Thrift store travails...

 

Current Mood : Happy, but slightly miffed. 

Spent on dolls and accessories : $3.78

 

Well, at least now I don't have to worry that I'm missing some good find at Community Thrift - I won't be going back there again. My donations will be going elsewhere, too. I still can't believe how rude they were...

 

As you can imagine, it's quite difficult to get Beloved Hubby shopping, much less shopping at a thrift store. Too many bad previous experiences. And today was the cherry on the crap sundae for him. He wanted to go today, to hunt for a specific item, so once Dearest Son was home, we headed out. And, guess what, they've changed the hours again, so we only had 20 minutes before the store closed. Well, that's plenty of time for Beloved to find out if the store had what he wanted, and the same for Dearest. Beloved soon had what he wanted over his arm - we're talking three minutes, tops ! - and Dearest was deciding, when >poof<. No lights. Power outage ?

 

No. With twelve minutes still on their own store clock, the two teenagers running the place had decided to douse every light in the store, and turn off the register. WTH ? Dearest was already amping up - remember, he's autistic, and some things trigger him, sudden total darkness in a back room at 4:50pm is one of ‘em - and Beloved is furious. Did they announce the imminent closing ? No. Did they flicker lights or some other clue that it's time to go ? No. With over ten minutes before store closing, they decide it's out the door, so sorry, goodbye now.

 

Beloved threw his stuff on the counter, asked what was going on. Store's closed, bye. Come again ! Um, I don't think so. Dearest is now beginning a meltdown, he's confused and upset, because he can't have the car we just said we'd get for him. They're not being held up or anything, it's just that they've decided they're done for the day.

 

We were not the only ones upset by this. But, too bad. It's Friday, we wanna leave, so, sorry. We left. Since I'd spent half of December hearing from the owner how bad sales were, how no one was contributing and no one was shopping, I was really confused. I know Beloved left $30. worth of stuff on the counter, and again, we weren't the only ones hustled out the door. Unbelievable. I don't expect ‘the customer is king' crap, but I do expect to be treated like a customer - with the register open until closing time !

 

By now, Dearest is in full meltdown - he'd also had a rough day at school, and this was also a cherry on the sundae of his day - and we're on our way to GoodWill. So much for Community. As it turned out, GWill had a similar vehicle that was even bigger than Community's, so Dearest soon cheered up. And Beloved even found what he wanted, and it was cheaper there ! We were very lucky.

 

I was lucky, too. Target must've just dropped off a buncha stuff, because there were bins full of it. I snagged a set of Disney's Camp Rock dolls for $3. - a guy and girl set. I figured, for that little, just stripping their clothes would be worth it. But I kinda like the girl doll, even if she's using a Hannah Montana mold. So she's probably staying. He looks really goofy.

 

They're made by PlayAlong, and in some ways, they are chintzier than Mattel. The box trumpets ‘Includes 22 Pieces' ! I counted. Only if you tally the shoes and her earrings separately can you possibly arrive at that number. They list three bracelets - one of which is a length of string looped around her wrist twice, then knotted and cut. My, with such production values, I'm amazed they can keep them on shelves. The set had an original price tag of $25., surprisingly.

 

 I also scored a wicker Barbie chair - I always buy those, can't resist ‘em - for 50c and a children's book called ‘Princess School : If The Shoe Fits', for the same price. I'd intended to donate it to Dearest's classroom (they've called for books) and this one was brand-new, but I read it first. Clever retellings of classic fairy tales. I rather enjoyed it. It'll still go to school, but I want to read the rest of the series. Luckily, the library has ‘em all.

 

I'm seriously considering calling Community Sunday - they're closed Saturday - and letting them know they've lost customers and a contributor, but they probably don't care. And if that's the case, well, I shouldn't either.

Ninja image-switching !

 

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 !

Shoot - I forgot to give this one a title !

 

Current Mood : Judgemental, maybe. 

 

Seriously slacked off today. Housework-wise, about all I did was take out trash and change the catbox, and get the can out to the curb. I have no idea why I was so lazy today !

