Current Mood : Overjoyed and recovering

At least the gunk in my lungs is moving. It's darn disgusting, but better out than in, right ?

After putting in a full day at work, Beloved Hubby came home, took off Molly's passenger rear tire, and in about a minute, found the problem. Her rotor's out of true. It's scraping the arm that holds the brake pads on and compresses them, resulting in the horrible noise problem. Why the mechanic, the expert, couldn't figure that out, neither of us had a clue. Further examination showed a seal had been broken, and just pushed back together tightly, which also caused major damage to the supposedly brand-new bearings mechanic had just replaced. Um, no. Not one word was said to us about this, ever. It's not life-threatening or anything, but even if his ‘repair' hadn't gone belly-up twenty minutes after we paid him, it would have within a week or two. And it would have taken other parts with it.  

Well, to make an odyssey short, $82. at AutoZone (new rotor, new seal, new bearings) and two hours later, I have an almost silent Molly. It's simply incredible how quiet she really is. So I'm happy. Awesomely happy.

Unfortunately, about all I did today was experiment with the printer and mess around. I've been wanting a nice ‘night' backdrop for a while, but my options were limited. Nice night images are expensive ! And our printer does a good job - see the above photo - but the images tend to be a bit small. The one above is fine if I just want to showcase a blouse, but what if I want more in the photo ? Not that Shinobu isn't doing complete justice to a photo of downtown Chicago...

It's kind of silly for me not to know this already, but our printer can handle single image over multiple page jobs. And with the lightbox Beloved salvaged/made for me, I can get it to synch up really closely ! Add a coat of Krylon Matte finish ($3. at Mal-Wart) or two, and the ‘seam' will barely show. And it'll be just what I need ! So I don't have to buy expensive prints or anything. Just a can of Krylon.

With that solved, I sewed the pants to View 2. Peachskin fabric. It's gorgeous, but it really attracts dirt and lint. Once that image is posted - probably tomorrow - I get to start on the Han Solo project. Tuesday or so. I got a lot of work to catch up on Monday !

Posted by dorriebelle at 12:01 AM CST

Updated: Monday, 2 May 2011 11:00 AM CDT

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Current Mood/Mode : Still sick and incredibly angry 

Current Displayed Pattern : The last of the 9c pattern haul, this robe package isn't doll-scale either.  And while it says it fits 'everybody', it won't fit me. My chest is too big for it. How things have changed since the 70s...where would you even *find* the odd fabric that one guy's wearing, anyway ?

Spent on dolls today : $10.74

As soon as Dearest Son got on the bus this morning, my sick butt got back to bed. And I stayed there, more or less - except for the three phonecalls and a mystery malady the computer UPS experiences every so annoyingly often that requires the computer to get turned off and on about four times before the &^%$ UPS starts working without that alarm beeping again - until lunchtime. A quick bowl of soup, and I was back there, but I felt a bit better.

It was a sort of up-and-down day from there - we had a bit of extra cash, but I wasn't in much of a mood to eat out or even shop much. But my car was ready, so we went to get her. I was so happy. That screechy noise was *finally* going to be gone !

And it was. Molly was blissfully, beautifully silent. For about 15 minutes. Then it started up again, gradually at first, but by the time we got home,  I swear, it was actually louder than before. The mechanic says to bring it back next week - we've already paid the *&^% - but Beloved Hubby wants to look at it first. Mostly because said mechanic is about a 45 minute drive each way. I'm actually rather scared to drive her, and the noise gave me a headache. Or I was that (*^^ed off, because there was that going on, too. So I'm not going anywhere I don't have to for a while. (sigh) And I was so happy, too - it was like getting a Christmas present, having her fixed...

Beloved felt bad that I was so upset, so we went to Hastings - I'd planned on going tomorrow, to look for new doll magazines. They had a new Barbie Collector that even had a pattern, but not much else of interest to me. The pattern wasn't anything very special either, and was sized to SilkStones. I have no idea how that fits a standard 1966-type body, so that was two strikes against it. I have almost nothing in common with FDQ, since 90% of their pages are ball-jointed dolls in gothwear or Lolita apparel, and paper dolls of ball-jointed dolls (dressed in goth or lolicon). Just not my bag of plastic. Haute Doll is fast becoming an FDQ clone, and it was the same issue as last month, so feh. Doll Reader is still on a Shirley Temple bender - they can barely publish an article lacking some reference to those dolls.

