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alicegunther
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| Posted: Sept 14 2005 at 6:17am | IP Logged
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ALmom wrote:
| The girls played with them quite a bit for the first year or so and then they are tucked away - but in those years, they learned to sew and made doll canopy beds, all kinds of great patterns, etc. This blossomed into making their own clothing. |
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This is a beautiful idea, Janet, and I am hoping to teach the older three girls to sew this year. It's a shame the American Girl dress patterns are no longer available. I'd always intended to purchase them when the children were older! Does anyone know a source for these? I have many back issues of Sew Beautiful magazine, and there are great ideas for 18" doll dresses, but they are all based on American Girl patterns no longer available.
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Mary G
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| Posted: Sept 14 2005 at 6:28am | IP Logged
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Alice:
I think all the major pattern companies -- Simplicity, Vogue, etc -- have 18" doll patterns, some quite fancy and nice!
My 14yod had the patterns -- we were just talking about it yesterday -- and now we're on a hunt to find them. That would certainly be a wonderful find as the patterns were very nicely done and "authentic" to the AG dolls.
I really like the Beautiful Girlhood dolls -- this might be a good substitute. But I do hear what you are all saying about the AG and the investment -- Maggie is definitely my "little mommy" and would be very good with one.
I'm just glad I started this topic NOW 
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MaryG
3 boys (22, 12, 8)2 girls (20, 11)
my website that combines my schooling, hand-knits work, writing and everything else in one spot!
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Laura
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| Posted: Sept 14 2005 at 1:17pm | IP Logged
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Go Figure...
Here we are talking abuot AG and the Vision Family website.
This morning Grace, who is 4, comes out of her sister's room with Josephina and Kirsten asking me to fix their hair like in the catalog. Then, my son comes out of his room with his cross bow from Vision Forum asking me to locate all the arrows....which would be nearly an impossible task! So, I fix the dolls' hair as well as I can and tell Sam to find something else to shoot because the arrows are long gone. His choice: his sister's barrettes will work quite well!!
I hadn't even mentioned this post to them.
I still think those AG dolls are way overpriced, but you are all correct in saying that the quality is very good.
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Laura
wife to Ken and mom to 8 blessings with #9 due July 26,2009
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mrsgranola
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| Posted: Sept 14 2005 at 2:49pm | IP Logged
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Woo-hoo! A subject near and dear to my heart.... I"m an AG junkie. I first got into the dolls when I bought Grace her first real doll for her 3rd birthday... a Bitty Baby. Then I learned to sew clothes and I bought a "knock-off" doll from Toys'R Us.I was on a list for sewers for these dolls and collectors back then, too. All of this coincided with the mourning period after my Hannah's death- it was a good distraction, mostly.
N0w Grace got her first real AG 18" doll when she was 6. A very mature 6. She's a very careful child so I'm not sure if most 6 yos would be ready for one. She still played with her Bitty Baby too. Last birthday (9) she got a Felicity (bought off e-bay). Mary (6) got a Kit for her birthday (e-bay again) but she could have waited til Christmas. She plays with her but not as much as her Bitty baby right now. She plays with her when Grace and her friends are playing with their AG dolls and she wants to be one of the big kids. So we have 3 in the house now.
*But* I just bought myself a Kirsten for my up-coming birthday. Bad mom... It's part of my Laura Ingalls Wilder addiction for that era. She came in today's mail but I haven't opened her yet for fear of a riot. I feel some guilt... but not much! She was also an ebay purchase. I have lots of the patterns for them, too. And dh made a beautiful doll bed once for a friend's doll but he hasn't gotten around to making our girls' doll beds yet.It wasn't very hard... it was like Addy's with ropes under the mattress.
Okay.. gotta' run. Oh and the quality overall was better at AG before Mattel bought them out. Gotz dolls, in general, are great quality. Vision Forum is also made/designed by Gotz.
JoAnna
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ALmom
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| Posted: Sept 14 2005 at 5:20pm | IP Logged
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One of the great things about not being tied to one particular thing is that the children got so creative. We had a Kirsten (and later for the other girl, a Josephina) doll. They looked at pictures in the catelogue and made a lot with stuff lying around the house from looking at pictures in the catelogue or wherever. We bought any kind of patterns from simplicity and didn't always stick with historical periods, although there were some simplicity patterns that are historical - like little house.
