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Dorrie's Doll Diaries
Thursday, 8 February 2007
Still ill...
Mood:
 cool
Now Playing: "Robin Hood" - Son's DVD, once more
...we got his prescription after Dearest Son's doctor visit last night, but less than a minute after taking it, it came right back up. Then it made a second appearance at 5am. So we got a different prescription, and it's stayed down for an hour, so here's hoping. He's taking his second nap of the day, so I have some down time. Spent most of the morning calling the doctor and the pharmacist, trying to figure out when the medicine would be ready. It's probably for the best that he had a chance to fully neutralize what was bothering him from the previous medicine, but when you have a sick son on yer hands, it's hard to think of the bigger picture. He got tired of me asking if he wanted food, and asked me to stop bugging him ! I asked if he'd like to talk to his grandparents, and he chatted merrily with them for a half hour. I try not to be jealous, but...I'm the one who makes him take medicine that even smells awful, doesn't buy the big toys he wants, and bothers him about eating. They're a county away, and are always fun. Oh, well. If you've been over to the 'Somewhere That's Green' site, you'll know how I spent yesterday evening - after cleaning up, of course. I moved a lot of stuff off the Home page onto new pages, and added a different photo of Midge and her new dress. Main page was getting pretty crowded, and now Aria has her own page, and Elphaba has her own photo album. I have got to get busy on the end of the 'Fall Ball' story. I promised ! I might sew, now that Son's asleep, but I'll have to use old patterns. It'll be at least another week before we can get another ink cartridge. The stains from the botched refill attempt are nearly gone. I don't like to use original tissue patterns, and the stuff I'd most like to try, I need a printer for ! So I may just see what I already have cut out and ready to go. I need to do something. Much as I love doll boards and forums, I'm coming to the sad conclusion that online community doesn't really help my self-esteem. Doll fans are fantastic, but there's always a thread of competition, of who has what, and I always end up wanting more than I end up sharing. That's probably just my psychological damage, not something that happens to anyone else. But it's not helpful to me, and there's better ways to spend time.
Posted by dorriebelle
at 7:28 PM CST
Updated: Thursday, 8 February 2007 7:30 PM CST
Wednesday, 7 February 2007
Dearest Son's still sick...
Mood:
 down
...he came home from school yesterday with a fever. We thought it broke, but it's back. We're waiting for his Dr. appointment, and he's resting on the sofa, watching Fox and the Hound again. If he's home tomorrow, I'll try to rent the sequel. Yeah, most Disney sequels suck a unique kind of rock, but heck, he so loves this one. And I kinda want to see Cinderella III... While he's recovering, I did a bit of sewing. I've sort of got triple goals going. I want to make something for each of my sixth-scale dolls. Using fabric I've had around for some time, but never made anything from. And I want to use patterns I never touched before - those few hundred I scanned but never sewed. Here's the first one. This is a snug-fitting dress from Barbie Dress Wear, a Japanese pattern book. I don't speak or read the language, and there's only English here for decoration, but the illustrations are simple enough to follow. There's also ads - several for the 'Hip to Be Square' series - and jewelry-making diagrams. It may be out of print now, though. If you'd like to see this book - and what this dress is supposed to look like, here's an auction for it - eBay # 290079019627 . Scroll down a bit, and this is #24, under 'Shopping Style'. It worked up pretty easy, start to finish was about two hours. I messed up the armholes, one bodice dart is shorter than the other, and one of the side seams didn't match up right, but it fits well regardless, and Midge seems to like it. I'll probably work it again, using different materials for the top and bottom pieces, but I knew this one was a rough draft before I started. For one, I've never worked darts that are ruler-straight on one side and curved on the other. Every dart I've sewn's been equal on both sides. But I played with the fabric (read : tore the stitches out and redid it at least twice) until it worked. As it turned out, the patterns are forgiving, but quite precise. If I sewed it correctly, everything matched. But that meant that every stitch built on the one before. Tossing off this seam or that dart means that the fit was off. Now, you can say that for most patterns. But this one was more precision-exact than I'm used to. It merely took a bit more time to get it all right. I confess, I didn't take extra care with the bodice darts, and that's probably why the armholes didn't match. I did get the seam allowance right. I saw the '0.5cm' above the pattern pieces, and that's just a bit under the standard 1/4" I'm used to. It's amazing to me how some things don't change much, no matter the language or measurement standard. This fabric was purchased at a yard sale - the seller actually had it behind some items she wanted to highlight. She was rather taken aback when I asked if she wanted to sell it ! It's lavender, and those little clusters of dots are really stars. The whole piece has tiny silver highlights, too. I could probably make a dozen more from the half-yard I got, but there's lots more fabric for me to use in the meanwhile. Just not right now. It's time for someone's medicine, and I gotta grab a shower before the doctor's. I hope it's just a cold or something minor... Beloved Hubby's also worried. He's home today, and is so bored with waiting, he's painting the kitchen. Looks pretty nice, I think.
