I had a really busy weekend with my hubby. We went out of town Saturday and I’ll share what we did maybe tomorrow. I am still working on Molly’s outfit trying to get it finished up. I added a belt to the dress, a headband, and some socks, but it’s too late to get it listed on Ebay.
Fortunately Linda bailed me out for the Monday post! I think you’ll like seeing this just as much as anything I could have posted. Have you ever wondered how other ladies store their dolly clothes and accessories? Since I just sew and don’t have lots of clothing for my dolls, I ALWAYS am intrigued with how you all store things. Some ladies have told me they put everything for an outfit in a ziploc bag and then put those bags in a chest. Everything they need is tucked away neatly in each bag and it’s easy to see what’s inside the clear bags. It keeps them dust free and there’s no chance of getting the ribbons from one outfit mixed up with ribbons from another outfit.
Linda had told me before that she used a closet for her doll clothes and yesterday she sent me some pictures. She said it used to be her daughter’s bedroom, so the closet was full size. Her hubby added the bi-fold doors and she said it makes it very easy to get into each side, instead of the sliding doors that used to be up there. This way she can open the doors and see EVERYTHING at one glance.
Linda said the hangers are actually belt hangers, with 10 hooks on each hanger. She usually has 2 or 3 outfits on each hook, so that makes around 20 or more outfits on that one belt hanger.
The red boxes you see are hats that go in front of Felicity’s container.
I hope you have fun scrutinizing Linda’s containers… and yes, Linda, I do see the Harbor Freight ones!
Is that a picture of Linda’s daughter on the left hand side? I believe it is! Look at all the saddle shoes…navy, black, pink, red, brown… how fun!
These 3 tubs slide under the bed…
Doesn’t it look like an organized closet and wouldn’t you just LOVE to take your dolly shopping at Linda’s? Nice Job Linda!
Wasn’t that fun?
If anyone else would like to send me some pictures of how they store their doll items, maybe I can feature one a month for a while… :o)
See you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne
Wow, I am really impressed with how organized everything is!! Good job, Linda!! (And I thought *I* had a lot of doll clothes! LOL)
Brilliant to use the belt hangers like that! Love that idea!! And the containers for the little shoes are terrific, also!!
Maybe some day My doll clothes will be that neatly organized! (and maybe some day my sewing room will be, too….if anyone see the organization fairy flying around, send her over here, will you, please?! I could really use her magic! LOL)
HI Charlotte,
I think I’ll take some direction from Linda’s doll clothes and work on MY own closet! I was impressed too!
Thanks Charlotte,
Blessings, Jeanne
Jeanne, I’m so glad I bailed you out today! I knew you had a lot of things on your plate, and thought maybe you would want to see how I stored my doll clothes. I’m really flattered that you felt it would be of use to the other lovely ladies here!
First off, no, that is not my daughter’s picture, —-it’s ME! My parents had 4 daughters, and each of us had a photograph made, that was mine, and it was from their house. We each got a picture of ourselves to keep after we were cleaning up the house to sell, but I certainly didn’t want it hanging up in my house! It’s a good picture, but still……. it goes in the closet!
Also, I have most of Josefina’s and Kaya’s clothes in Josefina’s trunk, which is in our family room by them, so they are not included in these pictures. My collection grew slowly, since I started out with only one doll, Molly, but before you know it, I had 8 dolls! I’m really stopping getting more dolls, since where in the world do you see space for more of anything?
It looks like fall has arrived—–finally!
HI Linda,
I’m sure everyone who saw your pictures today did a little mental note taking of what they liked best and wondered if they could incorporate it into their “closets!” I know it made me think about things… Actually, Rebecca dug into her dads closet and weeded out a ton of stuff. He’s lost 49 pounds now and he’s getting rid of the bigger stuff… :o)
She was helping me last night with my winter things…
Thanks for the wonderful inspiration for us ALL!
I actually wondered if that picture was you…. :o) Beautiful then and now!
Thank you again,
Blessings, Jeanne
Linda, you have a wonderful system there and so many fun items too! I don’t enough things to worry about a system yet (a small tub worth) but a girl can dream! Thanks for sharing. It was great early morning fun!
I hope more people share.
Have a good day.
Take care.
HI Charlotte,
Yes, we can all dream of a closet full of doll clothes like Linda’s, can’t we? I’m so glad you enjoyed seeing her system for keeping thing orderly!
I hope more people share too!
Blessings, Jeanne
Hi Jeanne
Hope your time out of town with your hubby was fun time.
What a fantastic doll collection Linda. Thanks for sharing your organizing system.
For those of us who don’t have the original boxes the dolls came with I was wondering if it is best to find a cardboard box as opposed to storing in plastic?
I have a 1960s vintage Madam Alexander baby doll and one of her arms changed color and I wondered if that was due to being stored in a plastic box?
Thanks and hope everyone has a great day
HI Leigh,
We did have a great time going out of town.. I’ll have to share those pictures another day, as I haven’t gotten my pictures cropped yet.
I’m glad, you too, enjoyed seeing Linda’s closet full of dolly things too. It’s pretty amazing, isn’t it?
Maybe someone else can answer about what’s best to store things in… I’m not sure…
Thank you Leigh,
Blessings, Jeanne
Linda, you are organized for sure. You did a great job and used some good ideas for hanging and storing clothes! The belt hangers are a great idea. So many of my clothes are in boxes, albeit in groups belonging to the appropriate doll, but I can’t enjoy switching clothes often because I forget what I have.
