New Outfit for A Girl for All Time, CLEMENTINE

Several months ago, when I had a bunch of eBay bucks burning a hole in my pocket--and I needed to spend them or I'd lose them--I decided to add A Girl for All Time CLEMENTINE to my hoard...I mean family of dolls.  She's a little British girl from WWII.  Here is a stock photo of her:

I'm ashamed to say that I haven't really given her any attention since she arrived, other than removing her from her box and admiring her pretty outfit and cute hair.  I have two, other A Girl for All Time dolls--Matilda and Amelia.  They are just lovely, and Clementine is no exception.

So I happened to be at Goodwill today when I spotted a porcelain doll lying on the shelf, amidst all the other porcelain dolls that people can't even seem to give away anymore.  I know they used to cost a pretty penny, but now?  It's so sad.  Now they are sold for pennies on the dollar, if even that.  However, this is actually a good thing for me, since I am always hunting for shoes, socks, clothing, wigs, eyes, accessories, etc. that I can use for my other dolls.  The first thing I saw were the bottoms of the boots, and the price tag for $4.  This piqued my interest.  Upon closer inspection, I noticed that the entire outfit was very nicely made (metal snaps for fasteners--no Velcro), and the boots were just too cute!  I had to buy her, if only for the boots.  I figured those boots had to fit at least one of my dolls, and maybe the dress, too.

Once I removed the outfit from the doll, I thought by the looks of it that it might fit A Girl for All Time.  I decided to try it on Clementine, just for fun.  And guess what???  It fit!  Perfectly!  Every single piece!  How awesome is that?

I know that Clementine is supposed to represent a little girl from the 1940's, but I think she looks simply adorable dressed up as a little Edwardian era girl, too.

Like I said before, the dress is a very, nice quality.  It fastens in the back and on the wrists with snaps.  The fabric appears to be a sheer cotton in a light, peachy color with lace insertion and satin ribbon at the waist.

But these boots!!!  How cute are they?!?  Honestly, I bought the doll just for her boots.  The socks are a nice, thick cotton and go all the way up her thighs.

I couldn't believe how perfectly everything fit on my Clementine.  It was as if it was all made just for her.  I do love sewing for my dolls, but sometimes it's nice to find a ready-made outfit that I didn't have to put a bunch of blood, sweat, and tears into!

Here is Clem, standing next to the doll who so graciously gave up her wardrobe for my doll...but don't worry...I will give her another outfit and re-donate her back to the thrift store.

Isn't she so sweet?  Even the hair ribbon came as part of the outfit.  I really do want to sew some 1940's style clothing for her, but in the meanwhile, I will keep her dressed as a little Edwardian girl.  I think it suits her.

The moral of this story:  Don't forget to check out all those poor, neglected porcelain dolls at the thrift stores!  They may have a lot to offer in the way of clothing, shoes, wigs, etc.  Your dollies will thank you!  (And you will feel so smart for being thrifty!)

Amelia as "Alice"

"Oh, Dinah, how could anyone possibly like a book without any pictures in it?"

 

"Mr. Rabbit, wait!  Please wait!  Where are you running off to in such a hurry?"

 

How very curious!  A tea party, in the middle of nowhere.

 

"May I join you?"

 

"You are late!"

 

"Late for what?" asked Alice.

 

"Why, the 'unbirthday' celebration, of course," announced the White Rabbit.

 

"Oh, dear...this table is rather large, or perhaps, I'm too small...I can't quite reach the teapot..."

 

The more I've been enjoying my Girl for All Time Amelia, the more I realized that she would make the perfect "Alice".  I had the perfect blue, cotton sateen fabric in my stash for her dress.  It is trimmed with vintage trims and closes in back with snaps under decorative buttons.

 

Many, vintage, Alice illustrations picture her wearing black & white striped tights.  I made her a pair using a thrifted, women's knit shirt.  So easy and gratifying.

 

The skirt and bib for her apron are cut from a vintage hankie.

 

My "Alice" collection is growing bit by bit.  Next month, Hubby and I are going to Disneyland (by ourselves!) to celebrate our 30 year wedding anniversary.  I can hardly wait!  I hope to come home with a few more Alice things for my collection.  I will also take along my mini Disney animator Alice doll as a travel doll.  I plan on taking lots of pictures with her at all the places we visit.  Did I already say I can hardly wait?!?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Little Red Riding Hood Matilda!