Posted by dorriebelle
at 2:44 PM CST
Updated: Monday, 2 May 2011 9:55 AM CDT
Tuesday, 6 February 2007
The Not-Much Tuesday
Mood:
 a-ok
Now Playing: "Herbie: Fully Loaded" - 'cause Dearest Son's not feeling well...
Not a lot going on today - kind of a boring Tuesday. Had some housework to do, and an ink cartridge mess to clean (don't even try to refill those %$#@ things), so I never got to sew or even play. That Japanese pattern I did yesterday is mocking me ! Hope your day had some excitement - just not too much !
Posted by dorriebelle
at 12:01 AM CST
Monday, 5 February 2007
Joy, ink, and the Japanese pattern mess.
Mood:
 silly
Now Playing: "Fox and the Hound", on VHS, Dearest Son's choice.
I'm gonna write this here, so hopefully I won't forget it for a while. NO Coffee after 1pm !! Couldn't sleep for jack last night, and I'd had coffee all day. Now I know. Sodas I can handle all day and still sleep. Coffee is something entirely different ! Now then. On to doll stuff ! Please meet 'Joy', my hybrid Ballerina Barbie. I had one the first year they came out, I think it was 1976. My parents were already saying I was getting old for dolls (boy, were they in for a surprise !), but I wanted this gorgeous doll sooo much. So I did what a kid does. Made her the One Wish. Basically, I asked for her and only her that holiday. I was devious as a kid, and self-serving. Not much has changed since. :) I, and half the neighborhood, got this doll that year. We staged elaborate ballet performances, admiring the way her arms went out, not like Malibu's, whose just went up and down. Her arms and fingers were graceful, her long legs and beautiful stand seemed born for the stage. I loved her unusual face - although I realize it was a well-used Mattel mold, I was more accustomed to Malibu and Leia. But all good things end, and she, along with every doll but Leia, went into the attic for a few years. They all later ended up with my best friend's Barbie-less sisters. At least I got to play with them again when I visited ! I found this lovely lady at a thrift store. Her body was beyond salvage. The elastic band that allowed such elegant posing in her arms was deteriorated, the kicking leg mechanism had frozen, but even with gentle pressure, they only went from stiff to barely-hanging-on swingy. But her head was in pretty good shape. Her hair, although sparse in the back, hadn't gone wooly, and her face paint was great. So she came home, along with a Belly Button body Barbie. A swift head-swap later, and a headless better body was improved, I had a Ballerina with nice hands that went out, and the discolored original body got tossed. There was nothing I could do with it. The BB body is thinner and less robust in the bust, but I think that suits a ballerina ! She's dressed in one of the two dresses I got recently. This is a My First Barbie outfit, #4868, My First Party Dress. I think it came out in 1981, but I'm not sure. My next purchase will be reference books ! It's not a perfect fit - her head lolls a bit - but I think the skin tone's a good match, and I can always squeeze her head down if I need to. I named her Joy, because that's how I felt when I first saw her - and I still do. In other news, I tried to print up a pattern from the Barbie In Japan book. but our ink cartridge is DOA. Tried to refill it, which was an utter failure. It leaks like a sieve, and my hands look like I got fingerprinted for crimes against humanity. When I went to the fabric store, I just knew the clerks were cringing, hoping I wouldn't touch anything. Nope. I did, but I knew the ink is there 'til it wears off, and the material was in no danger. It'd been several hours since the attempt. Didn't buy anything, but there's a great sale on the 17th. Half off thread's a good buy, but I never know what I need until I go to sew something. And I already have a few dozen spools I doubt I'll ever use. Anyway, I finally traced it, and it's ready to use when I get the time. The directions are all in Japanese, but the illustrations require none of my nonexistant translation skills. So I may get to sew tomorrow. For now, though, I'm dirt tired from not sleeping last night, and it's nearly bedtime. Hope your Monday went well - and you didn't try to refil ink carts !
