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. 

Sasha Christmas display in the library

At the end of November I set up a display involving seven of our Sasha dolls in our local library. This follows the display I did in the same cabinet back in January and February this year as part of a local literary festival. This time the dolls are all preparing for and celebrating Christmas as they are our two Dress a Sasha entries from the 2022 Christmas in July Sasha Festival in Syracuse, New York State.

The cabinet normally has all the trophies and certificates won by our local horticultural group Stony in Bloom, they very kindly removed these from the two upper shelves and rearranged their display on the bottom shelf of the cabinet. In honour of their achievements, I made sure to reference them in the displays.

I had about 90 minutes in which to set up the display before the cabinet had to be locked again, so only took two quick photos on my phone before the door was closed. All the other photos I took afterwards were through the glass with light reflection issues. The library staff had arranged to fix the lights in the cabinet (they weren't working at the beginning of the year) so the Christmas tree the dolls are decorating looks bright enough even though it has no lights on it. I added two more dolls to the Christmas tree decorating activity which was my daughter's Dress a Sasha in 2022 (for Dress a Sasha there is a strict limit of 3 dolls and 18 inches square floor space to work within). Baby Davy in the reindeer suit and Melanie in a blue and gold Christmas dress I had made years ago joined Timothy in his Rudolf sweater, Louisa in her Christmas sundress and baby Nina in her red and green Christmas outfit for the tree decorating action. The Stony in Bloom logo bunting behind them I made by printing the logos in triangles on thin card and stitching the ribbons to the card then cutting out the triangular bunting shapes. The fabric Christmas bunting was made years ago by someone local.

Decorating the Christmas tree activity - display in the library

On the shelf below the enthusiastic tree decorating group is my Dress a Sasha from the 2022 festival featuring my favourite Christmas carol, Once in Royal David's City, with the addition of Miranda wearing a white dress I had knitted years ago. Laura and Edmund reprised their roles as the young woman choral scholar in York Minster and the small boy chorister in St George's Cathedral Cape Town in the robes I had made. For this display I added the Advent wreath with candles on a stand (made from a coffee pot frame and a red bucket and an upturned brass candlestick). I also added the little wooden Nativity scene I've had since my childhood.

My favourite Christmas Carol and Advent candles - display in the library

I wish I'd adjusted the Christmas tree slightly as there is an odd gap in the spiral (it is a pop up tree) and young Edmund's stance (he leans forward on his doll stand when viewed from the side) before the cabinet door was locked, but never mind. 

The two Christmas scenes on display in the library

The description cards about each of these displays say the following:

Children enjoying the traditional pre-Christmas activity of decorating the Christmas tree!

Timothy and Melanie are hanging items on the tree with the help of little Louisa, while babies Davy and Nina have fun with the decorations.

The golden baubles, bows and miniature Stony in Bloom bunting acknowledge the
fantastic achievements of the Stony in Bloom volunteers who have won Gold awards for their wonderful horticultural contributions to Stony Stratford.

The festive dresses worn by Louisa and Melanie were made by DollMum. The outfits worn by Timothy and Nina were made by other Sasha doll collectors and Davy’s reindeer outfit was commercially made.

Once in Royal David’s City is my favourite Christmas Carol, it is used at the start of the traditional Nine Lessons and Carols service on Christmas Eve in churches and Cathedrals around the world.

The young chorister represents a red-haired boy, my late brother Russell, singing the first solo verse in a hushed large space, in St George’s Cathedral Cape Town in the 1970s. Background photos are included of the Cathedral and my 2018 Stony Stratford Advent Calendar window in memory of my brother.

The older choir member represents my elder daughter, who grew up in Stony Stratford, singing as an alto choral scholar (with the tenors, basses and counter-tenors) in the vast space of York Minster, York, England in 2021. She wears her graduation hood of orange/salmon/blue. Background photos are included of York Minster and my 2020 Stony Stratford Advent Calendar window of the Heart of Yorkshire window in York Minster.

Miranda, wearing her knitted white dress, prepares to light the candles on the Advent wreath. There is a candle for each Sunday in Advent and a candle for Christmas Day. Advent 1 The Patriarchs; Advent 2 The Prophets; Advent 3 John the Baptist; Advent 4 The Virgin Mary; Christmas Day The Christ.

The crib scene is a simple wooden depiction of the Nativity, given to me by a Cape Town friend many years ago. 

Laura, Edmund and Miranda’s clothes were made by DollMum.

Merry Christmas everyone.

Scottish outfits for Sasha Festival Children's Fund auction

Earlier this year I started thinking about what to make as my Children's Fund Auction donation for the forthcoming 2024 Sasha Doll Festival in Milton Keynes. Inspired by our 9 day Scottish roadtrip last August, which Laura and Nicolas James enjoyed, I decided to continue using the yarn I enjoy knitting (which is from the Shetland islands) and combine that with genuine Harris tweed from the outer Hebrides. In our roadtrip I had picked up a bag of tweed oddments plus some small tweed squares at a shop in Oban, none of which were big enough for making a single outfit, let alone a pair of outfits, so I started searching for Hebridean weavers online and found Shawbost Weavers who are based in the Isle of Lewis. I follow them on Facebook, they share progress of their latest weaves then post notifications when they've got the fabric ready in their online shop. 

