Fashion Friends Have Arrived

The two little girls arrived together last week and I was impressed by how pretty they looked. However, I was a little disappointed with their jointing. Sara's legs are quite loose and seem to go everywhere except where you want them, Maya's are much better and stay in place.

Hair is very fine and flyaway on Sara and quite frizzy on Maya, so I have ordered new wigs for them both, not knowing exactly the right size, I have a two different sizes coming and several styles (luckily my local supplier was having a sale).

Their clothes had Velcro closures except for Maya's jacket, so the dolls were stripped naked and re-dressed in the clothes I'd made for them. The sneakers that came with them were not badly made, although Sara's pair were both for the right foot! It's so typical of the lack of care given by the Chinese doll manufacturers.

I had one pair of flats in my stash which fitted Sara quite well, and another pair that also was the correct size, but with a higher heel, so not quite right for Maya.

Not being completely satisfied with either pair, I went browsing and found these gorgeous leather boots in this Etsy store. The soft creamy yellow and dusty mauve-pink will go with the outfits I have already knitted and the pretty mint ones will be saved for another Fashion Friend to be purchased at a future date to complete a trio.

One can clearly see these boots are beautifully made, and really worth every penny I spent on them. However, they are shipping from Russia, which means I will be waiting for ages for them to arrive, even though the seller posted them the very next day. Maybe I'll have my third Fashion Friend by the time they arrive. :)

My little Patience received a new outfit (I made her several other coordinating pieces not shown here) . . . both her top and coat are reversible, the capris are unlined and are trimmed with matching buttons on the side at the knee.

I also received my #2 Little Darling yesterday and now both my Little Darlings have also been redressed, but more on those wee ones next time. I hope you are all staying safe indoors and enjoying some time with your dolls.

What a Shamozzle!!

This how she looked
when I opened the box

Remember this post, about my last purchase for 2020 which I finished by saying " She is a doll who will surely test my patience as she throws my dolly world into disarray!"?

Well she certainly did, or should I say The Doll Peddlar did!! I didn't get the Wilde Imagination Springtime Patience which I ordered, but received the Phyn & Aero Just Have Patience instead (the one I had decided against).

She wasn't tied in properly either, her shoes were just loose in the box and her dress was crushed.

I contacted them and they were keen to let me know although the doll was not what I ordered, it was worth another US$15 more than I paid, which I suppose was to make me feel grateful.

To be absolutely honest, I really don't mind the doll itself, but I don't like the outfit at all and her hair was so tacky. Now I'm not sure if it was added gunk or glue seepage and was surprised to find her hair was not rooted, nor a wig, but a glued on weft.

Anyway, after cutting off the flowers which were stitched to her head and removing her hair ribbon, I shampooed and conditioned her hair to see how it looked after drying naturally.

I also removed her dress and thought the slip and nickers were nice enough even though the silk of the slip was quite different in colour from the attached cotton lace. I didn't particularly like the stockings either, seeing as they had stretched so much that they extended a good inch and a half pass the tip of her toes.

Normally I love Tonner clothes, but the outfit she came in just looked cheap and nasty. Where before Tonner clothes had proper press-stud (snap) closures this had that horrible Velcro.

Had I known all this beforehand I would have made sure she had something special to wear when she arrived, but as it stands (see above left), I have made do with a dress I had on hand and funnily enough it's inspired me to give her a layered look, I just need to knit or sew her a long coatigan to go over the top and I think she'll pass. :)

I Need Patience

What or who is Patience, you ask? She’s a little girl just filled with curiosity, apparent in her eager eyes. Patience is a doll like no other . . . she’s 14” tall with attitude as big as her head (meaning her head is delightfully . . . full!) and eyes that move from side to side as she contemplates her next adventure.

The graceful and gentle Wilde Imagination, Robert Tonner sculpted Patience doll is a character that has always stood for the wholesomeness of youth.

The 2018 Phyn & Aero Just Have Patience remains very much the same, she is still a testament to wide-eyed childhood innocence and imagination. Her eyes are as before . . . huge and “flirty,” with applied eyelashes and she still featured 12 points of articulation. This doll was the very last version of a beloved Tonner classic, limited to just 225 pieces and originally priced at US$175.

I thought about purchasing her for quite some time, before I made the decision to bring home this little one instead, the deciding factor being the colour of her eyes and lips. She's my last doll purchase for 2020, but she's not expected to arrive much before Valentine's day, 2021.

Springtime Patience was produced by Wilde Imagination in 2015 as a limited edition of 300. She features the Patience head, Harry Potter body, with grey-green eyes, pale coral lips and wigged brown hair. She is articulated at the elbow, wrist, knee and ankle as well as having a rotating hip.

I also want to mention, she can share clothes and shoes with Marley Wentworth and Tonner's 12" Harry Potter dolls. 

All Patience dolls pay tribute to the sweetness of little girls. She is a doll who will surely test my patience as she throws my dolly world into disarray!