~~~SEWING my way to POFQ ~ American Girl outfits & Custom Park Bags! ~~~

[DMGeurts]

So I wanted to ask you a question about AG's. I know this is a PTR but it seems as if more than me go off course here.

My DD is 6 1/2 years old (as of yesterday). I have gotten many of the AG catalogues but have yet to buy my DD a doll because I wanted to make sure she is ready to take care of a doll that is almost $100. I have bought her the similar doll at Walmart by Madame Alexander.
How old were your DD's when you got them there first doll? Any advice? I do have a couple of simplicily patterns for cloths, so should I make a couple of outfits first?

Including me - I go off track where ever I go.

Well, my girls were 5 and 6 when they got their first dolls. For a first doll - I would definately buy from AG (not Ebay or second hand), because then you have their warranty (which is a lifetime warranty) - however, normal wear and tear is not included. Secondly, I would only buy them a MyAG (the modern dolls) - there are several to choose from - and if anything ever happens to one of their dolls, the My AG are easy to find and easier to replace (Vs. the Girl of the Year or a Retired/Archived doll).

I really thought of my girls' first dolls as a lesson in learning how to care for something of value. Their dolls were never kept in the toy room - they were always kept seperate, and displayed nicely when they were done. I do think that my girls did learn a valuable lesson, and were very much more respectful at other people's homes and with other's things, because they knew what items of value are. So much so, that it irritated them when their friends would come and play with their dolls, and be very disrespectful with their things - eventually the girls decided that only certain friends were allowed to play with their AGs. Kind of snotty, I know, but I don't blame them - much of their collection is now retired and only replaceable for a small fortune or irriplaceable all together.

When you buy her that first doll, make sure you get a water misting bottle (Target... Walmart) and a wig brush (AG sells them, but you can get them at beauty supply stores, as well)... Those two items are the most important. Every time you brush the doll's hair, it must be lightly misted with water and then brushed with the wig brush - carefully. The longer the doll's hair, the harder it is to care for. And a very important note.... NEVER, EVER use a human brush or a doll brush that's been in human hair on the doll. The oils from human hair destroy the doll wig, and that is not covered by AG's warranty. <--- Very important. If you never remember anything else I've said about AGs, remember that.

Any other questions? LOL

I'm trying to get over to check on you more often...life keeps getting in the way! But our Tree is down, and allmost all the boxes are put away...

Quilts are very easy...just make sure the pieces lay flat, if you have any trouble use a foundation to sew your pieces on, like a crazy patch kind of thing...I use old fabric/muslin or light weight paper. I've seen old quilts with pieces of newspaper as the foundation. Depression quilts and older...

If you can make the bags, which are 3D,and the AG dresses which are very much more involved then some quilt blocks you can do a few baby quilts!

Thanks for the suggestions Athene... I will give it my best try.

I have to work today, so no sewing for me.

D~

 

[karebear23]

Including me - I go off track where ever I go.

Well, my girls were 5 and 6 when they got their first dolls. For a first doll - I would definately buy from AG (not Ebay or second hand), because then you have their warranty (which is a lifetime warranty) - however, normal wear and tear is not included. Secondly, I would only buy them a MyAG (the modern dolls) - there are several to choose from - and if anything ever happens to one of their dolls, the My AG are easy to find and easier to replace (Vs. the Girl of the Year or a Retired/Archived doll).

I really thought of my girls' first dolls as a lesson in learning how to care for something of value. Their dolls were never kept in the toy room - they were always kept seperate, and displayed nicely when they were done. I do think that my girls did learn a valuable lesson, and were very much more respectful at other people's homes and with other's things, because they knew what items of value are. So much so, that it irritated them when their friends would come and play with their dolls, and be very disrespectful with their things - eventually the girls decided that only certain friends were allowed to play with their AGs. Kind of snotty, I know, but I don't blame them - much of their collection is now retired and only replaceable for a small fortune or irriplaceable all together.

When you buy her that first doll, make sure you get a water misting bottle (Target... Walmart) and a wig brush (AG sells them, but you can get them at beauty supply stores, as well)... Those two items are the most important. Every time you brush the doll's hair, it must be lightly misted with water and then brushed with the wig brush - carefully. The longer the doll's hair, the harder it is to care for. And a very important note.... NEVER, EVER use a human brush or a doll brush that's been in human hair on the doll. The oils from human hair destroy the doll wig, and that is not covered by AG's warranty. <--- Very important. If you never remember anything else I've said about AGs, remember that.

Any other questions? LOL



Thanks for the suggestions Athene... I will give it my best try.

