My oldest granddaughter's third birthday is in about a week and she has asked for the
Mermaid Barbie . . . . . and
Disney Pixar Colour Changer Cars. A little lady with quite the diverse interests!
I'm quite happy to get Kaylen her first Barbie. I received my first Barbie for my third birthday too. Gradually, over a period of many years, my mother made a huge box full of knitted Barbie clothes for my dolls. I was the envy of all my friends. When I got older and out grew my fascination with the fashion dolls I gave them all away. All the dolls and all those hand knit clothes to the first near stranger who expressed an interest in them. I can only imagine how crushed my mother had been, but at the time it seemed to me that the day when I would have children of my own (let alone
grandchildren) seemed so far away.
In retrospect it's just as well that I gave those old doll clothes away to someone who could use them and love them back then because Barbie has changed a lot since I knew her. Back in my day Barbie had an overly large bust and an unrealistically tiny waist. Now her hips are wider, her waistline is thicker and her bust is smaller. The doll clothes patterns from my mother's old McCall's books don't fit this new version. I've had to hunt down
new patterns.
This is the first of many outfits I will likely be making for not only Kaylen's dolls, but for her little sister Kenzie's dolls as well. I hope they enjoy them and have many happy hours playing together.
I did manage to hunt down the specific doll Kaylen requested, but the "
Fashionista Barbie" in these pictures is mine and will live at my house. Grandma needs a doll of her own to fit and model the clothes as they are made.
The dress here is a version of #132 "Lilac Long Dress" by Sticka till Barbie. The hat is # A42 "White/Lilac Hat" also by Sticka till Barbie. Yarn used is oddments of leftover sock and fingering weight yarn.
I'm quite happy to get Kaylen her first Barbie. I received my first Barbie for my third birthday too. Gradually, over a period of many years, my mother made a huge box full of knitted Barbie clothes for my dolls. I was the envy of all my friends. When I got older and out grew my fascination with the fashion dolls I gave them all away. All the dolls and all those hand knit clothes to the first near stranger who expressed an interest in them. I can only imagine how crushed my mother had been, but at the time it seemed to me that the day when I would have children of my own (let alone grandchildren) seemed so far away.
In retrospect it's just as well that I gave those old doll clothes away to someone who could use them and love them back then because Barbie has changed a lot since I knew her. Back in my day Barbie had an overly large bust and an unrealistically tiny waist. Now her hips are wider, her waistline is thicker and her bust is smaller. The doll clothes patterns from my mother's old McCall's books don't fit this new version. I've had to hunt down new patterns.
This is the first of many outfits I will likely be making for not only Kaylen's dolls, but for her little sister Kenzie's dolls as well. I hope they enjoy them and have many happy hours playing together.
I did manage to hunt down the specific doll Kaylen requested, but the "Fashionista Barbie" in these pictures is mine and will live at my house. Grandma needs a doll of her own to fit and model the clothes as they are made.
The dress here is a version of #132 "Lilac Long Dress" by Sticka till Barbie. The hat is # A42 "White/Lilac Hat" also by Sticka till Barbie. Yarn used is oddments of leftover sock and fingering weight yarn.
6 comments:
All that tiny little knitting! You're a better grandma than I am. I think I'll stick to sewing for American Girl dolls with a lot larger pieces!!
Very cute!
I prefer knitting to sewing Dorothy, especially at this size. At least with knitting the dress is all one piece. I can just imagine the difficulty one would encounter trying to set in a tiny, sewn sleeve!
That said, there may yet be some sewing for the bigger toddler style dolls too. Kaylen is getting a BFC doll (Best Friends Club) from her parents. That type of doll is a little skinnier than the American Girl dolls so finding patterns is proving difficult.
What a lovely outfit for your grand daughter's Barbie! :)
She will love the outfit and the barbie. My daughter got the mermaid for Christmas (uncle buying the day before the holiday:). and she plays with it in the tub ALL the time.
I laugh at her other request. My daughter keeps saying that she wants to buy the car set for her friend - but I think it is because she wants to play with it when we go over and visit. This coming from the girl who got a Buzz Lightyear, because her Woody doll needed his friend - and Buzz and her t-rex has gone to show and tell at school. :)
I played cars in the dirt with my brother and he played Barbies with me (after a while he used G.I. Joes, but what did I care?).
Post a Comment