IMT Challenge-Lace/ Sara's Dress

This weeks challenge at Inspire Me Thursday is lace. I immediately thought of one of my favorite dolls in my collection and her dress. I'm posting Sara's photo on my Scribbles blog, because there is a story behind the dress, which I would like to share with you.


I rescued this hard plastic doll from the 50's at a flea market for very little money. She was dressed in a one-piece white satin underwear romper-type thing with lace around the arms and legs and had on nothing else. I just fell for her blue eyes, the tiny white teeth in the open mouth, and the long mohair wig that hangs below her derriere.

She got a new home and the other dolls got a new sister called Sara. They all loved her immediately, as I did. Sara had such a sweet personality, who wouldn't?

I didn't have anything at home for Sara to wear that was becoming to her and didn't get around to sewing her a new dress for the first several months she lived with us. She didn't complain though.

One Sunday at church one of the ladies, who knew that I collected dolls, handed me bag. She was grinning from ear to ear, as I pulled out one of those little "dress me" dolls, about 6" tall, that mama used to crochet outfits for in the 50's. She had a pattern book with storybook outfits to crochet for the dolls. She made several really pretty ones. I don't know what happened to them. Uh-oh, I'm off track. Sorry!

The little doll had on a really heavy, bulky white lace dress that she was just lost in. She looked so pitiful with the brown mohair locks glued to her head and the large brown eyes peering up at me; drowning in a sea of wadded lace and satin.

I expressed my gratitude to the lady, whom I love dearly. I was touched that she saw this little urchin at a yard sale and rescued her just for me. I brought her home, and after lunch took her out of the bag and pulled the wad of material off her. I found a cute little pink lace dress in my stash of extra clothes that just fit her and she loved it. It had a small gold heart button on the bodice, and she refused to take the dress off. I didn't argue with her. She looked so much better. She looked like a Flora to me, and since she couldn't remember her name, she agreed to answer to it.
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I introduced Flora to the others and left her to get acquainted as I picked up the wad of lace. It had a beautiful design pattern on it, and when I turned it inside out I found that the skirt and sleeves had been pulled up, folded, and tacked into place to cover the little doll. After all, it would have been indecent to have her in a yard sale in her birthday suit.

I took the tacking loose, letting the skirt and sleeves fall to their real length. It was a lace dress, with a satin lining, designed to fit a much, much larger doll and was in perfect condition, though old and kind of yellowed with age.

It fit 20" Sara perfectly, as you can see in the photo.

I couldn't believe it! I couldn't have found or sewn a dress more befitting for her. I added the aqua ribbon to the waist and found a tiny pendant necklace with an aqua stone in it. Sara was gorgeous as she was, but she didn't like being barefoot and shyly asked if she might have some boots with tiny pearl buttons.

I found those and a lace parasol just her size in a doll supply catalog. Sara looked like a princess in her new/old ensemble and her new siblings could not believe their eyes when she rejoined them. They insisted on having a tea party to celebrate, which lasted into the wee hours, leaving them all exhausted, but happy. Flora and Sara became the best of friends. After all, they shared a secret about a dress.

And that is how a dress that was forced to hang on a 6" doll, embarrassing her to no end, came to make a 20" doll look like a princess. What are the odds?



Sara insisted that I show you her pearl-buttoned boots. She loves them so. Flora sends her apologies that she wasn't available for the photograph. She is in the hospital awaiting new rubber band surgery. ;)

Have a wonderful weekend!