I have to work today, so no sewing for me.

D~

I got my DD an AG doll when she was 4. I bought a used one off of Ebay that needed a little TLC. Now I just bought Felicity off of Craigslist for me...Um I mean for her birthday! LOL.

I was just afraid to spend $110 in case it did get ruined (not by her but little brother) and just in case she really didn't like the doll. So this was a test doll.

But she has taken care of her very nicely. She does sleep with her every night. She knows how to take care of her hair. And most of the time I'm the one who brushes it anyway.

Now she wants a new one for her birthday...so thats why I picked up Felicity for super cheap ( but she needed some work). I just finished an outfit for her. Making clothes for them is fun & of course DD likes to match.

Now I really want a huge dollhouse for them. Working on that next.
Oh and I bought her doll a friend. But it is a springfield doll. They are ok...but of course not as nice as AG.

 

[dianemom2]

I bought my girls their first AG dolls when they were 7 and 8. However, we made the girls work to earn the money to pay for them. They did extra chores and stuff around the house until they earned the doll money. That made them value the dolls and care for them much better because they knew how much hard work went into buying those dolls. My girls picked the historical dolls for their first dolls. They were crazy about the historical stories and really knew which doll they wanted. One of my girls chose Kit and the other chose Kaya.

 

[DMGeurts]

I got my DD an AG doll when she was 4. I bought a used one off of Ebay that needed a little TLC. Now I just bought Felicity off of Craigslist for me...Um I mean for her birthday! LOL.

I was just afraid to spend $110 in case it did get ruined (not by her but little brother) and just in case she really didn't like the doll. So this was a test doll.

But she has taken care of her very nicely. She does sleep with her every night. She knows how to take care of her hair. And most of the time I'm the one who brushes it anyway.

Now she wants a new one for her birthday...so thats why I picked up Felicity for super cheap ( but she needed some work). I just finished an outfit for her. Making clothes for them is fun & of course DD likes to match.

Now I really want a huge dollhouse for them. Working on that next.
Oh and I bought her doll a friend. But it is a springfield doll. They are ok...but of course not as nice as AG.

OK - yup - I agree, if you can get a fix r' upper for cheap as a test doll - than this is the route to go... I wasn't thinking when I did my above post.

And yes, making the doll clothes is the FUN part!

I would love to see pictures of your doll house when you finish it!

D~

 

[DMGeurts]

I've been searching the forums for the last half hour, and I can't find the answer anywhere...

Every hotel I have ever checked into has "blocked" a certain ammt. on my Credit Card upon check in... How much does Disney block on your cc when you check into their resorts? I know you can request a certain ammt. that you can charge to your kttw card, but how much do they block on top of that?

D~

 

[VBAndrea]

Did you see the tutorial on how to make AG leggings/tights with knee socks?

I have one bookmarked, but I wanted these to match the knit I used for the t. I will have to look through the odd sock bin to see if I have any knee highs.

Glad you are finally posting on your PTR The outfits came out great. I posted my AG pjs on the other thread. Maybe I should have posted them here instead and we can really take over D's report.

All AG outfits must be posted here to *inspire* D to sew, sew, sew!!!!

So I wanted to ask you a question about AG's. I know this is a PTR but it seems as if more than me go off course here.

My DD is 6 1/2 years old (as of yesterday). I have gotten many of the AG catalogues but have yet to buy my DD a doll because I wanted to make sure she is ready to take care of a doll that is almost $100. I have bought her the similar doll at Walmart by Madame Alexander.
How old were your DD's when you got them there first doll? Any advice? I do have a couple of simplicily patterns for cloths, so should I make a couple of outfits first?

My Mom got my dd an AG doll (Samantha) at age 6 or 7 because it was $5 at Goodwill and in excellent shape (the only thing missing were the tights). At 7 dd started showing mild interest in the doll and she just turned 8 and now really likes playing with it. She is very good with the hair. I bought a wig brush at Sally's (per D's recommendation). At age 8 she has some trouble with some of the clothes though. I bought her the rain coat and it has tiny buttons on it that even I have trouble with! And that Grecian gown is a b*!@# to get on -- even for me. D said older clothes fit better but I got a decent sized lot on e-bay that is in excellent shape and the price was fabulous and the gown was a part of the set.

I've been searching the forums for the last half hour, and I can't find the answer anywhere...

Every hotel I have ever checked into has "blocked" a certain ammt. on my Credit Card upon check in... How much does Disney block on your cc when you check into their resorts? I know you can request a certain ammt. that you can charge to your kttw card, but how much do they block on top of that?

