his or her name on a book that's so full of errors and problems. Growlmutterwhinesnipe...

Posted by dorriebelle at 12:01 AM CST

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Mood:  a-ok

Yup, I finally got off my rear and made the felt Velvet dress. It's not very good. I think that's why it took me so long, I kinda knew that the thick fabric wouldn't work well on that doll and for that pattern and design. But you know me, it's finished, so there's a good chance I'll keep it, at least for a while.

And it got me off my sewing stupor. Now that I'm done with bras and books, I had to do something. We're iced in. Yup. Even picked up Dearest Son early, roads were getting bad. Hit a patch of ice and White Jade Dragon (my van, also known as 'S%itty S%itty Crap Van' when it won't start in rainy weather) slid into a curb. Scratch one tire and add a bent rim. At least we got home safely. I just can't drive for a few days.

Not that I'd want to. I'm one of those who's useless when it's icy or snowy. Frankly, the sooner I'm off the roads, the safer everyone else is ! Stopped at a store on the way home, and it was a madhouse. The wood bundles that have been stacked up, ignored since before Christmas, were completely gone, there was an employee gathering the plastic and debris left behind.  That poor store - they had specials this week on classic 'snowed in' supplies like milk and eggs. Still, I'm sure they made it up in impulse sales. 

I also bought Dearest Son's Valentine's Day cards. Yeah, it's early, but I still remember the year I was driving around at 6am, trying to find v-day cards for him, on the 14th. Won't happen again. We got Cars, of course, with tiny little water tattoos. I saw Herbie (The Love Bug) ones, but they were actually Lindsay Lohan cards, not Herbie ones. Ick. Once you've seen this pantyless starlet emerger from her car, flashing the world what looks like a plate of pale roast beef, you can't help but see her a little differently - but I prefer to not look at her at all. 

So, I'm thinking I might sew something else, probably tomorrow. For some reason, I really hibernate in bad weather. All I wanna do is sleep ! But since I have the time, I need to use it wisely. I'm thinking of doing something from Sewing for 20th Century Dolls. I have Vol. 2, and someone sent me a copy of the Crissy patterns from Vol. 1. I was unkind to the book in the Crissy group this week - I've only sewn two things from it and both were seriously wonked up - so maybe I should give it another chance. 

If it wonks up again, I can burn it without feeling bad over it !  

Posted by dorriebelle at 12:01 AM CST

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Mood:  happy

Our next winter crap weather is rolling in, I can just about taste it. One enterprising grocer has signs everywhere, with a brief description of the anticipated bad storm front, along with ideas for items we might want to stock up on, while we're there. How thoughtful of them !

I did go back to Hobby Lobby. Scored some more black glitter felt - 8 sheets - a green maribou feather 'boa' and tiny 's' hooks that are perfect for small doll jewelry. Since the felt had a 'Christmas' sticker, and the small boa and hooks were designed as mini tree decorations, everything was 80% off. So I skipped out of there after only spending some change. Whee !

Thing is, I've stared at the felt, and I know I'm going to make that Velvet dress one more time from it. But I just can't get myself started. I don't know what the problem is. I'd rather sit around and look at doll books and pattern books instead of sew. Found two sewing books at a thrift store I rarely visit - and now I know why both were only a quarter each. Maybe the next charity that gets them can use 'em. They're not stayin' around here ! 

Got all three bras taken down to usable elements, though. And I got snaps sewn on the clothes I've already finished. Had to toss the black skirt Mia was wearing for the Halloween photo. For some reason, it developed small holes on the front. Unless I somehow didn't notice when I was making it - and yeah, it was recycled fabric, so it's possible - I have no idea where those holes came from. Oh, well. It's just a skirt, and those are easy to make. I just hate to throw anything out !  

Posted by dorriebelle at 12:01 AM CST

Updated: Sunday, 14 January 2007 7:13 AM CST

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Mood:  a-ok

Yup. Dearest Son's ill. Not sure what with, he slept for sixteen hours yesterday/last night, woke up for breakfast and shower, then went right back to sleep. Said he was a little dizzy and his tummy was hurting, but not much. So we kept him home. He's quietly sitting up in bed, playin' with his Lego and watching Robin Hood, and says he feels a bit better now. Whew !

