I like dolls.
Baby dolls, Raggedy Ann dolls, Amish dolls, Barbie dolls. Dolls from the store and home-crafted dolls. These two lovelies were made by my grandma in the 1960s. She made them for all her grandchildren and we got to choose which one to keep. At family reunions, the Raggedies come too! Can you tell two blondies picked these? Mine just coincidentally happens to have brown hair and blue eyes.
But my current favorites have to be American Girl dolls. I blame it on my grand-daughter. We bought the Samantha doll at Costco for a decent price and that was her birthday present at five. I don't think I'll ever forget her ecstatic reaction when she opened her gift! Priceless!
I was aware of Pleasant Company and their product--dolls from various historical periods that came with appropriate clothing and accessories and a storybook of their adventures. I didn't know that they eventually became part of Mattel. Or that there were knockoffs (which meant that little girls from less-advantaged families could enjoy imaginative doll play also.
But once Samantha, renamed Michelle, became part of the family, I wanted to sew for her--sort of a family tradition. And I discovered doll patterns. That meant all those little scraps of cute fabrics that I couldn't bear to toss suddenly were the right size for my projects. Do you know how dangerous it can be when literally any material can legitimately be saved? A stash can expand exponentially!
For better or worse, I discovered Pixie Faire, an online shop with the cutest designs ever! Great designers like Liberty Jane, Eden Ave Couture, Forever 18, Miche Designs--I could go on and on. Basic American Girl clothes from tee shirts to mini-skirts. Fun accessories like bunny slippers and Halloween costumes. Furniture from bunkbeds to sofas. So I started getting their free patterns then ordering new ones. Four years later I haven't stopped sewing and crafting for Samantha/Michelle!
In Episode 2, one thing leads to another...
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