Dolls! I Am Back Again, and a Few Recent Doll Finds

 

I have no real excuse for not blogging except for some fairly large changes to my personal commitments and a dreadful state of apathy.  I have been on holidays for just on 2 weeks so I thought it was time to do a new post. I certainly haven't been remiss in obtaining new dolls, and the pic above shows 3 of the latest.  Before we get into the details on these three ladies, a big thankyou to Nymphaea, now Night Owl for stopping by to see how I am.  And thankyou to Audra for keeping in touch as well when I wasn't a very good email correspondent.

 

I have a slight case of Barbie fever at the moment.  My better half did a deal and bought a huge bag of 63 Barbies from an op-shop for me as a surprise.  The middle dark haired dolly is from this bag, and the two blondes are from an auction on ebay of 1980's Barbie doll cases, dolls and clothes. The auction was badly presented, and you couldn't see the clothes in much detail, but I had a hunch that it was a good find, so I put in some bids and won.

 

 

 

I am 99 per cent sure that this Barbie is a Crystal Barbie from 1983.  I found a cheap copy of  Collectibly Yours Barbie Doll Indentification & Price Guide 1980 - 1990 by Margo Rana and so far I have identified 3 dolls from my ebay auction win.

 

 

I tried very hard to flatten her hair, but then I realised that these dolls had their long hair tied to one side. I am going to have to find some Barbie sized elastic bands or use some sewing thread to pull her hair to the side.

 

 

 

I nearly forgot the before shot for these dollies!

 

I am really happy that firstly the ebay auction dolls have their original outfits and that I was able to identify them using Margo Rana's book.  I am waiting on one that covers the 1990's decade of Barbie dolls as I have a lot more to identify.

 

 

Crystal Barbie has a lovely face don't you think?

 

The dolly on the far right is a Barbie using the Stacie face.  I have found this information on another collectors site, not in one of my reference books, so I would like to confirm this before I say it is a Barbie for sure.

 

 

I think this Stacie Barbie has a particularly lovely face and kind of looks more natural than your average Barbie from the 80's.  She is wearing the original tagged Barbie garment that came with this doll.  I nearly tossed it in the 'not really interested pile' because it is fairly plain. She is missing quite a few hair plugs on one side of her head.

 

 

 

The dolly in the middle is a 2000's Barbie My Scene doll and I think she is Nolee.  She is larger than your average Barbie doll, but she still managed to fit in this Barbie doll dress.  She has the most humungous applied hair eye lashes ever. I am planning of getting rid of the pen or ink mark on her face with acne cream.  Her previous owner gave her an uneven hair cut, but I kind of like it!

 

 

 

She photographs well, don't you think?

 

 

Hope to be back again soon with more dolly news.

 

Lizzie.

 

P.s I am even making a summer dress (for me) from voile, hope to blog about that too.  It has moved into the hot weather here now.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dolls! Last of the Bratz Op Shop Five Makeovers Done

Here is the complete line up of the 'Op Shop Five' that I have been making over during the last couple of months. Below is their before photo. I tried to compose them in a similar fashion so that the before and after was easier to compare.

Here are the last two dolls to receive their makeovers:

Wearing a Moxie Girlz outfit, trying to look punk in tartan and combat style boots.

Sightseeing

I know I have raved about how well the fabric softner worked on these Bratz dolls hair, but I am going to say it again - what magic stuff! I also gave a Barbie doll the same treatment, and considering this Barbie has quite bad quality hair, it came out well in the end. I will show you my latest dolly makeovers in my next post.

For now, here is a 'mystery pic' of a gorgeous doll that I got in one of the bulk doll bags at my favourite local op shop. I will blog about her (and the many other dolls I got in the bag) later on this week.

Mystery doll - can you guess who??

Dolls! 2007 Disney Mary Poppins from the Carousel Scene

It was auction day a couple of weeks ago, (a real live one instead of ebay) and I won this Mary Poppins doll. No-one really wanted her, but as you might know, I love Mary Poppins, and have the doll that I got from the stage play some years ago. My blogger is playing up so I can't link you to the Mary Poppins stories on this site, so just type her name in the 'search this blog' box at the top left of the screen.

Here is my other Mary Poppins doll from the stage show:

And some more views of the Mary Poppins from the auction. She is a Disney Mary Poppins, made in 2007 and they have made her look like Julie Andrews who played Mary Poppins in the famous movie. Even though she looks nothing like Barbie, this doll is part of the Barbie Collector Pink Label series. Not sure why they call her Barbie when she doesn't look anything like one. 

