a life in miniature

Because this is the kind of absolute geek I am.

The image on the right is the not-exactly-finished version of the final product, which is on the right. The zipper(yes, recycled from a shot pair of blue jeans) is flamingly obvious, unlike what I suspect is a hidden zipper on the origional uniforms. The emblem on the uniform was crafted out of sculpy... this before I got a hold of the Hallmark relased the ship insignias, perfect size for these girls. The lady on the left, a blatant reference to Kathryn Janeway, is the historical and soon to be retired Felicity Merriman, and the little black toes peeking out from the pant hems are her colonial buckle shoes. After all, no self respecting captain would show up on her bridge in a pair of black socks and mary janes. With any luck, I will be able to find or craft a pair of black boots to complete the ensemble, and I'll be sure to order some extras and complete uniforms for the other departments. I did find what were labled as go-go boots on  doll clothier's website, which would serve to outfit someone of Kirk's era, but I would have to do a little more research on that dress before I made one.

BUT WAIT! I hear you say. You- no, not you, so stop worrying. The other one, the even geekier than I am Star Trek fan over there. You say I can't stop with Janeway? What about Dr. Crusher? What about Counselor Troi, Kira Nerys, Be'Elanna Torres, Jadzia Dax, Seven of Nine---?

Ugh. My brain hurts. I could fill the shoes of four of those characters. And for some of them there is the issue of prostetics, and how I would pull the look off without the doll needing major facial reconstruction. I've got my hands full of Colonial, Regency, Civil war, Victorian and '40's era attire patterns. And a pile of Black Watch plaid waiting to be turned into a miniature kilt. I've got the white West Highland terrier... now where am I going to find a tiny set of gillies, a glengary and... bagpipes?

new babies

Am not having one. Now that's out of the way.

I might be the slowest person to admit it, but I'm pretty girly. See most of my wardrobe is pink, I can bake better than Betty Crocker - from scratch, no less - and I love dolls. And doll houses. And all the silly little tinsy tiny things you put in them. So when I saw an American -->  Girl of Today at a church sale, I couldn't pass her up. Even missing her shoes. And especially at - no, I can't tell you how much I paid for her. It was highway robbery. 

How many of these girls do I have, you ask? She makes number six, after Kailey, Molly, Felicity, Kirsten and Samantha. I got started young, what can I say. What could be better?Well, her clothes, for one thing. Mattel, seriously.

Her pants fall off when she is sitting, and that tee shirt covers nothing. Okay, so some things could be better.

Haha.

And then, to make things even better, an awesome woman I know told me about this website, where another wonderful woman (I am guessing) scanned for what must have been days to make available these wonderful and out of print patterns for the historic American Girl characters, who seem to be dropping like flies. So I did what any other self respecting and thrifty seamstress would do... I downloaded those as fast as I could and made a dress and pinafore for my new girl.

(Worst picture in the world, I know. Camera is fussy). You can't tell from the photo, but the dress is a white background with little violet buds surrounded by even smaller violet polka dots. In case you were wondering, this is Kirsten's birthday dress* and pinafore, which I will be remaking in the appropriate pink check, as soon as I find it.

My new doll, like my car, is nameless. She doesn't have the looks to be Lizzy Bennett or Jane Eyre. Maybe Lexie [Alexandria] MacDonald. Perhaps Meg Murry. In which case, this little girl will need a pair of tortoise shell glasses. In any case, she serves as the perfect model for the clothes I'm making from the aforementioned patterns.

Oh, I forgot Bitty Baby. When the camera isn't acting out.

*If you're interested in making these dresses, and never have before, watch out for the back closures. My grandmother made a trousseau for Samantha, and had to make the first dress she attempted twice, because the dress wouldn't close in the back, it didn't come close. I had to make a placket for the back of this dress because it too would not close in the back, even when I followed the Velcro placement directions.