D~

I had no idea places blocked amounts on CC's. I guess our limit is high enough that it's never been an issue (we pay our cc bill every month -- I would never use it if I had to pay interest).

 

[DMGeurts]

I have one bookmarked, but I wanted these to match the knit I used for the t. I will have to look through the odd sock bin to see if I have any knee highs.


All AG outfits must be posted here to *inspire* D to sew, sew, sew!!!!

LOL I don't sew enough?

My Mom got my dd an AG doll (Samantha) at age 6 or 7 because it was $5 at Goodwill and in excellent shape (the only thing missing were the tights). At 7 dd started showing mild interest in the doll and she just turned 8 and now really likes playing with it. She is very good with the hair. I bought a wig brush at Sally's (per D's recommendation). At age 8 she has some trouble with some of the clothes though. I bought her the rain coat and it has tiny buttons on it that even I have trouble with! And that Grecian gown is a b*!@# to get on -- even for me. D said older clothes fit better but I got a decent sized lot on e-bay that is in excellent shape and the price was fabulous and the gown was a part of the set.

There are exceptions that rule... A few outfits I can think of off the top of my head that are less than friendly - but for the most part - anything pre-2003ish should be better than what's available now.

I had no idea places blocked amounts on CC's. I guess our limit is high enough that it's never been an issue (we pay our cc bill every month -- I would never use it if I had to pay interest).

We pay ours off every month too - but I was just wondering what the block off ammt is. I am really trying to avoid taking more than one card - for emergency and hotel blocking only.

D~

 

[NiniMorris]

I had to laugh at the comment about the spray bottle....

You remember the 'snotty' girl at church and the ruckus about my DD's Christmas dress for her AG doll (that was so fabulously made by non other than out own D~)...well, she was using her own brush on the doll during church yesterday...after services, my daughter informed her that she was doing it all wrong. You have to use a special brush and to NEVER brush the dolls hair when dry! The mother was outraged that my daughter knew something that she didn't know! As they were walking away, my daughter said (in a very low voice so that only she and I could hear) Judge me NOT by my size!

(by the way, 'Skyler' was wearing a dress that I made, and while not up to the standards of an original D~... it caused quite a stir. The girl asked where she could get one, and my daughter replied that her doll only wore original one of a kind dresses and refused to reveal her source! While it was cute, I do need to have another talk with her about her manners!)



Nini

 

[DMGeurts]

ROFL Nini - your dd cracks me up! I love it... I wish I could go to church with you some day.

FYI - I found the answer to my own question... Disney does NOT put a hold on any cards, but if you want charging privelages on your KTTW card, you can put a card # on file. They charge your card once you hit the "limit" established by your hotel... Value $500, Mod $1000, and Deluxe is $1500. So, in case any of you were wondering, like me - there it is.

D~

 

[DMGeurts]

Now, my next question... Can I put a gift card (or several) on my acct to charge to my KTTW card? I bet, what I'll have to do, is put my cc on file, then go down and pay my balance with the GC??? Anyone ever used GCs before with their KTTW card?

D~

 

[DMGeurts]

Yes.... I am having a conversation with myself.

D~

 

[Piper]

You can certainly put a gift card on file for your KTTW card. If the balance isn't used, they will only refund back to that gift card, so be sure to keep it!!

 

[aboveH20]

All AG outfits must be posted here to *inspire* D to sew, sew, sew!!!!

Judge me NOT by my size!

(by the way, 'Skyler' was wearing a dress that I made, and while not up to the standards of an original D~... it caused quite a stir. The girl asked where she could get one, and my daughter replied that her doll only wore original one of a kind dresses and refused to reveal her source! While it was cute, I do need to have another talk with her about her manners!)

Nini

Yes.... I am having a conversation with myself.

D~

 

[cogero]

Cheryl I love that dress and D I liked your conversation with yourself.

I am going to start cutting more boards for my fabric in a minute even though I have more work to do.

 

[Corrine 1973]

Thanks for all the great advice ladys (and sorry for the hijacking of your PTR.) It definatly gives me something to think on. My DD's 7th birthday will be in the summer, so I guess I will have to look around on Craigs List and ebay for a good starter doll. Thanks for the advice about the water bottle and the wig brush. I have a Sally's 5 min away so I will have to pick those up first. How cool would it be to give my DD her first AG with a whole bunch of original cloths. Maybe even an outfit to match her own. I can't wait.

