Adios Amigos

These pictures of "The Five Amigos" (formerly three, then four) were taken at the same time as the pictures in my previous post. 

I wanted to document these five as a group one last time. Unfortunately I needed to sell a few dolls, since I'd decided to fund all new Sasha purchases through the sale of other Sashas. Hard to say goodbye, but two of these five are gone now, along with two babies (Cleo and an unnamed nightdress boy). Adios my lovelies, and best of luck in your new homes.

80's Girls Original Outfits

A while back I was perusing Sasha group facebook posts and realized that the newer dolls are so often overlooked in the excitement surrounding the older dolls. Of course the newer English dolls aren't all that new, since they're 30ish years old themselves. And while they lack the hand painting of the earlier dolls, they are still gorgeous in their own right.

Here is a group shot of all the 80's dolls in the house at that time, my six and Boo's two. From left to right: Cathy, Rose, Cameo, Calla, Cybil, Chloe, Cindy, and Iris. This picture is currently on the main page of the sashafestival.com website. 

It was a long photo shoot, with lots of chatting between takes.

And here are just my six, the Five Amigos and Iris (who never really warmed to the idea of being an Amigo). The size differences are really apparent when they're all lined up.

Cathy: Blonde Sweater. She has the most serene face, and just might be my favorite of this group (but shhhh, don't tell the others). She wants to be a pilot someday.

Cameo: Honey Blonde Silk Dress. She is so petite compared to the others, and likely from the early 80's. She also likes to stand with her toes pointed out - ballet training in her past?

Cybil: Redhead White Dress. She came to me in mint condition, still strapped into her box. Not a great way to spend 25 years in my opinion, but she's made up for it since.

Chloe: Cora Flower Dress. She came to me in gingham, but given her age this is the correct outfit for her. She is the first Sasha doll that I ever bought. Hard to capture in photographs, but very pretty.

Cindy: Brunette Red Pinafore(?). She came to me nude, and could possibly have been a Dancing Dress, Marina, or Red Pinafore. She toyed with being Marina, but decided the pinafore suited her style.

Iris: Black Haired Sari. She was named for the color of her sari. At one point I had four of these girls, ~1% of all made! When I decided to sell all but one, she wasn't the one I originally planned to keep. But she was my mom's favorite, which prompted a second look - and a second decision.

Happy New Year

My posts have been sporadic lately, but I came close to meeting last year's goal of blogging weekly -- I almost averaged once a week, with 49 posts for the year. I also succeeded in sewing a bit, making 10 tote bags and three pinafores, as well as starting (but not finishing) a Swiss dress. I still have about a dozen dolls to introduce, and lots more clothing, props, and display ideas to share. With a new job keeping me busy, I'm going to try and maintain the status quo rather than make new blogging goals for this year.

In addition to the pale blue tutu, I received two other boxes with Sasha goodies in the mail the week before Christmas. The first box contained a baby walker that I'd won from Shelly on eBay. I'm so glad that I won this because it is the perfect size for Cleo (who's wearing a Dollydoodles sleepsuit here). She's hard to photograph, but oh so adorable.

The second box contained eight pairs of DollyBlue boots (plus a surprise pair of bright pink shoes!). Here is Chloe wearing a pair of pink boots that I won on eBay, along with a Sharon Clancy outfit that deserves it's own backstory. I'd seen this outfit for sale on eBay back in the spring of 2009, and thought it was really cute. I noticed the dress and bits for sale this past fall, but decided against buying it without the cape. Then a few weeks later the cape was offered for sale. Oh how I wished I'd bought the dress when I had a chance. Fortunately I knew the seller, and was able to contact the new owner of the dress to see if she would be willing to sell it to me. As a reader of my blog she offered to give me the dress; I felt awkward being given something that I'd asked for, so we agreed on a trade: a pair of purple DollyBlue boots that I'd bought with the cape. Thank you Chris, and Nikita too -- I love this outfit!

And thank you Carrol, for making me all those boots. After winning the pink pair on eBay, I contacted her about buying purple boots to replace those I'd traded, plus boots to match my three folk outfits (blogged about here and here). My original thoughts were black for the central European, brown for the Bavarian, and white for the Swedish, but with custom boots I wasn't limited by those colors. Unable to decide, I bought multiple pairs; these are great boots and I know they could/would be worn with lots of other outfits. I also have a fourth folk outfit now, which needed no boots since it came with wooden shoes. I was made by Helena in Canada, AKA the eBay seller dolliepatch, and modeled after an old picture that I believe is of Dutch girls. Don't these four look stunning?!

