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Posted on Tuesday, January 31, 2012 8:29 AM
All the dolls are ready for the Mardi Gras Tea Party this Sunday! Doll begients and grape sparkling punch are made. Bags are filled with doubloons! Boas and beads are ready! Cajun music is downloaded, just have to burn to CD! Everything is ready but the shop! Today is my last day to paint! Tomorrow I start putting things back in order!
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Samantha, Aden, and Mia insist on playing with the beads and feathers!
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Aden is wearing an outfit made at Patches. This outfit is for sale and would look cute any time of the year.
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Samantha is wearing a long dress made at patches. This one is also for sale and would be perfect for the Princess Tea Party in April.
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Bags are filled with candy and bubble gum doubloons! Each girl will get a mask magnet like the one in the picture!
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Eighteen girls, dolls, and moms will be coming Sunday! Plus three people who have volunteered to help. I have to make room for about 40 people Sunday in my little shop! It will be wonderful! |
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Posted on Saturday, November 05, 2011 9:04 AM
Been adding a lot of new items to website. Have a lot more to add. I was going full out getting everything listed...then my grandsons came for a visit. I am spending the weekend just relaxing with them. I get back to the website next week! I am having a trunk party this Sunday in Cape Girardeau! I am so excited about doing this. Shannon is hosting the party; she and Sophie have been two of my biggest supporters! They are both very special ladies. New shoes and boots have been added. I love the Sherpa lined boots; they go on very easy! I am also excited about the dance shoes. The tap and jazz shoes look like the real thing. The jazz shoes have a split sole like my daughters jazz shoes. The tap shoes tie with black ribbon just like hers used to do (before she grew up). The ballet shoes have hard toes just like real point shoes. Several things have been added to the accessory section. There is a 11" stethoscope that completes the new doctor lab coat and scrubs outfit. AND lots of hats. Some of the new patterns and kits show the outfits with a hat. I have tried to provide hats that you can use to complete these outfits. They can be embellished as you create the outfit! Lots of new patterns and kits have been added. The kits are from Creative Doll and contain everything you need to make the outfit. The patterns are from Sew Adorable; some are for modern dolls, some are for period ensembles. These patterns are beautiful! Both the kits and the patterns are now out of production - so once they are gone, they are gone! Well, the boys have informed me it is time to go to NuDiner for biscuits and gravy! I'll post more as soon as I can! Have a wonderful day! |
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Posted on Saturday, October 29, 2011 8:11 PM
Several have asked about where I get the patterns I use. Most of mine are bits and pieces I have used in the past with lots of modifications. I have drawn some myself and use them quite a bit. But I do have some I like. I like the Sew Adorable and the Creative Doll patterns that I have for sale on this site. I will be adding some new ones next week. I also have a few websites for patterns that I like. One is Liberty Jane Patterns. Cinnamon has a nice selection for very reasonably priced patterns. Most of her patterns are modern and trendy, but she does have some patterns for the historical dolls. You get the patterns immediately because you download the PDF file for them. She give a number of patterns free and has links to other sites. One of those sites for the original doll patterns for American Girl Dolls. These patterns can be downloaded free. Another site I like is Bunny Bear. This site has period patterns for the historical doll. The patterns are very well done, but they have not issued a new one in quite a while. These patterns are more expensive, but good period patterns are hard to find. You download these patterns as PDF files. My third site sells pattern books. I have not used many of these patterns, but right now you can download patterns for a pilgrim hat and collar free. If JoAnn's patterns books are as well written as her free pattern, you should be very happy with them. She also offers a free on-line class with tips for sewing doll clothes. If you visit any of these sites, please take a minute to sign their guest book and let them know that you were directed to their site by Patches Dolls. Enjoy! |
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Posted on Sunday, October 02, 2011 10:01 AM
I spent an absolutely wonderful day at Pionee Orchard's Fall Festival yesterday. The day was totally devoted to children and families. The Beggs family does a tremendous job of making this happen! If you have never visited them in Jackosn, MO, you should make a point to do so soon. I set up a booth to showcase my inventory from the store and to promote the upcoming tea parties. I met so many awe struck girls from to 2 to 60+. They all had such a love for dolls and everything that comes with them. In watching the girls interact with the displays, I got a lot of ideas for improving the displays in the store on 8th Street. In talking with adults (big girls at heart) I got a lot of ideas for redoing the website. Look for changes soon. I know I promised that earlier, but I couldn't get my thought together. Octoberfest Tea Party is next Sunday at Patches in Cairo. Too busy for changes before then. But after that I plan on devoting a whole week to making the changes. Hope everyone is enjoying a Fall as beautiful as we are having here in the midwest! |
