all retro

 

 

Yikes, it's been a month since I last blogged. Time flies when you're having fun. And I'm definitely enjoying our online store Retrovision. As you can see from the photos above, I'm trying to embrace all aspects of the retro experience. The Patti Playpals (the short hair Patti is from 1953 and the other is a reproduction) in the photos are gaining a following of their own. A couple of customers have commented on how they find them creepy and at the same time are intrigued as where they'll show up next. Have a great week everyone!

 

black hard plastic

this English black pedigree doll (another Trademe find) is the latest to join my collection of vintage dolls. She's 16 inches tall and is still dressed in her original outfit and shoes. I am intrigued by her face and I wonder what her story is?

hello dollies

Friday afternoon is the perfect time of the week to sneak in a little op shopping. My favourite thrift store had undergone a massive revamp and this was the first time I'd been in for a while. Although it looked absolutely fabulous, probably as great as any department store, I kind of missed the familiar clutter and mess.

Todays find were these 3 vintage dolls, circa late 1960s/1970s for $12.50. These poor dollies were from a deceased estate and have an overwhelming pong of mothballs and lavender water. That said, they have been lovingly played with, enjoyed and cared for. The best thing about them is that their bodies are in great shape (no frankendolly surgeries) and they have all their hair. To get them back to looking as good as new, all they need is a jolly good clean... then these lovely dollies will be saying hello to my little girl who has plenty of social engagements, (think tea parties, picnics and the like) for them to attend.

sewing commission

to help break my continued sewing drought, a friend has commissioned me to make a royalty gown for her vintage Cissy (similar to the 1st photo). I'm using vintage McCalls 2255 as the basis for the gown and a vintage medium weight brocade with lots of lurex thread. It's proving successful as I'm actually feeling motivated about sewing again. However personal sewing might still be sometime away. Thanks to all of you who took the time to share tips and advice about breaking a sewing dry spell.

being mid century

dear hubby surprised me today with this lovely mid century dining suite circa 1960s, that he'd secretly bought on Trademe. It's a great combination by - Jon Jansen & Danske Mobler - made up of a set of six, triple slat back "Mobler" dining chairs and an extendable table by Jon Jansen. Can't wait to have a dinner party so that I can take out all my crown lynn crockery...

then while dropping off clothing to the local hospice shop, I saw this retro bedroom stool. So of course it came home with me. Our bedroom has an inbuilt dressing table and this stool is just the right height and size for the space. 

and then there's my favourite vintage doll, Madame Alexander Cissy Fashion doll from the 1950s  that I bought some years ago from another lovely NZ collector. Of all the dolls that I collect, vintage Cissy has the most appeal. She's elegant and timeless. Her genuine 1950s fashions are beautifully made and are very sort after by doll collectors, who are willing to pay a lot for her clothing. Just search ebay's completed listings for 'vintage cissy' and you'll see what I mean...

copycat

earlier this week I was doing a google search on charity knitting when I came across an unpleasant surprise!... someone had copied my blog posts about charity knitting and then had it published in an online magazine. To make matters worse, they'd been paid for it. I was so annoyed that I wrote to the online magazine to let them know. Here's their response:

Dear Norma,

Thank you for your email and please accept our apologies for publishing this.

We receive quite a lot of plagiarised poems and stories and check these via google but we've not had any problem with opinions articles before. Certainly we will check these as well in the future!

We have removed the article from our online magazine and deducted the reward given to the member who sent it in. Please accept our sincere apologies for this error. We appreciate your patience and understanding.

Sincerely,

I'm happy with the result. Rant over!

vintage doll pattern

my sewing has to be varied to keep me motivated and interested. So every now and then I do some sewing for my vintage dolls. I've just won this pattern on Trademe (NZ's site similar to ebay) and look forward to receiving it before the weekend. There's some printed voile in my stash that would be perfect for making a pair of doll's shortie pyjamas.

another 1950s hard plastic

another bent knee walker by Pedigree NZ. A very lucky find considering that they're hard to get hold of now. Anyway her owner was having a major declutter and wanted to find a new home for her doll. So now she's joined my little collection. There's some repair work to be done, especially around her head and face plus a new wig. Other than that she'll be looking good very soon.

