Sewing for American Girl Dolls in 2010

With all the changes in the American Girl Doll World, deciding what to make for the dolls is getting to be more involved.  If I could just sew and not worry about selling the clothes, I wouldn't have a problem at all.   But since I have not yet won the lottery, or found a long, lost rich uncle, I do not have unlimited funds to create American Girl Doll Clothes.   So decisions about what to make must not only include what I like, but what American Girl Doll owners want.

Just in the last few months, Samantha, Nellie and Kirsten have all been retired.   I need to determine if  the current owners will continue to shop for these doll's clothing on the internet abd if the dolls will continue to sell in the secondary markets as children outgrow them (does that happen with these dolls?), creating a demand for doll clothing for the eras that they represent?   I love the character dolls, so I will continue, for now, to create clothing for them .  Hopefully interest in clothing for these dolls will continue, and I can indulge my passion for the Victorian Era. 

But more and more, girls are attracted to the American Girl Dolls of Today.   This presents another conumdrum.   As those of you who have followed my blog or visited my store CSBSEWS Doll Clothes I love to create original doll clothes designs.   But I ask myself, if I were buying jeans for my child's doll what am I looking for?  An outfit from American Girl?  An inexpensive pair of jeans to be played with for a while and then tossed away?  or a higher end outfit?   I expect the answer is unless I am buying a very special gift for a child who is adamant about having a pair of jeans for her doll, I will opt for one of the first 2 choices.  I just don't know the answer to that question and I guess it will take a months to determine the interest in clothes for American Girl Dolls of Today and Just Like Me.

In the meantime, until I resolve these questions and others to my satisfaction, I am going to continue to concentrate on the Character Dolls, the Fairy Tales and Film section (look for Cinderella, The Princess and the Frog, and Tinker Bell in the next couple of months), and holidays and special occasions.

And, speaking of holidays and special occasions (what a segue!) here are the last 2 outfits listed in my store..

Finally I am pleased to announce that CSBSEWS American Girl Doll Clothes has a Facebook Page.  Visit and become a fan.

Thanks for stopping by..