 

But I pretty much finished the pink APF dress. Put in little white scrapbooking brads for buttons - luckily, the prongs are covered twice over by facings. Got the closures in, too. It still bags a bit, but it's not too bad. Tried to take a photo, but it didn't work well - the light color just throws the flash back, so I'll have to play with the camera and backgrounds a bit.

 

My poor Molly-car's battery was about drained somehow, so I opened up the garage to put her on a battery charger. Then had to find said battery charger. On doing that, I also found my copy of Crissy Doll and Her Friends, a great volume on those cool 70s growing-hair dolls. The poor book was caught up in a bathroom flooding incident, and Beloved Hubby tossed it into the laundry room closet to dry - and that was about three months ago. I forgot to get it out of there ! But, all's well that ends well. I cleaned and dried the covers and pages with an antibacterial wipe, just in case, then stuffed it under the printer, to weight it down for a while. It's nearly flat again, and the pages didn't stick together, so I'm happy. I'd just buy another, but it's out of print, and you know me, there's always something else I'd rather spend my cash on !

 

Today was interesting on In The Pink. The Barbie Fan Club members got early ‘sneak peeks' at the upcoming 2009 line, while the rest of us plebes tried to ignore the "OMG !" , "WTF?", and "BBQ !!" messages that stemmed from it. Later in the day, us straights got to see the goodies. My response was more ‘Whaaaa...? Well, more money for other things !' Here's the link, so you can form your own opinions -

 

http://www.barbiecollector.com/news/news/FALL2009line.aspx

 

IMhO, the ‘Generations of Dreams' dolls have a fun dress, but it really looks better on the AA doll - I don't like the Caucasian one at all - and the Christmas ones are just too ‘big pink dress' for me, even though the fabrics look nice. The Wicked Witch of the East was intriguing until I saw her. Anybody else have ‘Mommie Dearest' flashbacks ?  But I love her dress. If I was Brazilian, I'd be insulted by the DOTW Brazil Barbie - why does Mattel think they don't have much fabric there, and they really love to copy Native American elements ? I don't know what they were thinking on that one. Maybe I need to study Brazil to get it. My mind keeps showing me endless bureaucracy and guys with metallic wings, though (Brazil).

 

I similarly have no idea why all Mattel ‘Lucy' dolls have a ‘slapped with a wet trout' bug-eyed expression. With nearly every doll, Lucy's face is distorted in some way - bulging, staring eyes, tight, forced smile, pursed lips, or blacked-out teeth. I'm not even a big fan of Ms. Ball, but I kinda feel bad that all her dolls have a sort of freaked out appearance.

 

Aphrodite was getting much positive buzz, but that is one pale doll ! Does she double as a vampire extra in Twilight or something ? Apologies to all who love and adore her, but I got sudden flashes of ‘I've been in pageants all my life - and I made this dress from the ruffly dresses Momma bought when I was six !'. Well, you know me, I have all sorts of respect for dresses that ‘v' exactly equidistant from collar bone and bellybutton, under the bustline. Over-the-top makeup, too - no human could wear that shade of blue eye shadow. (further snark about waitress uniforms deleted - I don't want to hurt any nice waitress' feelings)

 

One ITP poster was infuriated that there were more repros. How many times did Mattel think we were gonna buy ‘Solo in the Spotlight' or ‘Wedding Day' anyway ? Well, I can understand the annoyance, but heck, I came to terms with the idea that Mattel doesn't make products for me years ago. If a new version of ‘Solo' or ‘Striped swimsuit on a blonde Ponytail' will sell now, why not ? After all, Mattel doesn't make jack off the folks selling their 1993 repros on eBay. They do make bank on the new dolls hitting TRU and Mal-Wart this month. They're just re-re-making what stirs memories, what's perpetually popular - or possibly even requested - during a landmark year for Barbie. Can't fault ‘em for trying to snag a new audience ! And shoot, if I don't buy it, someone else will, so the more the merrier, right ? More doll fans inevitably mean more dolls, and the chance that somewhere in ‘more' is ‘something I adore' ! So I'm not as upset as other fans are. But I can understand that, with the six million outfits Barbie's owned in her doll career, Mattel seems to want to only repro a double dozen or so, and it's frustrating. But that's why I sew ! Well, one of the reasons...

Busy all over Chez Insanity today !

