American Girl ADDY and Simplicity 1391--again!

A few years ago, I sold my American Girl Addy doll.  I was trying to thin out my collection a bit, and honestly, I had never really bonded with that doll.  But lately, I had really been missing her and regretting my decision to have sold her.  So I went on the hunt for a new Addy.  And I found one!  A fellow member in a Facebook group advertised this lovely, early, Pleasant Company Addy, and I just knew she had to be mine!

I believe she is a first edition, or at the least very early, since she has some of the hallmarks of a first edition doll--straight, soft eyelashes, soft vinyl face, exposed ribbon at the base of her wig, and marked Pleasant Company 148/16 on her neck.  She has the sweetest expression!

She was nude when I bought her, so I immediately set about making her a new outfit.  Simplicity 1391 is my go-to pattern for civil war era styled clothing:

I made a version of the blue dress in the upper right corner.  I left off the belt and the bow at the neckline.  Otherwise, my creation looks pretty similar.  Another difference is that I almost always line the bodice instead of using facings.  I just think it looks so much nicer.

I used a vintage piece of cotton eyelet insertion to accent the hem.  Bias binding with picot crochet edge trims the sleeves and the dress bodice.

I wanted to make her jacket and bonnet set from wool, so I headed off to Goodwill and purchased a women's, 100% wool skirt to cut up for just $6.99.  I only used about a third of it, so not bad for the cost!  The jacket closes with snaps under decorative buttons.  It is completely lined with printed cotton.  

The bonnet is my favorite part of this outfit!  I just love bonnets.  It is also completely self lined, with a matching wool ruffle along the inside that frames her little face.  A vintage piece of ruffled trim adorns the outside of the bonnet.  It ties under the chin with vintage seam binding.

The jacket may look complicated, but it actually sews together very quickly.  The fit of this pattern is impecable, as well.  It is designed by Keepers Doll Duds, one of my favorite doll pattern designers.

I still need to make her a proper slip.  She borrowed one from another doll for the photos, but I want to make one just for her.  I guess that'll be my next project!

Ruthie's Reveal!

Remember poor little Ruthie with the matted hair from yesterday's post?  Well, here she is, all cleaned up and looking good as new!

I gently washed her hair and then combed it out with my trusty, metal, pet comb.  I trimmed off about one inch of length in order to get rid of the majority of the frizzy ends.  I set her dampened hair on sponge rollers over night.

I am so pleased with how her hair turned out!

Back view...the curls will probably relax a bit over time, but that's okay.

I love her coloring: dark brunette with greenish eyes.

She is wearing a dress I made a while back...it is Simplicity 1244, view A.  It closes in back with snaps under decorative buttons.

While I am thrilled that she came with her original "Meet Dress", I really do think that the clothes I make for my dolls are cuter!  And definitely better made.  Everything is 100% quality, quilter's cottons, with lined bodices and finished raw edges.  I make my doll clothes the same way I make "real" people clothing.  I'm just kind of picky like that!

And here she is, with her best friend, Kit

I bought this Kit from a friend of mine, who was selling off her adult daughter's outgrown toys.  This is one of the first Kits produced, since she still has "Pleasant Company" stamped on the back of her neck, even though she is the first doll that was produced under the American girl logo after Mattel took over.

I made her dress and little apron several years ago; it is an out-of-print Vogue pattern #7565.  The dress was super easy to put together, but the apron, not so much!  There was a lot work involved here...lots of embroidery, and I stitched the binding down by hand all the way around that apron!  But oh, I just think it's the cutest little thing.

Here's a close up of the embroidery.  I actually made this apron a second time, in a different color.  It turned out equally as cute.

Kit invited Ruthie to climb the old apple tree.  It looks like a nice place to build a treehouse!

Simplicity 1244 and American Girl KIT

Today I finished up this pattern for the American Girl doll, Kit, that my daughter received for Christmas:

Simplicity 1244--I made view A, in the center.

 

I matched the sleeve cuffs to the center bodice fabric, and omitted the ties at the waist.

 

I also lined the bodice instead of using a neck facing or bias trim, because I think it just looks nicer with a lining.

 

The pattern also calls for the collars to come all the way around to the back and get sewed down into the back seam.  What???  Who ever heard of a peter pan collar doing that?  So I cut them shorter and rounded the back edges.  I also edged them with a darling piping.  The dress closes with snaps under decorative, yellow buttons.  I really don't like Velcro on doll clothing, so I rarely use it for my own dolls.  My favorite closures are buttons and buttonholes, but this wasn't possible since MY SEWING MACHINE BROKE on Christmas Eve.  Right in the middle of putting my son's quilt together.  Did I mention that already in my last post?  I can't remember.  It's really been quite traumatic.  I do have a back up machine, but it's older and doesn't have an automatic buttonholer.  So I am relegated to "making do" with snaps as fasteners until I get my machine back. 

 

Here is the waffle maker that I acquired along with Kit.  It is metal and porcelain and heavy and oh, so adorable.

 

Just look at the waffles inside!  They can be removed from the iron.

 

And how cute is the plug?  It looks so real that I had to convince my 5 year old that it could NOT be really plugged into an outlet. 

 

Part of the waffle maker set includes this porcelain plate along with another waffle and a dollop of whipped cream on top.  There are also two sprigs of Christmas greenery to use as decoration.  This entire set is just too cute.  Pleasant company really outdid themselves with some of their earlier accessories.

 

Here is Kit's typewriter.  The keys actually press down, and the little thingy (I don't know what it's called) that types the letters onto the paper actually works!  You can even move the carriage back and forth.  It doesn't actually print (there's no typewriter ribbon), but everything moves like a real typewriter would function.

 

The stationary set that goes along with the typewriter.  How stinkin' cute is that eraser???  I remember my mother using one of those when I was a child.

 

Kit's lunch pail set

 

Another adorable set.  The pail is metal, and all the little food pieces and napkin can be packed away inside.

 

Coconut!

 

This is the earliest version of Coconut.  He is heavy, kind of like a paperweight.  The first run of these pets was called "he".  A year later they were called "she" and also had a magnet added under their nose so they could hold a toy bone.  Mine does not have the magnet.  He also comes with his little pet bed and cushion.

 

A sweet friend from my doll club sold me her daughter's Kit doll and all the above mentioned accessories.  Her daughter received Kit the year she came out, back in 2000.  Kit was the first doll manufactured by Mattel once they took over Pleasant Co, so she was kind of a transitional doll.  The back of my Kit's neck is marked "Pleasant Company" in super tiny, raised, writing.  I'd never seen such tiny writing used on the American Girls before.  I would take a picture of it, but it's so hard to see in real life, that I don't think I could get a decent photo of it.

 

I had always wanted to add Kit to my collection.  I love her clothing, her accessories, and her cute, bobbed haircut.  By the way, her hair is super shiny and soft.  She has the shiniest, smoothest hair out of all my AG dolls.  Have you seen her kitchen stove and canning accessories?

1930's stove--I want this so bad!  It is a retired item, so the only way to obtain it is on the secondary market.

 

The produce and preserves set that goes along with the stove

 

Kit's wash day set--this would be so cute to set up on a shelf in my laundry room, don't you think?

 

I also love this Glassware and Linens set.  I have a weakness for tiny doll dishes and silverware.

 

Kit has so many wonderful accessories--hunting for them is so much fun.  Someday I hope to add these retired items to my (ahem, I mean my daughter's) Kit collection!