BORROWING FASHIONS - CRISSY

Here is Sasha looking very grown up in a beautiful CRISSY gown made of bright green silk taffeta Tartan. This outfit was worn by Crissy in a boxed version called "Look Around Crissy"

Thanks to Sue Lloyd at http://www.crissydoll.com/ for finding this wonderful outfit -- Sasha is delighted.

BORROWING FASHIONS - VELVET

Here is Sasha wearing an outfit borrowed from Velvet -- Crissy's little cousin. This outfit is called "Cloud Movement" and we found it thanks to Sue Lloyd at http://www.crissydoll.com/.

Around here we have a real fondness for red, white, and blue outfits because they are so easy to mix-and-match with other lines like Tommy Hilfiger and Magic Attic.

Usually the Crissy and Velvet outfits fit Sasha without any alterations, but from time to time even an occasional Velvet outfit is too tight despite her body being very similar to Sasha's. I recently got a delightful Velvet outfit that will never fit Sasha because it is just too tight and there is no way to let it out without completely taking it apart.

SAY HELLO TO YUKO

Sasha has been borrowing fashions from all of the Best Friends Club dolls. Yesterday the charming new Asian girl, YUKO, arrived from QVC as part of their special offer of a boxed doll and a boxed outfit for just $29.64.

The latest edition of the BFC dolls are more articulated with joints added to the elbow, wrist and ankle which certainly has added play value to the line.

The big surprise was what a lovely Asian head sculpt she has. There are not many Asian dolls out there and most of the sculpts are not very good. I thought she deserved a moment in the spotlight before sharing her outfit with Sasha.

We're waiting for the new Best Friends Club boy to arrive and hope his outfit will fit Gregor. Meanwhile, Sasha is busy trying on several new borrowed outfits that she will model in the days ahead.

ALTERING BORROWED FASHIONS - THREE

ABOVE - BEFORE
BELOW - AFTER

Here is another delightful Magic Attic outfit that Sasha loves. These outfits often fit perfectly but from time to time they need a little nip and tuck.
Basically this outfit had two little problems. First, the sleeves are too long on Sasha. Second, the waist is too big so the skirt slides down to her hips making it look too long.
I solved the sleeve problem by simply turning up a tiny "cuff" which I could easily tack in place. The skirt was easily fixed by just moving the closing snaps in the back to allow the skirt to fit Sasha's waist.

The hat, knee socks, and wonderful platform sole boots all fit Sasha perfectly. This was another quick and easy alteration that transformed a slightly oversize outfit into one that fits Sasha perfectly.

ALTERING BORROWED FASHIONS - TWO

BEFORE - ABOVE
AFTER - BELOW

I kept seeing the EURO GIRL outfits being sold on eBay in the Sasha section and wondered if they really did fit Sasha. I bought three outfits and realized right away that they were all oversize on Sasha. One works pretty well and I have shown Sasha wearing it in an earlier posting. The second one - a red coat and denim pinafore - presented a major challenge and while the pinafore was easy to alter the coat would need to be completely redone. So I put it aside and tried to figure out what to do with this white party dress that seems to be swallowing Sasha in its huge sleeves and multi-layered skirt.

Here is what I did. First I removed the second skirt layer. Then I reduced the width of the sleeves by simply sewing a new narrower inside seam. Next I reduced the size of the bow on her waist band.
I took the second skirt and cut the width in half. I used part of the top half to make the top of the hat. And the bottom half with the scalloped edge became the brim.
I thought the lace edged socks were too fussy so I replaced them with pink tights. The original shoes fit perfectly.

The result is a Victorian-like Sunday in the Park dress and hat ensemble that works much better on Sasha. But it took almost as much time to do as it would have been to start from scratch.

But I like a challenge now and then.

ALTERING BORROWED FASHIONS - ONE

ABOVE - BEFORE
BELOW - AFTER

Today begins a new series about altering borrowed fashions. Some of these alterations only amount to a stitch here and there while others require more extensive changes to make them fit Sasha.

Sasha fell in love with this beautifully made Magic Attic navy pea coat with bright brass buttons. And she loved the red and blue backpack and the little black and white hounds-tooth print carry-all. But most of all she loved the gold rimmed eyeglasses. After several months of searching for this set on eBay we finally won one a few weeks ago.
Most of the Magic Attic items fit Sasha without any alterations but when we tried on the pea coat it just looked oversize and ill-fitting. I used my tailoring skills to make one simple change that took less than ten minutes.

