I’ve been busy, but I don’t have any finished work to show for it. Supergirl and I have had a few adventures. One day we went to the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley in Winchester, VA with my daughter. On another, we drove to Alexandria, VA and rode the water taxi across the Potomac River to the National Harbor in Maryland to ride the Capital Wheel (ferris wheel). Both were … Continue reading
Category Archives: Flipping Dolls
My doll collection contains caucasian dolls almost exclusively. Why? I have owned and sold many black dolls, but so far, none have made the cut for my permanent collection. Since bisque dolls during the late 1800’s and early 1900’s were made predominately in France and Germany, they reflected the population. When ethnic dolls were made, they were often made as novelties and were of poor quality. Several firms made limited numbers … Continue reading
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The second dress is done and even though it is silk dupioni, like dress one, it is completely different. My first step was to cut one more piece out of both the fabric and lining, the back pleat. I decided that it should be 1 5/8″ high and cut at a 60 degree angle. I used a plastic lid to draw the curve with my mechanical chalk pencil onto the … Continue reading
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I cut my linings for all three dresses from an off-white gauzy cotton I purchased many years ago in an Indian sari shop. It was inexpensive so I purchased several yards and may never run out. Since my fabrics and linings all tend to fray, I painted all the edges with my Gail Wilson Fray Preventer. Then I spread them out on waxed paper to dry. The first dress I … Continue reading
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It is time for the Triple Flip girls to get new dresses. I am going to show you how to use the basic small doll dress pattern from Beginning Hand Sewing for Dolls Part 6 to make three very different dresses. I reduced the size on my copier and just used the paper patterns to cut out the dresses. Since I used silk, I didn’t use tape to hold the patterns … Continue reading
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Today is Supergirl’s last full day of school. Tomorrow, I pick her up at noon and summer vacation begins. Yesterday afternoon we started a list of things to do this summer. I had a hard time convincing her that I will still have work to do and sometimes she will have to entertain herself. A few weeks ago she came to my house with her dad (my son) to work … Continue reading
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Today, I just can’t get myself going. I stayed up late last night finishing the new Stephen King novel. It is a beautiful hot summer day in my back yard, but last week the mosquitos arrived for their summer stay. They love me. I don’t love them. So, I’ll just tell you about my weekend. I left the doll show last Saturday feeling rather sad. There were loads of empty spaces for … Continue reading
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Since my flip doll is currently for sale on eBay, it’s time to start another. I keep a box of potential flip dolls I’ve collected in my sewing room. This time, I’m going to do a triple flip. I’ve done this before and it’s not as daunting as it sounds. All three dolls stand between 3 3/4″ and 4″ tall and have similar bodies, so the same patterns will work for all … Continue reading
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My flip doll is complete and is for sale on eBay. It is always nerve wracking to watch my stuff on eBay. Who knows if I’ll make a profit? I usually list my items at a low starting price to attract more bidders, but that means my doll may sell for far less than she’s worth. I’ve mostly been lucky, but it’s a crap shoot. Here she is before and after. … Continue reading
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Many doll collectors search for the most pristine dolls in their original clothing. Doll collectors who love to sew for their dolls often prefer to collect undressed or redressable dolls. I sometimes feel guilty about redressing a doll that came to me in her original clothing. I do not like to feel guilty. Over the past few years, I have enjoyed purchasing naked or redressable all-bisque dolls and transforming them. This … Continue reading