Lately, I've felt the urge to create storybook costumes for my dolls.  Matilda looked like the perfect character to portray Little Red.

 

I created her cloak from a thrifted women's skirt.  At first, I thought it was a lightweight wool, but the tag listed it as 100% silk.  It has such a nice, nubby texture and drape.

 

The cloak is fully lined with quilter's cotton.  I didn't get a close-up photo, but it is a lovely, muted shade of greenish brown with tiny red flowers.

 

I made a self fabric ruffle to frame her pretty face.

 

The hood is oversized because I like the look of a drapey hood.

 

The ties are also made from the same fabric.

 

Of course, Matilda needed a new dress to go along with her new cape!

 

I used the same pattern I drafted for the puffed-sleeve dresses I've made, only this time, I made long sleeves.  They are two part sleeves--the uppers are puffed and then gathered to a long, straight cuff.

 

I love the pinafore. It was made from a piece of vintage linen which had already been cut and sewed into the basic shape.  All I had to do was add the shoulder straps (from another vintage linen), add a back opening with a placket which closes with snaps, and hem it.

 

Oh, how I love the sweetness of this look!

 

And finally, here is what the dress looks like without the pinafore.

 

I used another piece of antique, eyelet embroidery from my stash for the bodice.

 

The cuffs are edged with another eyelet.

 

It closes in back with snaps under decorative buttons.

 

I used a vintage, crocheted lace to edge the hem.

 

Matilda has the prettiest, long hair.

 

Sewing for these dolls is so much fun!  They are so easy to pose and have wonderful proportions.  I've already determined that my next outfit will be "Little Bo Peep" for Amelia.  I have a pretty, pale, pink thrifted skirt in my stash which I think will be just perfect!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New Dress for my Girl for All Time MATILDA

Matilda was acting a little indignant that I had made a new dress for Amelia but not for her.  So out came my stash of clothing and vintage linens I buy just for the purpose of turning into doll clothing.

 

The dress was cut from a skirt and the apron is made from two different linens stacked together.  I also had a beautiful piece of antique lace that I applied to the bodice.

 

The dress without the apron--the reason I bought this skirt to begin with was because of the tucks and eyelet--I immediately knew it would make a cute doll dress!

 

Of course, no outfit is complete without the proper undergarments.  I made her an identical slip to the one I made for Amelia, and pair of pantalets from a vintage table linen.

 

Petticoat slip

 

Pantalets

 

Matilda decided to spend some time outdoors with Flora and Fitzgerald.  I recently found Flora the sheep at Goodwill.  Fitzgerald is the goat from American Girl Josefina's collection--I think it's name was Sombrita?  But I think he looks more like a "Fitzgerald" to me!

 

"Oh, no!  Flora, where did Fitzgerald go?  I can't find him anywhere!" 

Here you can see that Matilda's dress closes in back with snaps under decorative buttons.  The apron simply ties at the waist.  I was going to make another pinafore, like Amelia's, but I didn't want to cover up the pretty lace on Matilda's bodice.

 

"Where, oh where did that naughty little goat run off to?" 

 I added trim to the bottom tuck of Matilda's dress to match the trim on her sleeves.  Her apron is two layers of vintage linens, since I couldn't decide which one I liked better.  I actually love how it turned out.

 

I was so pleased that I had a piece of embroidered linen in my stash that had the same shade of green in the embroidery as the color of the dress.  Perfect!

 

"I found him!" exclaimed Amelia.  "He was eating the wildflowers near the chicken pen."

 

Sweet little Fitzgerald, back in the fold.

 

Amelia decided to add wildflowers to Matilda's hair while keeping a close eye on Fitzgerald.

 

So pretty.

 

Have I mentioned how much I love these dolls?!?  They are so fun to dress and photograph.  They easily stand on their own and hold lots of fun poses, thanks to their multiple, tight joints.  Their hair is gorgeous.  And to think that I didn't really even like these dolls when I first saw them!  I would like to try making them some Victorian style coats, next.  I'm going to take a standard pattern and try shrinking it down a bit.  I'll let you know how that goes, since these dolls are shorter and much slimmer than most of the standard 18" dolls on the market. 

 

Hope your dollies are able to enjoy a little time outside today as well!