Current Mood : Relaxed

Happy December !

Another appointment today, this one for another echocardiogram. Then I can relax until the two appointments I have Dec. 6th, and the two on the 9th. I'm also due for the second diabetes class sometime this month, and who knows what after that. The VA keeps me hoppin' ! We took Starlight this time, and she got a bit hot on the way up, but with some fresh antifreeze, she did fine on the ride home.

Oh, and this is what happens when I get behind in my writing...I forgot to tell ya'll that I bought a new Monster High set of patterns a few days ago. It arrived yesterday - but we didn't find it until today - and I can hardly wait to get to it ! I'll write up a full review after I've sewn something, which I hope will happen tomorrow, since I don't have any appointments or anything else (except maybe laundry) holding me back !

We borrowed Pirate Radio from the library yesterday, and got to watch it today. I really enjoyed it, but it did sort of bog down - I kinda got tired of the 'musical beds' game the nearly random female cast was set up to play.

Ghoulia's Big Bad Booty Shorts

Current Mood : Happy

If you bought the three-sized Simplicity pattern I highlighted a few days ago, #1955, and you haven't cut it out yet, lemme save you a bit of time. All the 'M' size pieces (for Barbie and LIV dolls) were on one sheet. Just the M pieces, nothing else. The 'S' (Bratz) and L (Moxie Girls) were together on the other, and even then, all the S ones were on one side of the tissue, and all the Ls were on the other. So, if you want just the M pieces (or wanna try the M patterns first), you won't have a huge mess unfolding around you (ha-ha) - just unfold one pattern sheet enough to tell what size they are, and be happy knowing it's all there together for ya, you don't have to unfold the whole thing, or worse, re-fold it, 'cause you got the S and L page. Of course, if you're like DIsarmywife, and you sew for more than one size, it'll at least allow you to keep things together as you enjoy it all !

Mostly today, though, I wanna talk about Ghoulia's bad booty shorts. They really don't fit ! And the image doesn't deceive you, the left leg (on Ghoulia) is noticeably longer. I even made sure they weren't just hanging wrong, and that the curve was clipped. Even the hems were the same. One leg was simply cut from the fabric longer, so of course, it sews out that way.

And the waistband...there's no elastic in it at all ! When I finally got G untangled from the box, the shorts were down to the bottom of her butt. I laughed, because sometimes Barbie's would drop the same way when you seated her, especially with loose or worn elastic at the waist or tired stretch fabrics. A simple tug up would correct the wardrobe malfunction. Not this time. There's flat-out nothing to keep them up at the waist, so they sag and moon the world. I could take them apart and add Velcro (tm) to the back, but it won't fix the uneven legs. So I'm not sure what I'm gonna do. First wardrobe fail I've run across on this line, can't help but be a bit disappointed.

Especially when the little tote bag even has tiny webbing 'water bottle' holders on the sides - amazingly sewn perfectly. Beloved Hubby joked that, if anyone wanted to create a Teen Monster Mom  episode, the tote would make a great diaper bag !

The single pair of pom-poms were also a bit disappointing, as the dolls can only hold them if you keep them on the plastic disc they come on. I was thinking they'd have elastic wrist loops or something, and the plastic part was just for box display, but nope. Off the plastic backing, they're just strips of shiny tin foil stapled together. At least I moved the clear elastic holding them to lower layers of shiny foil, where they're not so obviously seen. I'll probably make three or four sets soon, maybe out of yarn.

But really, even with these few bobbles, I really like my set. Ghoulia's jacket is adorable, but I had to iron down the hem on her blouse, the raw edge of the neckline kept popping up. Can't wait for the Comic Club outfit to come my way ! Cleo has 'Gloom Beach' hands, which look great on her, so I'll probably move my GB Cleo to the donate/trade/sell part of the shelf. Never liked the odd GB lip colors, although they were more monsterish than the usual shades of red.

DracuLaura has the usual MH  'starfish' hands, but her hair is just gorgeous ! I'll probably remove the sleeves from her Fearleader costume, though. While I know most cheerleaders on a team in the 'normie' world don't wear the exact same uniform, and Beloved's hypothesis that DLaura can't be exposed to the sun, hence sleeves and hosiery, makes sense, I still want them to look...well, uniform.

