Here are some of my favorite links... I'm amazed and inspired by the generosity of time and spirit that these women share with us.
Hundreds of patterns for Bleuette (including Bambino & Suzette patterns) have been submitted and gathered together for us all to enjoy FOR FREE at this site. The instructions are in French, but Bleuette patterns are usually simple in construction. And there's always Google Translate if you simply must have some direction! The patterns can be sorted by date (1900's - 1950's) or by style.
Doll Dress Patterns
I am touched and amazed when I see people putting their love and effort into something to give away for free, for the joy of making someone else happy. I found this site through Ann's Blog, Small Sewing. It has the original American Girl patterns produced by the Pleasant Company before Mattel. And the patterns are available for free, in PDF format.
Doll Links
This is a great site for identifying and researching dolls. To quote from their page: Doll identification: Links to websites for help with identifying dolls,
antique, vintage, & modern; organized by years, doll name, &
maker; plus other doll references.
Heritage Shop
Crisp & clear illustrations of embroidery stitches can be found under "Stitches" and "Essays". The free primer, A Basic Guide to Embroidery and Hand Sewing, is what I have bookmarked. Excellent stitchery resource.
Needle 'n Thread How To Videos
Free online videos that show how to make embroidery stitches. The collection covers all the basics and more, including how to make the spider web stitch and the rose bullion stitch.The rest of the site is exquisite too, with many useful tutorials, articles, and links. All for free!
Free online videos that show how to make embroidery stitches. The collection covers all the basics and more, including how to make the spider web stitch and the rose bullion stitch.The rest of the site is exquisite too, with many useful tutorials, articles, and links. All for free!
The Old Fashioned Baby Sewing Room
This site, run by Jeannie B., provides lots of heirloom sewing advice. If you look along the right sidebar, there are links to her online tutorials on how to sew a heirloom baby day gown. She sells a pattern to go along with the tutorial, but I think I could follow along with a pattern of my choosing and still learn lots & lots.
Wishbook Web
Vintage Christmas "Wish Book" catalogs starting from 1933. This is a great resource for finding vintage doll & toy ads.
Curio Cabinet Spot
Carly shares this link with us. She is an avid young doll collector who is currently researching and writing a paper on our hobby! Right now she collects Barbies and is hoping to branch out to other dolls in the future. This site offers great links to information on all aspects of doll collecting, from modern to antique doll history, to price guides, buying advice and doll repair. Thank you, Carly!
