Dolls

I don't know how my readers feel about 18" dolls, but I have had a fascination ever since I was little. My neighbor, our "adopted grandmother" would buy me American Girl paperback books to collect. This was, of course, before the Pleasant Company was bought by Mattel. This was back when most dolls purchased were their historical dolls, and you could still purchase doll patterns. You could actually purchase historical costumes for girls to match your dolls! My favorite was Felicity, and I wanted a Felicity doll so badly. I was so adament on getting one, I even wrote to Pleasant Company asking if they would ship a doll first and then send the bill. :D They sent a very nice letter explaining why they couldn't do that.

I finally did get a doll from my ex-husband in 2009, right before they switched to the new body style. She wasn't my picking - she had light reddish curly hair and blue eyes - but she was pretty, nonetheless. She was one of the newer dolls where you pick the hair/eye/skin combination. (Of course, back when I received their catalogue in the 90s, you could literally pick any combination.) My daughter plays with her now, tangled hair and all!

I have begun to make doll clothing for the newer style American Girl doll. I hope to make a bunch of clothing to give my daughter for her birthday and Christmas this year, Lord willing. I also hope to sell some on etsy!

Now if you've never sewn doll clothes, you have no idea how difficult it is. Normal seam allowances for clothing are between 4/8 to 5/8 of an inch. Doll clothing seam allowances are 1/4 inch. While less fabric is used, more stitching has to be done to finish the edges and ensure that the dress doesn't unravel through loving play. The stitching has to be done more carefully, also, to avoid unnecessary bulk and fitting problems. I spend more time and thread on doll clothing than I do clothing for children, hence the higher price for doll clothing in my shop versus children's clothing.

 I love dolls. I love sewing doll clothing. And I hope you enjoy the doll clothing I will have up for sale in the coming weeks and months....

~Redhead Lynn