 

Current Mood : Relaxed

 

OK. So today I got off my round rear and did dishes, took out trash, picked up the living room. And sewed ! Guess the new meds are working ! Just kidding, they're the same stuff I've been on for two years now. But compared to my absolute indolence yesterday, I was bursting with energy today.

 

The new dress was a little easier the second time around, and ironing the seams helped a bit. Even though I wrote down directions on how to do the collar after the first frustrating effort, I forgot precisely how I did it, and my own directions weren't much help. So I played with it for a few minutes, and remembered. Then wrote the directions again, completely this time, not just a scribbled note over the crossed out original instructions.

 

The thinner material worked better, but I still had some fitting issues. And compounding it was the idea that I wanted to start sewing for folks besides m'self. I swear, every time I try to make something for anyone but me, I have the worst time of it. I don't know if it's because I tense up or just amp up the perfection quest, but I can never relax and enjoy the process when I think the finished item might actually leave the house. About halfway through the bodice, I remarked that there's no way this screwed up mess would ever get past the threshold, and then it was easier. Hmpft.

 

Before I knew it, it was time to wait for the bus. Almost too late - I had to run for it ! Luckily my shoes and jacket were in the Lab, or I'd have had to hustle out there in my slippers and slightly torn t-shirt.

 

Dress still needs fastenings and the faux front buttons, but it looks OK - even with its rough start ! It's still not leaving Chez Insanity, though. And I learned/remembered a few things. One, solid colors are much less forgiving when it's time to rip out stitches or redo parts, especially light solid colors. It's much easier to hide stuff like that in prints ! Second, don't rush to judge an outfit-in-progress as bad until it's almost complete. I always like to try on a bodice before I add anything more to it. This one hangs terribly without the skirt ! I was so upset, thinking I'd really screwed it up. Where did these fabric ripples and sags come from ? Why did this look sooo bad ? Surprisingly, adding the skirt took up most of the slack and fit issues. I'm just glad I'm stubborn and don't give up easily, or today's effort would be in the Lab trash instead of on a doll.

 

Hopefully I'll finish it up tomorrow, and get a photo on the site. I know the terms of my little challenge is to use patterns I haven't already tried, but having two of something isn't such an awful thing ! And really, using this thin fabric makes a big difference. Not sure if I'll sew it again, though. I'm already ready to try something else.

When medicine drives you to drink...

 

Current Mood : Hoppin' mad at medicine

Spent on drinking vessels :  $6.35

 

Woke up at 3:30 this morning, and could not get back to sleep. That kind of set the tone for the day. Napped for two hours after Dearest Son boarded the school bus, and just could not motivate m'self for anything other than eating and basic hygiene. Urgh.

 

Went on an errand run with Beloved Hubby - I needed refills on all my blasted prescriptions, plus a new inhaler. That was a big chunk out of the budget ! Inhalers have gone ‘CFC Free', which is BS - it was proven eons ago that the propellant in them didn't harm the ozone. But it is a way for pharmaceutical companies to reclaim their medicine under copyright again - so my $15. inhaler is $42. now. You know, I'm all for profit, but charging three times as much for a cheaper means of delivery is just ridiculous. I'm seriously considering applying for Advair's free medicine program...

 

I was so bummed about it that Beloved made sure I had time over at the Mal-Wart Pink Aisle. Which is, of course, nearly cleaned out. I think they had two of the repro sets left, both of the 1959 doll. Nice to see it's selling well - I'm about over my Want of ‘em at this point. Working with Brenda (my flea market Bubblecut)  on the Aileen's Petite Fashions shirtdress and Beau (pronounced ‘boo', my second flea market Malibu Barbie) for Best Buy Friday reminded me of what dolls I'd have even less time with if I bought more new. So that's over with - thank Everything !

 

And I don't really even want to look at Barbie clothes. I haven't even opened the ones Joanne - of In The Pink fame - sent me. I tend to hold off opening things when I already feel... well, saturated. I'll hold off ‘til I need a pick-me-up, or I'm in a mood. And I'm sewing again, so why spend on more of that, either ? Playsets ? Don't make me giggle. There's nothing new or current that I want. I got one coming in the mail, and I'm bidding on another. Pass.

