Adora Amazing Girl Sam AKA Dallas Arrives In The Doll House!

Doll Friends!

Amazon has my number! 

Their suggestions get me in the most trouble... Case in point? Adora apparently released a doll line called Amazing Girls that are an Amazon exclusive. I'd seen them before... However, I already had, I thought, all the face sculpts from Adora though and when I'd initially looked at them it looked like they were basically the same Adora dolls I already have but with different outfits...

Until... This lovely little red head popped up in my suggestions... 

What? Who is this??

So the moment I was able to scrape together enough to buy her, she was on her way home to the Doll House!

This is how she arrives, in a cute pink box with polka dots all over it. No window to see her in because obviously, being an Amazon exclusive doll, she won't be sitting on any store shelves. 

The side of the box...

The back of the box...

I'll have to remember to look them up on Facebook and Instagram...? Who knew!?

Pretty "girl power' tissue paper lines the box...

And there is a little card that introduces who she is. 

I am not keeping her name so this story will not be my dolls... 

I am naming her Bryce Dallas after Bryce Dallas Howard because I think she looks just like her! I am going to call her Dallas or Dally as her nickname. 

The other side of the intro card...

When I opened the tissue paper I literally gasped. 

Her head was all askew?!?! 

It took me a moment to realize they'd actually packaged her that way!!?!

WHY ON EARTH?!?

Interestingly enough she was also shoeless when she arrived. She doesn't have her fingernails and toenails polished with clear polish like my prior Adora Dolls.

Despite being appalled at them shipping her with her head all wonky, I think she is a gorgeous doll!!!

The way she was held in the box was nice, just ribbons you need to untie.

And a little elastic band at her neck. 

Her feet had tissue paper wrapped around them... 

Or actually both of her entire legs were! How funny! I assume to make sure the clothes don't have dye transfer so good on them. 

Here is her back ponytail. 

I just got a new phone and this one has a portrait function!! So Dallas was my first doll to be photographed with it! We had a bit of a blizzard and I had her looking out on the storm! Isn't she beautiful?!

Then I used her as a model for a dress I recently created by upcycling material from a child's sized dress... I'll be making a separate post about that. I love how the dress looks on her though!

Here she is with Alyssa who is modeling another dress I made over the weekend...

So all in all I think Dallas is a lovely doll. Sadly she has a predisposition to having her neck crank to that side anytime you 'shake' her it falls into that position. So annoying! All for what? To save one inch on a box? I really don't understand it? What are your thoughts? 

Better run!

XXOO
Heather

Making Smocks For The Dolls!! FinallyTried Pattern Sewing Again!

Hi Doll Friends!!

So... As you know, I have often, in the past, upcycled doll clothes from baby clothes and other items. Patterned sewing has always seemed too daunting and 'hard' to do. I mean, I know how... My Granny did her job right and I have sewn many patterened items in the past many times. So I know exactly how much 'work' it can be and, well, I'm lazy. Hahaha. Being utterly addicted to doll clothes as I am, which, in my defense, I have loads of dolls to dress!! I have recently begun to just have a yearning for doll clothes that are wholly original and in my exact taste. I could likely find such items on Etsy because there are many beautiful Doll Seamstresses out there who make some fine items. However, as they should, they cost quite a pretty penny. I am also, well, cheap. So... I recently decided to grab some 'fat quarters' from Walmart, find a tutorial and pattern on YouTube and have a go at making my own clothes. I really love the pattern I found on Leles Design's because it was really simple! Just one pattern piece!! No hemming! Woot! My first attempts are above, modeled by Erica and Brittanie, had a few 'flaws' I worked out in subsequent dresses I made. So far I've only made one Wellie Wisher sized one although I have four more cut out and ready to go. What can I say? Eighteen inch dolls really are my favorite if I had to choose one... Not to mench, it's more difficult to sew the smaller they get, in my opinion.

As you can see, I wanted to make the smock dress for and 18inch doll instead of a 16 inch doll so I modified the pattern a little bit; made the strap longer and the skirt longer. 

If I placed it just so, I could get four dresses out of two fat quarters which would make the dresses about 50cents each... Not too shabby for custom made doll clothes!

The smocks are supposed to be reversable but... I couldn't figure a way to make them reversable but also have snaps not showing and being bulky so I decided to make mine just 'lined' and not really reversable at all. 

I'd go thru all the steps to make them but... As you know, I don't like to reinvent the wheel and the video tutorial on Lele's Youtube are so much better than I'd likely tell you anyway.

I hadn't looked at fabric, outside of the 'fat quarters', in a long long time... Fabric has gotten stupid expensive!! So, looking for creative alternatives I looked at the thrift store for a few clothes to cut up for fabric. I found this great scrub top and mens shirt for like 50cents each.  

See? I just cut into the shirts and used the fabric...!

This one also came from a mens dress shirt, I forgot to photo it... I think it's such neat fabric!!

This is some Mary Englebriet fabric I have had in my craft/sewing Rubbermade tote for like 20 years! LOL I am so glad I finally used it!! I have loads more so I am sure I'll make more clothes from it. SO cute!

So I am really pleased with how they all turned out! I will try more complicated patterns soon but wanted to get some practice on a simple one first... This one will likely always be a favorite pattern though because it can be a dress or a top!

XXOO
Heather