So it's a good thing I didn't have grand plans for today. Yesterday, though, I was runnin' everywhere. Picked up a few things for Son's upcoming birthday, did a few returns and exchanges and errands. Bought drink mix Saturday, went to open it...and it was already open. Beloved Hubby and Son say they never went near it, and it squicked me out too much to use it. So I exchanged it. Petty of me, but I've learned after 40 years to trust when my mental alarms go off.

Hit a thrift store I never go to. Found two more sewing books for 25c each (yaaay !) and scored three bras for a buck. Already picked the navy blue one apart for elastic, buckles, and hook/eyes. There's a black one with the tiniest buckles I've ever seen on a bra, and a lavender one that's average-sized, but I don't have lavender anything in stock. It gives me something to do when the hand-sewing's caught up, no book interests, and there's a long wait for school to let out.

Also hit Hobby Lobby yesterday. Got two more packs of size 4.0 snaps - doll sized ! - from their half-off notions sale, and used a newspaper 40% off coupon to get 'Dress It Up 'Micro Minis round' buttons. These really are Barbie sized ! I got the 'Romance' color set - earthy tones. There's also a bright color set - 'Flirty'- and a pale pastel one. But Flirty and Pale Pastel will have to wait for more coupons. $1.99 isn't much for 50 tiny buttons, but you know me, I'd rather pay $1.19 !

Also got a sheet of black felt with iridescent sparkles, and remarked to the cashier that it was the one thing I wasn't buying on sale. I hadn't noticed the 'Christmas Crafts 2006' label, but she did - 80% off ! So even my 25c piece of felt was on markdown, for only 5c ! I'll be going back soon, I really like it. Possibly on Thursday.

Not much time to use any of it today. While Son napped and shook off what troubled his system, I wrote my Yahoo Crissy group - I've been off e-mail for so long, I forgot I was still a member. Wanted to thank Beth for making those patterns available. I got such a warm welcome back that I'm wondering why I left. Oh, and the Crissy group's not the one I've been whining about lately. That's a more 'tony' doll group, and I'll be surrendering my membership in it later today. Crissy group's not fulla snobs, IMhO. 

Wish I could restart my attitudes sometimes. OK, most times.  

Posted by dorriebelle at 12:01 AM CST

Updated: Thursday, 11 January 2007 11:28 AM CST

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Mood:  cheeky

Thought you could use a laugh. Back soon.

Posted by dorriebelle at 12:01 AM CST

Updated: Monday, 2 May 2011 9:51 AM CDT

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Mood:  not sure

Figured out some stuff today. First off, I switched my 'ignore' to 'digest mails' on one doll group I used to frequent. I've been reading the occasional messages, and I realized why I don't go there anymore. I realize my sewing's not the greatest. I realize I use inexpensive cottons and basic sewing. I'd rather have something nice and simple and fits than something dripping lace and silk that's so heavy, it hangs off the doll's waist or is ill-fitting, it's just how I roll.

So when I'd occasionally post an 'I made this ! And I'm happy about it !' photo, I'd get the equivalent of a pat on the head, if I was lucky. Mostly I just got ignored. Ironically, another member sewed for a Baby Bratz doll - and for d@mn sure this was NOT a Bratz doll group ! - and her sewing was...well, she was just starting. And hers got praised to the stars. While I know we all wanted to encourage her - I praised her creations, too, she really tried hard ! - I kinda felt more ignored.

And I tried hard on the list. I commisserated with the sick kitties, never forgot to add to a birthday message, praised everyone.  Yet most of my messages got ignored, and my creations certainly were. And when I did get at least acknowledged, it was a 'That's nice, dear' kind of thing. I left because I got tired of it. And I know I should never have sought it in the first place.  Praise is for the select few, and I'm never part of the Secret Circle - because it's obvious I hate cliques.