It's been a 'no crafting' zone since Miss 2 has been ill. She's been unwell for almost a week and today's the first day that she's been anything like her happy self. So until she's better, not much sewing or crafting will be taking place. I'll pop in every other day and post photos but probably nothing crafty until she's 100% well again, which is probably up to a week away.

1950s hard plastic

I've always had an interest in the 1950s hard plastic walking dolls. Especially in the New Zealand made Pedigree walkie talkies. On my wishlist for the longest time was the bent knee walker doll which are becoming harder and harder to find now.
Luckily last year, I discovered this poor doll. Of course, she was in need of repair. There's no way that I could afford an original, pristine doll although in hindsight, if I add up how much she's cost me to fix up, I probably could lol! She was missing a lower leg, had sparse hair, no eyelashes and as you can see, was very age and play worn. I met the doll's owner who told me that she'd received this doll as a childhood birthday gift. Sadly she was parting with it as she didn't have the money to fix it and no daughters or nieces to pass it on to.




It took a year before I got her back (long boring story about doll hospital delays). With a vintage doll like this, I personally prefer the 'improved' look rather than the 'make it look like new' look. After all, she's over 50 years old. I'm sure you'll agree that she looks a lot better now than when she first arrived.



She's due a new outfit. I'd love to knit her a vintage styled set like the pale blue pattern in the photo. She'll also need a name (I'm open to suggestions) and some nicer photos too. I'll get onto those all very soon!

Thrift to fantasy

Started reading this beautiful book back in October and finally finished it last night. It wasn't till this morning that I realised that one of the vintage dolls pictured in the book was living in my sewing room. This topsy turvy doll with her friends, Golly & Ted, came to live with me last year when I bought a 1950s cane dolls pram.

It's lovely to think that someone lovingly made this doll years ago. I'm inspired to create my 2 daughters a handmade dolly each for Christmas.

Patti Playpal

Although I have an authentic vintage Patti Playpal (she's the one in the photo with the shorter hair), I don't like to handle her too much. She's still pretty much original. So I found a reproduction by Ashton Drake locally to do the modelling from now on. (The repro Patti has the longer hair in the photos). Patti is approx 89cm tall. My almost 2 year old daughter thinks Patti is wonderful and has conversations with her, sometimes draping her arm around Patti's shoulders or holding Patti's hand. I guess that's what the Patti Playpal creators wanted when they were first creating this 'companion' doll. It's meant to be like having your own special friend. Can't wait to see what her reaction is when the new Patti arrives.

Finished projects so far

Firstly, I finished the shirred summer dress for my almost 2 year old daughter. I remembered that the seersucker fabric was a $1 remnant at a Spotlight sale. I gave the dress an extra 4 rows of elastic (so the elastic part of the bodice finishes a smidgeon below her natural waist & allows for growth) , extra length on the straps & a nice wide hem, so that she get at least a couple of summers wear before she outgrows it. She loves her dress and wanted to wear it straight off the sewing machine.

I also completed two cute dresses that fit 21" Pedigree & Saucy Walkie Talkie dolls. The dresses were started a while back & needed hems & buttons. Finally got that done and the undies sewn. These dress sets are destined for ebay.

Dress & coat for Patti Playpal

My visit to Wellington was a welcome chance to recharge my batteries. I'm full of thoughts and inspiration regarding all the projects that I want & plan to do. Firstly I have to complete my 'offcuts' fabric bag. It's been cut out and ready to be sewn together.

Found these 2 patterns for a summer dress & coat that with a little tweaking should fit both my almost 2 year old daughter as well as vintage Patti Playpal doll. They should both make up well and look very sweet.

Good to be back in the sewing room again!