Found a used copy of A Decade of Barbie Dolls and Collectables, 1981-1991, and just leafing through ID'd two mystery outfits, so I snagged it. Also a copy of Thank God It's Friday to watch while rerooting. I now have my two guilty pleasure movies - that and Xanadu - on DVD. Doesn't fix Molly's squeak, but I was happier than I was going in. We found a DVD copy of History Channel's first season of Mail Call for Beloved - he's a real R. Lee Ermey fan.

On the way home, we snagged some dinner - and I astonished us both by putting all of mine away, and part of his ! Guess I was finally hungry again. And believe it or not, even after sleepin' all day, I'm tired again. I just have to take the spoonfuls of yuck first...

Posted by dorriebelle at 12:01 AM CST

Updated: Monday, 2 May 2011 11:00 AM CDT

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Current Mood :  Well, maybe more mode than mood - I'm sick as a dog - ugh.

Sorry to be so late updating this. I'm not feeling terribly well tonight, so I'm probably gonna sleep in a few minutes and as much as I can tomorrow. Ugh. I have so much gunk in my chest, it hurts to breathe. And the pressure is giving me a headache. Don't know if it's excess humidity from the clothes dryer yesterday, or I've caught a whopper cold. Time to chug on the nasty generic Robitussin bottle. Bleah ! I don't know if that stuff works because I expect it to, with that horrible taste, or if it tastes so bad because it works. (shudder)

At least I wasn't totally miserable earlier. Got the blouse to View 2 sewn, and attaching the lace was far easier than I thought. It looks pretty darn good ! Here's a quick photo - I'll post to the main site when I get the pants sewn. Just too stripped to sew now, even though that pants pattern's super easy. It's the same as the sweatpants Leia's wearing ! But I'll probably forego the ribbon stripe on them, too. Gathered the sleeves as the directions said, but I can't really tell much of a difference. So I'll go back to tuck-and-fold. Although, looking at the picture again, that one sleeve isn't that flat - I just forgot to poof it up for the image.

And I skipped the elastic thread for the cuffs -  after that first fiasco, it'll probably be a while before I experiment with it again. I just added two more  embroidery floss ties instead, to go with the one on the jabot. BTW, all three black ties are removeable, for greater versatility. I'm gonna sew black pants next, but if she wants to wear the blouse  with a red skirt, all I need to do is dig in the floss stash.

I can easily give Simplicity 6097 a thumbs-up, as everything's gone together well, directions were clear and easy, and while the shapes are a bit blocky, they still look great and fit well. And to think, I didn't even *want* that pattern !

Sorry, ya'll, but I'm about done for the day. Hope yours is well - and you don't have to guzzle anything nasty from a spoon anytime soon !

Posted by dorriebelle at 12:01 AM CST

Updated: Monday, 2 May 2011 10:59 AM CDT

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 Current Mood : a bit hopped up on birthday cake !

Current Displayed Pattern : While not a doll pattern, I couldn't resist the funky coolness of this envelope ! There's only six pieces to the whole thing. It's funny to note that this particular one is for one specific size and gender. Today, all the sizes and sexes it was made for would probably be in the same only-one-available envelope. There's a 1970 copyright on the instructions, and it's complete and uncut. Another 9c wonder.

Well, I finally got View 2 cut out and Fray-Checked, and I'll hopefully get it sewn up tomorrow. Today's my DMIL's birthday - we had her gifts ready, but forgot the day ! - and with Dearest Son in school and Beloved Hubby at work, I'm the only one who could go to the family party this afternoon. Hope she likes what we got her - the slippers and aloe-treated socks were Beloved's idea, but the massive Hershey's chocolate bar was mine !

Before that, it's laundry day, and there's two loads on the line, one in the dryer, and one in the wash. Only three more to do ! How our itty-bitty family goes through so many clothes in a week and a half astounds me !

