GAW Barbie convention preview

The GAW Barbie convention is just a couple weeks away! Here’s a little preview of what you’ll see from Hankie Chic at the convention.

Here’s a first glimpse of the doll I’m donating to the charity auction for the GAW Barbie Convention later this month. Her name is Juneau. Her dress is of Chantilly lace layered over silk taffeta. I found the lovely shade of pink silk fabric from Silk Baron. I love how it matches her hair. And of course the dress is sewn entirely by hand. I even stitched pearl beads onto the centers of the flowers on the lace.

I’ll be selling out of my hotel room and in the sales room. My dress collection is done (I think!). My color story is shades of pink, purple, and blue in silks, vintage printed and embroidered handkerchiefs, lace, and Liberty of London Tana Lawn fabric. No peeks at the collection until I arrive and set up my room, so stay tuned.

Now that the dress collection is done, I’ve been working on the smaller items. I’ve got about 80 hats made so far. So the question was, how do I display them? I was doing some antiquing this weekend and came across some vintage salt and pepper sets with large holes. That got me thinking about hat pins and hat pin holders … and what if I could display hats like a bouquet. So I stopped at a craft store to pick up wire and other supplies to make little hat stands that will stick into the holes of the salt and pepper shakers. I think I’ll be able to display about 24 hats per shaker.

I’ve also been working on little Barbie size shopping bags. I’ll have more designs available, but here’s a taste. They make great table gifts!

Printable books

Many of you have purchased 1:6 scale “books” from me over the years. I started making them because I wanted some for a diorama I was using and couldn’t find any I liked for a reasonable price. I love the vintage books with beautiful illustrations on the front, so I collected images, took photos of books in antique shops, and created a library of my own. I wrapped the covers around little wood blocks and sold them in sets by color. Alas, my supplier for the little wood blocks is no longer stocking them. So I’ve decided to make my books available as printable pdf files. I’ve created pages (excerpted from Wuthering Heights), and instructions for how to print and create your own books. The pdf files are still sorted and sold by color, so the interior decorator in you can color coordinate with your mini rooms. Available to download now from my Etsy shop.

Customizing doll shoes

If you’ve purchased a dress from me recently, you know I always include a free gift with your purchase — usually a pair of shoes for your doll. I prefer pumps for that classic look, but I’ve settled for sling-backs, which are readily available to buy in bulk on Etsy. Black sling-backs are the cheapest and easiest to find, and recently, I’ve also been able to purchase red, pink, and purple in bulk (although at a slightly higher price than black). But what about for those of us who want blush, taupe, blue or green? I have been known to glue colored resin/rhinestone bows onto shoes, but lately I’ve been experimenting with painting black shoes with nail polish. I stuff a Q-tip into a shoe and start painting. My high-tech drying solution is to place the other end of the Q-tip into the hole of some stacked reels of ribbon. It generally takes 5-6 coats of polish and then I seal it with a topcoat. Not sure how these will wear over time, but so far so good. Hoping someone will make white sling-backs available in bulk soon!

Hallmark Kiddie Car Classic

A couple of weeks ago, I found this Hallmark Kiddie Car Classic in an antique shop. I thought it might be about the right size for a Chelsea or Kelly doll, and discovered it fits Chelsea perfectly! I’m not sure if Hallmark still makes these, but you can find plenty of options on eBay.

Mini shopping bags for Barbie and friends

I’ve been so busy making things to sell at the Grant A Wish Barbie Convention in April, but I’m also looking forward to room shopping. To get in the spirit, I decided Barbie needed her own shopping bag.

All you need is a printer, some glue, and a bit of 1/8” wide ribbon.

Make your own mini shopping bags by downloading this file. Fold under along dotted lines and white tabs. Put glue on the white tabs and assemble. I used a small hole punch to punch out the white circles on the sides of the bag. Then thread ribbon through the holes and tie knots on the end or tape to the inside of the bag to secure.

1:6 scale furniture makeovers

A little while ago, I wrote about some doll furniture I repainted for a friend. I just finished a pair of chairs for the same friend and thought I’d share those as well.

Before … plastic Mattel Barbie chair
After

I hand painted the chairs in brown, cream, and gold and glued on brass stampings I found on Etsy.

Minis and makeovers

Every now and then, I browse the toy aisle at Walmart. I’ve seen the Mini Brands food items before, but this is the first time I’ve noticed the Mini Brands fashion and Disney store items. They come packaged in a plastic ball, so what you get will be a surprise. I decided to try out the Disney and fashion balls. I would have purchased more of the fashion balls, but I could only find one. I was pleasantly surprised with the contents.

The Disney package included dolls that will fit perfectly in Barbie’s toy shop.
The fashion package included a purse that closes with a magnetic clasp (fancy!), a mini dog, and sunglasses to fit Barbie.

In other news, on eBay I found this cute chandelier from the 2015 Barbie dream house and decided to give it a makeover by painting the candles and flames. I picked up some black chain in the jewelry making section of Walmart to hang it with. I have a couple more on order to try out some other color combinations. Gold might be nice …

Getting ready for GAW Barbie Convention

If you’ve been wondering why I haven’t been posting many dresses lately, it’s because I’m busy getting ready for the GAW Barbie Convention in Livonia, Michigan, next month. I have about 25 OOAK dresses set aside to take with me (and hoping to get more made!), plus I’ve been working on 1:6 scale miniatures and some custom orders. (I won’t show you the dresses now, for fear you’d want to buy them before I get there and then I’d have none to take!) I’ve been trying to package up the miniatures as I go so I’m not frantically packing the day before. Here’s what I have done so far. More to come! Come visit Hankie Chic during room sales and in the sales room. Hope to see you there!

Magnetic brooches for Barbie
1:6 scale framed Barbie photos, pillows, and vanity sets
1:6 scale Barbie books and paper doll sets
My sister’s been knitting throw blankets and faux fur stoles for your favorite doll
My sister also made a bunch of Barbie tote bags
I’ll also have printed copies of some of my exclusive Hankie Chic sewing patterns available