Meet Juliette

I can't believe it's almost time for the 2011 Sasha Festival. My how time flies! Even more unbelievable is that I still haven't formally introduced the doll that I bought at last year's festival. I gave a couple of sneak peeks here and here, but haven't made the time since then to take photos and write up a blog post.

Nancy Miller of Let's Play Dolls wrote this description of her: "Early rare no-philtrum girl, 1966, beautifully hand painted and extremely rare dark navy eyes with dark liner and white eye shadow, pretty pink lips, near flawless complexion, beautiful blonde hair has just a hint of dryness, but this is not obvious, no missing hair plugs, complete original blue cord dress outfit, panty elastic has stretched, clothes are otherwise excellent, navy leather Mary Jane shoes are absolutely mint except for a bit of paint missing from one snap, I don’t remember if I added the vintage hair ribbon or if it is original, doll has been re-strung to the correct tension, original striped elastic is tucked inside, doll is in excellent to near mint condition. She was reluctantly taken from my personal collection; she is gorgeous!"

She is indeed gorgeous. And her eyes are absolutely amazing! She is the Jewel of my collection - often referred to as Jules as a nickname for Juliette. Not the best light for photography today, but it will suffice.

Meet Opal

I know I said I was going to introduce my Sasha Saris in alphabetical order, but I decided to save the one I'm keeping for last. The other three will be sold, but Opal is going to become one of my "Amigos" -- an assortment of late 80's girls who I dress and display.

It wasn't easy to choose, and there isn't a solid reason why she is my choice. I like the rose pattern on her red, white, and blue sari, yet I think the color is the least flattering of the four. I like the shape of her bangs, yet they all have nice hair now that it's been washed. Perhaps it's that she appears to be more petite than the others, though appears is the operative word here. I even hesitate to say she is my "favorite". They all call to me in different ways, yet she spoke to me the loudest.

While my Sasha Saris are all quite photogenic, Opal seems the most reserved.

Meet Ruby

Since I'm introducing my Sasha Saris in alphabetical order, third up is Ruby.

Ruby wears a red sari with a black, white, and blue pattern that looks somewhat Oriental (both the color and the pattern). I think she has the straightest bangs/fringe of the four, though she also has a piece in the center that wants to stick up.

While my Sasha Saris are all quite photogenic, Ruby seems the most serene.

Meet Iris

Since I'm introducing my Sasha Saris in alphabetical order, second up is Iris.

Iris wears a purple sari with a black and grey floral pattern. I love this vivid shade of purple, and think it looks lovely with her black hair. Speaking of her hair, it looks slightly longer than the others, though that may be because it has slightly less curl.

While my Sasha Saris are all quite photogenic, Iris seems the most aloof.

Meet Beryl

It has been so long since I bought my Sasha Saris that I don't recall the order in which they were purchased. I've decide to introduce them in alphabetical order, so first up is Beryl.

Beryl wears a blue sari with a pink and white floral pattern. I think she has the thickest bangs/fringe of the four, and also appears to be slightly taller than the others. Her sari is damaged, with a piece missing along one edge, but it isn't particularly noticeable when wrapped.

While my Sasha Saris are all quite photogenic, Beryl seems the most feminine.

Sasha Saris

I currently own four Sasha Saris, each wearing a different color sari. I have been holding out on introducing them on my blog because I wanted to wash their hair first, and with four of them that's a time-consuming project. Each of them had bangs that stuck out in several directions, and their hair seemed clumpy in back. I finally dug out my mild shampoo last week and made time to wash and dry their hair. Wow, what a difference! I was planning to sell all four as part of my consolidation, but they look so lovely now that I've decided to keep one as my sixth Amigo.

When I redressed them I wrapped their saris differently, to go over the shoulder and not the head. This is more in keeping with how I've known people to wear their saris, plus it keeps their hair from getting so mussed.

Isn't their black hair gorgeous?!

They are from 1986, the final year of production for the English Sashas, and only around 400 were made before the factory closed. That means these are roughly 1% of all the Sasha Saris made. They lack the hand painting of the earlier dolls, but they still look slightly different from each other.

I will introduce them individually shortly.

Later Gotz Moderns

I am consolidating my Sasha collection a bit, so that my dolls can have more room (and hence more visibility) in the space available. It was a difficult decision, but I've decided to part with my four pale-skinned Later Gotz girls. I will miss them, as they are lovely dolls with their fair skin, rosy cheeks, and long straight hair. Still, I'd prefer that they be enjoyed elsewhere rather than hidden at the back of a cabinet here.

They will be available at my sales table at the upcoming Sasha Festival in Springfield. Since I'll be packing them for our trip soon (is it really only two weeks away?!), I decided to take some group pictures today. It was a bit of a rush job, but I think these turned out okay.

First the two brunettes together, Stella and Anika:

Next the two blondes together, Carmen and Wibke:

Then the two with braids together, Wibke and Anika:

And finally, a couple of pictures with all four: a close up ...

... and a full-body shot.

Parting is such sweet sorrow.

Sleeveless "Migros" Dress

I had some blue and yellow floral fabric that I thought would look nice on Desiree, so I decided to make her a new dress. I used the sleeveless version of the classic Migros dress pattern, which was challenging given my limited sewing skills. It's not perfect, but I'm pleased with how it turned out.

The skirt is very wide, just like the early cord dresses, which makes it easy for Desiree to lift it up and show off her matching pants.

This sweet 1969 girl is for sale, and will be available at my sales table at the upcoming Sasha Festival in Springfield.

Gotz Scouts

While the "old" uniform has a few more details (like a shirt pocket, belt loops, stripe-topped socks, and tie-able shoelaces) I think the "new" uniform does a great job of capturing the same feel. Noreen and Alice seem like girls in different age groups, and thus wearing different colored neckerchiefs. Of course they are in different age groups, with one being almost 30 years older than the other.  :-)

I think these two look amazing together ...

... so amazing in fact, that I was second guessing my decision to sell Alice. I had to remind myself that I'm selling some of my later Gotz to make room for my expanded group of early Gotz. She might not have another Scout to hang out with now, but Noreen has seven no-navel friends. And while I no longer own Alice, I still have a later Gotz with blonde braids -- Lilly.

Meet Noreen

Before I packaged Alice up to mail to her new home, I took some pictures of her with my other Gotz scout. She hasn't been introduced yet, so I decided to do that before sharing the comparison pictures. Meet Noreen, an absolutely stunning 1970 no-navel. She's a brown-eyed redhead who came with her complete scout uniform (including the pennant!). The color is a bit off in these pictures thanks to uncooperative  weather, but I didn't want to wait for a sunnier day to create this post.

She is my fourth no-navel from 1970 (with more subtle eye paint than those from 1969), joining Liesel, Muriel, and Miranda in my collection.