A Brief Non-Doll Interlude

Since I talked about my daughter's Homecoming dress, I thought I'd show you how it turned out.

 

This pre-ruffled fabric turned out great for the 20s look. It gave the movement and visual interest of fringe without me having to sew on yard after yard of fringe. Also, she didn't have to worry about pulling off strings when she sat down. We found the headband at Claire's (teenage girl heaven.) It's meant to be worn like a regular headband, but she wore it down to get the flapper feel.

Here's my other daughter.

 

She already had the dress and shoes (actually the shoes used to be mine from before she was even born.) We added the black feather boa from JoAnn Fabrics, a black sequined headband and black feathery clip on hair piece from Claire's, plus the big earrings. We ended having a lot of fun with the theme of A Night at Gatsby's, even though most of the other girls just wore the usual dresses, and the high heels they took off the minute they got to the dance. But we've never been afraid to be different, and it made us happy, so it was fine.

One last picture: since I will be sharing some of my sewing for dolls here, I will also be including some pictures of my sewing area. I don't have a whole room, but I do have the back part of Mr. BTEG's and my bedroom exclusively for my sewing stuff, which is still nice. I took a picture of my sewing table with both leaves out. I usually have only the right leaf out, because as you can see, the window is completely inaccessible with that leaf on the left hand side open. But I needed the extra room to cut out the stretchy knit fabric for the dress without having excess fabric hanging down the side and messing up the cutting.

 I'm going to make this week easier on myself, so you should see some doll stuff soon.

Days Flying By

Here I am starting up a new blog, and I've been too busy lately to do much of anything. My eldest daughter is in her senior year of high school, and consequently her last marching band season. She has practice three days a week and the football game Friday nights. Sometimes she also has marching band events on Saturdays. I'm trying to go to every football game and every event. I'll miss marching band. It's been a fun four years.

My youngest daughter is back into her dance routine. She is involved in seven dance classes a week, including pointe. It's great to see her body getting so strong.

Both of my daughters are going to the homecoming dance next Saturday. The theme this year is The Great Gatsby. The three of us have had fun picking out 20's style accessories, but that does take up time. I am also sewing The Dancer's dress, so that's more time. I'm hoping it will turn out well, though.

I have been doing a little bit of doll stuff, mostly sewing. And at the moment I don't have much to show for it. :(  I'll have to keep working this week, and hopefully get some pictures up soon at any rate.

Pre-Mattel American Girl Samantha

Meet Samantha! She is the only American Girl doll I own, and she was made in Germany for Pleasant Company, which I guess makes her a little bit special. My guess is that I received her for Christmas of 1996. I could take pictures of her body, but it would probably make more sense for me to borrow my daughter's Samantha and show comparison pictures. In the meantime, I will say that my Samantha's body is relatively chunky compared to more modern dolls. I purchased Nellie's Spring Party dress for Samantha, and it is rather tight. In fact, I can't get the Velcro completely shut.

Picture courtesy of American Girl Wiki

 

Elegant Blogger Award!

Beastsbelle was kind enough to give me an Elegant Blogger Award. Thank you!

This award originated here. And as a nominee, I have to answer twelve questions.

1.  Why did you start blogging?
I started blogging about dolls because I wanted to start my own conversations. I can't afford a lot of dolls right now, so I'm sharing photos of what I currently own, and giving my own opinions on what I can see of new dolls. I think it also helps if one has her own blog "home," in interacting with other bloggers.

2.  What is your fashion style?
At the moment, pretty boring. If I had the budget, I would be Victorian/Edwardian inspired.

3.  What is something your followers don't know about you?
That I used to homeschool. Mr. BTEG and I ended up not being happy with the parochial school where we had our daughters enrolled, and our local school district was in a state of academic emergency, so homeschooling it was. I think my greatest achievement there was teaching my youngest, the Dancer, to read, because she had made up her mind that she could get through life just fine without ever learning. Last year in eighth grade, she tested above high school level in reading.

4.  What is one of your blogging goals?
To learn to take better pictures of my dolls. Also, to meet more fans some of the older doll lines that I like.
 
5.  Where is your favorite place to shop?
For dolls, online. Mostly eBay since I buy older things.
  
6.  What would your ideal amount of followers be?
I would just like my followers to be people that truly enjoy some of what I post. And that occasionally commented. Commenters can make a blog so much more fun.
    
