Just to recap, a few days ago, my daughter, Rebecca, sent me a picture of an American Girl Kirsten doll she found at the Goodwill. First time I’ve ever see one at our store. It was hard to really tell what she was like in the pictures, but Rebecca said she thought she was pretty nice. She came with her meet socks and boots and a navy print dress and bloomers with a pinafore. She was $3.00!!! UHHH… YES!
So I was on pins and needles all day waiting for her to get home from work with Kirsten.
I already had a Kirsten…truth be told…I’ve had 2 Kirsten dolls. So it was just one of those things to see if I liked this one better than the one I already had. I really couldn’t tell much from Rebecca’s picture, but I wanted to see this one anyway.
To introduce you to the “new” Kirsten doll, I decided to jump right in and make her a new dress and try it on both dolls so you could see her too…and try to guess which one I might decide on. Yes, unfortunately, one of the Kirsten dolls will be on the chopping block. I don’t have room to keep extra dolls, as my dolly shelf is full.
I took some pictures of the dolls inside and outside and asked you which one you liked best. At the end of the day, the totals were 10 likes for Lefty and 4 likes for Righty!
So it’s time to see the new dirndl on Kirsten…first on Righty Kirsten…
…and next on Lefty Kirsten…
Kirsten’s dirndl is made from 2 coordinating prints I’ve had for years. I have it in purple too… It’s a beautiful print and worked out well with one extra piece of fabric added for the vest part. I added some tiny buttons and made it extra cute. There is MORE to come but this is what I have finished so far. All the snaps and handwork is finished on the dress.
Here are the dolls again, with Righty wearing the dress…
So here’s the Kirsten I decided to keep…
Yep, if you guessed Lefty, she was the Goodwill Kirsten, you picked the same one as me. She has smaller eyes and is more petite looking, but she does have a bigger body than my “righty” Kirsten doll. When I saw her, it was like “love at first sight!” I know that sounds goofy talking about a doll, but it was true.
If you are wondering “why” I picked her… this is it. I can honestly tell you, I never really bonded with the Kirsten I have now and it was all because of her eyes. I never could put my finger on it, but they seemed like anime eyes to me.
I know her eyes aren’t really that extreme, but I thought they were too perfectly rounded from the top of her eye socket to the bottom of her eye socket. There was also too much of a black shadow showing at the edges. The whites of Righty Kirsten’s eyes are much bigger than Lefty’s too. Several people hit it on the head when they mentioned “deer in the headlights” eyes. That was exactly what it was.
It wasn’t anything I really worried about…it didn’t affect the way my dresses for Kirsten sold or didn’t sell. It was just a preference of mine. Righty has a shine mark on her left cheek and the new Kirsten has a slight shine mark on the end of her nose. It’s pretty easy to fix with Picasa, my photo uploader.
The new doll needs her legs tightened and the string around her neck tightened to fill in that gap. (Both dolls do!)
Lefty does has a slightly thinner wig than righty, but her hair is in very nice condition and the braids are actually very pretty when pulled up on her head.
I hope all you righty’s aren’t too disappointed, but in person it seemed to be a no brainer…although my hubby still can’t see the differences in them even when I point them out to him. Oh, well, it must just be me and about 10 of you! :o)
So I need to get busy and finish her dress set… I am supposed to have Jury Duty this week, but maybe they won’t pick me… :o)
…and I can sew! :o)
See you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne
Although Righty did look very pretty in the new dress, I still agree with you, that lefty is the prettier one, for all the reasons stated. It was sure fun to see both of them side by side, though, and see all the differences that everyone picked out!!
So, hooray for lefty Kirsten–but hooray for righty Kirsten, too, as there were some who preferred her, which means she’ll be getting a new momma one of these days–someone who prefers her “look”!
I’m back! I had knee replacement surgery a week ago, but am on the road to recovery now and doing very well. Hopefully I will be commenting more often and can’t wait to see what you have up your sleeve for your “new” Kirsten, Jeanne! I do think you picked the right one, and feel that “lefty” is more delicate looking than “righty”.
So glad you are recovering well and must be doing something right for sure. We missed your comments for just a day or two since you doing so well. Hurray!
All 3 prints coordinate beautifully. For me, more than 2 gets tricky. I’m glad you bonded with one Kirsten. For a long time I didn’t get that. Then I got Felicity on eBay. She was in great shape. I made her an outfit using the original American Girl patterns. Eh. I used a Josefina pattern and made her a gorgeous pale green silk dress with elaborate lace. Eh. I finally sold her. Part of the problem is that the classic face mold is my least favorite. I see some I love but right now I don’t have a classic. 2nd place Kirsten is sure to find a new appreciative home.😍
Linda, hope you continue to recover as well as you are now. ♥️
Linda, I am glad you are on the road to recovery. Blessings to you.
