Janet's Dilemma

Polly Pocket Janet* was purchased last year with plans to organize a travel doll event this year for my doll group.  The event has been organized and was launched last week.  Several group members will host Janet in their homes between now and the end of September, each keeping Janet for two weeks before mailing her to the next host.  Janet will experience fun outings that will be captured and shared with group members in still photos and videos.  At the end of her travels, Janet will live with one of the members, but not me, permanently.

I am Janet's first host.  After removing her romper to try on dresses on hand that she might be able to wear, I discovered that with a dress Janet will need underwear.  I wasn't able to find a small enough to pair to fit her.  Remembering the sock dresses I made and how well heavy knit fabric worked to make them, I decided to utilize something similar for Janet's undies.

This is a white inspection glove, a finger of which was used to fashion undies for Janet.

The first attempt was a fail because I used an inspection glove, which is very lightweight, ravels easily at raw edges, and stretches out of shape.

My second pantie-making attempt worked better.  I used a heavier weighted glove designed to protect hands from cold weather.  Below are photos and captions of what was done using both types of gloves to fashion undies for Janet.

Inspection Glove Undies

The middle finger of the glove was cut away as illustrated above.

The corners of the glove tip were cut diagonally toward the center as shown here, leaving a portion of the middle seam intact to serve as the crotch of the pantie.

The fit is decent, but the edges ravel easily. (If these were to be used, the top would be trimmed and the raw edges sewn under, as shown in the next photo.)

Winter Glove Undies

I purchased this set of two winter gloves for $1.29. The same method used to make the first pantie was used to make the second.

The middle finger of the glove was cut away.

The sides were cut away diagonally from the tip of the glove, leaving the center stitched portion intact.

Janet tries the undies on for size to see how much of the top needs to be trimmed.

There's enough coverage in the front and back.

The top was trimmed away.  I whip stitched the raw edges at the waist and legs, but they lacked something.

The pantie needed lace treatment.  I added lace trim using lace from two manufactured doll panties.

Lace has been added to the waist and legs of Janet's pantie.

She models from the front...

...and from the back.

Now, when wearing dresses she won't have to worry about exposing her jewels.  :-)


She can also wear her undies underneath her original Polly Pocket-holding romper without a problem.


*Polly Pocket Janet by Mattel was released in 1994.  She is friend of Stacie, Barbie's littlest sister.  This one is a doll collector; she collects Polly Pocket dolls and was issued with three: one African American, one Hispanic, and one Caucasian.


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Gallivanting Grace's Texas Experience

Gallivanting Grace, a So In Style Barbie during her visit to Big D.

From October 12, 2012 through November 9, 2012, I participated in the So In Style Yahoo Group event, Gallivanting Grace.  Grace is a So in Style Barbie travel doll that spent a month with participating group members to ultimately become a raffle item at this year's National Barbie Convention, held in New Orleans, Louisiana, at the Hyatt Regency New Orleans, from August 7, 2013, through August 10, 2013.

Since I am relatively a homebody, I took Grace on a few Dallas landmark sight-seeing trips on a few occasions with the aid of my husband.  My son, who naturally branches out more than I and whose photography skills are much better, offered to take Grace on an excursion or two, but we were never able to make that happen.

The places we went and the things we saw were captured in photographs as well as the souvenirs Grace picked up here before traveling on to her next stop, Chicago.  My photographs can be seen here. Click the "Slide Show" link to view as a slide show.

In additional, five images of a narrative of Grace's visit were recorded in the journal that arrived with her.  Those images are at the link provided above as well as below (click each to enlarge):

I enjoyed Grace's stay.  This was the first time I ever participated in a travel doll event and the first time I literally took dolls out with me specifically to photograph.  It was pretty liberating.  Will I do it again?  I am not sure, but it was fun while it lasted.

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