I also located the lace for the View 2 blouse. Between the collar and the jabot, it'll about use all of it. I've come to the long-overdue conclusion that I pretty much have everything, and it's past time for me to use it all, stop looking for more. I'm leaving the wooden spools in the half-cookie-tin I bought ‘em in - no rust or anything, so if they've been fine this long, they should be fine for the next ten or twenty years ! - and stacked the tin on top of the big thread box. Cleaned up the Lab, too, so I'm really looking forward to sewing tomorrow ! I'm gonna follow the directions exactly this time, too.

When I first started sewing, I couldn't quite get the hang of gathering on sleeves for Barbie-scale clothes. The 1/8" allowed was simply too narrow. So I'd sort of pinch-pleat sleeves instead. A tuck here, a fold there, and the sleeve looked fine. But the more I look at the pattern envelope cover, those big sleeves really look poofy. I'll try gathering them this time, but I swear, if they look the same, I'm goin' back to hand-tucking ‘em. It's fast and easy, something I don't know if I can say about machine-gathering yet.

I'll have plenty of time to figure it out - my car's now in the shop, so I ain't goin' nowhere tomorrow. Or Friday, probably. Sewin' time !

PS to Michelle - I wanna see your website ! Mine's such a mess, I know anybody could do it better ! :) Lotsa dolls, I hope !

Posted by dorriebelle at 12:01 AM CST

Updated: Monday, 2 May 2011 10:59 AM CDT

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Current Mood : Slightly cheezed off.

Current Displayed Pattern - complete, right down to the slightly creepy 'disembodied head in an omnivorous plant' embroidery transfers. I'm hoping the sweatsuit fits Timey and Dottie !  Another not-yet-scaned 9c special from last Friday.

I've gotta quit answering my phone during the day. Seems no one volunteered to help the Safe Kids ID vendor visiting Dearest Son's school. And they needed someone. (sigh) I stupidly said I'd do it, so there went my morning. I shouldn't whine, because I said I would, but...most of my ‘job' was walking the hallways, gathering and escorting students whose parents ponied up the cash for these optional ( read : useless in my opinion) ID cards. Um, why didn't they use the intercom to call the kids as the vendor was ready for ‘em ? That's how they did it back in my day ! (hunts for rocking chair, settles in for a good rant)

From there, I measured height and weight of the kids. Again, why am I doing this ? Isn't that the vendor's job ? We were done for the day by noon, but still, it was three plus hours of no-break actual work. I don't mind painting the playground equipment, or helping the librarians with Book Fair, or counting out weekly folder inserts, or helping with the class holiday parties. That's fun, and directly helps the staff, teachers, and students. But this is the second time I've done grunt work for someone making money off the school, someone who has no ties to it or even lives around here, and it's kind of getting on my bad side.

My time is limited, same as anybody else's. So I'd rather spend my volunteer hours doing what benefits the kids and the school - not help line someone's wallet for free. If the vendor needs someone to do the heavy lifting equivalent, let ‘em hire somebody. It's not like I had an awful time or anything, but I got tired fast of doing all the scut work while the vendor sat in her chair to take photos, and didn't have to do much else. If it's sooo difficult to find volunteers, then why squander what you get on crap ‘opportunities' like this one ? School asks for all parents to do three volunteer activities. I've already done eight, and we've just now passed the first quarter of the year. I'm kind of tapped out, ya'll.

Anyway. I got even less done today than I'd hoped. Didn't get near the Lab, but I did get the Ken pattern scanned. I'm really looking forward to using it. Reason I did that instead of sewing is because I wanna put the ironing board away. It takes up half the Lab when I have to use it, and that pattern was so wrinkled, I had to, or the scanning would have been waaay off. I also use the iron to flatten it a bit before it gets stored. Plus I was in a rather cheesed-off mood anyway, might as well do something with the energy of it. So I at least got that done. I had time to read the directions for View 2, and the hardest part of it will be finding the right size lace for the collar and jabot. Hopefully, I'll have time to cut it out tomorrow, maybe even sew. But the housework I should have done got delayed, so I'll be lucky to cut.

Heck, I should be grateful for that and knock off the whining. My car Molly goes in the shop tomorrow, I got *more* fabric to wash, and I still haven't put away the stuff I got on sale Sunday. Man, I'm bein' a whiner baby today ! Sorry about that !