I knew for a Sasha doll the weave pattern needed to be a small repeat rather than large checks. When they shared a post of their 'Heather' weave in early April (they posted a Scottish landscape of heather photo which had inspired the colours chosen), my colour combination appreciation was triggered and I bought half a metre of the fabric as soon as it was in their online shop (£30 for half a metre, Harris tweed fabric is not cheap in quality or price but is wonderful stuff). Fortunately the fabric, though pure wool, is not too thick for a doll, if the outfit is carefully designed. I knew lining would be necessary for the two main items, so once it arrived I searched through my fabric hoard and found some gorgeous dark purple georgette which was the leftovers from a party dress I had made for Dmd for her 13th birthday when we had attended a friend's wedding.

I used the late Ted Menten's versatile pinafore pattern for the dress (whisper - I dislike setting sleeves, so love Ted's pattern because it has none!) and found a waistcoat pattern which I redrew slightly at the shoulders to accommodate the turn right side out part of the construction, as the tweed was thick enough not turn properly with narrow shoulders (I tried a first attempt and had to cut it out again). However, before I started sewing, I knitted the 3/4 length sleeve top for the girl (Jamieson's of Shetland Spindrift Aubretia), the long sleeved shirt with collar for the boy (Jamieson's of Shetland Spindrift Natural White), the shorts for the boy (Jamieson's of Shetland Spindrift Mist) and both pairs of socks (mainly Jamieson's & Smith 2ply lace Optic White with stripes of Aubretia and Mist). I also corresponded with Lisa Hartley about leather colour for the shoes and decided on a gorgeous dark purple for both the Mary Janes with button and the Lace up shoes), after sending her a photo of the tweed. Thank you Lisa, they are perfect.

Once the outfits were coming together on the dolls, I decided they both needed headgear. The girl has a headband (lined tweed, with black elastic at the back of the neck) and the boy has a Tam O'Shanter (Scottish hat) made using a beret pattern with purple bias binding for a band. I didn't line the boy's hat as it wasn't necessary. He has a heart in the centre of the hat, symbolising friendship which is one of the themes of the festival. The pinafore dress has decorative flower buttons I had bought in a fabric shop near Boston, USA in 2022 after the Syracuse Sasha Festival, they symbolise the heather flowers which inspired the tweed colours - Heather was the name of one of my childhood friends.

The tweed fabric came with some Genuine Harris tweed labels, so I have sewn one inside the pinafore and one inside the waistcoat.

Florence and Reuben got to model the outfits and will do so at the festival but they are not part of the auction donation.

Harris Tweed and Shetland wool ensemble for Gregor and Sasha,
modelled by Reuben and Florence

Tam O'Shanter, waistcoat, shirt and shorts for Gregor

 

Headband, pinafore dress and 3/4 sleeve top for Sasha

Socks and Lisa Hartley lace up shoes for Gregor

Socks and Mary Jane with button fastening shoes for Sasha

Side view of the Tweed and Shetland wool outfit for Gregor

Heart button on the Tam O'Shanter

Back view of the Tweed and Shetland wool outfit for Gregor

Tam O'Shanter at a jaunty angle

Side view of the Tweed and Shetland wool outfit for Sasha showing the headband

Side view of the Tweed and Shetland wool outfit for Sasha showing the socks and shoes

Back view of the Tweed and Shetland wool outfit for Sasha

Back view of the Tweed and Shetland wool outfit for Sasha
showing the buttons and top of the pinafore

Genuine Harris tweed labels inside the pinafore dress and waistcoat

I am pleased with how I managed to achieve my vision of these outfits and hope they help raise funds 'for the children' at the 2024 Sasha Doll Festival.

Scotland roadtrip - part 1

Laura and Nicholas James were going on an adventure. They went on a long drive all the way to Scotland to explore some interesting places.

Crossing the border into Scotland

The first night of their trip after the long car journey was at a small hotel in Dumbarton near Glasgow, where they watched the BBC proms on TV once Laura had her hair done by my daughter who wanted to give her a practical style that would hold up through all the adventures.

Laura has her hair styled by Dmd in the first hotel room

Nicholas James and Laura watch the BBC proms in the hotel room

The next morning the road trip took Laura and Nicholas James to the Charles Rennie Macintosh domestic masterpiece 'Hill House' which is cared for by the National Trust for Scotland.