7.  What are your talents?
Sewing, mainly. I knit, but I'm mostly still satisfied with smaller pieces such as dishcloths. I'm working on a doll size blanket that I would like to finish soon. First I have to find one of the needles that I managed to lose! I would also like to learn more about drawing, and that would include some fashion drawing.   

8.  Are you a leader or a follower?
Definitely a follower. I don't have the physical presence to be noticed, nor do I project myself well in person. However, I will step up if there is no one else to do it. I served as a Girl Scout troop leader for a year so my eldest could stay in Girl Scouts.

9.  What is your favorite quote?
"Good night comb,
good night brush,
good night nobody,
good night mush."
-Good Night Moon   

10.  Do you have a favorite book or book series?
I wanted to live in Narnia when I was in grade school. I read those books over and over again. I still enjoy reading Agatha Christie off and on. Right now I'm interested in history and biographies of some of the people from my favorite time periods, such as Queen Victoria and Tsarina Marie Feodrovona.

11.   Out of all the synonyms for elegant, which would you describe yourself with (smart, dressy, stylish, graceful, or fine)?
I love being dressy when I have the occasion. I wish I could go to an event that required a tiara. :)
 
12.   What is your favorite flower?
I adore the smell of lilacs. Pansies are my favorite to look at.

Now I have to tag twelve people. Oh dear.

Ella Kay at A Tiara a Day
Lots of sparkle!

The co-bloggers of The Fashion Doll Review
Many elegant dolls

Michelle at The Creative Doll
Creates lovely doll fashions

Melissa From My Little Hole in the Wall
Takes vintage doll costume drawings and brings them to life.

And um, yeah. That's gonna be it. Three out of the four I've linked are probably going to think I'm a crazy blog stalker anyway, since I haven't commented there before. But enjoy the ones I *have* linked!

I'm Too Lazy to Own a BJD

Truly, they are beautiful dolls, who pose well for pictures and have a lot of versatility due to their eyes and wigs being changeable. However, I wouldn't really like all the *work* that goes into owning one of these dolls. It needs a faceup, possibly new eyes, possibly a new wig, sueding, maybe restringing. I don't want to learn how to do all of these things! (Although it seems dolls are usually sent out for faceups.) I also don't want to have to do even more maintenance after the resin body yellows. In computer terms, I want my dolls to be "plug and play;" that is, I want to take her out of the box the way that I want her to be. Of course, I don't begrudge anyone the ability to own a BJD, and like I said, I think that they are really beautiful. But every time I think about possibly trying to save up to be one, I'm just not enthused because of all the extra care required.

Return of Sindy

Terri Gold shared the information that Robert Tonner recently mentioned bringing back the Sindy line of dolls. I remember wanting Sindy merchandise when I was young; according to Wikipedia, Sindy debuted in the United States in 1978. I would have been ten. I'm not sure if it was the dolls that appealed to me so much as the fantastic furniture and accessories, although I don't know how much of that was sold here. I vaguely remember a commercial that showed a nightlight, so that probably means Sindy's bedroom set was available here, at least. I'm surprised that I never received any Sindy items as a child, since Sindy was created to be a more wholesome alternative to Barbie, and my mother seemed pretty hesitant about us getting Barbie dolls, if my childhood memories are to be believed. On the other hand, we did have the controversial Growing Up Ginger doll, which could become taller and also grow small breasts. I thought the doll was fun because she could represent two different ages in my doll play. I suppose I must have only been eight or nine, but I think I had already learned from my own observation that older girls, and women, had figures different from my own.

But anyway, Sindy. What would you like to see? Right now it looks like Tonner is only reproducing the doll, but I'd be thrilled if some of the furniture and accessories were reproduced as well. If you have 1/6 scale dolls, this stuff is *great.* What 1/6" scale doll, for example, could not use these lovely dining room pieces? I know my dolls would adore their own horse and buggy!

I also have a fondness for the historically inspired Sindy clothes like these, but I imagine groovier fashions will be more likely to be reproduced. It will be interesting to see what original stuff Tonner comes up with.

Chores

It's too bad dolls can't iron their own clothes.