Ps to Michelle - next time I find a Leia doll, I'm gonna snatch her up and mail her to you ! She's lovely, and her not-Barbie figure is a challenge, but a fun one. Here's one of my fave Leia doll sites, I just wish it'd get updated soon...but since the last update mentions ‘November 2005", I guess we shouldn't hold our breath !

https://www.angelfire.com/theforce/leiaasylum/

And Ps to Manda - thanks ! Frankly, finding, editing, and finishing the coloring book pages was fun, but it took longer to do that than write the day's entry ! Sorry today's is kind of blah, but I promise something cool and vintage tomorrow !

Posted by dorriebelle at 12:01 AM CST

Updated: Monday, 2 May 2011 10:59 AM CDT

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Current Mood : Tired. So very tired.

Quick Pattern note - this is the one that I only have View A, D, and F for. Darn. For 9c though, I can't whine too much !

Usual busy Monday, wherein not much doll or sewing stuff got done. Didn't go near the Lab (formerly the Studio - ‘Lab' is a rather snarky Venture Bros. reference), but I finished ironing the Ken pattern Sunday night. It's ready for scanning, but I'm fryin' other fish first.

The Veteran's Day program at Dearest Son's school was very sweet and thoughtful. I felt like I was there more for those who came before me and would go after me than I was there for myself. One former soldier I spoke with was glad to see me, ‘cause ‘the girls need to see more strong women in service'. Well, as long as he put it that way...plus, the principal's already invited me back for next year. I even got to give a short talk to Dearest's class while his teacher prepared for the day's first lesson. I proudly wore my ‘Minuteman' pin (the only military issue I can wear while in civvie gear), and just ‘cause, I had my old Signal Corps insignia in my pocket. It came in handy during my brief chat !  Dearest was bragging (‘that's my mommy !') a bit, and yelled ‘Signal Corps - Hoo-rah !' (urged on by his Daddy !) tonight. It was a memorable day.

Because it took me sooo long to find the Minuteman pin, I cleaned out the jewelry armoire. It's just so ‘me' that the chest is worth about three times the contents ! Dumped a bunch of old Sailor Moon kiddie jewelry (did I use to actually *wear* that outside the house ?!) and some other oddities in the donation box.

I still plan on starting View 2 of Simplicity's 6097 tomorrow. But I also gave some idle thought to dressing Han and Luke, now that Leia has a nice sweatsuit. I confess, I wasn't eager to begin another round of sparring with Doll Shop Deluxe to clothe those dudes. Then I remembered - Leia's flight suit ! (It's on Leia's page on the main site  - https://dorriebelle.tripod.com/id36.html , if you're interested) In short, I took a photo of a Kenner never-mass-produced pattern on a website, enlarged it and sewed it several times until I had not only a working pattern, but my own version of the finished item. I was happy for weeks on that success !

Now, the nice guys at the Star Wars Collectors Archive didn't stop at showing images of Leia's never-finalized patterns and clothes. They also had Luke's proposed X-Wing flight suit, his Awards Ceremony outfit, and his Fatigue Suit (similar, but not quite the same as the flight suit). I figure Han's clothes would have been about the same, just in other colors, as no patterns seem to exist for him. Luckily, he and Luke have the same body. So, three guesses what I did this evening...and I don't think you need all three. Copies of the original website photos now rest on my hard-drive, awaiting a tweaking and trial similar to what Leia's flight suit got.

Hmm. I may have to alter Leia's page to become a Star Wars Large Size Action Figure (truly, that's what they were marketed as !) page. Or simply add a Han and Luke one. Finally, I can retake the Han Solo vs. Indiana Jones photo, and keep it up permanently. Yup, we have both -  I have Han, Beloved has Indy. Both were darn near buck nude when we bought them as Han dolls. It wasn't until I noticed they had different eye and hair colors that I did a quick ‘butt check' for copyright dates.

So I did a lot of running in place, doll-wise, today. I'm hoping to get the Ken pattern scanned and View 2 begun tomorrow. I'll have plenty of home time this week, as my sweet Lightning Molly goes into the shop Wednesday or Thursday, to get her squeaky rear passenger wheel repaired. I'll miss not having her, but it'll be sooo great for her to be as quiet as she is beautiful !

