Pale Blue Tutu

Sue at the Sasha_Mart Yahoo group posted a picture in November of "Sasha's ballet class", with a blonde Sasha and several other dolls all dressed in tutus. I contacted her through her Crissy doll website, and was pleased to discover that she made the tutus herself and would gladly make one for me. We settled on blue, as I thought it would look nice on Giselle (who already has several pink tutus). Sue even made matching blue ballet slippers and a floral headpiece to complete the outfit. Now Giselle is ready for another production of Sleeping Beauty, but this time as Princess Florine instead of Princess Aurora. I think she looks really sweet in this ballet outfit, and couldn't wait to share some pictures (click on any photo for a larger view).

Thank you Sue!

PBK Doll Kitchen

The kids are home for a snow day today (basically just slush), so I'm playing instead of working. I'd had my eye on some cute doll kitchen pieces at Pottery Barn Kids, which I ordered when they went on sale recently. They arrived in yesterday's mail, so I unpacked the box today and let Giselle try them out.

In my opinion they're too small (and too pink) to be real kitchen appliances, but they're perfect for a little girl's play kitchen.

Pinafore Challenge

Ted at the Sasha Street blog hosted an online Pinafore Challenge this summer, with an entry deadline of September 15th. I decided that I was up to the challenge now that I have a sewing machine, and created three entries. Since all the entries have been posted (73 total!) and favorites voted for, I am now publicly sharing which are my designs. These are my official entry photos as compiled by Ted (and included here with his permission):

Cameo - pink dragonfly

Cindy - blue duck

Cybil - green rabbit

We were supposed to submit two full-length photographs of each pinafore, so I took pictures both with and without a coordinating blouse (which I made using a Peggy Trauger pattern). I took pictures of all three together as well; I'd always envisioned these as a trio, and think the pinafores look even nicer when they're grouped together. I'm really pleased with how both the pinafores and the pictures turned out.

And now, a bit of behind-the-scenes information:

I was inspired by jumpers at The Trendy Tot (which are far cuter than mine). I knew nothing about how to make appliques, so I contacted my friend Megan at Bellflower Textiles. She walked me through the process, which was easier than I'd though it would be -- gotta love double-sided fusible interfacing. That was the only thing I purchased for this project, along with buttons; I limited myself to choosing from the fabric that I had on hand. The pinafores themselves were cut from a sleeveless chambray shirt that I no longer wore and was planning to donate to Goodwill.

I decide to blanket stitch around the appliques, since I wasn't sure I could maneuver my machine accurately to stitch them down. It's only decorative anyway, as they're stuck down well.

The pinafores are fully lined in white muslin, except for the straps which match the appliques. They pull on, with closed sides and buttons at the straps. These are my first-ever attempts at buttonholes on a sewing machine!

I certainly challenged myself, and had a lot of fun in the process.

Meet Gemma

When I stumbled upon my first "no philtrum" on eBay, I figured she would be the only one I owned. But then a blonde np was listed for sale on Shelly's website. And lingered. And had her price reduced. And ... I decided she should come live in NC. I almost named her Caitlyn (for some reason she reminds me of my sister's childhood friend), but decided she should be called Gemma instead.

I grabbed a few minutes here and there this afternoon to take pictures, so my photo session spread over several hours. The light angle changed quite a bit over this time period, taking her from icy to glowing.

As you can see from this close-up, her lips are quite rubbed but her eyes are fabulous.

I'll try to remember to take comparison photos of Gemma with some of my other 1960's Blue Cords. It might not be for a while though, as I have a new job and even less free time for blogging right now.

1969 Dungarees

I just snapped some quick pictures of Hannah with my other 1969 Dungarees. Hayley, Hannah, and Harlow are in the back row, while Hedwig and Hester are in the front row. I had my flash on by mistake when I took this picture, but didn't get as bad a reflection from the eyes as I usually do with a flash.

Here are the three "dark" dungarees together. Hayley's vinyl is so shiny compare to the other two, that it was hard to get a picture without glare on her cheeks. Hannah's hair is still in the original braids, and thus looks quite sleek. Harlow's wider face is very apparent from this angle; she seems a bit aloof to me.

Hannah and Harlow both have nice matte vinyl, so I could get a good close-up of their faces without much glare. As you can hopefully see, they have lovely eyes. Harlow's are a darker brown, the darkest of the five I think.

