Welcome Ideal Toni and new outfits for Toni and Trudi

In October I popped into a local vintage shop in the town where I live and while browsing around found a 14" (P90) Ideal Toni doll languishing on a chair in the back room (these dolls are hard plastic, made 1949-1952 in the USA). Her non original knitted outfit was moth eaten and very incomplete as a result, however she still had her original white plastic shoes and her hairstyle was still in the original style though somewhat dusty. She had no price tag and when I asked about her the shop owner said she was still getting her priced up with the help of a friend so I had to wait a couple of weeks before I could purchase her in early November.

Toni in her moth eaten knitted dress

Toni with her hairstyle largely intact

Toni full face

Toni's wig from above

Side view of Toni's hair style

Other side view of Toni's wig

Then she had to wait because it was Christmas time and I had other doll projects on the go and was finishing off the goth Christmas sweater for my daughter. However, when I purchased Toni, I removed her outfit, put it in a ziplock bag in the freezer just in case there were any moth eggs (I had half a mind to find the knitting pattern and knit it again). I washed her carefully, but at the time didn't wash her hair. I dressed her in a floral lilac Sasha dress and underwear which had been adopted by Betsy, my Schoenhut doll, but it was a bit baggy for her as she has a slimmer waist than 16" Sasha and Betsy.

Making her wait also helped me work out what outfit to make for her and once I was making it I decided to carefully wash her hair and keep the style (it was easy as she had factory curl and a hairpin on one side).

I think it was at the Dolly Jolly in 2021 that I'd won a raffle prize of a fat quarter of fabric mustard yellow floral fabric, with a ball of variegated purple to green colour wool and a pack of various different purple, lilac and pink buttons. I had thought of making an outfit for Trudi my Studio doll with that combination, but I realised Toni's colouring of auburn hair and green eyes match that combination of colours too.

In January, after the doll literary display was set up in the library, I found time to design and make Toni's outfit. I adapted a Sasha dress pattern - a lined fitted bodice with circular skirt, a knitted short sleeved cardigan (my favourite top down seamless raglan pattern by Lauri Bolland), fine knitted ankle socks using 1 ply wool and size 19 knitting needles (adapting a Sasha socks pattern to fit her slim feet). The circle of fabric from the centre of the circular skirt became to top of a beret style hat (I put elastic in the bottom so it would hold her her head). I made her a pair of white jersey panties. I knitted a little handbag to complete the outfit.

Toni shows off her complete new outfit

Closer view of Toni's cardigan and knitted handbag

Close up of Toni's hat on her clean hair

Close up of Toni's ankle socks

I took her back to the shop last week to show the owner and she was excited to see what I had created, and took a photo to send to her friend.

Ever since they got home from being in the library Christmas display, Miranda and Louisa have been standing on the table downstairs with little Gigi Ruby Red Galleria doll and Bouncer the dog. Soon Toni joined them in her new outfit. 

Yesterday I took down the doll display in the library (just after I did another parent asked library staff about the literary treasure trail and display, the word had got out and it was popular apparently, the Library Manager and I have already started bouncing ideas for next year's Literary treasure trail and display). Today, with actual sunshine outside lighting up our sitting room, it was doll photography time.

Miranda wearing her white knitted dress, Toni in her new outfit and Louisa in her Christmas sundress

Today a dress I commissioned at the Chat 'n Snap arrived in the post from Tricia - perfect timing for sunshine and doll photography. So Trudi came downstairs and changed out of her sailor outfit into the gorgeous dress of Liberty fabric with its bespoke embroidered felt bodice. It absolutely suits her colouring. Tricia had used her own Studio doll Dani to get the sizing right, now Dani is asking for a similar dress.

Trudi wearing her beautiful bespoke embroidered dress

Trudi in her embroidered dress

Close up showing the embroidery

Back view of the bodice showing the buttons and button loops

Betsy normally sits in the doll display cabinet in a rocking chair, wearing her dress made by Tricia. I brought her downstairs to compare the two dresses, same style, so very different due to fabric and embroidery.

Betsy and Trudi in their 'Tricia Jackson' embroidered dresses

L-R: Gigi (Ruby Red Galleria), Toni (Ideal), Bouncer the dog, Betsy, Trudi, Miranda and Louisa

The only commercially made dress in this photo is Gigi's dress, all the others were either made by me or by Tricia.

Four different makes of dolls. They're all so different and beautiful in their own ways. 

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