Girls Just Want a Fun Hat

Note to self: Do not make this dress pattern again. In fact, toss it into the garbage. My model below looks as cute as a button. I saved her "look" by giving her a hat.

This hat is a strip of velvet knit, folded in half (right sides together) so that the fabric becomes a thinner strip with the ends cut diagonally. I stitched the fabric together on the long edge, leaving an opening in the center, large enough to turn the strip right-side out. I folded this thick velvet strip into four pleats and tacked the pleats together. I gathered a piece of netting down the middle and tacked it onto the velvet. I added a flower, and voila! I attached the hat to the doll's head with a hat pin.

When I make a new outfit, I try it on all my dolls to see which one looks the best. Any black in the fabric looks best with black hair--or blonde hair. Not brown. I have plenty of beautiful shades of browns and tans for my brown-haired dolls.

Here's a full shot of the dress, Simplicity 4654. This dress was supposed to be a holiday dress. I'd planned to add a beautiful black sash and bow, but the bodice is far too loose at the seam line under the chest.

I previously made this same pattern in an October 14, 2011, blog entry. I remember thinking that perhaps I'd stretched the fabric. But I was careful this time. The bodice might be loose to ease the fit of the set-in sleeves.

Setting in a woman's or child's sleeve is easy. You put a row of basting stitch on the stitch line and ease the sleeve fullness into the bodice without making an ugly tuck in the sleeve. With doll sleeves, it's easy to make an unwanted tuck in the under-arm area of the bodice. I notice that most of the sleeves of the eight-inch Madame Alexander costumes are very full and gathered. These full sleeves are probably easier to sew.

Any suggestion for perfecting the setting in of doll clothes sleeves would be appreciated.

My Asian Fashionista

Whenever I consider buying a new doll, I must find a place to keep her. 18-inch dolls take up space. Until recently I had one American Girl doll (Julie), and I had four Madame Alexander dolls. I need to balance out my collection with another A.G. doll, maybe one with red hair and freckles, or I'd like to buy an A.G. doll that looks like me, "Marshmallow Jane."

Lo and behold, I found another Madame Alexander doll that I couldn't resist and she is Asian. Or she looks partly Asian. Eurasian. Chinese American or Japanese American.

At least a manufacturer made an attempt to create a doll that looks somewhat Asian, and I say this because at least two people don't think she looks Asian at all. She is beautiful; there is no doubt about that.

I peek in the doll section everywhere I go. I almost hate to say this, but I only spent $20 on the above beauty that I found at Walmart. She doesn't appear anywhere on the Internet. Madame Alexander manufactures batches of dolls for specific stores--it would seem--and then they disappear. I could tell you that I spent $100 on her; the quality of her face and hair certainly compares to the expensive A.G. dolls.

Now I have one A.G. doll and five M.A. dolls. I actually prefer the construction of American Girl's body a bit more, and I will make sure that my future clothes patterns fit her to a tee. But nothing compares to the Madame Alexander face.

My sister's friend Win, who is at least in part Chinese, thinks this doll looks Asian. Of course, I'm using the word "Asian" to cover all Asian races. I hope that no one Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Korean or other specific race is insulted by my generalization. At least a company has made an attempt to alter the face--if only slightly--to represent a girl who isn't all white--or black.

Comments, please?