Where are all the octo-pies?

 Doing stuff with dolls.  

A recent communication through Etsy reminded me that I should probably post something here.  As you can probably tell, I'm terrible at social media.  Media I'm good at.  Social I'm not.  You know those people who live in the basement and rarely go out?  Well, the past year that's me.  What?  That's you too?  

Ah, Covid.  What can you do.  

Seriously, Covid has been great for people like me.  We haven't had to stir from our ivory towers.  I've had plenty of time to engage in my preferred activity: crafting.  And I would have.  I really would have.  If it hadn't been for Covid and an election.  I got completely caught up in election and Covid news.  It was like a disease.  The politics, I mean.  Covid is already-  Well you know. 

So, what does any of that have to do with dolls?

Not much. 

A person my age should have no business messing with dolls.  Nevertheless, I keep resurrecting dolls I find in Ebay or at a thrift store.  It all started with American Girl dolls.  You know, those expensive little vinyl-children that cost too much money, but every little girl was, at the time, drooling to get one?  And so, silly me, I figured I could find a used, ink-stained, legless one and fix it up, for less.  

The for less part works only if you don't get obsessed and buy a whole bunch.  And just for variety,  I got hold of other 18 inch dolls because their faces are way cuter than American Girls.

Since I wanted all my dolls to be about the same size and configuration, Frankendolls ensued.  American Girl dolls are remarkably easy to repair (except the eyes, though I have done that, too).  And since they were the lead ball on the rubber sheet of the marketplace at the time, so are most 18 inch dolls easy to repair.

So now I have a cupboard full of 18 inch dolls.  Some are old, some are kind of new.  Some were girls and are now boys.  And dang, if American Girl didn't go and change the face molds of its newest dolls, but oh well.  I'm over 18 inch dolls, unless a poor, mistreated darling falls into my lap.

Here's how they ended up looking. 

Here are two Paola Reina dolls and one little girl I inherited from my Aunt.

 I made all the clothes, including the shoes on the Reina dolls.

The one in pink is a doll I had for years.  I'm not sure what kind she is.  She has a W on the back of the neck.  The one in the Kimono is a Madame Alexander.   I made the clothes. 

Here's the musketeer and his lady.  They are both Madame Alexanders.  The blue dress has my first try at ribbon embroidery on the front.  I made his boots.  I'm proud of his boots. 

This is a fae, and two gentlemen.  The guy in the back is all steam-punky.  The lady is a gotz doll, the boys are Madame Alexanders transgenders.

Here are two of my remaining American Girls (I gave the rest away).  They are old enough to have 'Pleasant Company' labels.  The one in pink and brown are Madame Alexanders.

These four dolls are Heidi Ott heads on American Girl type bodies.  I think these have the most interesting faces, but on really weird bodies, so they got a transplant.

Here are three Madame Alexanders reimagined as Star Wars people.  One day I'm going to make a Princess Leia to go with them. 

These are not all my 18 inch dolls, but you get the idea.  

This was a fun project while it lasted.  I have a tendency to go whole hog on things.  I want to collect one of each face mold, each ethnicity, etc.  My pendulum has swung away from these guys for a while, but I'll probably go back to them eventually.  I still have a dresser full of ball joint dolls and naked tonner dolls to mess with.