Hill House was ground breaking in its 'Glasgow School' Art Nouveau architectural style and the materials used when it was built in 1902-1904, however unfortunately the exterior cement-based roughcast has water ingress problems so the house is now sheltered in an enormous breathable steel box - a slightly pitched roof with steel mesh sides which allows the house to slowly dry out over a number of years while the conservators do lots of investigations into the best methods of preserving the integrity of Macintosh's design and the fabric of the building. 

Hill House - the window above the main entrance

Inside the house every room is a delight for those of us who love the work of Charles Rennie Macintosh and his artist wife Margaret Macdonald (whom he described as the genius to his talent). It was designed as both a practical and beautiful home for a large family, and the Blackie family lived in it and loved it for 50 years.

Laura and Nicholas James explored most of the house. The library had a book on a chair which was published by its first owner, Mr Blackie.

Blackie's Children's Annual on a comfortable chair in the library

An elegant cupboard between the shelves in the library, designed by Charles Rennie Macintosh

The library fireplace with the Hill House plans on the mantlepiece

Everything was elegantly proportioned and carefully thought out both for practical use and beautiful design. Laura and Nicholas James admired Margaret's wonderful gesso of the sleeping princess over the fireplace in the drawing room.

Laura and Nicholas James in the Hill House drawing room

The antimacassar's in the drawing room were very unusual fabric art designed by Margaret, the originals are on display in a temperature controlled cabinet upstairs, so these were replicas.  

The antimacassar's in the drawing room  

Close up of one of Margaret's antimacassars on the drawing room chair

Upstairs Laura and Nicholas James discovered the stairs to the school room (sadly not open for visitors).

Laura and Nicholas James on the stairs to the school room with some of Blackie's publications

Underneath the school room stairs was a display featuring some of the Blackie children's toys and books.

Laura and Nicholas James said hello to the Blackie children's aged Teddy bear

Laura and Nicholas James wished they could read some of the Blackie publications

There was a sign painted on the wall outside the kitchen which spoke of the essence of Macintosh's approach to design.

'The practical purpose came first. The pleasing design followed.' Charles Rennie Macintosh's design approach

The kitchen was beautifully proportioned with lots of storage space and space to work, plus it was near the dining room, practical and good for the cook, one cook apparently came for 6 months and stayed for 3 years because she liked it so much.

Charles Rennie Macintosh kitchen in Hill House

A tempting recipe for Scotch Broth in the Hill House kitchen

In the wonderful hallway, there was a table with a tray on it, telling the story of how the children would play in the house and gather in the hall for refreshments.

Hill House hallway and lower stairs, view towards the front door

Tea tray on the hall table

The words on the tea tray say: "For the Blackie children the Hill House was a fun place to live and grow. They loved to follow the lines and squares on the hall carpet, and their games made the most of the clever niches, stair banisters and fireside seats designed by Macintosh. On Sunday afternoons they gathered around the hall table where their mother served afternoon tea." (Hill House, National Trust for Scotland)

Charles Rennie Macintosh chair in a niche on the curved landing of the main stairs

Laura and Nicholas James went out of the house and climbed onto the walkway which went all the way round the house at first floor level and even over the top of the house, giving a view which most people would never have seen unless they helped build or maintain the house. The following photos from the walkway don't include Laura and Nicholas James, who peeped out from their travelling bag - it was a little unnerving for anyone without a head for heights walking over the top of the house especially as the walkway floor was steel mesh so you could see through it to the house roof below.

Hill House roof including the roof of the curved wall stairway 

Hill House tower stairs used by the servants (the children were banned from using those stairs, to give the servants some privacy). This photo of Hill House shows some of the roughcast removed as part of the restoration investigation work.

Hill House exterior wall with roughcast removed

Hill House in its box, showing the stairs to the top walkway which goes over the top of the house

Hill House exterior design is fascinating

Outside the 'box' containing Hill House Laura and Nicholas James explored the garden. By that time they were joined by their new friend, the Heilan Coo (Scots language for Highland Cow, the Scottish Gaelic name is Bò Ghàidhealach) who had been waiting for them in the National Trust for Scotland shop adjoining the house.

Nicholas James, Heilan Coo and Laura outside Hill House in the garden

Nicholas James, Heilan Coo and Laura liked the Japanese themed part of the Hill House garden

Heilan Coo on the lawn in front of Hill House

Heilan Coo and a cheerful dandelion

Hill House was fascinating, Laura and Nicholas James enjoyed exploring it (they took many more photos than shown here). 

After leaving Hill House, Laura, Nicholas James and Heilan Cow continued on the Clyde Sea Lochs trail route, briefly visited Loch Lomond at Tarbet before starting the Argyll Coastal route (which takes in lots of sea lochs) to Inveraray on Loch Fyne where they spent the second night of their trip in a youth hostel and saw red squirrels feeding in the garden when they arrived!

Loch Lomond, near Tarbet

First glimpse of Inveraray on Loch Fyne from the car

Red squirrel at Inveraray Youth Hostel

Laura and Nicholas James had enjoyed their first full day in Scotland and looked forward to the next day's adventures.