 

Found something, though. The last 50^th Anniversary travel mug. Beloved's been wanting me to have one of my own, for our errand runs and travels together. So we got it. So far, I've spent less than $10. in the big Barbie celebration - for a tote bag and an aluminum tumbler. But somebody's buying it all !

 

I scanned the official 50^th logo - it was part of the cup's packaging - before I tossed it. I prefer the one I did, but what the heck. It just seems an odd disconnect when Mattel produces all this nostalgic stuff, but wraps it with the new logo inside a big ‘50'. I'm not much on the new silhouette logo. It looks...like the skull of a Neanderthal with a very stiff ponytail sticking out the back. Ick.

 

The mug is pink, with aluminum accents and interior and a black plastic pop-off top, illustrated with drawings from the early catalogs. One side has the classic sidelong glance ponytail Barbie, the other has a blonde Bubblecut in Solo in the Spotlight, with the legend, "Fashion icons come and go / well, some go". It's actually quite cute. I've enjoyed having a glass that's mine ! 

 

Once home, I tried to get going on the APF Barbie Learns to Cook shirtdress 2.0, but again, just wasn't into it. I really should have done dishes, or at least laundry, but didn't do either. Hope I sleep tonight - I got too much work to do tomorrow !

Welcome to the cruelest month - now with Valentines !

 

Current Mood : Slightly whiny, for some reason. 

 

Well, we made it through the first month of '09 already. That was fast.

 

Yup, aside from ‘Best Buy Friday' doll images, you get DPrincess Valentines from now through next Saturday. Today's is from the set Beloved Hubby got me yesterday. I was surprised to learn it was produced exclusively for Mal-Wart by Industries for the Blind, Inc. The pencils have seven characters, but you lose at least one princess with each sharpen. New, you get (top to bottom) Cinderella, Ariel, Snow White, Belle, Mulan, Jasmine, and Aurora, each wearing an opulent tiara that's in character. The package contains 16 cards, four each of four designs, which always seems kinda cheap to me. I like to have at least six ! But seeing as how these were $2.50 with pencils - and many just-card sets are pushing $2. these days, I guess I can't whine much.

 

I tried several times today to start the pink APF Barbie Learns to Cook shirtdress, but it just wasn't there, ya know ? I didn't want to force it. So instead I mostly goofed the day away. Erased the ‘slit for the pencils' lines from two of the scanned Valentines, read online, toured a few sites, cheap-serged the Kerry Beary ‘TV' fabric for the laundry pile.

 

Kind of a slow, quiet, boring Sunday. I've enjoyed it heartily !

I got a box o' Valentines !

 

Current Mood : Lazy again !

Spent on my stuff : $2.57, for Valentines !

Current Image Notes : Goss, I love this. Too bad it's ‘Tarina Tarantino', so it's $35. for a no-gemstone keychain and $130. for the necklace !

 

Quiet day. Cleaned up the Lab from the mess that the shirtdress made, and prepped a pink version. It was oddly relaxing to iron out the wrinkled remnant. It really was a wad before - I didn't even feel good about cutting out the pattern until it was nice and flat. The pieces are drying from the customary Fray-Check application, and I hope to work on it tomorrow. It should go much easier this time !

 

While I was tidying up, I cleaned the not-Dancerella-but-Dancerina shoes I got from this month's flea market. Since they'd been taking up space on the sewing table, I went ahead and wiped down my much-abused sewing machine, too. I've actually worn a bit of a groove around the top thread spindle. Got all the tiny buttons picked up. Recycled the longer ‘strands' of yarn hair from a wrecked doll I'd picked apart for materials over a year ago - it'll tie up fabric bundles. I just hope I don't buy that much fabric !

 

Played with stands for a bit - I still want the Mad doll stands, but they're still closed. In the meanwhile, I have plenty to choose from ! Also played with my new ‘mountain'. It'll work fine with the dolls, especially if I can find a good backdrop for it. I think I have some ‘blue sky' scrapbook paper.