You  might not be able to see it, but the parrot head on her umbrella has a strange expression on it's face, as though it has been unwell or has a hang over after a few late nights out in a row.

The hat is turned up at the back:



 The back of the box shows photos from the carousel scene in the movie.

This is a close up of her dress from the movie:

Finally, a look at her from another angle, showing the carousel horse. She is a beautifull doll and I am glad that I won her.

Dolls! 1995 Fashions for Barbie from Handmade Magazine

Fossicking in the op-shop last week, I came across a 1995 edition of the Australian Women's Weekly Handmade magazine, volume 11 number 4. Advertised on the front of the magazine was 'Barbie dazzler - complete teen-doll wardrobe to knit and sew'. With my 1960's Pedigree Sindy doll in mind, I paid the grand sum of 20 cents and the mag was mine.

It is an 8 page fashion spread of fashions to make:

I got this wool on sale at Lincraft to have a go at knitting the jumper. It is 4 ply and uses tiny needles. Goodness. The jumper has an 80's picture jumper look about it. That fashion might still have been going strong in the mid 90's, but I can't remember. The evening dress at the top of the above photo has a 1980's look to it, don't you think?

I will have to do some adapting because Barbie and Sindy have quite different body dimensions. Barbie is a slimmer doll with a smaller waist and large bust. Sindy looks bigger around the hips, with shorter arms. I have not done the actual measurements yet, but will before I start making the outfit.



Original Sindy doll



Reproduction 1960's Barbie



   

Dolls! Melbourne Doll Show Find and Ballerina Business cont.

Mum, her friend Laurel and I piled into the car early on a Sunday morning and made the trip to Melbourne to the Melbourne Doll Show. I purchased this Sindy doll, which according to some research I did, was made in 1965 in New Zealand from a lot of spare parts, hence the funny short arms. Sindy dolls were the English version of Barbie and were made by the Pedigree company. If you look closely at her legs, they don't appear to match. I love the 'Mommy Made' dress (as the lovely Americans say), but you know me, I will eventually make something characteristic of the swinging sixties. An article I read in an old doll magazine said that Sindy was a more down to earth kind of doll and not as glamorous as Barbie, so her outfit will have to reflect that.

What I really like about this Sindy doll is the quality of the hair and the face paint. The hair is really thick after all these years, and the face paint is so sweet and natural. A very horsey English girl.

Here are some photos I took of 3 of the stands at the show.

This is Fran's stand. She is at a lot of these shows, and makes the most divine period style outfits in good quality silks and cottons. I bought one for my 12 inch Ruby Red Galleria Bleuette doll, which I will show you in another post.

Dolls for sale

Finally, here is my Sweet Sue doll trying on a toille of the skirt for her ballerina outfit. I thought the hole for the waist looked too small, so I cut it out of some lining fabric just to make sure. I ended up using this to line the satin of the outer skirt. I hope to do a bit more on this ballerina outfit this weekend.

I was very pleased when I looked at my blogg recently to see a new follower!!! Thankyou to ShelleyM. She is following some very interesting doll blogs which I will be following and adding them to my blogg roll when I get time.

Dolls! I Don't Collect Bears or Barbies, Really

Really, I don't collect bears, and the only collectible Barbies that I have are the Wizard of Oz characters Dorothy and the good witch. So when I went to an auction recently of dolls, bears and toys, what did I walk out with? Bears and Barbies!!

I also have an aversion to dressing up bears, but what happened when we got home? I tried all the doll hats and that gorgeous little crochet collar on them, and they looked pretty snappy, I must say. The little bear on the left is a very poorly 1950's Chad Valley bear. She (I have decided she is a 'she') will need to go to doll hospital to get a new eye, some more filling and the right pads sewn on her paws. Not being a bear expert, I am not sure how much repairs you should do, but I am sure the hospital will know.

The chap on the right is an Australian Emil bear from the 1940's. He has a crier which was meant to work a bit, but I have not managed to get him to growl so far. As he is so thread-bear (ha ha), Mum said that she would knit him a sweater, and I will make him some overalls. I found this pattern for a jacket in vol 19 number 2 of Australian Dolls Bears and Collectables, but I am not sure it is manly enough for him. Perhaps if Mum knits it in a darker colour, it will look fine.

Then in the op shop this morning, look at this great book I got on collecting bears. It covers bears from all over the world, including old and newer artist bears. There is also a small section on Australian vintage bears and how to store and clean your collection. What a find!

