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.

Linger

This seems like a fitting song for saying farewell to Alice -- it's what we used to sing around the campfire on the final night of Girl Scout camp. She's heading north to a new home tomorrow, and I must admit that I'm going to miss her.

Mmm Mmm I want to linger,
Mmm Mmm a little longer,
Mmm Mmm a little longer here with you.

Mmm Mmm it's such a perfect night,
Mmm Mmm it doesn't seem quite right,
Mmm Mmm that this should be my last with you.

Mmm Mmm and come September,
Mmm Mmm I will remember,
Mmm Mmm our camping days and friendships true.

Mmm Mmm and as the years go by,
Mmm Mmm I'll think of you and sigh,
Mmm Mmm this is goodnight and not goodbye.

Good night, Alice.

Meet Annabel

Since my last few posts have been about dolls that I don't own anymore, I decided to introduce another doll that is no longer part of my collection. She was purchased in a very negative eBay experience, but enough time has passed that it's not particularly upsetting now. Plus I learned two valuable lessons: early blondes can have major hair problems, and avoid sellers who appear mentally unstable. Since my 1968 blondes all have names starting with A, I thought it would be fitting to call her Annabel.

This poor girl's hair was very stiff and matted, and started falling out and/or breaking off before I was able to shampoo it. My assumption is that the hair was damaged by some sort of hair styling product which was used on it years ago (hence the stiffness). Her eyes were lovely, but it's my opinion that a fringe girl has lost most of her cachet if she's balding. I had to get Customer Support involved, but fortunately I was able to return the doll for a full refund.

These pictures were taken after her hair had been wet, so it looks quite smooth and silky here. But if you look closely it's broken off in places, especially a big chunk of her bangs.

You can see lots of shorter hairs from this angle, and also a ding on her hand.

Her face is quite lovely, though also quite grubby.

The cost was too high (both financially and emotionally) for me to regard her as a waif and fix her up. Alas, I can't save every doll. She was sold again on eBay for a lower price, so hopefully someone else did/will save her.

Vive la France!

If only Grand-Pere were here to give these girls a quick French lesson. Yes, Luisa, Laura, and Sarah are off to a new home in France.

Taking their picture together, I realized what a nice trio they make: a brown-eyed brunette, a green-eyed redhead, and a blue-eyed blonde, all with a similar hairstyle. As far as I can tell from their tags, they each come from a different year too: Luisa from 1997, Laura from 1996, and Sarah from 1998.

Part of me hates to see them go, but now there is a bit more room in my doll cabinets for the other girls to spread out and be seen.

Royal Duo

A modern fairy tale starring Prince Gregor and Princess Sasha (who make a very cute couple).

Boy meets girl ...

... they fall in love ...

... she borrows his clothing.