While this group was nicer than Prego, I felt about the same. That I was apart, not a part. Again, I'd managed to isolate myself simply because I wasn't on eBay every ten minutes or selling my stuff for $30. a dress. You'd think I'd get used to being a group of one, but all of us want praise. We get bitter without it. And that's why I don't frequent any doll groups anymore. Like TV, it's nice, and most people enjoy it, but I'm better off without it. I'll probably go back to 'ignore' or 'remove from group' later.

 Other thing I realized is that sewing's all abou the one thing I'm usually not - consistent. While the inside seam may not show that I didn't put the edge of the fabric right on that 1/4" mark every stitch, it'll show somewhere. Everything looks better when I can concentrate enough to put that stitch line right where it belongs. To that end, I relish doing simple things over and over, like that Velvet dress. I get to practice lining seams up, and where my eyes and hands go. You'd think I'd have it down pat by now, but sometimes the most basic things are the ones that elude us the longest. 

It's also why I loathe hand-sewing. I can never, never, never keep my stitches even or right where they belong. And as a result, most of my snaps look sloppy, and I'll jump through hoops to arrange fabric so the snap sewing doesn't show. Even when I sew on buttons for human clothes, the stitches don't look as nice as they should. It's getting better, but I still hate having to be so careful on something that doesn't show from the front. Still, for it to look its best, and for it to be something I can take pride in, I have to keep trying. 

One day, I'll get it. I doubt angels will sing, and the multitudes who failed to stroke my ego back then will line up to sing my name when it happens, but at least I'll be happy with my works.  Happy enough to not need angels or faceless voices.

Posted by dorriebelle at 6:57 PM CST

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Mood:  lyrical

Just some random thoughts today - I spent most of the day cleaning house, and barely got near my dolls at all. But I can cook in the kitchen and walk through the living room again, so it's all good.

After years of microwave popcorn and hot-air poppers, I've gone back to the classic 'pot on the stove' method. It just tastes better. I've always preferred it that way, and have gone through two of those crank-handle specialty stovetop poppers. One got bent out of shape in the dishwasher - they're very awkward to clean - the other got its special plastic 'view windows' melted when I turned on the wrong burner to boil eggs. Stank up the house for three days. And because both were difficult to clean, I rarely used them. Now I just pick up a clean pot and lid, and go for it. I get the taste I like and easy cleanup, less trash. Cheaper, too. It's just kind of funny to me. With the dozen or more choices we have to pop popcorn these days, the one I prefer is the oldest possible. Well, the oldest method possible that doesn't involve an open flame...

Did the grocery shopping early, and picked up a small treat for working hard. Since Dearest Son's birthday is coming up soon, I thought of getting him one of those 'slammers' of Lightning McQueen. Don't know if you're familiar with those. It's like a stuffed animal, just character-shaped, that talks in the character voice when it's hit, tapped, or slammed. No kidding. Last summer we got him the Tow Mater, and it's still a favorite. Heck, even I get a kick out of hit when I toss it aside and I hear "Ow ! That there wuddn't very nice !" coming from it. Despite at least six months, probably more, of near-constant play, it still works. Now, the local stores have had Cars slammers since November, even when they had no other licensed merchandise. Of course, now that I've decided we want one, they were out of stock. 

Anyway, now that I've gone into ridiculous detail as to why I was in the toy section -  like I ever have issues with being there  - I approach the point. No Cars, but I found the most adorable Hot Wheels-size AMC Gremlin ! Oh, do I remember the one we had ! I loved that car. I can still remember what the Americal Motors Company logo looked like. They also had a Pacer, I'll probably get that one later. But that dark green Gremlin was mine !

It's kind of funny. The stuff I had and saw as a kid is now approaching 'vintage', with hints of awe-to-come. When Mattel decided to release a collector copy of the original Malibu Barbie in 2002, I almost felt as though my childhood counted. Malibu was, of course, my first Barbie, and much-loved. But to the vintage collector, it was the sign that their couture club was closing, paving the way for Barbie to wear polyester and praire dresses. You know, just like what real people were wearing at the time. Of course, like polyester, this Barbie incarnation was considered something somewhat less than all the ones before it, if the Barbie fantatic was being charitable, disposable trash if not. Certainly nothing since has equalled the pure perfection of the Barbie years prior. I loved my dolls, and that was enough. It wasn't until I got into heavy-duty Barbiedom that I started feeling as though my favorites and my memories weren't good enough. Nobody wanted to mention Malibu ever - only the latest collector-grade doll and the vintage mattered. 