It's always better when you have something to look forward to !

Current Mood : Relaxed

Hoping to hit Hobby Lobby tomorrow for today's image - a new pattern ! Now, if this were just Barbie-sized, I'd give it a pass, since these are designs for outfits I know I have a few dozen times over. No, this one's actually three sizes - 10.5", 11.5", and 12.5". According to the back, the small fits Bratz, the medium fits Barbie and Liv, and the large is for Moxie Girls. You already *know* what I'm thinking - it won't be much to tweak the Bratz size to Monster High size ! Hobby Lobby has a $1.99 sale on Simplicity patterns through Saturday, and Hancock Fabrics offers the same deal from Nov. 17 to 23. There's only one other new doll pattern, for 15-inch baby dolls like Bitty Baby, so if you sew for that size, you may wanna look up that one, too. Nothin' new at all (fashion doll size, there's probably dozens more for AG & clones) from Butterick or McCalls.

I'm also hoping to check out their rotary cutting surfaces, since there's a 40% off coupon. Still nothing on either of my 'old' ones, which really digs at me, ya know ?

Got really lazy today. Fell asleep watching the MST3K version of Manos : The Hands of Fate, and had a nap for the first time in weeks. I haven't been tired enough to want or need one in a while. The rest of the day was slow and quiet, even after Beloved Hubby came home. And I liked it that way ! 

A pretty picture...with a rambling mess !

Current Mood : Lost

When you can't get scrap fabric lined up on the grid well enough to cut it, well, it's time to give y'self a few more days before trying a Creative Day again. As it is, I nicked a fingernail with my usually above-reproach trusty rotary cutter, a reminder that safety still needs to lead enthusiasm and eagerness. Coulda been a lot worse, so I'm goin' back to the drawing board - where hopefully I'll be able to actually sit down and actually *do* something soon ! 

I mean, I kinda don't get it. I'm sleeping nearly through the night lately. I still can't taste salty things at all - imagine opening a fresh bag of microwave popcorn, and you can smell the oversalted goodness...but you may as well be eating polystyrene, or the bottom of the bag bits from a package of 1982 rice cakes, plain, no salt, no flavorings - and that's really put a crimp in my appetite. Which is a good thing, I'm sure, but I'm often dizzy and spinny in the late afternoon, and that's probably from not eating anything save jelly toast at breakfast. So tonight, Beloved bought me a big bag of Clemintines (tiny oranges !), some small snack cakes, and single-serve peach cups. That should help, but I really wish my sense of taste would go back to normal. But it's got nothin' to do with how weak I still feel, or how much sleep I'm getting. (sigh) Summer '11 was just not good to me this year...

From the 'Ancient News' file, something nonetheless still interesting from Tonner Dolls. I confess, I don't keep up with them as passionately as I used to, seeing as how I'm going under fast with $22. Monster High dolls - one new Tonner, and I'd be swimmin' in red ink for two years ! Anyway, back on July 19th, they issued this statement about how they're adjusting their sales calendar to fit their buyers. See if you react the same way I did : 

"With our collector's ever-increasing reliance on the internet we realize a major shift in purchasing patterns has firmly taken hold. Collectors enjoy being able to obtain products they desire as fast as possible and without having time for reconsideration. Coupled with a year-round flow of product from our factories we have developed a new schedule of future product releases."

Huh ? Tonner now thinks we want just 'stimulus / response' - see doll, buy doll, move on to next doll to be announced in a week or two ? I sincerely hope I'm misreading that, or the intention isn't what I get. 'Without reconsideration' seems like a sales ploy along the lines of 'don't give 'em time to think, just buy or worry about not getting it !'. How many of us purchase that way ? Even when I'm buying a doll mostly for her glasses, clothes, or locker (uncomfortable grin), I weigh the whole thing carefully - can I make the lockers ? Do we already have those glasses in that color ? I like to believe that most of us think before we reach for the credit cards, but I can't help but read that Tonner wishes something else. 

Come to think of it, I have some pipe cleaners hanging around...wouldn't they make some funky sunglasses !

