Do you ever buy non-AG clothes for your dolls?

[anniebeez]

Do you ever buy handmade clothes for your dolls, or do you just stick to what AG offers? Do you find handmade items to be well made, or not as nice? What would prompt you to buy from a home sewer? Cheap price? unique item? historically correct? modern styles? top quality?
I am doing a little market research here as I am thinking about selling some of the clothes I make for my dolls. I am considering doing some local shows and wonder what types of things people would be tempted to buy. I am an experienced seamstress and have a dollmaking business which I have run out of my home for the past 5 years. But I am getting burned out and thinking about going in a different direction. Any comments would be highly appreciated.
~Annie

[lacherig]

I have some homemade clothes for Molly. They're all things my mom made, so the sentimental factor is key. Other than that, I do prefer the clothing that AG sells. I think this is mostly because I trust their quality. To buy non-AG clothes, I'd want to see it in person and actually touch the fabric to make sure the quality was there.

[Skittl1321]

I have never bought from sellers on ebay, because the prices are just too high for me. I have had one dress custom made for my dolls (by AG Dress Designer) and I sew frequently for my own dolls (I don't sell because I use commercial patterns)

If I was to buy from a seller on ebay, I would do so only with a recommendation from someone on this board. I would look for historical accuracy, and fabric choice. Since I sew myself, I would only accept the best- things I could not do myself. I would expect all seams to be sergered, or otherwise finished, patterns to be sized appropriately for the dolls, and all patterns to match at seams.

When possible, I would want to buy from board members- because we have so many talented ones here.

But currently, prices are out of my range, and I am glad of that- because these talented sellers certainly deserve compensation.

[kitschywoman]

My AGOT's have TONS of handmade clothes. The most important considerations for me are price and trendiness. I buy very few handmade dresses because most of the ones I seen on eBay are very "little girly." I stick to pants and separates.

My favorite seller makes AG clothing from discarded children's clothing. Her jeans, in particular, are quite cute since they're already "broken in."

<font color="#051E50" size="1">[ January 30, 2006 10:53 AM: Message edited by: kitschywoman ]</font>

[prasnlrd]

When I first started collecting , I bought from alot of AG Ebay stores. I now mostly stick to AG only. The key to me is quality. When I do buy no-AG , it from a source that I know makes/produces a quality product.

Dollymama(Starla/Homemommie's mom)is one of your competioins here on HB. I buy a lot of items from her. The non-Ag stores I use are usually now for hangers etc. or if I see something that is unique, I like it, and it is nicely made. In conclusion; the key is "top quality". That will also get my dollar. [img]wink.gif[/img]

[img]graemlins/island.gif[/img] [img]cool.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/island.gif[/img]

[Martina's*Mommy]

I have many handmade or aftermarket-clothes, but lately, I found a few original AG-clothes, that I love... [img]wink.gif[/img]
Such as the school jumper, the denim jumper, the Flower Power Outfit and the purple varsity jacket.
Other than that, the comforter set for our doll-bed is also homemade, and I love it. My mom is busy with sewing for the dolls aswell.

[DaisyDee]

Last when I first started collecting, I bought a lot of non AG clothes from eBay stores, but only factory sewn items, not handmade. I have the same problem with a lot of the handmade items on ebay; some of the sellers are obviously very talented, but they only make dresses that look like babydoll clothes. I have encountered the same thing at craft bazaars and doll shows. The other thing that turns me off to a lot of handmade clothes is that there isn't much attention to detail. The clothes seem very basic, and are something I could easily do myself. I now buy mostly AG for their quality, their attention to detail, and also because the clothes are (mostly) age-appropriate to the "age" of the dolls. I also have a business tax ID number now, so I can buy items from places like Jiminee's, Wholesale Doll Clothes, and Sophia's at the wholesale prices, which is about half the cost of what I was paying to eBay store sellers! The trick is getting some of my Girl Scout Moms together to make that initial order minimum, which really isn't that hard! I thought I'd be buying more from them now, but lately I've been buying a lot of AG both on eBay and with codes. I also had a no-so-great experience with Wholesale Doll Clothes on my very first order, so I guess I am a little leery about ordering from them again. I definitely want to order from Jiminees next, but I'm also "trying" to be a good girl since I'm saving for a trip to AGPLA in May.

[gritsmommyof5]

There is a Grandmother in my area that makes AG clothing. She is a excellent seamstress and only charges me $12-$15 dollar per outfit. She also gets much joy out of sewing for AG dolls. So YES to your question.

I also have bought one outfit from Vision Forum. I was VERY impressed with the quality.

[American_Mommy]

I sew for my own dolls, but I love to browse ebay and admire the handmade doll clothes.

I *love* the baby doll style clothes, but that is just me. I can totally see where for the most part, trendy is probably better.

Soooo, When do we get to see samples of your work? [img]smile.gif[/img]

[TexasMom]

Thus far for my dds, all of their things are handmade - they are 2 and almost 3. They have some cute things, and the "almost 3" will be getting her first authentic Bitty things for her birthday this year.

For my dolls, I want to collect all of the basic outfits for the dolls. I have found a few sewers that did high quality work and/or make from the AG patterns. I have bought handmade Kirsten, Felicity, and Kit things that I am very happy with. Cost is the factor here!

Looking forward to seeing what you design!
Faith