Millie BHS outfits for child and doll

On a rare Sunday afternoon shopping trip we popped into BHS to look at clothes and spotted the Millie range of clothes for little girls with matching outfits for their Milly or Molly or Mandy cloth dolls.  The moment I clapped eyes on the outfits I knew these would fit a Sasha doll - the proportions seemed right and having spent the previous day at the Chat n Snap I was pretty familiar with Sasha doll sizing!

The child outfits are sized from age 2 to age 8.  My girl is small for her age (nearly 10) and could just about get away with wearing the age 8, but it was annoying that the size range stopped at age 8, as I would have preferred to have bought her the age 9 or 10 size if it existed.  Why does society expect that children should stop playing with dolls or not be seen in public with their doll companions at such a young age?  Why do we expect children to 'outgrow' such 'childish' playthings and graduate to mobile phone games, lipstick and sophisticated clothes so early?  Often in recent years when clothes shopping with my girls, my elder daughter has looked askance at some of the pre teen and early teen fashions and exclaimed that she wished she could still wear the funky, amazing designs created for children under the age of 9 rather than the often skimpy or cheap looking clothes created for children her age (clothes designer attempts at allowing teens to feel they are rebelling against parents or against being children any more).  Of course, plenty of teens like such styles, but the lack of well designed choice always annoyed my elder girl, who has evolved her own individual style (which is not 'childish') almost in rebellion against the expectation of what society thinks a girl her age would wear.

We decided to buy the leggings and tunic set with matching outfit for the doll.  As soon as we got home, my younger girl tried it on and although the leggings are fractionally short (which can be hidden in boots), the outfit will do for this winter.  And the doll clothes fitted Laura perfectly, just as I knew they would (velcro fastening unfortunately).  Considering the price of children's clothes (and the price Sasha doll collectors often pay for doll clothes), £22 was a very good deal for matching child and doll outfits.

My girl and Laura wearing their matching tunics and leggings

Laura in her tunic and leggings, with the JJ shoes

close up of the tunic, the embroidered writing says 'you are my best friends'

the doll tunic and leggings

Chat n Snap 2

Well what did we buy at the Chat n Snap apart from baby Leo and his clothes?

Most of our purchases

2 of Hatties hats, 1 Passion for Sasha hat, 1 Chris Meatyard felted hat.
The pyjamas were given to my girl at the end of the day (unknown maker) by Sarah W

Sashapotomus long sleeved tshirt, Homebase reindeer outfit,
3 pairs of Gill's socks, 2 pairs of baby tights by Michelle

Dollydoodles beanie hat, Dollydoodles Christmas sweatshirt,
some toys purchased, swapped and given

Laura using my tripod with her camera (part of the Back to School swap),
wearing her new Gill N hat and Passion for Sasha dress

Laura in the Passion for Sasha dress and Gill's hat.
She is also wearing the JJ shoes I bought at last year's festival.

I would have loved to have bought plenty more and was sorry to miss Sarah W's dungarees (no sooner than it was set up her table was clear of clothes again - they go so fast).  One day I'll get them!  She very generously gave my girl the pyjamas which had come on a doll she bought - she had brought them to sell but they didn't go.  Michelle gave my daughter the Frisbee.  My girls tested it out in the dining room - it flies well but I worried about things getting knocked off the dresser!

Chat n Snap

My younger daughter and I attended the Sasha Chat n Snap yesterday organised by Dee of Sasha Village and we had a great day.  The event ran in her local village hall in Hertfordshire with Sasha enthusiasts from all over the country attending.

We arrived 30 minutes before the official 11 am start and had plenty of time to set up the few items I had made to sell, chat to others as we set up and admire each other's dolls and accessories.  Sale start time wasn't until 12 noon which meant later arrivals still had time to set up.  We were pleased to be between Gill and her wonderful knitting and Chris M and her variety of accessories and dolls.  Early on we made a beeline for the dolls which Angela was selling (she had brought about a third of her collection) and were attracted to the early 70s sexed baby boy she had for sale, as I've been looking for one for some time.

My girl helped set up our stall, prowled around all the others spotting items she wanted us to buy and chatting to people.

I had made some Garden Games sets, inspired by the prototype set I had created for Lorraine for the Simple Summer Swap, with the addition of a fourth game.  It has taken some development, a lot of drilling, sawing, sanding, filing, painting and gluing (and a lot of pleasure, I have particularly enjoyed using the pillar drill in our small workshop).  Each set contained 1 rope ladder, 1 skipping rope, 1 quoits set and 1 croquet set (which was the most time consuming to make).  I had no idea how it would be received at the CnS, so was gratified to sell 3 of the 8 sets I had made and take an order for a garden quoits only set.  My daughter had made 3 of her lolly stick chairs (with my help) and although we succeeded in dropping and breaking one during the day (oops) she sold the other two (one was a direct trade with Chris M who had a felted hat my girl liked, and proceeded to spoil her with a few other items).  I had also made two hobby horses, inspired by the one I owned as a child.  Neither of these sold, however there was plenty of interest (maybe the price was too high) and I did sell one of the 5 skipping ropes I had separate from the Garden Games sets.  I need to calculate how much postage and packing will be for the unsold items.