But our children did learn to mix and match from patterns - modified a sleeve here, added a different collar there and used whatever was around the house. The beds our girls made were definitely not historical recreations of the catelogue versions - they were canopy beds using wood, fabric and old wire coat hangers. Of course, my dc weren't all that interested in history and just liked being able to play dolls. At first they used scrap fabric to make things like scarves and aprons without patterns. Some of them were decidedly lopsided but as I don't sew, I wasn't even tempted to say anything and just admired their creations. It was amazing how quickly they wanted to do more - asked for patterns, and all. We did hire a sewing teacher when they got to a point of being stuck or asked a sewer for advice - when they were stuck and needed guidance, a lady came by and spent a whole half day for $25. She wasn't a perfectionist - just taught them the tricks. My children became pickier themselves naturally. Because the fabric was scrap, I didn't worry about what they did with it - sometimes at the beginning they would cut right through the middle and there would be a big hole.
Before long, people were donating fabric to our girls - cleaning out their old collections and we got some amazing stuff. My oldest, just recently dug through the bin of fabric - or found her brothers running through the house with a beautiful silk, oriental style fabric and she claimed it "because it was too good for the boys to tear up as costume" and made a dress out of it. She has done similiar things with other fabrics from time to time. We also found people giving us old patterns - which are often much more modest than current ones.
Today, our oldest is very confident with any kind of fabric, and she doesn't hesitate to take on major sewing projects like making all her own orchestra attire - buttons, zippers, fancy sleeves and collars. She will also modify clothing - even very hard fabrics to work with and has made her own swimsuits. I cannot do any of this - and have to refrain from expressing concern before she starts, but she always ends up with a pleasing product in the end without any agony.
At the time we bought, we were trying not to buy Made in China items due to the abortion issue. (We have not been so good about that now because of the preponderance of stuff made in China). American girl dolls, at the time, were not made in China and was one of the few and that was the main reason we allowed the girls to get those instead of the similiar store dolls that were cheaper. I think a lot of AG is now made in China so that wouldn't be a factor anymore - and am not sure whether or not the boycott of made in China is really effective.
The price of AG accessories was the motivating factor in learning to sew - as the economic lesson of paying $20 for a single dress quickly depleted their resources. Occassionally they bought something from AG, or got Christmas/birthday gifts from there (since mom couldn't sew) but it was really hard to justify the cost of the stuff (cost more than what we spent on our own clothing) so I can identify with that part of it. At the heyday, there were a lot of places making things that were close to cheaper versions of AG and we found a number of on-line places that sold items for "18 inch dolls like the AG doll" at much more realistic prices. Surely some of those sites are still around.
Janet
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Molly Smith
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| Posted: Sept 15 2005 at 6:46am | IP Logged
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Before commenting on the dolls, I just want to plug the AG "Bitty" animals. My 3yo daughter loves all the little bitty friends. She has the animals, the house and the school bus. She and any or all of her siblings or little friends can play it for hours. I prefer this to the Angelina Ballerina stuff. For some reason I haven't spent much time thinking about, I don't really care for Angelina.
We love the AG dolls, but I'll admit to never having actually bought any. My parents are always over-generous at Christmas and birthdays and have bought my 9yo various dolls, outfits or furniture each year. I guess they usually spend about $100 a year at AG for her, but over the years it really adds up! Jeanne has also saved her own money for some of the stuff.
The thing I like about AG is it's universal appeal. No matter what any of her friends might really be "in" to, they can always come over and play with the dolls for hours. They bring them to each others' homes for parties and play dates. I love that 9yo girls can enjoy playing this way.
Another thing, Jeanne received her Bitty Baby from my mom as a baptism gift (in the little white dress) and since then, almost 10 years ago, we have never had an AG product break. It's makes it easier to justify the cost!
