Lucky Maciak dolls

I've been very lucky recently, first winning the socks for my Sasha dolls and then a couple of weeks ago I was one of 5 winners of a private Yahoo group competition.  I was able to choose an outfit from a collection of 20 prototype outfits made personally by Rosemarie Ionker, who has designed many wonderful outfits for dolls and has written several books on the subject (I've got her book 'Fashions for small dolls').  Rosemarie had visited Heather Maciak, who designed and made the Jenny and Lexie 8" dolls, and gave her the outfits as a gift for our Yahoo group to use for competition prizes.  The theme for this competition was Valentine's day, and I sent in the photo below of Lexie and Jenny having a tea party after having fun decorating the wall with Valentine stickers.  Heather's own Jenny and Lexie conducted the draw out of a basket (they had sticky pads on their hands for the purpose) and I was thrilled to be a winner.

Lexie and Jenny's Valentine tea party

It was very difficult choosing an outfit from the wonderful array of delightful dresses and playsuits.  My daughters and Jenny and Lexie all had a viewpoint.  I was really tempted by some of the miniature smocked dresses and pinafores, but also loved the outfit we ended up choosing.

Yesterday the prize arrived in the post all the way from Canada just in time for Mothering Sunday today.  Heather's note to me explained that she had noticed that the dress and hat were a little soiled, but gentle hand washing would remove any dirt, so I carefully washed the dress and hat in a mild solution of clothes washing powder, followed by the little jacket (just in case the colour ran, which it didn't).  I laid them out on a towel near the radiator and by the evening they were dry.  I trimmed off a couple of stray threads and stitched a small section of the hemline which was falling (possibly from having been washed).  My younger daughter wanted Jenny to wear the outfit first, but I decided it had to be Lexie (because in the photo gallery I chose from it had been modelled by Jenny).

Heather's fun drawing on the envelope, and her note

This morning my daughters woke me with Mothering Sunday cards (in England we always celebrate this during Lent, which is the traditional time for this celebration of mothers day), cereal and tea, so once I'd had breakfast my younger girl helped me put Lexie in the outfit.  Tiny buttons are always difficult to fasten, but we managed it.  This evening I put Lexie on my new bedroom bookcase with the Mothering Sunday cards in front of the LM Montgomery books for some photos.  Somehow she looked very serious until I brought her best friend into the photos, then her cheekiness returned.

Lexie looks serious in the Sailor outfit

Lexie in the new outfit with the Mothering Sunday cards made by my daughters

Jenny and Lexie with my Mothering Sunday cards

A big thank you to Rosemary Ionker for this little dress, jacket and hat and to Heather Maciak for sending it to me.  I've been having a good look at 'Fashions for small dolls' today trying to decide which of the dresses to make and sorting through all my fine patterned print fabric scraps which I've collected over the years. Time to get sewing now that our bedroom is complete and I've got my sewing room back again!