At first I thought I might have to shorten the sleeves but after I made the basic change everything fit better. And what was the change? Can you see it?

All I did was move the bottom two buttons up and add an additional closing snap. I steamed out the collar and reshaped it to fit around Sasha's neck better. It also made the coat lay better on her shoulders. That automatically raised up the sleeve length. Not a nip or a tuck was needed -- just one tiny snap and a bit of steam to reshape the collar.

Now the coat looks as if it was tailored especially for Sasha and not just a hand-me-down.

FASHION TIME TRAVEL

ABOVE: First Sasha Brunette
BELOW: My New Sasha Brunette

My new brunette has just indulged in a bit of time travel. In the beautiful 1980 film -- "Somewhere in Time" -- Christopher Reeve goes back in time to find his great love, Jane Seymour. He doesn't use a time machine but simply puts on a suit from the period in history he wants to return to and then concentrates on being there.
My new brunette found this gown that is similar to one her sister wore in the early 1970s. She put it on and struck a pose similar to one her long lost sister struck.
The two gowns were created by one of the "dollsandreams" home designers who brought their creations to the shop every Saturday morning. It was like a mini designer trunk show and the local kids were always eager to see what new fashions were available. I always felt a little bit guilty buying even one outfit because it meant one less available for the kids. But hardly a Saturday went by that I didn't pick up one or two outfits for my girls and boys. I found it easier to live with the guilt than to deprive my Sashas.

BORROWING FASHIONS - A BFC SURPRISE

Sasha got a big surprise when she borrowed these two outfits from "Addison" -- one of the Best Friends Club dolls. For some reason this particular boxed doll set has not been very popular and we picked it up for $14.95. While the shorts need to be altered to fit better, everything else fits perfectly. The big surprise came when Sasha discovered the hoodie had cat's ears in the tradition of Japanese anime characters.

The model is my little Sasha waif who has become known here as "Woodstock" because of her straight hair style and her taste in clothing. I don't usually rename my dolls but this kid came naked and needed an identity. And she has a real flair for posing.

TALKING TO DOLLS

I did not grow up in a conventional "Brady Bunch" home. My parents were stunt pilots and we lived among the artists and poets of Greenwich Village. My father's mother, my Nana Laura, lived with us. We might not have been the average American family but we did share a few of the normal family oddities.
For instance, both of my parents talked to our two cats all the time. They considered it perfectly normal to have a conversation with an animal who usually ignored them unless they wanted food.
But, they thought my Nana Laura was odd because she talked to her dolls and teddy bears. I have always thought it made no more sense to talk to pets and babies than it did to talk to dolls and stuffed bears. On the other hand, if you do talk to your pets you have no cause to consider someone odd because they talk to dolls. After all, they are not conversations in the traditional sense. But then I have known many couples who constantly have one way conversations.
Personally, I find both dolls and stuffed bears to be excellent and attentive listeners. A rare quality in humans. And I am convinced that their expressions change in response to my rambling on and on. Perhaps it is just the afternoon light shifting that makes it seem their expressions change. Nana Laura insisted on "interviewing" her dolls and bears before adopting them. She spoke softly to them -- often asked them questions and waited for their responses. When one or two spoke to her she hugged them and brought them home.
I talk to my dolls all the time. And I talk to my bears while I am creating them so that when the time comes to give them a face I will have some idea who they are and how they should look.

And when my mother would tease Nana Laura about her doll and bear conversations she would smile and say. "Let me know when you hear from the cat."

BORROWING FASHIONS - CRISSY & VELVET

Sasha wears the Crissy original lace dress she came dressed in.

Sasha wears the Crissy fashion "Jean Machine" and I solved the long pant length problem by folding up the bottoms into cuffs. Original outfit had a wide hip-hugger belt that has gone missing.

Sasha wears the Velvet original plaid dress she came dressed in.

Sasha wears the Velvet fashion "Glad Plaid" which has a charming sailor collar. Original outfit came with a matching scarf.