Posted by dorriebelle at 10:04 PM CST

Updated: Monday, 2 May 2011 10:59 AM CDT

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Current Mood : Stunned

 Spent on sewing today : $28.60 !

After a wild shopping spree like yesterday and a lucky series of finds Friday, you'd think I'd skip the big sale at Hancock Fabrics, stay home and count my blessings. Naaaaah ! You're darn right, I went ! I'm wearing my tiny little sewing machine charm, and I've stored away the tiny plastic yellow box of seven rotary blades. Beloved Hubby encouraged me to go, saying that I shop less when I feel well-stocked ! Rate I'm going, I won't need to leave the house except for errands, groceries, and volunteering until 2012 !

If nothing else, the sales are fun, just for the community of it. The store was, in a word, busy. I arrived about a half hour after the festivities began, and snagged the same blade set I'd placed on a separate, price tagged slot last week, then went cruisin'. While I have plenty of small silver snap fasteners, I was fresh out of black ones, so I picked up four cards of 4/0 and 3/0. And a fresh pack of soft-sculpture needles. I use ‘em for reroots, and it's about time to start those. At half-price, it's a good idea to stock up. That'll last me at least until the next 50% off notions sale, which may be next spring, or next month. Or next year, with all the Mal-Warts closing their fabric and notions sections.

Considered getting another thread box for all the spools I bought Saturday, but the box was $7. - I'd only paid $5. for the thread. They had the softest, most incredible fake furs available - I selected a calico mix of colors. At 60 inches wide, I wouldn't need much. Normally $16.99/yd, it was half price, and I only got a quarter yard. So this amazingly wonderful fake fur was only a bit over two bucks. I'm seriously considering making a few Christmas gifts from what I don't need for the project I'm pondering...

And I broke down and bought the two fat quarters I was eyeing last visit. Heck, two bucks, why not. One is a cheery multi-colored polka dot on white, the other is a sleek black/silver. And there went $28.60 ! At least I'm helping the economy...

After that, I had plenty of time to do blessing counts. Took an OK photo of Leia in a backyard tree, wearin' the sweatsuit. It actually fit her ! First time I've made a Barbie pattern garment that fit Leia without basic alterations. It helps that it's mostly elastic and stretch knit in a loose design, but I'm still very happy about the whole thing. After I try View 3, the fancy blouse and pants, I have to work on something for Han - and he and Luke do NOT fit Ken clothes very well. Crotch rise is too short, pant and sleeve lengths are too short, and both guys are a bit beefier in the chest, too. I've put off making stuff for them, but the time is here. Wonder if I can fit in some of what's left of Carol's green knit into their outfits somewhere...

Oh, and the Cinderella Jedi doll ? Well, she's more of a sewing fitting doll than a playing one. She's too adorable to donate, but I don't play with her much, either. Every time I take a picture of her, I wanna keep her, but a week later, she's languishing half-nude by the sewing machine again.

Well, tomorrow's another busy one. It's Veteran's Day, and Dearest Son has an assembly I've promised to attend. My service wasn't much, just three years in Europe during the Reagan/Bush years, so I barely believe it counts, ya know ?

And thanks, Michelle and Manda, for ID'ing those funky needles for me ! Would ya'll like 'em ? Woudn't cost anything to mail 'em, and there's about ten here - be glad to split 'em between ya. I'm certainly not gonna be able to do anything with 'em, and it'd make me happy if ya'll could use them. Lemme know what ya'll think !

Posted by dorriebelle at 12:01 AM CST

Updated: Monday, 2 May 2011 10:58 AM CDT

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Current Mood : Overwhelmed in happy - and rather tired ! 

Spent on dolls and sewing yesterday and today : $14.29

Aw, I went sooo nutz at the flea market today ! Bought three ‘My Scene' dolls, mostly for their shoes for Lila and their clothes - two Madisons and a Chelsea. I'll probably redress and donate the Madisons along with the Un-Fur-Gettable Kennedy(Barbie) and the Roller Girl Chelsea I bought new, and keep the flea market Chelsea. She has less-fussy hair than RG Chel does. It's pretty, a gorgeous shade of mahogany, but straight with a bit of a wave to it. RG Chel has an elaborate bun hairstyle I haven't been able to bring myself to undo. They all have arresting faces, but I really like my flea-market Chel the best.