Posted by dorriebelle
at 8:13 PM CST
Updated: Monday, 2 May 2011 9:54 AM CDT
Sunday, 4 February 2007
Super-lazy Sunday !
Mood:
 chillin'
Now Playing: XM Cinemagic 27 - 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit Score', Dearest Son is lovin' it !
Finally updated the Home page ! With something more than just changing the month on it, too ! Basically, it's the same image I posted here yesterday, but with the second version I sewed last night added. The second one went much better. I've learned that just about anything that needs to be sewn can be arranged into a straight line that's easier to keep on track. Even a curved neckline. I can top-stitch fairly well, but it's harder to keep on track with a curve. Unfortunately, I've been resting on my laurels today. Not that I give a fig for the SuperBowl, or the commercials - since I graduated with a B.A. in Mass Comm, the commercials would be the only thing I'd watch anyway. But our TV isn't even tuned in to get commercial broadcasts, and it's all gonna be on YouTube tomorrow, anyway. I haven't even done laundry or dishes. I really am being lazy today ! Just watchin' Dearest Son's pick of Disney movies, reading doll boards, hangin' out. Finally slept well last night, maybe I've kicked the insomnia away for a bit. Put off returning the even-darker other spool of thread I bought yesterday - I'll be in the area tomorrow, picking up Son from school, so it can wait. It was kind of funny to go to Hancock Fabrics and not buy anything but thread. They didn't have anything I wanted ! I have a good choice of their inventory for the last four years here already, plus more besides. Even the markdown stuff still seemed high-priced. Of course, this is coming from a woman who gets five or six yards in small pieces inside a $2. grab-bag at a thrift store. I'm thinking of taking some pictures of the FriendShip Barbie airplane. I got a special one just like the one I had as a kid, but I've never photographed it before. It'd be cute to use some of that gold and black fabric as a flight attendant uniform ! A nice vest and a skirt, over a white blouse...hmmm. I think I know what I'm making next. And I already have thread ! :)
Posted by dorriebelle
at 4:36 PM CST
Updated: Sunday, 4 February 2007 4:37 PM CST
Saturday, 3 February 2007
A short discussion about getting matching thread...
Mood:
a-ok
Now Playing: XM 70s - 'Kodachrome', Paul Simon
Here's the dress I made yesterday. It's the 'Basic Dress' from Mari Dewitt's Vintage Clothing for the Fashion Doll. I've made it before, but not in years. The one on your left I made yesterday, using the same Flavia fabric I made Elphie a peasant blouse from, pictured on that page on the main site. As you can see, I didn't have well-matching thread, and it really stands out. It looks worse in person, I can tell you. Every bobble, every off-center stitch screams, 'See where she screwed up !'. Or maybe I'm the only one who can hear thread, I wouldn't discount the possibility... Today, after stupidly leaving the house without the doll or fabric sample, I had to guess at which color thread to get. There must have been twenty-seven shades of purple, from lilac to eggplant. After a while, my eyes didn't work, and the store I went to didn't carry this fabric. So I was on my own. I guessed. And I redid the neckline and hem in the new color today, it's on your right. This is actually a bit too dark, but in my eyes, it looks 200% better. So, as you can see, thread makes a difference. Now, if I can get the whole dress right later today, I'll be happy - for a while ! :) At this rate, my little contest will have to wait another week. And folks wonder why I don't sell my stuff. Only I know how bad that zipper in the back looks ! PS - Our lovely model today is 'Barbie as Maria in The Sound of Music', a 1995 'Hollywood Legends Collection' doll. I found mine at a flea market, complete save for her hat, shoes, and guitar, for $2. in 2000.
Posted by dorriebelle
at 3:51 PM CST
Updated: Monday, 2 May 2011 9:56 AM CDT
Friday, 2 February 2007
I Sewed Something !!