I was going to let you know that Disney doesn't block any money on your CC, but you arleady figured it out. As said before you can use a GC to put on as your KTTW. I ended up going into the parks with three GC's along with our KTTW card. One was my DS's, so he would not loose it. One was for anything that I wanted to buy. And one I used only for tips to be used for TS meals after the DDP credit was taken off. But than I brought a backpack in the parks with me as well as a stroller that held a higher weight due to my sons medical needs, so carring a couple extra cards was not a big deal for us.

 

[VBAndrea]

D~ glad you are enjoying conversing with yourself. I guess it's OK... after all, you think this is your ptr.

Meant to ask you, did you use a tut for the purse or just wing it? I think I might have dd make her doll some purses out of felt (I think if we did fabric it would be too tiny and too hard for her). I have to buy some felt today to make little stuffed Valentine hearts to leave in mysterious places for dd (on Valentine's Day). I wanted to do it for dh too, but not sure if he'd think it was sweet or ridiculous. DS would be unimpressed and likely embarrassed. DD will think it's awesome though.

BTW, buy Dorrrine some shoes! And I do that dress.

 

[Lidian]

I've been searching the forums for the last half hour, and I can't find the answer anywhere...

Every hotel I have ever checked into has "blocked" a certain ammt. on my Credit Card upon check in... How much does Disney block on your cc when you check into their resorts? I know you can request a certain ammt. that you can charge to your kttw card, but how much do they block on top of that?

D~

I see you found the answer to this.

FYI - I found the answer to my own question... Disney does NOT put a hold on any cards, but if you want charging privelages on your KTTW card, you can put a card # on file. They charge your card once you hit the "limit" established by your hotel... Value $500, Mod $1000, and Deluxe is $1500. So, in case any of you were wondering, like me - there it is.

D~

And there it is!

Now, my next question... Can I put a gift card (or several) on my acct to charge to my KTTW card? I bet, what I'll have to do, is put my cc on file, then go down and pay my balance with the GC??? Anyone ever used GCs before with their KTTW card?

D~

I've never tried to put a GC on the KTTW card ... but I guess it depends on the balance. Honestly, I think I'd put the CC on file and then pay it off with a GC every day or two.

Okay, here's my logic: You give them the GC number, but then you go use the GC. There's no way to charge YOU for the money spent now. I just don't see Disney allowing GCs to be "kept on file", unless they actually held the GCs. Then they can still be used, because all you need is the number on them for an online purchase -- or to tell the CM at the store you're buying 15 D&B bags from.

I could be wrong, but in my logic, I don't see them allowing you to put a GC on file. They'll have no way to charge you back for purchases if you use up the funds on the GC. If you have a CC or debit card, they can charge your CC or bank all day long to get their funds and force you to pay overdraft fees if you use up all the money on your CC or in your bank.

If you don't want to put a CC down, just don't charge back to the KTTW card. Keep your GCs handy. You don't have to put a CC down at check-in, they just won't allow charging access to KTTW.

Yes.... I am having a conversation with myself.

D~

It's okay. The men in white coats will be arriving soon. Just sing them a song and let them help you into your new white jacket.

 

[nowellsl]

I could be wrong, but in my logic, I don't see them allowing you to put a GC on file. They'll have no way to charge you back for purchases if you use up the funds on the GC. If you have a CC or debit card, they can charge your CC or bank all day long to get their funds and force you to pay overdraft fees if you use up all the money on your CC or in your bank.

Once you apply the gift card to your account it is a credit. The balance is not available anymore on the gift card. You use your KTTW card to charge things against the credit on your account. If you don't use it all, they would have to reapply the balance back to the gift card. At least that's the way I think it works.

In other words, once you apply the gift card balance to your account, you wouldn't be able to go use the gift card. The balance on the card would be 0.

 

[Lidian]

Once you apply the gift card to your account it is a credit. The balance is not available anymore on the gift card. You use your KTTW card to charge things against the credit on your account. If you don't use it all, they would have to reapply the balance back to the gift card. At least that's the way I think it works.

In other words, once you apply the gift card balance to your account, you wouldn't be able to go use the gift card. The balance on the card would be 0.

Ahh! Gotcha!

 

[sl_underwood]

Wow... your AG clothes are awesome! My dds have sadly left behind AG, but I have already ordered McKenna just because my kids have disabilities and I thought her story was so inspiring. She will be my doll, hehe. I have always wanted to learn to sew and you have definitely inspired me to try. Cant wait to read about your trip. I have eleven months till my next trip, so living vicariously through others!