If you were shopping for a Sasha doll back in 1969 and saw these two dolls on a shelf, which would you choose? I think that would have been a difficult decision.

Meet Paloma

I love how the early English brunettes look, but resisted buying them at first due to concerns about falling hair. I managed to find a few with stable hair, and then added a few more who only lose a hair or two when combed. Paloma is in the latter group, so I pretty much leave her hair alone. It is quite thick, with very deep bangs, and a part way over on her left side. I decided I could handle minor hair issues on such a gorgeous girl. From Susanna's charts, I'm almost certain she's a 1968 Brunette Gingham.

She looks so different in this picture to me, even though they were all taken at the same time. Her face appears wider from this angle, and her hair appears lighter, almost highlighted in the sunlight from the window.

And finally a couple of close-ups, so you can really see her beautiful big brown eyes.

Dollydoodles

I saw in the latest issues of Sasha World that Dollydoodles had a new website scheduled for launch at the end of September. I've been checking the link, and Dollydoodles is now up and running! She makes some adorable clothes, so I can't wait to see what will be offered in her online boutique. I've added it to my LINKS section in the left sidebar for future reference.


Check out her contemporary outfits for Sasha, Gregor, and Baby!

Grocery Shopping

I purchased a Sasha-sized shopping cart for myself last year. Boo fell in love with it, but I didn't want to give it up. Instead, I bought a second cart and gave it to her for Christmas, filled with groceries (mostly from Lovvbugg on eBay). I also found her a couple of miniature shopping baskets (in the dollar section at Target - such a bargain!), one containing plastic fruits and the other containing plastic vegetables. This means she has plenty of supplies for her Sashas to go grocery shopping.

Boo with Rose and Calla, showing off some of their goodies:

Rose fills the cart while Calla pushes:

Rose and Calla are both wearing retro print dresses made by Fung Hicks, one with kittens and the other with Scottie dogs.

Meet Hannah

I've introduced four 1969 redhead dungarees so far, five if you count my rerooted "sneak" (who started life as a brunette). I wasn't looking for any more, but couldn't resist this girl when she was searching for a new home. Like Miranda, she came from the collection of Audrey Femmer, though I purchased her indirectly. She is unique in that her dungarees have black snaps instead of the more common silver. Her face paint is perfect, as you can see in these pictures.

Hannah is a stunning girl, with her own unique look. I love how different all of my dungarees girls are from one another. Hopefully I'll have time to take more dungarees comparison photos soon.

Busy As a Bee, Again

After all my festival posts, I was only planning to take a break from blogging for a couple of weeks. Then the school year started, with changes in routine, and settling my kids in to not only school, but soccer and scouting as well. Then I got caught up in Ted's Pinafore Challenge, and spent whatever time I could sewing. I can't wait to share my efforts, but am waiting until the entries have been posted on Sasha Street.

I've finally found time to take new doll photographs, and will create a new post with them this evening.

Instant Princess

Since returning from the festival, I've been "chatting" with lots of Sasha folk via email and facebook. I mentioned to Sheila that Muriel was wearing one of the outfits she made (which I'd purchased with Muriel in mind), and of course she wanted to see a picture. I hastily snapped a few shots, and she looks so cute that I decided to share one here as well.

I love how the addition of a tiara (a table gift I received at the festival) turns her into an instant princess.

Village Blocks

I took many of the pictures for today's festival post yesterday afternoon. I was putting them on my computer after dinner, when my nine-year old son noticed the picture with the village blocks and asked what they were. I told him they were doll-sized blocks that I'd won at the festival, and that they were on the dining room table (where I'd been taking pictures) if he wanted to check them out. He set up a village scene to show me, then shifted it around to create another scene. Ah, boys and blocks. Then he surprised me by asking if he could make the baby play with the blocks (Cleo was still in the stroller, also on the table). I helped him get her out of the stroller and sitting among the blocks. According to my son, "The baby is eyeing the purple man."

Sasha Festival 2010 - post 6

This will probably be my last post about the festival, though I'm sure many of the clothes and props pictured here will show up in future posts. After four days at the festival and almost a week organizing my pictures and documenting the festival online, it's time for me to focus my energy on non-Sasha stuff for a while. Here are the remaining items that I brought home, things I purchased directly or indirectly. How did I get everything home (including three dolls) without checking a bag?

