Dolls at the Lake

 I took three dolls to the lake to get some pictures this weekend.

First up is American Girl Girl of the Year 2020.

Joss is happy to be at the lake, even if she couldn't go surfing.

Next is Ruby Red Fashion Friends Stella. She looks cute as always.

Then there is Ruby Red Create Your Dream Doll Jeanette. I just got her, as the dolls are on sale this month.

I love Jeannette's face. She has less pose-ability than other Ruby Red Fashion Friends, but that is reflected in the lower price point.

Her skin tone is a little odd. She looks very grey when she is next to other Ruby Red dolls.

It doesn't look that bad when she is on her own.

She is a little grey-ish here.

She looks fine in this picture!

Her clothes are all printed on cheap fabric, but again, I expected that from the low price point.

More Maya Madness!

 Yep, here are some more pictures of Maya!

This one is my favorite- so sweet!

Erin's Day Out

 Here are some Erin appreciation pictures!

Her hair looks more brown than red here, but it's still Erin! No doll swapsies involved.

Blonde Little Bitty Baby

 I got the blonde Little Bitty Baby.

I feel that her head is a slightly different shape from the others that I have. It is rounder. And her eye placement feels different to me.

I kinda like the face of the brown eyed baby better, but they are SO SIMILAR, this makes me feel crazy.

Here's a picture with Erin in the garden as well.

Maya in the Garden

 Maya's getting more pictures! Luckily, it was a cloudy day, so it was perfect for doll pictures.

She had to take her coat off as it was too hot outside. I did not realize that she has long sleeves on under her coat.

As I keep saying, I love long sleeves on doll clothes.

Maya Goes to the Library!

 Ruby Red Fashion Friends is doing a spotlight on Maya this month, so I took her to the library for some fun pictures! 

I think she really enjoyed it!

Secret fact: I left her hair net on so her hair wouldn't get mussed while she was carried in a bag.

New Wig For Camellia

 I got Camellia a new wig from Zazou Custom Dolls.

Well, originally I meant it for a different doll, but I think it's hers now.

The wig is a blonde French braid with loose wisps of hair, and it just makes her look younger and sweeter.

Here is her original wig.

And here is the new wig.

I am just seriously in love.

Apparently the Diana mold has a larger head than some Ruby Red dolls, and this wig came with a warning that it was slightly larger and needed a wig cap, so it's perfect!

Sundress for Fern

 Fern was one of the dolls I bought at the 2021 MCM sale.

She is a stunning Jess mold with freckles and grey eyes. I love her.

She came in a hot pink princess dress. I cannot state enough how much that dress did not suit her and how much she hated it, and how much I hated it on her.

She hasn't worn a dress since she came to my house, until now.

I finally made a dress that suited Fern.

I made the Bunny Bear Endless Summer pattern in yellow gingham.

It's so cute on Fern!

My friend said that she looks like a yellow daffodil, and I love that comparison.

I guess Fern likes gingham and plaid. I will have to keep that in mind.

She might need a slip with this dress, as you can see her undies if you look closely.

Meanwhile, I am enjoying this summer look on her.

Sundress for Kavi

 I found a remnant at the thrift store, about 24 inches wide, of this beautiful eyelet fabric.

I immediately knew that I could make a stunning doll dress out of it.

It was so hard to choose, but I decided I wanted to make a sundress out of it that would be classic and rather bohemian.

I knew the skirt would be longer to show off all of the beautiful white-on-white embroidery.

I really debated what pattern to use, but used Liberty Jane Peplum Top.

I added a bit of a sewn-in slip, so that her undies wouldn't show.

And here it is.

I love it on Kavi, it is perfect with her dark hair and eyes!

I wish I had this dress in my size!

I also wish I had more of this fabric. I can think of at least two more projects I could make with it.

Kavi is actually reminding me a bit of Emmy Rossum in Phantom of the Opera, so maybe she needs a Phantom dress. She loves musicals, after all!

Classic Summer

 I love all of my dolls. But I feel almost a sense of awe when I handle Felicity and Samantha and the items from their original collection.

They are so beautiful, and I love them so much. I wanted them so much as a child, and I feel so lucky that I own as much as I do.

I am so glad that I was careful as a child not to lose pieces like Felicity's sash and lace cap.

I recently went to sale where I was thrilled to be able to acquire Samantha's doll pram and Felicity's summer hat. So naturally, I needed to do a photo shoot!

Beautiful Lissie

I thought it would be funny to have Samantha pushing mini Samantha in the doll pram. 

In fact, I am displaying the pram this way in case it falls, so that her porcelain doll doesn't fall and break.

Squee!

I'm including this picture because you can see part of the top of her hat.

Do you have any very favorite American Girl or other doll items? What really makes you go, "Squee?"

A Skirt for Mini Molly!

 I joined a challenge on Ravelry to sew doll clothes for the mini dolls.

It worked out perfectly. I bought this mini Molly last year. She had her original hair ribbons but was missing her skirt.

The first thing we had to make for the challenge was a skirt for the mini dolls!

I used fabric from an old pair of pants. It's a different color than Molly's original skirt, but I feel like the texture is perfect, and makes it look better than making a blue cotton skirt.

Molly says it's about time she has a skirt again!

I love these older mini dolls. Their faces are so cute, in a chipmunk-y kind of way.

Pattern Review: Heritage Doll Fashions Panel Dress

 I have had this pattern for years, and have been waiting for the perfect fabric. 

Well, I finally went with "good enough." I was thinking of making it with the red and blue checked fabric, but I decided that with the curvy pattern pieces, this would work better with a less geometric print.

And I think I was right, because looking at this dress with the flowered print, I can't even see where the seams are.

The pattern pieces fit together perfectly, and they fit the doll perfectly as well.

I did one mistake, which was totally mine. I sewed the neckline shut before I added the collar. So I had to unpick it and add the collar. I think that the extra work was worth it!

Yes, I have been sewing for Julie a lot lately. I just have been thinking sundresses, and I guess that the 70s had a lot of sundresses? Or I am really inspired by that red and blue checked fabric. Either one.

Makena also got to have a turn at modeling the dress!

Pattern Review: Bunny Bear Endless Summer Sundress

 This is the second dress that I have sewn for Julie from the same fabric. 

For the first one, I used the Heritage Doll designs Wrap Top Dress pattern. 

I knew that it reminded me of Julie's Patchwork Outfit.

So I decided to sew a version that was even more similar to her original outfit by using the pattern Bunny Bear Patterns Endless Summer.

I really like this pattern! It's elegant, and the fit is perfect.

It was also very easy to sew.

Next, I want to make an all-white version of this pattern for Kavi. I think it would be cute on her.

Here are Julie and Evette modeling their "matching" dresses!

It reminds me a bit of the Beverly Cleary book Ellen Tibbits, where the moms sew dresses for their daughters from matching fabric.

Julie's Fourth of July Dress

 I found this fabric at the thrift store, and it was giving me serious 1970s vibes. It reminds me of Julie's Patchwork Outfit.

I knew that I wanted to use it to make a sundress for Julie.

I have never smocked, so I wasn't going to imitate Julie's Patchwork Outfit in that regard.

I decided to use the Heritage Doll Fashions Wrap Top Dress pattern. I thought that it would work well with this print, and it is one of my favorite patterns.

I think that the result is very cute!

I may think about whether there is a more 1970s pattern that I can use with the same fabric, but this one is still a home run!

Here is another sundress that I made in this pattern.