Siblies Doll T-shirts

 I wanted to make my Siblies doll Sydney some long sleeved T-shirts for the colder weather that we are getting. 

I used the Liberty Jane Trendy T-shirt pattern and simply lengthened the sleeves.

I made two shirts this way, one plain purple shirt and one with Persian pickles.

I am please with both shirts.

I realize that the Pooh bear stuffie hides the shirts to some extent, but you get the idea. It just makes a cuter picture and more natural looking with Pooh bear!

I was, however, really disappointed when I looked closely at the doll.

I only bought her a few months ago. It looks to me like her eyes, especially her left eye, is starting to turn purple pink. It was hard to get a photograph of this, but it's visible in person.

This is a nearly new doll that has been sitting in a room with blackout curtains and has barely been exposed to direct sunlight.

It is also rather an expensive doll.

Some doll brands, like My Twinn and Hearts for Hearts, have been known to have eyes that turn purple, but it's really disappointing in such a new and expensive doll.

I am really glad that I do not own more expensive dolls from this brand, and I will not be buying any of the larger, pricier dolls that this brand makes.

It's really disappointing, and if the eyes get any worse on her, I will be contacting the company about the issue.

14 inch Plaid Doll Dress

 I am getting back to sewing doll clothes now that the weather is getting colder.

I made this pattern for the first time. It is actually a 14 inch pattern designed for Wellie Wishers.

Luckily, it fits my vintage 14 inch Arranbee doll as well, because I thought it would be just adorable on her.

The pattern is from a 2017 sew along from a blog that has been going up and down lately and is currently down, so I can't link to it.

Yeah, it only took me four years to make this pattern.

This dress is so great on her! It fit without any alteration. I was worried when I picked her up to put her on that the waist would be too small.

I made one inch pleats, and if I had made them narrower, they might be a better size for the doll, but they look okay.

I would prefer red buttons, really, but it's so hard to find buttons this size! 

This was also made from my stash, and I am really happy with it. I think the long waist looks really good on this doll.

Mattel's Heart Family

I had, as a kid, a family of brunette fashion dolls. I loved them because they were brunettes. Almost all dolls at the time were blonde.

I was passionately upset when the brunette mom disappeared, and hoped for years to find her or to be able to buy a replacement in the store. They were retired by then, though. 

The dad and the toddler boy broke, which meant that my mom made me throw them out. She wouldn't let us keep broken Barbies.

Only the toddler girl survived, and I loved her.

I have found out that they were not actually Barbies, but they were called the Heart Family and were made by Mattel.

I think this is the family that I had, but the little girl looked more brunette to me than in this picture.

Looking at the Heart Family on ebay is odd.

The African American family is adorable. I would love to have them.

I am not interested in the blonde Heart Family, either.

But some of the Heart Families are more closely related to the Addams Family.

This Heart family grandma belongs in a nightmare. I did not know she existed. I am scared now.

Why does this little toddler boy have striped hair like a skunk?

This family isn't bad at all, but the clothes that the woman and girl are wearing remind me strongly of Samantha's Christmas dress.

It looks like they had some nice accessories, which I did not have.

I hope you enjoyed this trip down memory lane!

And if you ever spot a brunette Heart Family in the wild, I would love to own them again someday!

Pattern Review: Simplicity 8818

 I'm trying to get back to sewing, and I wanted to start with a modern doll outfit.

I also wanted to only use fabric in my stash. 

I made a Halloween doll outfit using Simplicity pattern 8818.

This was part of the American Girl branded patterns which has now been discontinued.

I think that the current Simplicity pattern S941 is the same pattern. Link

I liked that it showed modern doll clothes that were appropriate for autumnal weather.

I made the long sleeved T-shirt, the skirt and the quilted vest.

All of these pieces were very easy to make. I only checked the directions once, to see what length to cut the elastic for the skirt waistband. It was 11 inches, the same as I guessed.

The skirt fabric really tied the outfit together. It was left over from a Halloween quilt that I made for a friend.

The quilted vest was a new thing for me to sew, but I quilt and I make doll clothes, and this combined the two.

I am pleased with the quilted vests overall, in how easy it was to make and how they look. I am just not sure that patterned fabric is a good look for  them, or that they go well with the outfit. I wish they were a bit shorter so they didn't block the skirt so much.

I might just be uncomfortable with it because it's not something I have ever worn myself.

I made all this in one day, and finished it as trick-or-treaters started to walk down the street.

I was pleased with this pattern and would make it again. Next time I think I would make the quilted vests a solid color, as that's the way I think they are usually made.