That is exactly what I thought about Righty. She is adorable, but I figured it might me a production decision… to make the eyes bigger like all of the other weird dolls out there. Seriously, Mattel is a company that would do that. Since when have they preserved what they had?
I hope you find a good home for your other sweet Kirsten.
Yes, the dress fabric is beautiful. I have some old fabrics that I do with there was more,
I think you picked the right doll, Lefty. Both dolls look beautiful in the new dress- but that’s because the dress itself is beautiful. The blue color on Kirsten accents her eyes and her facial coloring. Again the two prints are very pretty.
Linda, I wondered where you were. Glad the surgery is over with and hope you are well on your way to mending. You will probably be starting therapy soon? I wish you well!
I had my left knee replaced a few years ago and my knee has done well despite falling on it twice.
My Lefty has genes must have been why I liked Miss Lefty. I do think her nose and the shape of her face are prettier. The dress is lovely and now what else could be added?🤔
Whoever will own your other Kristen will be lucky though…she is nice too.
Linda, Good luck getting your new knee all limber and healthy. Had one done in Dec and it is soooo much better!
You’ve made a good choice in your Kirsten doll, Jeanne. No doubt Miss Righty will find the right home (tee hee)and bless someone with her presence. And, your dress is looking quite grand…can’t wait to see details.
Trusting you can be home this week versus the possible choice of jury duty. But, perhaps jury duty would be a nice diversion for you? I would assume you would choose sewing over the courtroom.
Blessings.
I’m sticking up for the underdog. I loved “righty”, especially in the beautiful dress. I think it’s whatever strikes your fancy when you first see the dolls. If I were more into the AG 18″ dolls I would gladly take her off your hands, Jeanne, but I’m sure you’ll find her a new, loving, forever home.
Jury duty. Not my favorite thing to do, but it’s a lot more palatable since we moved where we live now. All the courtrooms are a short drive away. When we lived in Houston you had to go downtown for jury duty, find and pay for parking and sit for hours – and deal with rush hour traffic. Here there is less going on and the whole process is closer and quicker. But I must confess I used my “over 70” exemption the last time.
Lovely dress, hard to believe all three fabrics didn’t come together. Can’t wait to see the rest. As far as Kirsten 1 or 2, if you prefer you could switch bodies, keep whichever you like the fittings on.
I moved a while ago and have been fixing up a 1910 cottage. Now I can’t find my AG dolls!! Somewhere I have a Rebecca, Ivy, Nellie (my favorite) and a couple Gotz. But I’ll keep looking they HAVE to be somewhere. The Ivy I have (or had) is the older version. Well I did need to downsize lol!
Linda, hope your knee therapy goes well, keep us in the loop.
Dorothy, is your cottage in the Arts & Crafts style? Do you have Mission furniture? If so, I will probably swoon (chuckle). That is my favorite house style and furniture style.
That’s my favorite style also! I have a home design program and have enjoyed designing houses in that style.
Dear Jeanne, you make all of your dolls look lovely with the beautiful outfits you create for them. I am sure that Ms. Right will be just right for someone else.
There are a couple of doll conventions coming up: UFDC and Modern Doll. I am not going to either. Friends are going and I am looking forward to hearing about their adventures.
Glad you picked the one you like the best. However, I would still like to know their dates or approximate dates. Have no idea of the date of the Kirsten living here.
Glad to hear Linda is on the mend from knee surgery.
Wouldn’t it be fun if someone from your blog buys the Kirsten dress and sends a photo of her doll wearing the dress. 🙂
I think you made the correct choice. You chose the one with the softer, sweeter looking features. I just looked back at my comment on the original post, and my comment didn’t totally make sense. I was trying to say the “righty” doll looked like she was staring. Sort of a vacant look. Not that she isn’t a pretty doll, and I’m sure you’ll have no problem selling her. I like the blue and white outfit. I once had some of the fabric you used for the bodice, but it must have gotten used for something as I no longer have any. I need to take a lesson from you and do a better job of taking pictures of what I make.
Lefty Kirsten is indeed a beautiful doll. I think she looks more like the PC version even though she’s an AG model. I went for the same “look” when searching for my Caroline in trying to find a more PC looking face. The main thing IMO about the PC girls is that their eyes are more oval and IMO more natural looking.
That blue print is just lovely. Kirsten looks ready for a summer picnic in a dress that matches her eyes. Congratulations on your new girl.
So glad your nee surgery went well, Linda. I haven’t been on as much, so I didn’t know. Hope you continue to recovery quickly.