Here's a link to the photo album of a couple of images I took of her last night. Not sure what I'm doing with my doll imaging project lately !

https://dorriebelle.tripod.com/dolls_of_my_life/index.album/another-chel?i=14

It's grown to two pages now, so don't forget to click the ‘2' at the top left.

I also got a display box from the lady who does the overpriced car kits. I really should have known better. I can't fault her for the item, a Mattel box with a window and chest that's actually paint on the reverse of a plastic box liner, nothing there as solid as it appears, but I think she knew the window was cracked, something I couldn't tell in there. Oh, well. I should have known when she sold it so cheaply. I can still use it, but I feel kind of ripped off. At least I didn't buy the Bratz Mercedes with two dolls shoved in, but with no remote or doors, for $20. She tossed in a ratty-haired SuperStar doll in a torn swimsuit with my purchase, but I soon had hair and suit repaired. Dearest Son's playing with her now !

And here's where you'll laugh at me. I bought a sewing kit, an ancient one, for another $5. I am such a sucker for these things. 52 spools, in varying sizes and degrees of use, all wooden. I missed my wood spools ! Spent about half an hour untangling most of a huge wad of thread, before I gave up. At least I gave each spool about a foot or two of more thread ! Most of it was wound around some sequined and pink bead trim. I thought the pink bead stuff was plastic cuplike pieces, with a sequin and a bead inside. Nope - those plastic cups were actually tiny seashells ! Not sure where or how I'll use that, but it's certainly pretty. Tiny shell earrings, for one...

There were also the thinnest needles I've ever seen, with eyes that might take two strands of hair, but no more. They were like thin guitar strings with eyes. There was a wealth of odd and fun things in there, too - a tomato pin cushion with a strawberry emery, some random buttons, a safety pin full of other safety pins, a Pfaff tape measure too deteriorated to use, a small, smooth stone, two 1965 pennies, two wide strips of burgundy ribbon, a swatch of bright orange corduroy, a label from a Neiman-Marcus garment, a small crochet hook, a few square snaps, and a tiny, thin pencil that is just Barbie sized ! It's long, so I can break it in half and have two. Really writes !

Got Beloved Hubby two books I thought he might like, then a selection of back issues of Guns and Ammo. He's sort of getting into that. We went to a firing range today, too. It's been a long time since I fired a weapon. My first shot was fantastic, but several of my others would make Drill Sergeant Orfield (when I went through, they were DSergeants, not DInstructors) weep in frustrated anger.

And I sewed up the sweatpants today. They came out OK, but I stretched one leg at the hem a bit, so the cuff threads don't match up on both legs. Darn it. Otherwise, though, they fit and look good, so I shouldn't whine. Hope to have a photo up on the Home page tomorrow, there's no time today.

Didn't get very far with the pattern ironing today. About all I did was View 1 of the Ken one. I'm still amazed I have those now. Lots of ironing ahead for me, that's for sure. Then scanning !

Had a really busy, wonderful day. And tomorrow, I go get rotary blades ! Hopefully after that, I won't find anything irresistible. I already feel so bad about spending so much !

Posted by dorriebelle at 12:01 AM CST

Updated: Monday, 2 May 2011 10:58 AM CDT

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Current Mood :  Amazingly happy... :) 

So many new, fun discoveries today !

Found out that ‘cut/Fray Check one day, sew the next' really works for me. I tend to hang up at cutting fabric. It's the worst part of sewing, even with a great rotary like the Olfa. I keep remembering this passage I read once - ‘Doll clothes sewing must be incredibly precise. Even a variance of 1/32 of an inch will show, and glaringly, in the final piece' -every time I begin to cut. Well, it's sort of true, but not really. You can get around or fix errors. I've been off more than that before, and if I were to tell you which piece was off a half-inch at one point, you could search the garment and not find it. Unless, of course, you're a better doll seamstress than me (which is not at all difficult !) or you've sewn the same pattern. Either way, it all starts with cutting, and even with the ridiculous abundance of fabric I own, I still hate the idea of wasting it or time.