Ok, now on to the Barbies. I got 3 in the one lot, and like the bears, I bought them at a very reasonable price. I missed out on the vintage look Barbies that I really wanted, but I wanted to keep within my limits at this auction.

A 1999 Hanae Mori

A 2003 Batik Princess Barbie

And a 2001 Society Girl Barbie with a lot of French writing on the back, in fact I like the box the best for this one because of the watercolour sketches behind her and on the back of the box.

I still have not started on my next project, but I promised myself a summer top made out of some of my Liberty fabric, so I might do that next.

Dolls! Finished Outfit for Dianne's Original Ponytail Swirl Barbie

Modelling by my reproduction ponytail swirl Barbie

Here are the photos of the outfit that I have just made for my friend Dianne's original Ponytail Swirl Barbie that she had as a child. She still has the box, but not the clothes.

Close up of jacket

A day out in Paris!

I used patterns from the time when these Barbie dolls were made.

On the weekend, I was in the patchwork fabric store Drapers of Mt Macedon, and was lucky enough to meet the designer of the Ric Rac label, Jodie Carleton. Jodie was taking a workshop, and I wish I could have stayed. Wow, my first meeting with a real life designer! If you are out Gisborne way (which is in Victoria) any time soon, make a trip to the Drapers of Mt Macedon store as it is an Aladdin's cave of fabric delights.

Now I just have to think about my next project, and getting ready for my Blog Anniversary Competition coming up in July. Stay tuned...

Finally, but not in the least bit less important, I have a new follower this week; a talented knitter from France, Isabelle. I am a hopeless knitter, so I really appreciate what she does.

Dolls! Dress for a Real Ponytail Swirl Barbie

My reproduction Ponytail Swirl Barbie

I am working on this dress for a friend who has an original Ponytail Swirl Barbie, which was made in 1964 according to my copy of the Blue Book by Jan Foulke. I have already made this dress for my reproduction Ponytail Swirl Barbie, but as I originally thought she was made in the 1950's, I went for a longer look. Jan Foulke's book shows a photo of the box for the original Ponytail Barbie, and the day dresses with fitted bodices finish just below the knee. I shortened the skirt and the band of contrast fabric to keep it all in proportion. You can't see it from the photo, but the contrast fabric has a print of ladies dress gloves on it, which is very pretty and vintage.

I think she looks like she needs a jacket to finish the look, so I am thinking of this pattern which is a re-release of an original Simplicity pattern from the 1960's by the look of the styles. I will make the jacket in the top left of the photo using the white fabric.

And just for a laugh, look at this pattern I got from ebay. I just love these old patterns for the art work. The figures don't look like dolls at all, more like a young teenager. It is a lovely look at popular styles from the 1970's.

Dolls! Reproduction Ponytail Barbie Gets A Dress

I bought my reproduction Ponytail Swirl Barbie doll without an outfit, and as I had made a new costume for my 1950's doll, I thought Barbie deserved one too. I had been getting a lot of those sideways looks from Barbie lately, so I thought I had better get moving. So much for sewing for myself.

I used this pattern which is a copy of one from the late 1950's or early 1960's:

I made the bodice according to the pattern using the contrast fabric, but it frayed like mad around the armholes, so I made it up again without the contrast. I lined it using white muslin and made up a belt in the same spot fabric.



Pattern Review

The dress I made for my 1950's doll was huge in the bodice area, however the bodice on this one was too small around the waist. From the pattern covers, they both look as though they were made for the same doll. The skirt was a little too full, so I would advise on taking out some of the width so that it is easier to attach to the bodice piece.

Not in the pattern, but to me a necessity for the 1950's gal, is a tulle petticoat, which I made as a separate garment:



A big thank you to the expert doll maker Elaine over at McNally School blog for signing up as a Follower to my blog. Her dolls are amazing and inspire me to make some more. Make sure you go and have a look at her beautiful dolls. It is great to make a connection with someone so far away over a shared interest.

It is a boiling hot day here in Melbourne (40 degrees has been promised), so I am going to spend some time today selecting fabrics to make up 2 very simple cloth dolls. I would like to make one look old, so I am going to try tea dyeing the body and clothing fabric. I have not done this before, so it will be interesting to see how it turns out. The second doll I would like to make a lot brighter and modern, and maybe use some gorgeous wool felt I have. Actually, I might make both look old. I will have to play around with my extensive craft fabric stash, and see what I come up with!

I really should be making Burda jacket 7814 for myself, but I really feel like creating a doll so I will do that next.

Happy New Year to all,

Lizzie.