u/RachelBixby

Past two weeks at work were very hectic. I just sent my last work email before this 3-day work weekend. Please clap. Picture of my Mini-me Barbie putting on sunglasses in Las Vegas. Alt text: Picture of Barbie with long black hair, pink prosthetic leg, walking in a purple brocade dress. Behind her is a sign of a restaurant that says "Canelleto." She is a hotel in Las Vegas with pink and blue skies; the background is trying to recreate Italy. The Barbie is of Pacific Islander descent. She is wearing silver earrings, pink lipstick and moving confidently with her right arm on her waist and her left arm reaching for her silver sunglasses. She has a gold bangle on her right wrist. Her purple brocade dress has a big bow at the neck and A-line hemline that ends before the knees. The streets behind her are tiled and glossy.

We're almost there. I have survived the work week ...almost. Who is ready for the weekend?

What kind of hair is this? I got this doll mint in box - she is from 1995. She had some box hair. But, fortunately, her hair is very smooth and shiny. So, boil washing was unnecessary. At first, I curled her hair and put her in the freezer overnight. After I removed the straws and curlers, I liked how her curls turned out but some curls did not last. So I curled her hair again. Dipped her hair in hot water. She is now waiting in the freezer. She scared my mom who had no idea there was a Barbie in the freezer! I'm going to leave her there for at least a few hours maybe all night. When I take out her curls, should I use gentle hair spray (Amika Fluxus Touchable Hairspray) or hair gel (I don't own any) to make the curls stay? I used Amika on a used 1986 Dana (from Barbie and the Rockers) and it worked; her hair started out very rough and needed multiple boil washes and intense cleaning unlike my 1996 Barbie.

Picture of Mini-me Barbie with her new drum set. Mini-me is enjoying making music - she is wearing a Rockers outfit from 4 decades ago while playing on these drums from 2017. As I said earlier, I am rebuilding Barbie and the Rockers with old and new members. I"m keeping 4 original members and adding 4 new ones--including 2 disabled Barbies. Alt text. 1st picture: Image of a disabled Barbie playing drums. Barbie has long black hair, big black eyes and a pink prosthetic leg sitting in a hot pink chair with pink and yellow drumsticks in front of a blue and pink drum set. The Barbie is wearing a hot pink and neon yellow outfit from the 1980s that includes a hot pink hair pom poms on one side. She has pink lipstick. The drums are blue with hot pink accents. The big drum says "Barbie ROCKERS" on it. 2nd picture: Features colorful drum set that says "Barbie ROCKERS" on front.

Excited to share a preview of what I've been working on - I'm rebuilding the band. Keeping 4 of the original 1986 members and adding some new ones. 2 new members will have disabilities (including Mini-me in these pictures). The other disabled Barbie joining the band is not pictured; who do you think it is? Also adding petite MTM Teresa with vintage face and a curvy Barbie (not yet pictured). One of the OG members I brought back is Derek in his original outfit. Alt text - 1st photo: 3 dolls with musical instruments. Derek, White male doll on left is wearing an 80s suit with multicolor abstract print jacket with tails, black skinny tie, neon green shirt and black pants. Derek is carrying a large, white guitar. In the middle is a disabled Asian /Pacific Islander Barbie sitting in a hot pink chair in front of a set of blue and pink drums that say "Barbie Rockers" on the front. Disabled Barbie has a hot pink prosthetic leg, a hot pink bow in her long black hair, and is wearing a neon yellow and hot pink top and skirt with ruffles that is very 80's style. She has big black eyes and is holding pink and yellow drumsticks. On the right is a petite Latina Barbie also clad in 80s style clothes--she has long brown hair with a reddish tint. She has a braid on one side with a hot pink rubber band. She is wearing a white tank top, electric blue hot pants, and a purple boa around her shoulders. She has a vintage "Steffie" face sculpt with big brown eyes, and lips pursed together with hot pink lipstick. Teresa doll is carrying a black microphone in one hand like she is singing. 2nd picture: Features only 2 dolls now; Derek is out of this picture. Disabled Barbie with long black hair and pink prosthetic legs is playing the drums with pink and yellow drumsticks while sitting in a hot pink chair. Petite Latina Barbie is standing next to her singing into a black microphone. Both are clad in 1980's style clothes. Stay tuned for the other band members!