Getting the ‘hard part' over with makes me very eager to tackle a new project. And even on busy days, I can cut out and Fray-Check something in less than a half-hour. So I'm hoping to do at least two new pieces a week. There's just no way I can sew something start-to-finish five days a week. Not happening. Other stuff to do.

Broke open the Bratz Boyz outfit I bought at the thrift store a few days ago. Ever since I discovered that Lila (my Lanard ‘Catwalk Kitties' doll) can swap shoes with Bratz, I've been on the lookout for more. I knew she couldn't fit the girl-doll's clothes, they're much too small, and Lila actually has a Teen Skipper-like figure. But what about the Boyz stuff ? Well, the shoes are a no-go. The pegs for Girlz are smaller than the Boyz ones. Go figure.

But the shirt and jacket fit great ! Looked great on her, too. Displayed in the package like it was merely missing the doll, the shirt was inside the jacket, and I was surprised to learn that the shirt was long-sleeved. Mattel normally cheaps out, and nearly all male doll clothes are short-sleeved, especially if there's a jacket or coat included. The Bratz shirt also had cuffs with Velcro ^TM, probably to aid in dressing. I have no idea if they have oversized hands as well. But it was very neatly and cleverly done.

The pants were much too small, but I loved the tailoring and the neat belt with the eagle ‘buckle'. I was again surprised to find that the belt could be removed ! I was just tryin' to figure out how to salvage that eagle. I think my Tyco Little Mermaid Ariel - much smaller than the Mattel Ariels - can wear the pants. They're well-made, with nice decorative stitching. So, about the only thing I'll end up donating out of that $2.99 buy is the shoes I bought it for !

I also stumbled onto a project idea, something I wanna write up for the main site. Involves some fake fur and about five minutes of hand-sewing. I'll keep you posted.

You may notice that I'm sort of obsessed with time. I always report about how long it takes me to finish something, etc. I'm not sure where I got this idea, but I always figured that if I spent more than two hours on any doll garment, it was a waste. An hour was optimum. Maybe, with ready-to-wear doll clothes selling for as little as a buck even for Barbie stuff, it seemed ridiculous to spend an hour or more to make the same thing. Yesterday, however,  when I finished the three-hour warm-up jacket, I was so proud of it, and glad I'd taken my time, and done it right. I'll probably always have this time hang-up, but I'm slowly learning that it's better if I do more challenging things that take more than ten minutes, but yield something more than a blocky square with elastic and hems. I mean, shoot, I can do a tube dress in either knit or cotton fabric in less than a half-hour. Put a zipper up the back in another 15-20 minutes. But who in heck wants tube dresses ? Especially when you're already capable of more and better sewing.

I think sometimes that we all want challenges, but we're also afraid of screwing up. But it's the only way to learn new stuff, figure out what we're capable of, and what we still have to study and learn. It's maddening ! 

Also learned to be careful when tossing around words like ‘always' and ‘never'. We hit a thrift and a yard sale while running errands today, and after the first sale, I commented that I never found good doll clothes patterns used. Always had to get ‘em off eBay. I was dusting my knees off - grass stains - while I was saying it. But at the thrift...wow ! I scored a half-complete generic Barbie and Ken Butterick 3317, a missing directions but complete pattern Skipper McCalls 7480, a missing one piece that I can easily duplicate Ken Advance Group E, and a complete Cabbage Patch Butterick 332. Plus two others - robes and 70s era vests. All for the princely sum of 54c ! Since most are quite old, they're wrinkled and fragile, so I'll iron and scan ‘em this weekend. Tomorrow, the new doll sewing image goes up on the main page, and the pattern envelopes will be pictured here.