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Posted on Tuesday, August 16, 2011 12:32 PM
Breaking my wrist and only having one arm to use has given me plenty of time to think! Somehow I hve gotten away from doing what I love. I have been trying to please others, and I am getting no where! While I am unable to do much I have been looking through old pictures. I found one of my niece and son. Erica is holding a doll dressed exactly like her. The picture is almost 30 years old. It got me thinking. I loved making that outfit. I loved making my daughter and her cousin matching outfits, and of course their dolls had matching outfits. My grand daughter was recently a flower girl at her uncle's wedding. I made her and her cousin doll dresses that matched their flower girl dresses. Making doll clothes is my passion, not just selling doll clothes. So look for changes soon on the web site. I will continue to sell doll clothes on the site and in the store, but the website will focus more on custom made doll clothes. If you have an idea for an outfit you need for a doll, let me know. |
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Posted on Wednesday, June 15, 2011 7:47 PM
Well, I asked a question today...got some funny looks, but no answer! My question...did Native American girls wear underwear? I wanted to make some complete wardrobes for dolls, including sleepwear and underwear. I wanted them to be as authentic to the time frame for the doll as possible. I can find that information for all the historic dolls except Kaya, the Native American doll. The best information I can find off the Internet is that boys and girls played and slept nude until they reached puberty. In some tribes both boys and girls wore breech cloths. Anyone have different and accurate information for me? I can make a breech cloth for the doll, but want to make sure I am on the right track. |
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Posted on Saturday, June 04, 2011 8:14 AM
For all of you who ordered from Patches while we were evacuated, I apologize for the delay in shipping your orders. We are back in the store and unpacking everything. I am taking some time to do some rearranging and cleaning. But I have unpacked the merchandise for your orders. They are all shipped as of yesterday, June 3rd. Again I apologize for the delay in shipping! I do appreciate your business and hope you will continue to shop with us. I normally ship the same day as the order is recieved. This was a totally unexpected experience for us. |
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Posted on Sunday, May 22, 2011 1:54 PM
I have been getting a lot of questions and comments about doll clothes made in China vs doll clothes made in the USA. I carry a line of doll clothes made in China on my website because they are mass produced over there. I can numerous ones of the same style and quality. I do carry a line of doll clothes made in the USA in my store in Cairo, IL. These are not mass produced. They are made by different ladies across the country working in their homes. It would be very difficult to sell them on line, because I may get only one of a particular style. In my store I carry both China and USA made doll clothes and accessories. I have also had a lot of people tell me , with an air of pure superiority, that American Girl dolls and outfits are made in the USA, They are wrong. If you check the tags most say "Made in China." Pleasant Company was founded in 1986 by Pleasant Rowland, and its products were originally purchasable by mail order only. She started the company because she was unhappy with the options of young girls at the time...Barbie & Cabbage Patch. Neither one was very realistic. The dolls in the American Girl Collection were based on a Goetz doll face mold and body style. The first American Girl dolls were actually manufactured in Germany by the Goetz doll manufactures. In 1998, Pleasant Company became a subsidiary of Mattel. This is the same company that continues to produce the Barbie doll. Now both American Girl dolls and Barbie dolls are produced in China. So unless you have an American Girl doll made before 1998, your doll was made in Chine. |
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Pat@patchesdolls.com: Posted on Friday, May 20, 2011 2:31 PM
I have just decided to add a blog for my store. I want everyone to know that I am concerned to what is considered fashion for young girls and their dolls. In shopping for my grand-daughter I found very little that I would consider "appropriate" for a 7 year old. I am not a prude, but the clothing available for summer came close to being vulgar. Even the sayings on t-shirts had a double meaning. Although I do not sell clothing for Barbie type dolls, I did look at many "fashion" designs for them. I found the same thing. The dolls are not representative of a body type most young girls will have, and the clothing was demeaning. Maybe this is too much for my first blog message, but I want everyone to know that I will not be selling items inappropriate for young girls to play with. I want to have fashionable choices, but choices that let them remain little girls for a little while anyway. The world will influence them soon enough. |
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