Wondering....

about you all—you there in your dollroom, and you other yous, too, wherever you may be! I'm wondering where you are, what you do in the doll-o-sphere, how you found your way here. Basically, I'm just interested in who I'm talking to. Am I just talking to me or are you reader types stumbling onto the site, giving it the once-over and then coming back once in a while to see if I've uploaded something "dolly diva" like—a pattern or design, or at least an accessory like a hat or purse, etc. etc. etc.
     Well, things are looking up. I'm reaming out my STUFF. I have a lot of that. I've been collecting some of the it since I was a teenager, some time last century, she says with a mysterious smile. 
     I don't have any grandkids. I don't even have any kids. My husband's kids aren't in any way, shape or form, interested in the mini-ladies I find so intriguing. Now there you have it. There's no place for these little women to go but to interested parties out in the blogosphere.
     So, tell me in the comments who and where you are and what you find intriquing about dolls. I will tell you that my dolly interest is fashion oriented. I'm a frustrated dress/hat designer and I love the 1930s/1940s especially. My interest dwindles the closer we get to modern day. The twenties (1920s that is) are interesting and easy to sew with no real fitting required, but they aren't as beautiful as the thirties, forties and fifties. People dressed then, you know? Suits, hats, heels, cocktail dresses, evening gowns, and bathing suits with more material than necessary just to keep their wearers legally clothed!
     Don't we love Gene Marshall et alia for this very reason? She has dressy dresses and suity suits gowny gowns and acres of glamour.
     Also, I have another reason for starting this whole blog and for beginning to collect Gene and her buddies in the first place. Let me say that Barbie is just too tiny for my purposes. 'Nuff said.
     When 15.5" Gene, friends and copycats showed up on the scene, I did a little leap of joy—and bought a whole tribe over the years. However, my purpose did not come to fruition because I was involved in learning the ropes of being married for the first time at age 61! Sidebar: I made my wedding gown, of course.
     Then what do you suppose! Tonner made the 22" American Model Goth in 2012. She is superb, glam to the max, gorgeous and, most important to me, BIG!!!
     Now I get to it—my purpose: I may have mentioned this before, but I am a retired opera/concert singer. Over my years of performing, I wore a lot of concert gowns which I made myself! The opera companies supplied my opera costumes. However, I have plans to make mini-copies of my Valkyrie and Rhinemaiden costumes from the originals of the first Wagner Ring Cycle put on by Seattle Opera. When the company retired the first production, they gave me my costumes. I plan to make a flock (herd?) of eight Valkyries, complete with American Girl horses for five mounted ladies, of which I will only keep Siegrune/Waltraute (my roles) and a trio of Rhinemaidens of which I will keep Wellgunde (yep, me!). The rest go on the block.     
   Glitzy material that looked good in the light and my friends the Vogue pattern people kept me supplied with gowns (way-less-expensive-than-buying-readymade), which could look spectacular from the audience and actually fit me. I'm 5'10" and long-waisted with broad shoulders (for a girl anyway). In strapless readymade gowns, I look like I'm wearing an empire-waisted short formal, sort of like preparing to go to the prom.
     They are now packed away in trunks. I don't have room for trunks. Plus they are never seen in those trunks. They lie amouldering in those trunks. Solution: Make mini-copies for my beautiful AM Goth girl and put them on display! And speaking of my AM Goth girl, she's going to be my one and only with a plainer sister for fitting, etc. 
     I will keep a representative assortment, one of each, of the other girls I've collected but most of the girls and their clothes will be out there for you, my loyal follower(s?) to snap up without the interference and bother of eBay. Sound interesting?
     BUT...Oh what to do with the patterns made for those mini-copies? Oh what to do with all the leftover glitzy material from the big dresses? MAKE COPIES OF THE PATTERNS and MAKE MORE COPIES OF THE MINI-DRESSES FOR PEOPLE WHO DON'T LIKE TO SEW!! Put those copies out where people who might want such types of clothes for their fashion dolls of all shapes and sizes can get them—a glamour shop for the ladies, and maybe even a tux or two for the guys they hang with. And because patterns are easy to replicate, they will be the most prevalent of things available on the site. 

     How does this sound to y'all? Are you beginning to figure out why this blog is called "Dolly Diva Designs" hmmmm? 

Cover Photo by Dave DeCaro   

   I'm going to give you a little teaser here!  The publication, left, measures 8.5" x 11.5" and contains 30 pages of articles, stories and pictures, most in color, put together by yours truly but with articles and photos donated by members of the "Here's Looking At You, Gene" yahoo mail group. It was prepared for Gene's 2010 convention in Philadelphia, which turned out to be the Integrity Toys Gene's farewell. The centerfold of the magazine was a pattern for the sweet little sundress with bolero, seen below. 

Sister Mary Joseph Doll Patterns

If you would like a magazine for yourself, I will answer questions and settle details via ladymacregor at gmail dot com. At the convention, the magazine sold for $25. The price for it from this blog, including postage in the US would be $12.50. Outside the US, the price would be $12.50 plus any postage in excess of the equivalent of $2.50 US.

That's all for now—but do keep your needles threaded

and your dolly models standing by...

Well, well, well! 

Here we are in a brand new year...

and I'm already deep in dollyland unearthing my treasures of pattern, yardgoods and trim. Are you encouraged? I certainly am! I'm finding all sorts of interesting things—dress forms for Gene et alia, a couple of Kentucky Derby winning horses, also their accompanying red rose wreaths (that's alliterative, isn't it?—even though it doesn't look like it!—good old weird English-language spelling) for their necks. That Louisville (Kentucky) Gene Marshall convention was my first! I went because I was born in Kentucky and got a chance not only to go to the convention but also to visit relatives—a lovely double-header. 

Back to the dolly part of the post, I also am pretty sure the trophy is hanging around here somewhere. Want to find that so I can present the horse, the blanket of roses, the rose bouquet for Gene and even her field glasses to you all—in time for the Derby. Perhaps I could even be persuaded to part with Gene herself in her lovely '50s-style pale green silk full flared-skirted suit with the big matching hat. 

Hats are always interesting at the Derby. The ladies go all out to get the most outrageous but becoming hat possible. Big competitive thing, that. The guys are interested in the horses and the mint juleps, not necessarily in that order. The girls are sometimes into the horses and juleps as well but the guys are interesting too... Back to the horse part: Gene also showed up at one point in a set of jockey silks! Everything from hat to boots. Wouldn't she just! They presented her with an honorary Kentucky Colonel-ship too. What a gal!

I went to the Derby once when I was in college. However, my fella and I sat in the bleachers as opposed to the ritzier, more expensive (by, to use horse racing lingo, a long shot!) grandstand. But at least we didn't have to stand in the sun in the midfield. Even on the first Saturday in May it can be very hot in Kentucky. However, snow showers have shown up a time or two as well!

Anyway, I had a very nice but quiet and reserved hat. But Gene, whose hat was much bigger (in proportion of course) than mine obviously, sat in one of the most important boxes in the front row of the grandstand and wouldn't really have needed those field glasses. They looked nice against her pale spring green outfit though. 

It's such fun getting into the dolly boxes again. It's been a while—you all know how long I've been promising to do that! It's truly wonderful to dig around. I feel like I'm on a treasure hunt, and I guess I am, no? I'll post now and then when I find something really amazing. I know there must be a lot of amazing lurking about in this room. I mean, the boxes and boxes and boxes! There has to be treasure hidden in all that trove—no? Stay tuned.