I finally fixed his hair - no more broccoli head! He has beautiful curls parted to his left side and thoughtful green eyes. I am thinking of calling my new Ken "Leo," but I'm not sure yet. Penelope and Leo have become fast friends. They bonded over a love of sweets and he is very attentive as Penelope describes the different characters in the Sanrio /Hello Kitty universe. Penelope told Leo about the barre class she was offered to teach at Barbie's Oasis (the gym set I created last month) but how she decided to work at Barbie's Sweet Treats instead. Penelope loves the red M & Ms the most but Leo's favorite M & M's are the blue ones. Leo prefers extra butter on his popcorn an he likes cheddar but Penelope prefers caramel. Together, they wondered how many people will come to the grand opening of Barbie's Sweet Treats. Penelope is taking pictures on her camera of the ongoing preparations. What's your favorite kind of popcorn? Alt text: 1st picture: Picture of one Barbie and one Ken at a candy and ice cream store. Barbie on left is sitting cross legged; she is carrying a yellow camera, translucent Hello Kitty purse, and has a pink fidget spinner on her finger. She has a tan skin tone with long, straight black hair, is wearing a red and white Hello Kitty print dress, white tennis shoes, and sunglasses on top of her head that have white petal-shaped rims. Behind Penelope is a red gum ball machine and candy dispensers with different colored candies. Penelope is talking to a slender, Latino Ken (he is shorter than the average Ken and is less muscular) who is sitting on a hot pink stool next to a hot pink and yellow counter that has cones with strawberry ice cream in them. Ken has curly, brown hair; green eyes; and is wearing a red, multicolor horizontal striped tank top with orange shorts and brown sandals. He is looking attentively at Penelope while carrying a box of yellow popcorn in one hand. Behind him is a blue wall with images of vintage soda bottles and caps. The floor is white with red, blue, purple, green, and yellow dots. 2nd picture: Close up of Penelope sitting cross-legged on blue platform at the colorful candy shop in picture 1. With her smile, white petal sunglasses, and red and white Hello Kitty print dress and pink fidget spinner on one finger, she looks happy. She is carrying a yellow camera and translucent purse with Hello Kitty's face. To the left of Penelope, you see part of a sign that is blue with pink and white cursive that reads "Barbie's Sweet Treats." 3rd picture: Same picture as the first but more landscape (horizontal) in orientation. Shows Barbie and Ken talking to each other at a candy and ice cream emporium.

I caved and got the autistic doll but had to wait until my wal mart carried it. But I was looking and wondering what is supposed to be on the tablet. As an autistic myself, I get everything else but the tablet confuses me.

Thank you to everyone who gave me advice - my mom helped me rebody Penelope onto this body from the 2025 Barbie Basics You Create Kit #1. Penelope is so happy to be able to sit! She was getting awfully tired of standing all the time. Isn't she adorable? Alt text. 1st Picture: Picture of Barbie with autism sitting on platform that is hosting 2003 Mattel Barbie Candy Shop. She is petite with tan skin tone and has long black hair and is staring down at her hands. She has a pink fidget spinner flower on one thumb, a red and white Hello Kitty dress with Hello Kitty's face, matching Hello Kitty purse, white sunglasses with rims shaped like flower petals on top of her head and white tennis shoes. Behind Penelope is a big red gum ball machine. To her right is a blue sign that says "Barbie's Sweet Treats" in hot pink and white with red, yellow, green and pink balloons coming out of it. Behind the balloons is a cash register with gift bags and lollipops. There is a wall with pink buckets, candies of different types in different colors, and shovels. Above the buckers is a sign with lollipops that says "Barbie" in hot pink cursive. Above the 2003 candy shop is a line of orange, pink, green, red, blue and purple cupcakes with glitter. To the left of the platform is a blue wall with candy dispensers full of different color M & Ms on top and rows of pastel candy dots on the bottom. To the right of the platform is a blue wall with images of vintage soda bottles and caps. You can also see hot pink stools. The floor is white with red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple dots. 2nd picture - like the first but horizontal in orientation instead of vertical. You see more of the right side which shows the 1988 Mattel "Barbie Soda Shoppe" set. The set features a hot pink and yellow counter. The counter has a giant root beer float with a red and white striped straw in it. The counter has 3 cones filled with strawberry pink ice cream and hot dogs on a grill. The hot pink stools are seated in front of the pink and yellow soda shoppe counter. Autistic Barbie is sitting on blue platform that has 2003 Candy Shop on it at the center. She has long black hair, is petite and sitting cross legged. She is staring at her hands--one hand has a hot pink flower fidget spinner on it. She has white sunglasses on top of her head, a red and white Hello Kitty dress with white Peter Pan collar, white tennis shoes, and a translucent purse with Hello Kitty's face. 3rd picture alt text: Close up of Barbie as she sits on blue platform with red gum ball machine and colorful candy dispensers behind her. This time she is carrying a yellow camera in addition to her translucent Hello Kitty purse. She is staring into the distance. (ETA: The grand opening of Barbie's Sweet Treats will hopefully be on Sunday - I am waiting on some miniatures to come in the mail.)

I played a little bit of pong, but it's not the easiest thing to use. This was my other find while at the cracker barrel nostalgia run while on a road trip. I grew up playing Atari when it first came out. The Mini-Me Barbie is fully living out my fantasy.

I don't actually even want to play video games anymore but this setup gives me the same feeling that it would if I actually enjoyed playing the games and played them.

I’m talking about the pre-1990s era patterns, I just love the 1950s and 60s ones, but the dolls of that era had a very different shape!