 

Did the weekly grocery shopping - and Beloved Hubby picked up the Disney Princess Valentines I wanted, while I was getting the cat food. He even got the right ones, the set that came with pencils, for $2.50. I'd talked about getting them, just for the sixteen pencils. Goss, I am such a sucker for stuff like that. In any case, with the sets I bought on 90% off markdown last year, you can guess what you'll be seeing in February - when it's not Best Buy Friday.

 

And then I messed around online for a while. Found two fun videos for you !

 

I'm not gonna ruin this one by describing it too much. But it's 30 seconds of fun you'll probably share with whoever's nearby !

 

http://www.stupidvideos.com/video/stunts/Barbie_Car_Snow_Donuts/#170083

 

This one I can describe. Last year, before my first cell phone met an unfortunate demise in the washing machine - something I'm still paranoid about with my latest phone - Beloved Hubby programmed its ring tone to Aqua's somewhat annoying "Barbie Girl". He then set my password, something I in my ultimate laziness, had failed to do... so I couldn't change it. When the phone met its watery death, he jokingly said I'd done it on purpose, since I had no other way of ditching that dadratted ring tone.

 

All that has very little to do with this video. But even I have to admit, with my history against the little ditty, that it sounds much better when done by a cello quartet.

 

http://www.stupidvideos.com/video/song_dance/Classical_Barbie_Girl/

 

Hope your day was great - and that you had time to just whiz some of it away.

Welcome to Best Buy Friday !

 

Current Mood : Happy and excited

 

Spent on doll props / decor :  $1.39

Spent on fabric : $1.06

 

Welcome to the first Best Buy Friday ! I figure I'll tell ya all about the fashion du jour in the first paragraph, then get on with the rest of the uselessness !  So let's pretend this paragraph isn't here, and we'll start BBF !

 

I know, I said I wasn't gonna itch m'self too much over putting the ‘right' doll in the ‘right' Best Buy with the ‘right' accessories, but this is one of my personal favorites, one I actually owned, along with a Malibu Barbie, so I went with it. This is 1977's #9620, a long dress of mint green flower-patterned jacquard paired with a white tie-back halter top. The neckline and waistline are edged in tiny lace, and a wee black bow really set this one off.  It came with no accessories, but a similar fashion for Skipper was released at the same time. This Best Buy is fresh and cool - and rarely forgettable by any child who owned it.

 

This Malibu is my second flea market find, and the beneficiary of a body swap. If you can see it, the yellow thread by her right ear is the very same one that held her sunglasses on, over thirty years ago. I just can't bring myself to clip it off. An interesting aside - I fret about my darts not matching when I make doll clothes. These darts are waaaay off. The left one is much longer than the right - about 3/8 ths of an inch off ! But it's still a lovely dress from a nearly forgotten time.

 

Things sort of got back to normal - Beloved Hubby just had clean-up on his current job, so he wasn't bustin' butt past midnight tonight, thank Everything. Roads were clear enough for school to resume, too. So I sewed buttons and snaps on the Barbie Learns to Cook dress I made yesterday, and posted images on the main site home page and on In the Pink. But they didn't get the ‘work in progress' photo !

 

It got a lot of complements, and the first non-blog ‘do you sell your stuff ?' question I've ever received, so that was nice. I enjoyed the ego boost. And a few other doll sewists mentioned their problems with APFs, so it's great to know it isn't just me. Still have to work on my closures, they look like crud. Anyway... I'll most likely redo this dress next week, so I can see what it looks like in pretty fabric. Although I have to agree with you, Mandy, it looks somehow sophisticated in the unbleached muslin. Sort of tweedy and with a bit of texture to it.

 

Beloved got a bit bored once the job was done, and he's been looking for a nice coat, so it didn't take much to talk him into a trip to the local thrift. It's been weeks since I went ! But I didn't miss much. Amazingly, most of their Barbies are gone, but the Cinderella with the light-up feet was still there. Nothing new, really.

 

That's not to say we didn't find anything. Since school was out, we had Dearest Son with us, knew he'd find something, and he did - a great Matchbox-car size town, with stores and tiny signs. Just like his momma, he loves miniature prop stuff. He snagged a bagload for just $3.50, and I know it was at least $15. originally.

