Knitting my childhood outfit for Trudi

At the end of 2023 I decided to attempt a replication of an outfit my Nanna had knitted for my second birthday gift - a top and skirt with straps. I searched for the pattern she had used but wasn't able to find the exact pattern online, though I did find similar vintage patterns for knitted skirts with straps and knitted blouses which I was able to adapt and rescale for a 20 inch Sasha Studio doll. I commissioned some sandals to roughly match those I wore in one of the photos of me wearing the original outfit (thank you Lisa Hartley).

I bought 2 ply jumper weight Jamiesons & Smith of Shetland yarn (purchased via Woolwarehouse) to make the outfit and plotted out the flower garland design for the skirt on a spreadsheet grid, which is the tool I use for plotting out stranded knitting patterns. I don't think I got the proportions of the skirt and flower garland band quite right, and the skirt is a bit longer than the 'just above knee' look I had as a child. I knitted socks in finer yarn (1 ply), by Jamiesons of Shetland.

Trudi has had the outfit for several months now - I finished it before the Sasha Festival in Milton Keynes during June but was too busy and stressed about job issues to do anything about photographing it at the time. So at the close of 2024 it seems a fitting time to look back and reflect on this creative project before planning future craft projects for 2025 (after I finish knitting a current project for one of my daughters). 

I have photographed Trudi standing on the quilt given to me by my friend JoAnn when we attended the 2022 Sasha Doll festival in the USA. Despite adjusting the colours a bit on the computer, the skirt colour looks more orange in the photo than it does in real life.

Photo of toddler me in the original outfit with Trudi wearing the replica knitted outfit

Me wearing the knitted outfit on my second birthday

Me wearing the knitted outfit outdoors in the street where I grew up in Cape Town

Gigi meets my Heather Maciak girls

Gigi, my 8" Ruby Red Galleria doll, is the latest of my little collection of 8 and 8.5 inch dolls from various different makers - Heather Maciak, Heidi Plusczok, Kruselings and Ruby Red Galleria. The three Patsi dolls I have by Heidi are slightly taller than the others however their clothes and shoes fit the four Heather Maciak dolls and I have discovered the shoes also fit Gigi. The Kruselings have plastic shoes and longer feet. They have very slim bodies, so some of their commercially made clothes probably will not fit the named artist created dolls.

After photographing Gigi receiving her new grunge outfit, today I got Jenny, Lexie, Annie and Emily out of their box and redressed them for Christmas/winter. Jenny and Lexie were excited to at last try on the ice skates which Heather sent for a them a few years ago when she was closing down her website and disposing of spare outfits.

These photos show the four Heather Maciak dolls with the Ruby Red Galleria doll, who is lightly taller than them (even with Jenny and Lexie wearing ice skates). Gigi has glued on eye lashes and painted facial features while the facial features including eyelashes of Jenny, Lexie, Annie and Emily are painted. It is interesting to compare them. Gigi has many moveable joints (shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips, knees, ankles and neck) so is very posable though ball-jointed dolls have very visible joints which look a little unnatural, while although the others are 5 jointed dolls (neck, shoulders and hips), they are very expressive in their poses.

L-R: Emily, Gigi, Lexie, Jenny, Annie

L-R: Emily, Gigi, Lexie

Jenny and Annie

The only way to view Heather's wonderful website now is on the Wayback machine, the complete website was a wonderful catalogue of all her gorgeous doll creations and outfits. Gigi's grunge outfit is definitely more 'edgy' than the traditional children's clothes worn by my four Heather Maciak dolls. I'm not sure what Heather would think if I made grunge or 'goth' inspired outfits for Lexie, Jenny, Annie and Emily (both my grown up daughters wear goth these days).

Merry Christmas outfit for Gigi

I was looking for a particular outfit for my newest to me doll, the 8" tall Gigi by Ruby Red Galleria. It was the grunge outfit for Ten Ping/Gigi dolls. After making enquiries in a doll group, it turned out my Sasha friend Fran had two of the outfit and she sent me one as a Christmas gift all the way from the USA! 

As you can see, Gigi and Bouncer were keen to open the gift but had to wait until Christmas Day. It was only in the evening, after singing carols in the morning in church, Christmas dinner, all family gifts had been exchanged and we had watched the newest Wallace and Gromit adventure on TV, that I finally allowed myself the fun of photographing Gigi enjoying her new outfit.