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Bookswithtea
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| Posted: Sept 15 2005 at 7:38am | IP Logged
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We have 3 bitty babies for our three daughters. They are well loved and we haven't had to repair one yet. When my first dd was born, I decided that I'd rather have my daughters have one or two special dolls throughout their childhood than 20 plastic throw away dolls. I was idealizing the love Laura Ingalls had for her corn cobb doll. :-)
When my oldest dd turned 6, she received a "Girl of Today" from AG. We decided that one doll per girl was more than enough of an expense, and this way they could adopt any time period they liked (well, maybe not Josephina since she's blond haird and blue eyed). We visited Walnut Grove 2 yrs ago and bought a dress and bonnet for her. We have seen Amish garb in Amish Country for AG dolls, too! So now I watch for opportunities like this.
I have the Vision Forum catalogues, too. I've always been hesitant to purchase from them...Reformed theology tends to be anti Catholic. But as someone else mentioned, AG isn't exactly stellar, either. On the SL Cath forum over a year ago, someone posted about real anti Catholic issues with some of the American Girl stories that go along with the fancy dolls from Turkey, France, etc. I can't boycott everyone. I guess if the Amish folks sewing the doll clothes knew I was Catholic, they'd have something to say about that, too! :P
Anyway, we have been very happy with the AG dolls because they are well made. We buy some of the more modest Target clothes (We found a princess dress once in forest green velvet complete with a crown!). They often go on clearance after Christmas and the more modest clothes are usually all that is left! LOL We bought our doll case from Toys R Us 3 yrs ago and it hasn't broken yet, despite my 2 yr old using it as a step stool to get into stuff.
Oh...there is one more option.
http://www.absolutelydolls.com/softart.htm
I have read before that Goetz made the original American Girl dolls. We bought a Muffin doll for one of my dd's and have been really happy with her. She's not quite as nice as a Bitty Baby, but she had long hair, and my 4 yr old couldn't wait till 6 (our age for an AG doll) to have a doll with hair to comb. :-)
I haven't seen the Precious Day dolls myself, but they are more affordable than AG and probably better made than Target's Generations dolls. Plus, I think the clothes on Precious Day are a bit more traditional and modest than some of the other options.
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mrsgranola
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| Posted: Sept 15 2005 at 9:26am | IP Logged
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Oh and I forgot one piece of vital info.:
We made a family rule when Grace was born that no one could buy her dolls (without parental consent). We do not do Barbies at this house except for a couple Kelly dolls. I didn't want her inundated with lots and lots of dolls at every holiday and not appreciating them. So these Bitty Babies and AG dolls are what we have with a couple of my old dolls here and there (Soft Sounds baby- doesn't work and My Friend Mandy) and that's it... no latest craze dolls here. My sis did give her a Madeleine rag doll with clothes and that's fine but I really wanted them to have a couple special dolls growing up, not tons.
JoAnna
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chrisv664
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There is a catalog called the Lakeside Collection which sells in their current Christmas catalog, a 20-pc. Doll fashion set which fits the AG dolls, for $12.95. The outfits are not historical, but could supplement the AG clothes which come with the dolls. One year I also saw clothes for 18 inch dolls in Joann's. None of these beat the quality of AG, but my daughter enjoys the variety. I get quite a few Chirstmas gifts from Lakeside, many items are under $10 and are decent quality. Perhaps you might save enough money with this catalog to spring for the AG! If anyone does use this catalog, my experience has been positive, but some items take awhile to ship, so no last-minute shopping here!
Merry Chirstmas to all!
Chris
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Marybeth
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| Posted: Sept 15 2005 at 5:16pm | IP Logged
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I don't have a daughter but love the AG dolls. I always wanted my dh to buy me one for Christmas! He would always laugh, but I was serious.
One of my most cherished memories, is my sister taking my niece and myself for tea at the American Girl store in Chicago. It was such a wonderful day! Of course, my sister and I had a fight b/c I was buying too much for my niece...please that is what an Aunt is for...all the goodies! 
My niece is 9 and still loves playing with the AG dolls. I just suggested she play with them before I get dinner started tonight. She eagerly ran up the stairs. All her Target, Wal-Mart dolls, etc. have long hit the trash or resale table. AG is a forever doll!
I highly recommend Chicago for a vacation spot plus bring your AG dolls and come for tea!!
God bless,
Marybeth
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4Real Forums : Mothering and Family Life
Topic: Christmas ideas please