There's always more...

Current Mood : Weirded out.

Kind of in a mood today. Just one of those things. Trying not to take things personal, but...(sigh) Twice in a week, when I've simply voiced my own stupid opinion that Mattel might possibly could handle things a bit better than they seem to be doing - I mean, crap, they're making the same mistakes everyone was screaming about last year all over again -  I've been told to be quiet and be grateful. Once on my own Flickr page, once on the LiveJournal one, and on the LJ, I chimed in my support of an idea presented twice before in the same message, and a few million times everywhere else, yet only my words got stomped on.

And look. I am grateful. After three weeks of insomnia so bad, I get circular lurid nightmares when I do sleep, I still found something positive in the whole mess. When I get down about being broke, I make stuff. I know how bad things can get, I've experienced them fairly recently, so I don't need a buncha people telling me I need to learn gratitude and patience. I wasn't the one buying a $40. toy for $70. so I could have it two weeks early, and I wasn't at TRU when it opened so I could glom on to everything after telling someone else to chill out and wait a while longer. I'm the one practicing all the stuff I get accused of not doing - by the very people who are impatient and impulsive. Yet I'm the one with the issues ?

It's gotten so I'm getting timid of my own opinions again, and that's not good. Since all I can ever do on Barbie boards is complement everyone else's recent buys and just-finished creations - and get ignored when I post - I soon lost interest in Barbie. I'm not sure where all these Mattel apologists are coming from. Is it time for another Consumer Advisory Board selection ? You may have heard of this useless crap - every year or so, Mattel asks for applications to its Barbie Collector Advisory panel, there's an application online and everything. Here's the link to this year's, although deadlines have passed - http://www.barbiecollector.com/news/join-2011-collector-advisory-panel . Non-cheerleaders need not apply. And make sure you can afford to hie yourself to El Segundo for a day. Well, they prefer three - the day of, and the days before and after, just to be on the safe side. Given the 'let your application reflect your passion for Barbie' guideline, do you think they wanna hear anything negative ? Given what keeps getting dished at me this week, evidently the fans can't handle mild criticism of Mattel, either.

(sigh) I can't help but think I've been through this crap before, and the end result was, I withdrew from everything public and let everyone else fight and scrap and be over-invested on their own time and sites. I refused - and still refuse - to let my fun and my dolls be tainted by negative people trying to tell me to be positive their way. Looks like I may have to do that again. What is it about dolls that brings out the posturing child in so many of us...?

Anyway. If yesterday's freebie tank top pattern for Ellowyne was exciting, hold on to your threads, 'cause there's more ! Sometimes, there's actual advantages to subscribing to newsletters - how else would I have found out there were two more Ellowyne patterns, brand-sparkin'-new today, and one of 'em is free, too ? The Trendy Tee on your left is available now, for freebies, and the neat baseball shirt is available for just four bucks. Not bad at all. I think I paid four bucks for each of the three baseball shirts I had like that in high school, except mine were pink or blue sleeved on a white shirt. Possibly worthy of your consideration ! This link will take you right to the Ello patterns, all three of 'em - http://libertyjanepatterns.com/category/ellowyne-patterns  . Two out of three free ain't bad.

I also did some research, and found that there are some differences in Ello and Tyler bodies. Mostly in the head, wow. Ello's got a big one ! I remember seeing a chart of various sixteen-inch doll measurements on eBay for $3. back in the day, which I thought was ridiculous, because I already knew about http://gerrybdesigns.homestead.com/Doll_Measurement_Chart.pdf , which had tons of those measurements, lined up and ready to go for free. Basically, Tyler's bust is about 3/4" bigger, and her waist and hips are a half inch smaller. With stretchy fabrics, and a little generosity in the cutting phase, I can probably still use these. I hope to find out soon !

And yes, I say 'these' because I've already downloaded the trendy t-shirt pattern. Heck, if these work out well, I may just buy that baseball shirt ! Wouldn't it look awesome with some embroidery ? I'm tingling with possibility...

That's something I haven't felt in far too long. Happy Sunday, ya'll.

Sorting Some Stuff Out...