In 1969, the IDEAL TOY COMPANY introduced "CRISSY" a doll with growing hair. It was a clever innovation that was instantly popular with little girls across the country. The Crissy line had the MOD look of the day and her fashions reflected what the London trend-setters were dictating. It was the time of A-line baby doll dresses, mini skirts, maxi coats, and bell bottoms on everything.
Later, her cousin, VELVET, joined the fun. While Crissy is 18-inches tall, cousin Velvet was just 16-inches tall. The same height as Sasha. As with most borrowed fashions, some outfits fit well while others need some alterations. Here are four borrowed outfits that all fit Sasha without any serious alterations. Just one little trick to solve the problem of the too long pants.

INSPIRATION TWO

Here is Sasha wearing pinafores that I borrowed from images on the Internet and used Photoshop to dress her in them for your inspiration.

This Pinafore is fashioned of a bright red fabric mixed with a matching bright Tartan and is a great example of using fabrics as inserts and in non-traditional ways. Note the plaid is not centered.

This elegant black and white plaid pinafore is a great example of using a print in a variety of ways for effect.

A charming embroidered denim pinafore that suits Sasha to a T.

Every little Sasha would love this chicken in a kangaroo pocket pinafore. Colors and patterns are perfect.

This little velvet pinafore is both charming and elegant in its use of trim and detail.

I love this faded denim pinafore with all the hand work -- especially the tuck detail bodice.

This pinafore uses two patterns with the same background color to create and interesting effect. I would have added pockets in the dotted fabric for more interest.

This bright red print is a great example of ignoring scale and going for impact.

TOMMY HILFIGER DOES IT AGAIN

Here is Gregor in a fabulous Tommy Hilfiger winter outfit that fits perfectly. I realize it is summer here in the USA but it is winter somewhere in the world -- like Australia.

That reminds me of something my Nana Laura used to say if she wanted to move the cocktail hour ahead a bit. "Well, dear, it must be five o'clock somewhere in the world."

Gregor just couldn't wait to try on this outfit but he will have to wait for our winter before he can build a snowman or go whizzing down a hill on his sled.

SEWING TIP

If you are working with a cotton fabric, or a similar blend fabric, here is a trick that might save you time and frustration. And, if you don't want to line the piece but just hem it.
TIP ONE - Using a dull knife (like a butter knife) you can score the line you want to fold back on. This is especially helpful when working with curves. Place the fabric on a piece of cardboard (not corrugated cardboard) like a shirt cardboard. Then press down the dull blade and carefully score the line of the fold.
TIP TWO - Here is another way to score fabric that is good for slightly heavier fabrics, Trace the pattern onto the fabric and using your sewing machine with the thread removed just sew along the fold line. The needle will create a punch line that will make folding the fabric back easy and accurate.

INSPIRATION ONE

Here are just a few examples of the amazing range of decorative BRADS available from Oriental Trading. These make terrific faux buttons for your pinafore -- especially if you have a theme. You can see them here. http://www.orientaltrading.com/ Just type the word BRADS into their SEARCH box.

MAKING THE ONE-PIECE PINAFORE

First print out two copies of the basic pattern. Cut out the strap and front and back pieces on the inside, darker sewing line. NOTE: Add 1/4 inch to the sides of the back pattern for the closure. You can have the shoulder straps go from back to front or front to back depending on your design. Then trace the pattern on to felt or Ultrasuede or any other non-woven fabric. That's it. Now you can add trims or pockets or anything else like decorative edges. Use snaps or Velcro for the back closure. The straps can be closed by snaps with decorative buttons (I used two of my toggles) on the top for decoration.

MAKING THE TWO-PIECE PINAFORE

First print out two copies of the basic pattern. I find it easier to simply line "shaped" pieces like these with organdy or any other lightweight fabric. You can have the shoulder straps go from back to front or front to back depending on your design. I trace the sewing line on to the organdy and sew all the pieces at one time.
Basically, there are two ways to close the sides. First simply sew the two sides together. The pattern allows the pinafore to slip easily over Sasha's hips without a side closure. This is the most basic version of the Pinafore.
Or, if you do want side closures then instead of sewing the front and back together on the inside you simply overlap the front piece over the back piece and top stitch it to the back leaving a flap opening. This isn't really necessary but if it is part of your design then this method works easily.

BTW, the fabric I used is a printed cotton blend. The "right" side is much darker and color intense. This is the back side which resembles faded denim. Years ago, when I was a doll designer, there wasn't any lightweight denim available to make doll clothes so we discovered this trick of using the backside of a dark blue cotton. The texture even looks like denim.

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