Doll Clothing Purchased from Resale

One of three bags containing doll clothes and random adult
sized garments.

       Recently I purchased three bags of doll clothing for $3.99 each from the Kidney Foundation. I didn't really know what to expect. In the past, these kinds of purchases have been unfortunate investments for me; bags filled with tattered things not worthy of the pocket change spent on them. However, I happened to glance at a few of the labels inside the bags and saw American Girl printed on them, so I purchased them at once.

       After opening the bags at home, I was quite surprised with the contents! There were the odds and ends included as predicted. A random glove, old fur collar, and a night cap etc..., all of these items adult size. But twisted between the Velcro tentacles and bits of knotted yarn were doll clothes. So I got to work washing/ironing the lot!

      Afterwards, I decided that my purchases this time were worthy of the cash spent. There were a total of ten outfits in perfect condition. Two are not pictured below but I will link to these when they are posted.
       There are were also a variety of Build A Bear workshop clothing items; these I will take apart and resew them into more doll clothing for my 18" dolls later and post them as they are completed.

Pictured above are two dolls from my collection, the first on the left is a porcelain googly eyed doll that I painted 28 years ago.
 I just love her silly expression. The doll on the right was saved from resale. She is by the Alexander Doll Company.
 The dress on the left, in buff pink with a smocked collar is from an Spanish manufacture called Rosalina?

       Smocked and embroidered nighties from Charleston South Carolina were among the discarded doll clothes. Although there were coffee stains on the garments, I was able to successfully remove them with only a bit of stain remover and detergent. The smocking details are extraordinary and the buff pink colors are by far my favorites!
       I've included a links below to the doll website and also to a lady who makes lovely smocking for dolls and their children here in the United States.

• Designs by Jane (American distributor)
• Smocked Nighties for 2 American Girls

Above are my children's Oh So Beautiful 14" toddler dolls from 1995. I redressed them
 in these classic velvet Bitty Baby dresses from Pleasant Company, now owned by Mattel. (American Girl Dolls)

       Velvet Bitty Baby dresses from the 1990s where also in the bag, although the hat for the purple dress was not included. Both dresses fit our family Oh So Beautiful dolls.  I love the eyes on these dolls; they are so realistic!

       There were also dresses by the new American Girl Doll company, Small Small World Beatrice collection and Dollie & Me.

Left, my red head, 18inch, Heidi Ott doll, Center my blond Best Friends Club Inc, 18inch doll.
Right, my brunette, 18inch Madame Alexander Doll. All of them wearing doll clothes from my local resale shop.

       As for the random additions to my bags that were not intended for dressing dolls? I've decided to take up a personal challenge to sew them into something useful. I can't stand to waste small change on what I do not want, even though I know that the doll clothing I purchased was well worth the few dollars it took for me to buy wanted items. But, such are the marketing tactics of merchants in our area.

Left, a lavender floral dress for Spring. Center, the blue and green striped rugby dress made for Lanie Holland
 by American Girl Doll company. Right, a polka-dot summer frock by Dollie and Me.