Current Mood : Wistful

Here's a laugh for Friday for ya - I can get paid to blog here ! <snort>  It's true - if I sign up for ads, and everybody clicks on 'em, I get a few pennies. Not worth it, in my opinion. People hate clicking ads, and either never do so, or never do so and feel slightly guilty about it. I unsubbed from that one guy's feed - while I occasionally got neat wallpaper and semi-usable graphics, the constant 'Buy Me A Coffee !' button on the e-mail, the one that followed your scrolling on the website, and download site one got on my nerves. I'd rather have your visits instead of coffee - hey, I can make my own coffee, burnt or otherwise ! - so unless Google suddenly orders me to do so, no ads here. And if they do order 'em, don't click on 'em ! It won't bother me any.

Tripod sent me a nice e-mail late last night, referring to my change in service, asking me to take an exit survey and such. Whew. That answered that question - and I won't be billed in a few days, I'm all done. When the survey asked why I was leaving, it was a tossup between 'found better alternatives' and 'no money', so I went with the kinder option. And I also mentioned the 'no remote linking' thing, since it really bothered me.  Would have been a bit more honest, but it was a very short survey.

Taking pictures of all the dolls has me thinking of all of them, usually at once ! It's easy to plot and plan and daydream for the Monster High crew, they're right on my desk. But all the rest aren't in my line of vision, and lately, it's been a 'if it's not right in front of me, and I don't have to deal with it, fix it, figure out how to make x of of y minus q, or cook it, it doesn't exist' kind of month so far. Even Elphie and Fiyero, who are on my desk, aren't in my immediate sweep, which is why I had to go back for their photo.

I found m'self thinking of my sole American Girl clone, a made-for-Target Battat doll I call Debbie. I had a blonde named Jenny, too, both flea market / yard sale finds, but I decided to keep just one. Honestly, I would have donated them both, but I have a ton of dollar-sale patterns for AG dolls that I wanted to use, and evidently AG clothes sell. So I kept Debbie as a model more than anything else, not out of the same sort of 'want' that shimmers around pretty much all my other dolls.

So that sort of puts Debbie in an odd position. I don't really like her that much, and don't see m'self playing with her anytime soon. She's literally a clothing model. (grin) Two or three times now, I've bought MH dolls with the express purpose of making her stay on the sewing desk for perpetual fittings, but I keep falling for them and it never happens. Yet it is happening with Debbie. It seems so weird to me, to have a doll I don't really like - her sleep-eyes are perpetually at half-mast, even when she's fully upright, her hair is very coarse, and her skin tone is an odd, muddy color, and I've never been fond of the vinyl limbs / stuffed body type dolls. Only reason she's still here is because I thought I might one day wanna make clothes to sell for her size, and may need her. And, let's face it, I really enjoyed buying all those patterns.

I thought that, maybe if I gave her a makeover tomorrow, that'd help, but when I'm truly honest with m'self, I know it won't. So I pulled out the doll pattern basket and went through it, organizing as I went. I'd bought 11 patterns for AG-size dolls, and not one of them had ever been opened. (sigh) Spread them out, and decided to keep five. Two had shoes I wanted to keep, and the rest had either techniques I wanted to try, or I thought maybe, with some alterations, the clothes could fit Timey and Dottie. Can always donate the finished items, and patterns can be rescaled or drafted all-new once I learn the techniques. The six I culled mostly repeated the outfits I kept, or don't contain much I want to try now. Two of the six, I have no idea why I bought in the first place.

Before I donate Debbie, I'll see if K, the little girl across the street, wants her - but I'll ask her parents first. Always do. Not sure what to do with the patterns I pulled, though. Since everyone who sews knows about 99c sales, it's not like these are gonna sell on eBay or anywhere. Anyone here sew for AG dolls ?

It's an odd feeling. I'm glad to finally have it resolved, and I know I'm doing the right thing for me, but I am just a bit sad to see her go. Hopefully I won't repeat this in a year, the way I did with those 'My Friend Mandy' dolls. And now, all my patterns fit *inside* the basket ! Ah, well. Truth be told, I regret spending the cash on the patterns more than I'm sad about sending Debbie along. And ya don't get nowhere with regrets - only action can get new wheels turning.