 

And, happily, Beloved found a super-nice warm jacket. With lots of inside pockets - including one that detaches and has a neck cord ! - and it barely looks worn at all. The fit is nice, too - it looks great on him. For some reason, the winter stuff was half-price ! He was happy I'd talked him into going. Not every day you get a nice heavy Giordano jacket for less than five bucks !

 

That's not to say I didn't find a few things - but I spent the least of all of ‘em ! I bought a mountain - no kidding, a plastic mountain that's probably also Matchbox-car sized, but may be cute in some doll photos - for 79c. Found some fabric, too. A package of unopened cross-stitch Aida in 14-pt size for 59c, and ¾ of a yard of a print I sort of have to explain. Few years ago, Keary Beary came out with a line of vintage-inspired fabrics, available at Hancock Fabrics. I seized on the ‘radio' print for obvious reasons, and made a shirt from it that gets complements every time I wear it. The matching pants I made are just too busy. Made Fiero a shirt from the cutaway, too. Well, this was ¾ of a yard of a very similar ‘television' print - for 39c. Had to have it ! Not sure if there's enough for a shirt front yet, but it's worth a shot !

 

Also snagged one of the 50c grab-bags for the cute little Ariel purse inside. It sort of resembles that diary-blank book I bought last year or so ago. It reads ‘the world was made for dancing', and it's in lovely shades of green. Also included in the bag were two party favor bags, with pencils, erasers, candy, and small toys. Dearest gladly relieved me of everything but the pencils. And the purse is now hanging from the nail suspending the Little Mermaid luggage/wall art in the Lab. So, good finds for everyone. For less than $12., total.

 

Goofed off for the rest of the night. Happy Friday,  ya'll ! 

Kind of a mixed-bag effort, really...

 

Current Mood : Tired but happy

 

Well, today's sewing led me to one inescapable conclusion regarding Aileen's Petite Fashions. She made great patterns for over 250 vintage and original Barbie clothes that come pretty close to the initial inspiration - but she can't write directions for skit. If I read her directions correctly for today's experiment, and followed the ‘sew here' lines drawn on the pattern pieces, I'd have sewn the necklines to each other, giving the doll no way to put the darn thing on. I got so confused and frustrated, I looked up a similar design in the Barbie in Japan book and did it their way. And got a decent result, if I do say so m'self. The skirt part was also confusing, so I just tossed the directions and did it how I liked. Phew.

 

And what I don't get is that I can follow directions on commercial patterns. I do pretty well with patterns that aren't even in a language I understand - so far, I've done so with Swedish, German, and Japanese. But I am at a complete loss with APFs. She either leaves out steps that are obvious to her, but not me, or her choice of words simply do not make sense to me. I probably do the same things when I write directions, and that's why it takes me forever to do so. I probably over-think it. So I take lots of photos of the work in progress, hoping that'll answer questions.

 

Another thing that bugs me about them - all the photos accompanying the APFs are taken from Mattel catalogs, doll reference books, or of the actual dress she's copied. Never one of her finished work from her actual pattern. That bugs me. I won't buy patterns if there's not a photo of the finished item. I know what it's supposed to look like - show me what yours does look like !

 

And I have no way of knowing if anyone else has the same issues. The few times I've complained about Modern Art, the In The Pink board members suggested that I write the current rights-and-patterns owner for help. Um, the new owner is basically reprinting a few at a time, adding a color photo, and putting ‘em on eBay. It's comforting that the photo accompanying Modern Art had a really bad collar - the same part I was having trouble with ! So I doubt there's any help waiting for me there.

 

I really can't whine much, since I didn't pay for the pattern collection , all of it was given to me. But now I know to read over the directions - then ditch ‘em. Or write corrections as I go.

 

Anyway... there it is, and it turned out OK, even if it did get frustrating. I still have to put in closures, but it looks like Dearest Son has school tomorrow, so there'll be little to no time for that tonight. Besides, I get to look forward to putting ‘em in tomorrow, then adding a photo to the main site. I just wanted to brag a bit here, first. There's numerous problems - the collar doesn't match on each side, the back facings keep popping up, the sleeves don't look good, and the waist is still a bit low - but I've had bigger sewing disasters, that's fer sure !