Mood:
 energetic
Now Playing: "The Best of Benny Hill" - a $5.50 one from the Mart bin, but hilarious
Maybe it was the caffeine. I've been enjoying my morning coffee - which often becomes my afternoon coffee - these last two weeks, but maybe I need to scale it back. I could barely sleep last night, but I felt better this morning. Or maybe the multivitamin helped, who knows ? But anyway, I really felt like sewing. There's a friend on the Disney Dolls group who wants me to sew something for him, and I just haven't gotten to it yet. That may have been part of the block. Aside from a swap here and there - which made me anxious enough to not repeat lately - I've never really sewn for anyone else. I know I can do it, but I was completely lethargic about even trying. And much as I'd like to say that's what I sewed, it isn't. I wanted to make two somethings for another group, one as a give-away in a contest, and the other for a dear member who made me something. After having a nice afternoon with Dearest Son and Beloved Hubby, it was time. The finished item is shot full of errors. I hate it when I have to hand-sew in a zipper when the dress is finished. I always end up with it off-center. Amazingly, I can do it right when I use the machine, but I always boot it by hand. I didn't have thread to match the fabric very well, and it shows, horribly. I also didn't see the 'place on fold' when I cut the skirt part out, so it's not as poofy as it should be. On the whole, it's not my favorite dress. But it's OK. And I see my mistakes, and can improve on the next ones. For one, the back will have snaps ! And the skirt will be the right width. Third, I am getting better matching thread ! I've tried several times to take a photo, but they didn't come out well at all. So I hope to get a decent one tomorrow. Then, I'll get some darn thread ! It actually felt rather good to sew for Barbie again. I was nervous - the pattern showed a 1/8" seam allowance, but it hung like a bag that way. With a standard 1/4" seam allow, it fit great. (sigh) I get so tired of that kind of bonehead mistake in doll patterns... Well, it's late, and I'm falling asleep typing. 'Til the morrow !
Posted by dorriebelle
at 12:01 AM CST
Thursday, 1 February 2007
Dearest Son's feeling better...
Mood:
 not sure
Now Playing: "Who Framed Roger Rabbit ?" - DVD rental, again - but it gets returned Friday !
...but the darn van wouldn't start ! So we called in sick and stayed indoors. Nearly drove Son nuts, it started to snow and he was too sick to get out in it. Other than that, not much going on. I reorganized the doll jewelry findings box - big fun, that. I want to sew, but it's weird. I just can't sit there and do it. When I have time, I sit around on the computer or do housework. It's like I'm afraid or something. It's been a while since I sewed Barbie-size clothes, true enough, but I was still sewing Leia's new stuff just weeks ago. I don't know what the problem is. There's miles (if not parsecs by now) of fabric, decades of patterns, lots of fun dolls to dress. But I just haven't been able to make the leap to actually sew something. Maybe I'm just in a slump. I'm gonna get to bed early tonight - my insomnia's come roaring back - and see if lowered caffeine and raised sleep help. I feel so...out of sorts lately.
Posted by dorriebelle
at 12:01 AM CST
Wednesday, 31 January 2007
Dearest Son's sick now...
Mood:
a-ok
Now Playing: "Who Framed Roger Rabbit ?" - DVD rental, again
...so it's another short entry. No time to sew or play, about all I got done was cleaning the kitchen and doing some laundry. Hopefully tomorrow will be better. He's still coughing really hard though. And it's snowing. I will probably have company at home tomorrow. But this weekend, I am getting some ^%$# doll time !
Posted by dorriebelle
at 12:01 AM CST
Tuesday, 30 January 2007
Evidently, there is a minor virus...
Mood:
 lazy
Now Playing: "Robin Hood" - Son's DVD, once more
...making the rounds at Dearest Son's school. He wasn't feeling well this afternoon, and stayed with me during my volunteer hours. It was fun, but I was glad to come home. All of us napped the early evening hours away. Those two dresses I wanted came in ! I'll have to snap some quick pix tomorrow, I'm still tired and a bit worn...and there's an odds-on chance Son is home all day tomorrow. Got a pair of glittery green socks at Dollar Tree today - hoping to also find time to make Elphie yet another sweater. I just love making those things ! But that's about all that's gone on. Sorry the entries haven't been very interesting lately. We're expecting snow again soon, so they'll probably pick up ! :)
Posted by dorriebelle
at 8:25 PM CST
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