I went shopping by myself in San Francisco on Thursday. I bought some fabrics and notions, a crafter's iron, a little Chinese doll, and three doll-size parasols (two are for Boo's dolls, Calla and Rose).

The gift exchange was Friday afternoon. I brought a gift bag containing a smocked dress (like this) made by Patty at The Sasha Wardrobe, velvet hair ribbons, and a little Chinese doll. I wound up with this cute outfit, a green Scottie sweater and cap with white corduroy pants, made by Beverly Schacht.

The Children's Fund Auction was Saturday afternoon, and raised a total of $6874 for two charities: Child Help and Save the Children. I was the high bidder for two items, a purple and white sweater and cap from Switzerland (made and donated by Amei Walder) and a Boneka smocked dress (donated by Bonnie Jean Kennedy).

The sales room was open on Saturday evening. I bought some clothes, a stroller, and ... a doll. Clockwise from upper left: a Boneka dress that was a gift from Nancy Miller when I purchased my doll, Boneka shoes that I bought from Nancy to go with my auction dress, pink and yellow wool sweaters knit by Erica McLeod, a pink commercial babygro resized by Sheila Foery, a red check smocked baby dress and panties tagged Millie Dingham, a blue floral smocked dress and panties tagged Laura Lindberg, and a swing-top and plaid capris made by Sheila.

Dawn Law had strollers and baby carriers for sale, made by the Spanish company Diset. As Chloe and Cleo demonstrate, the stroller is small enough to be pushed and large enough to be ridden in. And it even folds for storage or travel, which made it easier to pack in my carry-on bag.

The helper item tickets were drawn on Sunday. There were lots of lovely items, and I wound up winning two of them: a set of wooden village blocks made in Germany, and a lace collar knit by Erica McLeod. The lace collar came on a card that reads: "Lace collar for Sasha knitted in fine merino wool. The original of this pattern was inspired by one seen in the Swiss Village Museum in Wisconsin. The pin represents the edelweiss flower."

Here's a picture of my new doll, taken as the festivities were winding down on Sunday. She's wearing the dress I won in the auction, and the lace collar I won in the helper item drawings. She still hasn't told me her name yet, though perhaps I haven't been listening closely enough.

UPDATE: After lots of contemplation, she and I have settled on the name Juliette.

Sasha Festival 2010 - post 5

Like last year, I came home with a whole lot of Sasha-related stuff. In this post I'll show the festival souvenirs and other table hostess gifts that I received, saving the items I purchased or won (gift exchange, Children's Fund Auction, sales room, and helper items) for my next post.

At check-in I received: a festival bag containing maps and information about Switzerland, the Festival Journal, and a booklet with auction item pictures and descriptions; my auction paddle; and my name tag on a Switzerland lanyard. Also in this picture is the card with information about next year's festival that we received at brunch on Sunday; the theme is "Pieces of Time" and it will be held July 14-17 in Springfield, IL.

The festival outfit was spread out over the three meals. At Friday dinner we received a little beaded bracelet and a raffia-tied package containing a Bauernkind (farm child) outfit - underskirt, skirt, apron, shirt, and kerchief. Each outfit was one-of-a-kind, with coordinating pieces made from second-hand men's shirts. My outfit has a blue and tan color scheme, with a chambray apron. At Saturday lunch we received a box containing a little basket of eggs, and at Sunday brunch we received another box containing leather boots and Glorex Swiss doll socks.

I changed my mind about bringing Muriel at the last minute, so to compensate I'm letting her model the festival outfit:

And here are some pictures from the festival, showing the variety of colors and patterns:

There were several other items on the tables at various meals that I'm almost certain were received by everyone at the festival: a bucket, bandanna, stuffed bunny, cow, and ice cream cone, plus Swiss flags on toothpicks scattered about. There were little Lindt and Toblerone candy bars as well, but I ate them before I even boarded the plane for home. Also in this picture are the floral wreath and hair clip that I made at the workshops on Friday.

Tina and I hosted a table for Friday dinner, so I have the little tote bag of Swiss souvenirs that she and I created (I gave my special Lindt bar to the festival hostess). I sat at very generous tables for the other two meals, receiving clothing from the hostess as well as gifts from other people at the table (including saltwater taffy from Maine, which was eaten instantly and thus not pictured).  The dress on the left uses a vintage handkerchief for the skirt, while the pinafore on the right is made from vintage linens. I love them both!