Dolls! Mum Made Jacket for my Australian 1940's Emil Bear

Here is my Australian made Emil brand bear from the 1940's wearing a knitted jacket made by my Mum! He does not have a lot of fur, and I felt he needed a jacket. I found this pattern for a baby's jacket in one of my Australian Doll Bear and Collectables magazines. It is actually a jacket for a baby, but they used it in the magazine. This is their version:

If you want the details for the magazine and the issue it is in, click here.

And here he is showing the back view:

Good job Mum! I am not a very good knitter, and it would have taken a lot of teeth gnashing and probably a couple of years to get it done - Mum did it in about a week!

Finally, I have a new follower - Larchik from Russia (I think). Thankyou for signing up Larchik, your little bears that you make (I think you do because I can't read Russian) are very cute.

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! All About 1950's Sweet Sue With the Flexible Foot

This is my 20 inch American Character Sweet Sue with the Flexible Foot, made from 1957 to 1958. She originally came with a plastic model's case that had extra shoes, ballet slippers (I think they are her ballet slippers that she is wearing) and a leotard. She is wearing her original outfit called Collegiate.

The quality of this doll is exceptional in my opinion. She is heavy (probably not that good for play though) and the attention to detail is amazing. Because I do dressmaking, the construction of the clothes for these 1950's dolls never ceases to amaze me. The cut, style and fit is as good as anything made for a real person.

According to Judith Izen's book American Character Dolls Identification and Value Guide, the vinyl used for these dolls heads was made with a creamy vinyl unique to American Character. The saran hair is full and of good quality.

She even has red tulle on her matching petticoat or crinoline:

And just because she can, here she is modelling a vintage red straw hat and a Sweet Sue walker's blue handbag.

When I purchased another doll recently, I got this little pamphlet for American Character dolls, with instructions on how to make their fashion dolls walk!

Sweet Sue With the Flexible Foot could wear flat shoes or high heels, simply by tilting her ankle. She also had a twist waist. I keep her in a pair of flat shoes as her ankles are a bit wobbly and I don't want to put pressure on them causing a crack or split in the plastic.

Dolls! My Ballerina Dolls : 1950's and Later

I didn't set out to collect ballerina dolls, but have ended up with four. Sweet Sue is dressing up as a ballerina doll as she came to me in a horrible state and so I made a few new outfits for her, the ballerina dress being the latest.

The small doll on the right is a Madame Alexander, and I think she is the Margaret face. I would say this is her original outfit as it is very fragile. The net under skirt is just crumbling away and the overskirt is drab and floppy. I kind of like a doll in an old played with state though. She is not dirty, but just looks old and faded. The face colouring is excellent with just a small scratch on one cheek. The original flowers are still in her hair and on the dress. She is from the 1950's and the Madame Alexander label is still inside her dress.

The pretty pink doll on the left is also a Madame Alexander Elise Ballerina, and as far as I can tell from my Patricia Smith book Madame Alexander Dolls 1965-1990, she was a 1984 model. She still has her swing tag and the MA label is still inside her dress. The dress is just a bit too pink for my liking, although I am sure it would appeal to little girls. I do like the way the dress has a Monet French ballerina look and the care they have taken with the hair style. Her eyes are rather spooky though.

Of course I couldn't finish this post without another look at my latest makeover dress for Sweet Sue. She appears to have borrowed my Madame Alexander Cissy fashion doll's necklace.

The second smallest doll has made a couple of appearances on this blog; it is a Peggy Nisbet Nanette. The tiny little doll who is parading in her birthday suit while she waits for me to make her an outfit was a purchase I made at the Melbourne Doll Show.

Dolls! Ballerina Dress for a 1950's Sweet Sue Doll

Ta da! After much work and interruptions with colds and other things, I finally finished the ballerina dress for my Sweet Sue doll. I got the copper tulle from Tessuti fabrics in Melbourne. I think it just makes it look so old fashioned, and suits Sweet Sue's complexion. The skirt and bodice are made from a remnant of shot polyester satin that I got at the Clegs remnants sale at the start of the year. It is a beautiful quality, made in Taiwan and weighs 255 grams per square metre. Only the best for my dollies! Seriously though, the fabrics they used to dress these dolls in originally were very good quality, so it makes sense to try and use the same quality fabrics when replacing their outfits.

The spray of apple blossom flowers at her waist are vintage and were made in Japan. I have kept the labels on for authenticity.

A strapless bodice like a real grown up has!

Back view



The only change I made to the original pattern was to add a layer of stiff white netting underneath the skirt so it would stand out more. I also lined the skirt with lining fabric to get a neater finish on the hem.

I have not seen a Sweet Sue in a ballerina dress yet, but there is one on page 94 of Judith Izin's book American Character Dolls.

Now I am sewing for me. I am making a stretch cowl neck top out of a Vogue pattern, and hemming some jeans and work trousers. More about the Vogue top project soon.

Lizzie.