And we all know that the repro Malibus didn't sell well, mostly because there were plenty of real ones still around, and at reasonable prices. Now I kind of wish I'd picked one up. And that this tiny AMC Gremlin could take her for a ride.  I'd tell her I was still proud of her and loved her - no matter what anyone else thought. Same goes for the car. Just because someone else says it ain't good enough doesn't mean that's true.

It makes me laugh a bit to think that one day, Dearest Son might question his adult Cars collection, because all the other guys have these vintage, really old Matchbox vehicles, still in their boxes ! I just hope that the collector gene either skips him, or he has enough confidence to stockpile what he wants, along with his memories, and to the nethers what the  books and mavens say.

Posted by dorriebelle at 12:01 AM CST

Updated: Monday, 8 January 2007 10:59 AM CST

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Mood:  lazy

Another day that didn't see much getting done.  Played around with the scrap felt cut away when I made Dearest Son's 'Robin Hood' hat, and made Mia one. I haven't made a feather, because in this scale, any kind will do. So next time I find a package of 'em, I'll pick 'em up, if they're inexpensive. Since the feather grab bags are usually dyed chicken feathers, they usually are. 

I think it's cute ! Son's hat is nearly identical. Well, the fit is a lot different...But with a sleek feather, that hat design could even do justice to a 40s-era suit. Goes to show that just about anything can be adapted for dolls. Sorry the photo's not great - it was cold and windy outside this morning ! I wasn't gonna linger to take my usual 20+ pictures !

Anyway - back to 'finding stuff to use for dolls' examples. Got to visit Dollar Tree today. Found a gorgeous Libby glass candy dish - deep and clear, elegant and beautiful. And star-shaped ! It's perfect for Elphie to perch on for photos. Next outfit I make for her, she'll be sitting on it. Actually, she's sitting on it now, I need to move her. It can't be a very comfy chair. 

DTree also had hearts, circles, and squares. But that star sang to me ! I'm sure to have a photo of it soon.  

Also scored a cute little 'Disney Princess' candy keychain lunchbox. Too big for Barbie or Elphie scale, but perfect for my Disney Princesses ! Had to cut the 'keychain' part off with a pocket knife, but the handle fits just perfectly in the Toddler Princess dolls' hands. Here's Belle proudly showing off her new lunchbox. It had a small package of candy hearts inside. If they'd had more than those three identical ones - different colors or pictures - I'd have bought 'em.

Isn't it cute ? I'd love to find a dozen more. Watch, I'll end up haunting candy counters at convenience stores eventually. Not sure where else to look for them.

I had one already - a Wonder Woman red one that probably came with the 'Barbie as Wonder Woman' doll. I found it in a 'free' box at a yard sale. Shoot, I may go back and get a second blue one - and make my own graphic for the front. Wouldn't be that difficult ! Would be nice to have a different color, though. 

Got all the new fabric washed. And scanned in the 'yoke' version of the Velvet dress. I still haven't sewn it yet. That's about it for my day. I have no idea why I'm being so lazy.  Played with the red glitter fabric, but it's so slippery, I know I'll have trouble sewing it. So I haven't even designed what I want yet. I'm kinda getting disappointed in myself, as today was just about a perfect day to spend sewing and crafting. While I'm glad I found some goodies, I really should have stayed home and sewn. Or at least made something ! 

(sigh) Maybe after a good night's sleep, I'll get motivated. Everyone here's tired. It's been one of those days - perhaps I can get it together tomorrow.

Hope springs eternal, ya know.  

Posted by dorriebelle at 9:04 PM CST

Updated: Monday, 2 May 2011 9:50 AM CDT

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