In the meanwhile, enjoy Lila in her Bratz Boyz outfit. Isn't she just so lovely ? There's also a flea market tomorrow - it's been such an incredible week, I almost don't want to go ! :)

Posted by dorriebelle at 10:07 PM CST

Updated: Monday, 2 May 2011 10:58 AM CDT

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Current Mood : So Happy

I'll confess it right here, right now. I was so worried about screwing up this great, soft, stretchy beautifully green knit fabric that Carol gave me, I gave myself a blasted migraine. Had to lie down for two hours to outsleep it. There may have been other factors - dropping hormone levels, new medicine, that Fuzzy Navel I had before bedtime last night - but I think it was mostly worry. Oh, and I also freakin' loathe elastic thread. But you'll hear more about that later.

Anyway, all Star Wars jokes aside, I really really wanted the sweatshirt jacket to go well. And it was all cut out, Fray-checked, and ready to go. But I couldn't start. After my migraine-chasing nap, though, I couldn't come up with any excuses. Especially since I'd spent two hours yesterday cleaning the kitchen and living room. It was time. Past time.

All in all, the only things I did differently from this and the usual project is that I simply relaxed, took my time, reloaded the music onto my MP3 player, and armed myself with lots and lots of cheap stabilizer. I may not have mentioned it before, but I use old dryer fabric softener sheets and cutaway interfacing. You can use tissue paper, too.

Stabilizer, at first, doesn't make much sense. You're adding something to the knit fabric seams that you don't need - and that isn't mentioned anywhere in the directions ? Then you have to cut away as much as possible, so it won't show ? Why ? Well, knit fabric stretches. A lot. Without a stabilizer behind it, simply running it through the machine will stretch it. A lot. And if you tug or push it, it'll really warp out of shape, catch in the feed dogs, skip stitches. In short, a real bad sewing experience, usually involving words that have to be fumigated before letting ‘em in the house. Stabilizer won't keep it from stretching, but it gives it less of an opportunity. And it's a good way to use up scrap interfacing and dryer sheets. If you don't use either, visit a Laundromat - tons of those things floating around - or hit a fabric shop. You can buy stabilizer made for just this reason, but why pay more than 79c a yard that brand-new interfacing costs ?

Also, I sang, took breaks, and frequently matched up pieces in progress, to make sure nothing'd really warped out of shape. And it came out beautifully, better than I thought I could do. Yeah, it's just an approximation of a sweatsuit jacket. A full-size one for a plus-size person like me is less than $15. But I wanted this fabric to make something that I really wanted for my dolls and loved in my own closet. Sort of my ‘thank you' to Carol, for believing in me back then.

About the only thing I'd change is the waist elastic. Pattern called for five and a half inches, but I'd have used less. Maybe five, or four and a half inches. On the plus side, this baggy jacket could probably fit Leia, or even Jem, so I'm overall happy. Still have to put snap fasteners in - hence the pins - but otherwise it's done.

Broke down and used that &^%$ing elastic thread in the sleeve cuffs, just like the directions told me to. What a useless product ! Had to use a huge needle so the eye was big enough for the elastic to go through, then it didn't tighten much more than regular ole elastic would have. And it took twice as long, because I had to hand-sew it. Next time, I'll either use regular elastic strips or use the sleeve hem as a casing, feed this &^%$ing elastic through there.

All told, this project took about two and a half hours. Three once I put in snaps. It may not look like much, but the sewing is great, all the seams match perfectly, even the clipped curves got Fray-Checked, and the hood can accommodate the usual ton ‘o Barbie hair. The ‘denim' skirt, a dime find in last week's yard sale spree, is actually kind of big on Obi-Blonde Cinderella here. I hope to make the matching pants tomorrow, from the same green fabric. That'll use about 75% of it. Pattern calls for a ribbon stripe down the outside legs and more &^%$ing elastic thread at the cuffs, but I'll probably skip them. Want the pants to be more versatile, since the fabric is so nice.  

For possibly the first time, I'm completely happy and satisfied and flat-out overjoyed with something I made. I think I did better than Mattel ! Sure, you'd normally never catch a glamour girl like Barbie in a baggy sweat-jacket - or at least, not without it being all rhinestone'd and glammed up - but my dolls needed one ! And I made something I really love.

Wow. I'm starting to wonder who I helped, because I'm having such an amazing week !

Posted by dorriebelle at 8:13 PM CST

Updated: Monday, 2 May 2011 10:57 AM CDT

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