{"id":93353,"date":"2023-07-31T11:21:01","date_gmt":"2023-07-31T15:21:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.genealogybank.com\/?p=93353"},"modified":"2023-07-31T11:21:37","modified_gmt":"2023-07-31T15:21:37","slug":"barbie-homemade-fashion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/barbie-homemade-fashion.html","title":{"rendered":"Barbie Homemade Fashion"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction:<\/em><\/strong> In this article \u2013 spurred by the success of the new \u201cBarbie\u201d movie \u2013 Gena Philibert-Ortega reminisces about homemade Barbie clothes she and her friends enjoyed. Gena is a genealogist and author of the book \u201cFrom the Family Kitchen.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

The recent release of the movie Barbie<\/em> has been the cause of nostalgia for many women. Barbie the doll was created by Ruth Handler and named after her daughter Barbara in 1959. The first Barbie had one outfit, a black and white striped swimsuit \u2013 but in the years since, it is estimated that 100 million yards of fabric has been used by Mattel to make Barbie clothes. (1)<\/p>\n

Not every girl with a Barbie was able to buy a full wardrobe of clothes. For some of us, Barbie clothes were something a mom, aunt, sister, grandmother, or neighbor made. In some cases, sewing doll clothes was the first project that a young girl conquered.<\/p>\n

\"Photo:<\/a>
Photo: Barbie in blue and pink clothes made by the author\u2019s mother and grandmother. Credit: Gena Philibert-Ortega.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Homemade Barbie clothes could be sewn, knitted, or crocheted. These outfits spanned the practical, such as undergarments and pajamas, to evening wear. One genealogy friend told me that her Barbie had a real fur coat made from the scraps of a coat made for her grandmother. Barbie clothes allowed women to be creative, whether it was just choosing yarn and fabric or creating their own fashions sans a pattern.<\/p>\n

\"Photo:<\/a>
Photo: homemade evening gown for Barbie with fur and sparkles. Credit: Dawne Slater.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Barbie Patterns<\/strong><\/p>\n

One place to find sewing patterns for Barbie was the newspaper. Readers could acquire a pattern by writing to an address and sending a few coins, sometimes to the newspaper itself and other times a third party, to receive the advertised sewing pattern.<\/p>\n

This 1965 pattern advertised in the Oregon Journal<\/em> exclaimed \u201cDelight a Grandchild \u2013 Crochet Doll Clothes.\u201d The pattern included an evening gown, 3-piece suit, swimsuit, slacks, Bermudas, and a jacket. I have a similar evening gown dress that my paternal grandmother crocheted for me. My two gowns are on wire hangers that are padded with yarn.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/a>
Oregon Journal (Portland, Oregon), 1 March 1965, page 22<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Two years later, the Oregon Journal<\/em> ran another ad for a doll clothes pattern that included a gown, slacks, top, coat, hat, skirt, sweater and Bermudas.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/a>
Oregon Journal (Portland, Oregon), 26 April 1967, page 33<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Like most doll patterns, this next example does not use the trademarked name \u201cBarbie,\u201d but the illustration makes it clear that Barbie was the intended doll. Note also the description: \u201cFor teen model doll, size 11\u00bd\u201d \u2013 the Barbie doll in 1972 was exactly 11\u00bd inches.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/a>
Oregon Journal (Portland, Oregon), 14 October 1972, page 12<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Aside from finding patterns in the newspaper, you could go to your local fabric store and buy patterns. After perusing a large pattern book, you would choose the pattern number that you were interested in.<\/p>\n

\"Photo:<\/a>
Photo: McCall\u2019s pattern #3429. Credit: Gena Philibert-Ortega.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This 1972 McCall\u2019s pattern #3429 was purchased by my mom and included 10 outfits for a \u201cteen doll fashion trousseau\u201d \u2013 the package specified that these outfits were for a doll that is 11\u00bd inches. Included in this homemade trousseau was a wrap-around pant skirt, body suit, wedding gown and veil, dress, top and pants, cape and hood, dress, top and panties, long dress, and pinafore.<\/p>\n

As I look over the clothes my mom made for me from this pattern, I recognize fabric that was used for other projects (including clothes she sewed for me). When I asked my mom what she remembered about making these doll clothes she remarked that the size of the garment made it difficult because you had to be careful as you turned the seams inside out, a comment I heard from others who made these tiny fashions.<\/p>\n

\"Photo:<\/a>
Photo: Barbie in crocheted dress made by the author\u2019s mother and grandmother. Credit: Gena Philibert-Ortega.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Barbie Memories<\/strong><\/p>\n

I asked my Facebook friends about their homemade Barbie clothes. Many shared memories of receiving clothes and other accessories handcrafted by women in their lives. This question brough back fond memories for some and even a few regrets from those who didn\u2019t appreciate the homemade and instead wished for the store-bought clothes. I read stories of creative moms and grandmas who made matching outfits for the doll and her owner. Some remarked that they also received handcrafted furniture for Barbie homes. Some of my friends were too old for Barbie but their moms made clothes for other dolls, or they were the mom who sewed doll clothes. In some cases, learning to sew began with creating a doll wardrobe.<\/p>\n

\"Photo:<\/a>
Photo: homemade ski suit for Barbie with fur. Credit: Dawne Slater.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Archiving Barbie Clothes<\/strong><\/p>\n

Are you like me and still have homemade Barbie clothes? I asked Melissa Barker, also known as the Archive Lady and archivist for the Houston County Tennessee Archives & Museum, to provide a few tips for how to store these items:<\/p>\n