You have a good thing going there.
It’s always fun seeing how everyone stores their dolls and doll items.
Good idea, Jeanne!
HI Paula,
I’m like you, I enjoy seeing how others store things too. I don’t have so many clothes, but I do have lots of shoes, wigs, and lots of accessories that I pick from. What I do enjoy seeing is how other seamstresses have their sewing rooms set up… I could look at those for hours and hours.
Thanks Paula,
Blessings, Jeanne
Linda has a wonderful collection and storage system. What great pictures to share. I asked about how she organized it after searching through everything I have six times while looking for a tiara for a Halloween costume for Felicity. I didn’t even know American Girl dolls existed until I innocently asked what my granddaughter Riya wanted for her fifth birthday (she’s eight now). Then I had to have the Molly doll myself because she represents 1941, the year I was born and like Linda, I now have eight AG dolls. Then I found Jeanne’s wonderful blog. That got me to sewing again after a 40-year hiatus. My favorite dress is a witch costume I made for Samantha that she’s wearing right now.
My storage has no system and would be good for a before-and-after article: American Girl trunks, boxes, suitcases, cloth shopping bags holding Ziplocs, back of closet door, baskets, most hats on a mannequin, even a Chinese calligraphy brush rack! Hopefully Linda will be an inspiration to clear out a closet. Jeanne’s great system didn’t do it, so maybe this will. What fun, though. Thanks for sharing Linda’s great organized closet with all of us.
HI Susette,
Maybe you asking Linda about how she stored things was why she sent me those pictures. I sure was glad and I really enjoyed looking at her system of getting things organized. She seems to have it all figured out.
I’m SO glad you found my blog, Susette, and most of all I’m so glad you started sewing again. It’s fun to be a part of a group who sews for dolls, isn’t it?
Go on Pinterest or Google images of organizing doll things… maybe something will hit the mark with you and it will be just what you needed. I love to look at organizing pictures.
Thanks Susette,
Blessings, Jeanne
What a wonderful collection you have, Linda and a super way to keep it organized. I really enjoyed seeing it and how easily she can find things for displays.
I have mine in three under the bed rolling boxes. I’m planning on putting a fourth in because I’m making some things and now everything won’t fit. I don’t have the option of a spare closet, so this was my best choice.. One box is Samantha’s and Nellie’s items, one is just for Felicity and the third has the pieces from Caroline’s, Josefina’s, Kirsten’s Addy’s, and Kit’s collection. I have each box lined in acid -free tissue paper. I have the dresses on the one side with the hairbows, ribbons, necklaces attached to the hangers, followed by the socks and shoes each in big ziploc bags (I know what shoes and socks go with each of Felicity’s and Samantha’s dresses), then the hats and then comes the accessory sets in original boxes or wrapped carefully in acid- free tissue. The multi-historical collection box is for Caroline and Marie-Grace, my Civil War girls as well as my customized Nellie who covers multiple eras. Some collections I only have one piece of, like Caroline’s travel basket so it goes in the multi-doll box because I use it for my Civil War girls as well as Josefina’s mantilla that I removed from the comb as plan to use as a shawl., but Rebecca’s curling iron goes in Samantha’s because I use it in her era only. The only piece of furniture I have is Samantha’s PC desk, so it’s either out or on the closet shelf. My collection started by being gifted my daughter’s PC German Samantha, her desk, and a smattering of Samantha’s, Felicity’s Kirsten’s, and Addy’s items. After buying the additional must haves from Samantha’s collection, acquiring the Felicity I always loved and must have from her collection, I chose three other dolls and bits and pieces of other historical collections. Being a historical only collector and focusing on only five eras makes things easy for me. I only have two pieces of modern, the Sugarplum coat which either Samantha or my custom Nellie wears (when she’s is Sam’s era, and the Wood Fairy costume which is Felicity’s or perhaps now Marie-Grace’s, to wear on Midsummer’s Eve, the one day of the year one of them will step out of character.
HI Laura,
It sounds like the under the bed boxes work just fine for you! They sound organized and very neat to me! I’m sure they are! I don’t have so many clothes as you ladies do, but I do have lots of shoes, wigs, hats, baskets, and lots of props and accessories for my dolls. I like to have them where I can see them at one glance… like a drawer pulled out, or a container divided into sections for like things.
I have to keep my buttons, trims, laces, patterns and things I sew with organized or I’ll waste too much time looking for things.
Thanks for sharing how you store your things Laura.
Blessings, Jeanne
I loved Laura’s idea of having dolls able to step out of character on Midsummer’s Eve. Everyone deserves a little magic in their lives.
I especially like Linda’s belt hangers. Never having heard of them, I use a kitchen tie to hold 4 coat hangers together and hang dresses on doll coat hangers from 3 of these improvised heavy duty hangers. The hangers go on the clothes bar in the closet and I store boxes underneath.
HI Marilyn,
It was fun to see how Linda stored her things and it was equally fun to hear how everyone else stored theirs. There is no right or wrong way… just figure out what works best for you! Your hanger system sounds very nice too!
I bet everyone will do a little tweaking… or at least “dreaming” when they get into their dolly things the next time! :o)
Blessings, Jeanne