10 Inch Tonner Patsy with New Dress

I've been wanting to acquire a new Tonner Patsy, largely because I wanted to see the new body with bending knees, elbows and wrists. Unfortunately for me, the new Patsy dolls don't really appeal to me, even after seeing one in person. Their combination of large eyes, lots of long, applied eyelashes, and sober appearance was too waif-like for me. Picture Oliver Twist saying "Please, can I have some more?"

However, when I saw Sydney of Dolly Panic was giving Patsy dolls new eyes, and new wigs, I found a Patsy I could bring home.

I've been debating a name for her. I think I might go with Posy. I love her new gray eyes, and I think her painted-on eyelashes are perfectly fine. Her wig is very nice and soft.

I've been wanting to blog about her sooner, but I wanted to give her something to wear first! With the warm weather arriving here in NE Ohio, a sundress was perfect to sew, and not too difficult. I still hate gathers, though. Her dress is made out of blue cotton chambray, with fake tucks on the bodice, and insertion trim on the skirt. The bodice is lined with cotton voile, which I again starched. The voile is so thin and delicate that it unravels very easily. I may stick with a cotton batiste as a lining for the bigger dolls.

Ann and Sophie are happy to welcome Posy to their group.

Since Posy has a new body, I took a couple of pictures comparing this latest body with the oldest one. In between these two types, 10 inch dolls got bending knees, and now have added bending elbows and wrists. Other doll lines that have used this body are Petite Filles, Dr. Seuss, Half Pint, and It's a Small World. Half Pint and Patsy dolls are technically dolls by Effanbee, which is owned by Robert Tonner. The official Effanbee site has not been updated since 2010, however. Half Pint and Mary Engelbreit dolls are also from Effanbee.

I have to admit as far as weight and feel, I prefer the older body. It's nice to have both kinds now, though.

Tonner has certainly gotten a lot of use out of the 10 inch body sculpt. I will be looking for a few more of this body type to add to my collection.

Teen Trends Gabby

With encouragement from blog commenters, I decided to add another Teen Trends doll to the group. I was thinking it would be nice to add Kianna, but I found a Gabby NRFB and two NRFP outfits for sale, cheaper than the asking price for the only NRFB Kianna on ebay, so Gabby and the clothes came home instead. I'd still like to get Kianna, NRFB partially because of the low hair quality, partially to get her outfit complete, and partially because I have an OCD cleanliness thing.

Gabby comes tied down with coated wires and the little plastic tags. Her jacket, her necklace and her purse were also all attached to her shirt and pants with tiny little plastic tags. Annoying! There is a cover of plastic and cardboard that gets removed from her box, and then there are cardboard inserts that Gabby, her stand, and her accessories come attached to. Those get lifted out, and you end up with a cardboard wardrobe that holds the doll and her accessories, and has a place to hang her clothes. Extra outfits come with a hanger.

Franklin Mint's Josephine the Original Gibson Girl, Orient Express Version

Oddly enough, taking the pictures so I could talk about this doll with you really brought out a lot of her flaws, and yet she still remains one of the favorites in my collection. I think it is because she is a doll who represents one of my favorite times in history, at least as far as fashion goes, and I love the Gibson Girl's style and self-assurance. She also took part in physical activities such as bicycling and golfing, so she was not merely an ornament.

1901 Gibson Girls at the beach

One of the best things about this doll right off the bat is her face. She has the classical elegance of the Gibson Girl, and Franklin Mint was able to resist slapping a lot of make-up on her. Frankly, I find this a flaw in too many "historical dolls," and even in movies based on historical events. The brown color used to define her upper lid could almost pass for an actual shadow under her brows. The only stand-out is that lip liner was not in use back then.

Maybe she's born with it