Any thoughts on which color boots look best: red or white with the Swedish outfit, green or brown with the Bavarian outfit? Here's a close up of the five boot colors being worn by the dolls in the photo above.

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.

New Fall Dresses

The weather is finally cooling down here, so I've changed the "five amigos" into some lovely fall dresses made by Patty at The Sasha Wardrobe. I was thrilled to find five coordinating dresses at a reasonable price, and even more thrilled when I saw them in person. Perfect! It took a while to get all five girls dressed, mostly because I had a hard time deciding who should wear which dress, which shoes, and which tights/socks. And of course they all needed to have their hair brushed. Whew!

I wanted an outdoor picture with leaves in the background, which was easier said than done. They're all looking upward, since otherwise the sunlight overhead cast shadows on their faces from their bangs. It's as it they're watching something in the sky off in the distance -- an airplane, the clouds, or perhaps a hawk flying past.


I moved them onto the porch where the light was less harsh, but still no one wanted to look at the camera. I think they look lovely in their new dresses regardless.


Cameo (Honey Blond Silk Dress) is definitely the shortest of the bunch; she seems quite petite in comparison to the others. I'm pretty sure she's the oldest of the quintet.

Tina Gross ... aka dollydetroit

I previewed this post last month when I showed Boo and Calla in their bunny slippers. Calla's were made by a very talented lady named Tina, who also sells Sasha clothing (and bunny slippers) on eBay as dollydetroit.


The slippers are adorable, and she is a marvelous person to communicate with. I emailed photos to her and she coordinated each doll's slippers to their pajamas, with each pair arriving in a tagged baggie indicating which doll they were intended for. Here are my five getting ready for a slumber party in their pajamas (all made by Patty at The Sasha Wardrobe) and their new slippers. [Boo is adamant that I need to put everyone back in their pajamas and slippers and take another picture that includes Calla, even though she had her own slipper picture earlier.]


Tina's talents don't stop at bunny slippers, as I discovered when I won her "Wicked-inspired" ensemble on eBay. I love the little details like the lollipop and hat, and especially the shoes! One of my dolls will be a cute Munchkin next year for Halloween. It is being modeled in this photo by Muriel (a 1970 no-navel), who I will introduce at some point in the future.


Tina also did me a huge favor and replaced the elastic in the waist of Danica's pants, which kept falling down around her ankles. What more can I say ... I'm thrilled to know her and am hoping this is the start of a long Sasha friendship.

UPDATE: Tina has a website now: Dollydetroit by Tina Gross.

Meet Cameo

Having given Calla to Boo, I began seeking a replacement "fifth amigo". It was tempting to find another Sasha Honey Blonde Party, since I love the hair color. Instead I bought a Sasha Honey Blonde Silk Dress (101) -- same hair color, but with brown eyes like the rest of the amigos (and me). It was also tempting to call this doll Calla, but I managed to come up with another name that fit the pattern (starting with "C", five letters long, and of Greek origin) -- Cameo.

Considering that she is roughly 25 years old, both she and her clothes are in remarkably good condition. The only real issue is a green dot on the back of her neck, caused by corrosion on the snap on her dress. Her socks still have quite a bit of elastic but I like them slouched down; I often wear my socks like this.


Despite the fact that they are both honey blondes, she has a very different look from Calla. It's not just because of the eye color; her hair is a slightly different shade and her bangs are narrower. It think it's also partly because she's older. The "Silk Dress" girls were made from 1981-84 while the "Party" girls were made from 1985-86.

It's Pajama Time

I've been too busy to take Sasha pictures recently, but today I managed to find a free moment. Please pardon the cluttered background and bad lighting, but the dolls are in the family room and I didn't have time to move them to more photogenic surroundings. Boo received a bed for Calla for Christmas, and she's been hanging out there the past couple of weeks. I decided to put the girls into their pj's for a group photo with the new bed. Cindy, Cathy, Cybil, and Chloe are all wearing nightwear made by Patty at The Sasha Wardrobe. Calla is lounging in a pair of pajamas that Enid was wearing when I purchased her; they are tagged Nellie-Rose and were thus made by eBay seller maudie-mays. Everyone's hair is a bit mussed as there was no time for brushing hair either, but in this setting perhaps it can be construed as bedhead.

Merry Christmas!

My "playing" dolls are all dressed up for Christmas, and have been joined by a special new friend. I finally finished paying the layaway on my 1968 fringe girl! I will formally introduce Alison in a future post, but wanted her to share in the holiday fun.