Gigi and Bouncer contemplate the parcel from the USA

The exciting parcel from Fran

"Wow" exclaimed Gigi when she saw the outfit in its box

Gigi dressed herself as Bouncer looked on

Gigi just after she had put on the boots

Gigi in the grunge outfit from Fran

Gigi on Christmas Day in her new outfit

The outfit includes a tartan skirt, a black strapless tank top, frilly knickers, black socks, black boots with red hearts and laces, the brown leather jacket and a black studded handbag (purse).

Thank you so much Fran for your kindness and generosity. Both my daughters have voted this outfit as very cool and one they would wear themselves.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Gigi explores Beningbrough Hall and garden

My newest 8 inch doll is Gigi (Ruby Red Galleria 15th anniversary doll). I had wanted Gigi or Ten Ping for a while because they are so poseable, small and robust (vinyl) so make very good travel dolls. 

Gigi arrived with 2 outfits, got changed into the second outfit (crop trousers and t-shirt) then I put the Llama Jacket and hat on her with some boots borrowed from Jenny and Lexie so she had a suitable outfit to wear for exploring a National Trust house and garden on an autumnal day.

Gigi visited Beningbrough Hall and gardens near York, she took Bouncer the dog for the outing.

There was a fabulous harvest display in the shop courtyard

Gigi and Bouncer couldn't resist standing with the pumpkins for size

They went through the walled garden to the woodland.

Beyond the walled garden Gigi and Bouncer discovered a massive oak tree

Gigi and Bouncer at the oak roots

Beyond the woodland walk was a view of the meadows where many cows grazed

At the edge of the walled garden on the path to the new Mediterranean garden most roses had finished blooming

Miniature rose bud in the garden

Gigi and Bouncer liked the purple blue and white flowers

Gigi and Bouncer with the purple blue and white flowers

In the new Mediterranean garden Gigi and Bouncer discovered ground cover flowers at their height

They heeded the request to be gentle with the newly planted garden

 Further into the Mediterranean garden they enjoyed looking across the garden from a rock

Gigi and Bouncer in the Mediterranean garden

Gigi liked the purple flowers

Gigi and Bouncer discovered a lily pond beside Beningbrough Hall

There were some large fish in the pond but they were hard to spot

Gigi and Bouncer went past the back of Beningbrough Hall to find the woodland playground

In the woodland playground was a large carved acorn

Gigi and Bouncer at the foot of the large carved acorn

A pair of large carved acorns provided an opportunity for Gigi to climb! Bouncer stayed below.

Gigi waved an autumn leaf from the acorn

After the woodland playground, they found the Victorian Laundry rooms.

The Victorian laundry sign

Wooden clothes pegs of various sizes in the Victorian Laundry. Sometimes people made dolls from clothes pegs.

In the Victorian Laundry, the 'wet room'

Gigi and Bouncer were interested in the wooden patten shoes the laundry maid would have worn

In the Victorian Laundry

Washboards and sinks in the Victorian Laundry

Drying racks in the Victorian Laundry

Gigi admired some of the fine garments on display in the Victorian Laundry 'dry room'

This Victorian underwear had been patched carefully

Wonderfully detailed lace baby gown

Next they went through the front door of the house and visited the ground floor rooms.

In the house Gigi encountered the enormously tall red bed

The red bed in Beningbrough House

Upstairs was a special exhibition on loan from the British Museum of prints from the original delicate water colour collages by 18th century artist Mary Delany, who started creating her incredible botanical collages aged 72!

One of Mary Delany's botanical collages on display in Beningbrough Hall

One of the exquisite botanical 'mosaiks' by Mary Delany

Some of Mary Delany's work on display

Gigi and Bouncer had a go at designing their own flowers in the Mary Delany exhibition

Gigi was deciding where to place the flower in Design your own flowers

Bouncer and Gigi discovered they could view the lily pond from the house

There was a large armchair with a cushion which instructed 'sit here' so Gigi and Bouncer did!

'Sit here'

Outside again they decided to return to the walled garden.

Gigi and Bouncer at the entrance to the walled garden

Gigi and Bouncer with giant leeks in the walled garden

Gigi and Bouncer liked the borage and dahlia flowers in the walled garden

Late flowering borage, nasturtiums and dahlia's in the walled garden

The south facing glass house in the walled garden

Gigi and Bouncer went into the glass house

The squashes in the glass house

Bouncer tried to leap up onto the squash while Gigi watched

Gigi and Bouncer at the front gates of Beningbrough Hall

Gigi and Bouncer enjoyed their visit to Beningbrough Hall and garden