 

I also get to kick off ‘Best Buy Friday' tomorrow. Even with the ice and snow, this week just flew by ! And I got a lot done. I really like this New Year's Resolution ! Sewing's like any other art form - sew, draw, paint, crochet as much as you can, and if you can stay with it, you'll begin to get good at it ! Chuck Jones said as much in his autobiography Chuck Amuck, and I find it to be more true with every passing year. Of course, I should be much better at this point, but I'm happy with what I can do - and know there's a lot more I can still learn !

More stuff done that I shoulda done last year...

 

Current Mood : Cabin fever strikes - and I'm out of potato chips !

Current Image Notes : Don't own this - but ain't it cool ?!

Spent on eBay win : $13.50

 

Well, guess who didn't have to shower tonight, either ? Yup, Dearest Son is home again tomorrow, even though the roads around here are good - and we were pretty low on the list for plowing. Oh, well, safety first. We got out in it today, and it wasn't bad at all. Which is good, because we're nearly out of junk food ! I'm actually getting sick of popcorn.

 

Got my latest eBay win paid for - gosh, PayPal took forever to credit my account ! Hopefully the seller isn't too cross with me, but just in case, I paid for insurance. I rarely do that. And since the funds were in my PP account, they went to the seller's account instantly, no waiting around. At least I have that going for me. Hopefully he'll ship this week, so maybe next week, I can show you my new setup !

 

Spent a chunk of the day online. Found an interesting doll pattern loaning library, for only $15. a year. I could borrow two patterns a month (well, copies of the patterns), and most of what they have, I don't. It was intriguing - until I saw the shipping fees. Yikes. I found about 20 or so patterns I'd kinda~sorta like to have, but I'd end up shelling about $40. to get them. Facts are, for $15., or even $25., I'd be glad to participate, and I have lots I could contribute. But none of ‘em - or even all of ‘em together - were that essential. For $2. each, it's still not bad, but seriously, there's lots I'd rather have over more patterns I probably won't use for quite some time, if ever.

 

From there, I do what I always have, when I realize I don't need more - I drift through what I have. I've been sort of wanting to make a shirtwaist. You know, a full-skirted dress that has a button-front blouse and turn-down collar. I had several in my college years, and loved them, because I felt good in them. So of course, I wanna make doll versions !

 

And, of course, it turned out that I have several patterns for those. I chose Aileen's Petite Fashions # 118, a copy of Barbie Learns to Cook. I loved the styling and detail, and hope to have at least one satisfying success with an APF pattern. I still sort of resent my ongoing failures with her Modern Art copy, #135. Much as I'd love to jump right in with some of that great new fabric I bought last week, previous experience demands that I work with less important-to-me material. If the pattern works out, it'll look like a cross between two of Lucille Ball's dresses - a housedress from everyday and her Paris burlap gown ! Yup, I'm gonna use up some unbleached thin muslin - wish me luck ! It's all cut out, and as soon as this is posted, it'll get Fray-Checked. And you know how I am with half-done stuff - it bugs me ‘til it's done.

 

While in the Lab, I figured I'd be more comfy in pajama pants over jeans. Then I remembered I had a big ole split seam down one leg. Well, no time like tonight to get stuff done ! Got the split resewn and cheap-serged, and while I had ‘em up on the machine - with matching thread loaded up - I hemmed them up a bit. Sometimes my foot would get caught in the ‘bell' of the hem, while I was walking. Shortening them up a bit would prevent that. So it's done.

 

Then, I set about reclaiming the denim and elastic from the panties I cut off yesterday's  altered denim skirt project. Yeah, my insane recycling gene has manifest itself again. I'm saving the corrugated cardboard boxes as we empty them, for some obscure organization project, printed the pattern on recycled flyers from Dearest's school, saved the scale-verifying rulers printed on ‘em next to the printer, for my own scanning, in a recycled mini plastic zipper bag, using tape I'd already used to mark a seam allowance on the sewing machine, stored all the empty Kleenex ^TM boxes saved for another project in the newly-emptied eBay sales bin, and reclaimed two ‘Ice Breakers' mint containers for another doll seating project. Had leftovers for lunch. I'm nuts, I admit it.

 

Hope you're staying warm, and aren't going crazy !