Alison is at the far left wearing a red checked dress of unknown origin. She looks so petite compared to all these girls from the 1980's. Next to her, Cindy wears a smocked dress with a gingerbread men print from eBay seller specialdelivery2006. Then comes Calla in a Nellie-Rose gold star dress with matching bow from eBay seller maudie-mays. The Santa hats are also Nellie-Rose Doll Fashions. On the other side of the tree, Cathy, Cybil, and Chloe all wear festive dresses labeled "Hand Crafted By Molly". I purchased them second hand, but believe that eBay seller molly31_7 is the same Molly.

Five Amigos is Enough!

Looking at the four amigos standing together in the dining room, it felt like something was missing. Four dolls (a nice even number), two with long hair and two with short (an even split), two with blonde hair and two with dark hair (another even split). Yet I had another name from my searches -- starting with "C", five letters long, and of Greek origin. Cybil was missing. I should emphasize the WAS because she isn't missing anymore. She adds a nice asymmetry to the group, and a bit of pizazz with her copper-colored hair. I'll make her formal introduction later in the week.


The girls are all dolled up in clothing from eBay seller justsew1940. I'm not sure the best way to describe these outfits (Modern? Trendy? Current??), but they look like things my young daughter and her friends would wear. I've switched where they're standing so you can see the trim on the jeans, which were hidden in the first configuration.

Make That Four Amigos

It is getting a bit cold for here for summer dresses, so I changed the girls into more appropriate clothing for fall. Still lots of green in the trees though, as we haven't had any frost yet. Except for the shoes on Cathy and Calla (the blondes), everything they are wearing was purchased from The Sasha Wardrobe. I think my new sweater girl looks so much sweeter wearing pink than she did in her original beige.

Party Dresses

I've put off taking pictures of my Sashas as it's been so damp and overcast here lately. We had a bit of sun today, so the girls celebrated by having their picture taken in the yard. It was quite blustery, but I managed to get the dolls and their clothing to cooperate briefly. Their party dresses are all white with pink trim, but very different styles: Calla is wearing a "Nellie-Rose" creation from eBay seller maudie-mays; Cindy's dress and hat were purchased from eBay seller specialdelivery2006; and Cora is wearing a Euro Girl outfit. For a more detailed view of the dresses, click on the picture to see a larger version.


I'm discovering how difficult it is to take pictures of Cora, at least posed together with the paler girls. In most of my shots from today she appears so dark that you can barely make out her facial features. I think I need much better lighting to photograph her properly as there's so little contrast between her hair, eyes, and skin.

Fashionistas

I decided to dress "the girls" in coordinating gingham dresses. All three were made by Patty at The Sasha Wardrobe in the UK. I bought the blue dress shortly after I purchased Chloe, and received both of the purple dresses in a collection of clothes that came with Sofie (they have tags inside, so I'm sure of the seamstress). My yard has nothing blooming, so they are standing by some flowers at the edge of my neighbor's yard.


I'm still learning the nuances of posing, as the arm position, angle, and tilt of the head make a huge difference. And good lighting is imperative.


The Sasha Wardrobe is one of my favorite places to purchase Sasha clothes. Not only do they look adorable, but they are well made, reasonably priced (even with the currency conversion), and come nicely packaged. Patty is wonderful (or at least seems that way in her emails), the website photos are gorgeous, and her models have such pretty hair. No, this is not a paid endorsement; I'm just gushing because I'm a very satisfied customer. Here's a picture with some of my latest purchases: pants, sweaters, dresses, pajamas, a jacket, shoes ...


I will share photos of Chloe, Cindy, and Calla wearing more of these clothes as time and weather permit, as they are far more beautiful out of the packages.

The Three Amigos

We now have names for our three dress-up dolls: Calla, Chloe, and Cindy.


The dark skinned dolls were called Cora, which seems old-fashioned. I started calling her Chloe instead -- still "C", still short, but more up-to-date -- and Boo had no objections. Then our other dolls arrived. I suggested Nina for the Sasha Brunette, but Boo nixed that. Her choice was Cindy since "it's a princess name" (as in Cinderella). My original thought for the Sasha Honey Blonde was Heather, which Boo didn't like either. Once the other two had "C" names, I turned to an online baby name site, where I discovered that Chloe and Cindy are both of Greek origin. I looked for "C" names of Greek origin with five letters, and found Calla. Turns out that's a princess name too, since it means Beauty (as in Sleeping Beauty). That satisfied Boo, and me too.