Theresa pointed out to me that the baby boy for sale had eyes very similar to those of a baby boy doll who had been painted by Sara Doggart, we compared the eyes and I decided to buy him.  We immediately went to Michelle who was selling the Sashapotomus outfits and bought the new baby his own onesie with a VW Combi on the front (we had already bought one for baby Mabel).  My girl took him to the playpen where travelling baby Drake (just back from Spain) was playing, took possession of the camera and experimented with photographing our new baby.  She tentatively named him Joey, but when we got home and checked the name book, we chose Leo as his new name (Angela had not named him) and I had personal reasons for favouring this name.

The 3 shop fronts which Paul had made for display were a big hit with everyone, as were the boys polishing the car they were too young to drive.  One of the shop fronts was raffled (along with a few dresses), we didn't win anything though.  Buffet lunch was available for donations to the Alzheimer's Society.

I will write separately about the other items we bought in addition to baby Leo.  I had a number of good conversations with people during the day, it was lovely to catch up with people I had met at the festival last year or at Dawn's house in June as well as meet others I hadn't met before.  I wish there had been more time, it was all over too soon!!!

I would like to thank Dee, Paul, their family, Gill and her daughter and everyone else who helped organise the event - it was a fun way to spend the day and I hope Dee has the energy to organise another similar event in the near future.

Nicholas James demonstrates DollMum's Garden Games set

Baby Mabel watches Nicholas James and the Garden Games

Theresa's Sasha with the chair made by DollMum's daughter

Laura, Reuben, Miranda, baby Leo, baby Mabel amongst the other Sashas

Drake and Leo in the playpen

Drake and Leo in the playpen, Leo's new onesie

Drake standing up in the playpen

Leo sporting his new Passion for Sasha hat

Hattie holds baby Leo

Leo in the swing

The three shops and the Gregor graffiti wall

Admiring Hatties dress and hat shop

A lovely tribute to the late Jean Jenson, who died 2 days before the CnS

The Christmas toy shop

The baby boy with Sara Doggart eyes

Toddlers and some other happy Sasha and Gregor dolls, with a bicycle

Baby Mabel proudly wears her Mabel Lucie Attwell smocked dress I made

Drake and Leo in the playpen again

Hattie's dress and hat shop, after the shop front was won

Autumn pinafore swap gifts received

The Autumn pinafore swap parcel from Anne in Germany arrived on Thursday, but it is only now, on Sunday evening, that I've finally found the time to take photos to share with you.

In addition to the pinafore set, Anne spoiled us with some lovely Halloween themed gifts which were greeted with delight by my younger girl.  Laura decided that she could wear the pinafore set first, as Miranda was still wearing the set which Anne didn't choose and Florence had just changed into the set I made as a complete copy of what I had sent to Anne.  So these photos show both the pinafore I received as well as a copy of the pinafore I sent.  Florence was delighted that the ribbon Anne used to tie around the clothes was a perfect colour match for her pinafore set.

Anne has done a delightful post about her Sasha girls receiving the pinafore set we sent - they managed to share it between three of them!

Miranda, Laura and Florence show off the lovely gifts from Anne

Two pumpkin chocolates, one pumpkin toy,
autumn candles and praline chocolates in heart shaped tin

The little Autumn Angel

The Autumn leaf heart

The gorgeous ribbon

Laura proudly wears Anne's pinafore set

A back view of Laura's pinafore from Anne

Laura and Florence admire each other's pinafores

Thank you Anne for such a lovely swap and all the additional goodies.  My girls have decided that as your Sasha and Gregor family are campaigning for bears that my needle had better get busy again...

Autumn Pinafore swap choice

Anne and I were paired for the Autumn Pinafore swap organised by Lorraine.  We have been corresponding via email about what we are doing and yesterday Anne posted photos on her blog for me to choose between the two versions she had sewn - see http://sashacomoneo.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/autumn-pinafore-swap-at-s.html.  Aren't they lovely.  My girls and I have decided which pinafore we would like.

Below are the photos of the two versions I have sewn for Anne to choose which one she would like for her Sasha family, modelled here by Florence and Miranda.  It was a bit difficult getting the colours right in these photos, as I was taking the photos in artificial light in the early morning without flash (it is getting so dark in the mornings and evenings now, the night is extending as autumn progresses towards winter).  The star patterned fabric of the pinafore which Florence wears is a soft beige/purple colour, called 'heather'.  The fabric colour combination of the version which Miranda is wearing reminds me more of Christmas than Autumn.

Florence and Miranda model the completed pinafore sets

close up of the tops of the pinafores, with flower buttons

close up of the bottom of the pinafores, with autumn leaf pockets

back view of the pinafores

simple skirts and blouses under the pinafores

Florence and Miranda wear the skirts and blouses,
with matching pinafores down in front of them

Anne will get a pinafore, skirt, blouse (sewn from a pattern in the 3 Ann's book) and a hair ribbon.  The skirt pattern I drew to match the pinafore.  Both pinafores are lined - I sewed them inside out then turned them right way out (it was an easy way of neatening the curved edges).  The pockets are lined too.  Ted Menton's pinafore pattern is so versatile and fun to sew, so thank you Ted for letting us use your pattern for this swap and thank you Lorraine for organising it.