Helen, I received a bride Madame Alexander doll for Christmas when I was in third grade. I loved that doll; her name was China.

When my niece was old enough, I gave China to her. China deserved to have a little girl to play with, instead of being hidden away wrapped in pink silk in my drawer.

Hi Connie,

That is so thoughtful of you to share a much loved doll with someone else! I don't know if I could give away one of my favorites. I hope I could. Kudos.

Hi Helen,

I love this site. My daughter and I both love this site. I referred to your site in one of my summer activites. Thanks for the tips!

Hi Tuculia,

I appologize for the delay, I have been VERY busy lately and away from my computer a lot.

Welcome and thank-you for the kind words and the referral!

Helen, I have the pattern for the pantaloons and camisole sets. The four dolls are sitting in my rocker staring at me. Seems they are a bit anxious to get something on them.

As with my Native American dolls, I just lay the doll on the fabric and mark the pattern around her. The pantaloons are easy to do. The camisole is not as difficult as I thought it would be. I made the paper pattern by the same method as the pantaloons and will add tucks, etc. as I go along. The first camisole will be practice.

Hi Phyllis,

I've been so busy with family issues that I haven't set foot in my doll studio and my state of mind is showing it! I have a bunch of dolls that are waiting patiently for some pretty new clothes. I can't wait to see your dolls all dressed.

I hope all is well for you, Helen.

My dolls are being so patient, waiting for their wardrobe. I am debating on the appearance of the clothes. I think the new dresses, etc. will look lovely and cheerful -- yet I would really like an antique look. I have been thinking about taking the finished clothing and dipping them all in tea, just long enough to give them a look of being old.

What do you think?

I love tea dyed fabrics! But you might want to try dyeing scraps of each fabric first, so you know how it will turn out. It would be a shame to dye the finished outfits and then find out that some parts look better than others. You could also get the same effect using fabric in muted colors and using beige or cream fabric and ribbon instead of white for pinafores, slips and bloomers.

I have to go to my studio now, you've got my creative juices running, thanks, Phyllis!