First picture, left to right: petite Barbie, curvy Barbie, Worldbox at210 with Barbie heads, Stacie on the end.

Second picture: petite, curvy, dream besties, Stacie.

HOW TO:

Petite, Skipper and Dream besties: Print vintage Skipper pattern at 100%. Tops: Add 5mm to the top length (as in just make it 5mm longer) and it should fit fine, although I’m not sure if long sleeves will be the right length. Bottoms: pants and fitted skirts won’t fit! Gathered skirts like this are fine, I just made it a bit longer so it went to the knees.

Stacie: Use a vintage Skipper pattern. Print tops at 85%, bottoms at 100%. I haven’t tested pants to see how they fit yet. I also made the bodice 5mm longer.

The same dress pattern is on the petite, Dream Bestie and Stacy here! It’s McCalls 7716. It’s just printed at different sizes and the length adjusted slightly. The jacket on the petite is also vintage Skipper at 100%. I did make the sleeves slightly longer to hide her elbow joints though!

Curvy: use a vintage Barbie pattern at 100% but make the bodice pattern 1.2cm shorter. Yes, that’s a lot, but curvy really is that much higher in the waist than a vintage doll! She also has bigger arms, so a tight fitting sleeve might need adjusting - I make it 5mm bigger each side, and the armhole 5mm lower. Only a gathered skirt will fit, not a fitted one or pants! For a fitted lower half, best to use Raddollclothes patterns instea, save yourself the hassle of adjusting them!
Note: I haven’t tried heaps of different patterns yet, this is what I’ve found so far. She’s wearing McCalls 9993.

Lastly: Worldbox at210, the “wasp waist” body - included because the fit Barbie heads nicely, and fit the vintage Barbie patterns well too! The bodices mostly fit well as they are, but the arms are bigger so do the same 5mm arm and armholes adjustment as Curvy. Again, only a gathered skirts like this fits! The lower half is a similar size to curvy. The last picture is my two Worldbox girls, one in McCalls 9993 and one in Simplicity 4510.

Regular Barbie: okay, I haven’t worked that out yet, they need a fair bit of adjusting as they’re a lot smaller in the bodice - I’ll do another post when I work it out!

The vintage patterns are readily available as pdf downloads on Etsy.

I hope that’s not too confusing and is helpful for others who like to sew - feel free to ask me any questions !

In getting Barbie's Sweet Treats ready for the grand opening, Penelope (Barbie with autism) and Lily (Caucasian Barbie with Down Syndrome) have become fast friends. They know how to make each other laugh and Penelope has introduced Lily to Hello Kitty and the Sanrio universe. Lily's favorite Sanrio character is My Melody; obviously, Hello Kitty is Penelope's favorite. Alt text 1st picture: Two Barbies standing in a colorful candy and ice cream emporium. Barbie on the left is petite and has long black hair, deep tan skin tone, dark eyes and is wearing a red and white Hello Kitty dress with white Peter Pan collar and matching translucent purse with Hello Kitty's face on it. She has a pink fidget spinner on her right hand--a flower. She has sunglasses on top of her head. Next to her is a small yellow shopping basket which has chocolates and pink cotton candy in it. The Barbie on the right is short and curvy; she is light skinned with blonde hair and blue eyes. She has Down Syndrome and is wearing sunglasses on top of her head, a yellow dress with blue flowers, and pink AFO braces on her legs. She is smiling at the camera and carrying a shopping bag with a floral print. The dolls are standing on a white floor with red, purple, green, yellow, orange and blue dots on it. Behind the dolls is a large white staircase whose centerpiece is giant lollipops that are pink, red, yellow, blue, and purple. Behind the blonde Barbie's legs is a pastel colored cupcake. There are also some M & M candy dispensers behind her and the blue wall behind her is lined with pastel candy dots. 2nd picture: Same picture as the first but zoomed out. You can see more candy dispensers filled with red, pink, orange, blue, purple and lavender M & M's behind the blonde Barbie with Down Syndrome.

Good morning from the Barbies! Taking a break before the grand opening, Iris (curvy Black Barbie with hearing aids), Daphne (tan skinned, blind Barbie with walking stick), Penny (petite Black Barbie with vitiligo), and Penelope (autistic Barbie in red and white Hello Kitty dress) are laughing. (You can see Danica's head (Barbie with diabetes and insulin pump) in the bottom of the picture. ) The centerpiece of the picture is the hot pink and yellow 1988 Barbie Soda Shoppe which has a giant root bear float with a straw; there are three cones with pink strawberry ice cream on the counter and hot dogs on the grill. Penelope has her yellow camera out because she is making a scrapbook later on. Sitting on a hot pink stool, Penelope is eating strawberry ice cream which matches her pink top and skirt. Clad in her pink top and lavender ruffle skirt with UV protection glasses on top of her head, Daphne is eating a blue popsicle in her hot pink chair which is shaped like a disc. Daphne's favorite flavor is berry. Standing next to her is Penny who is wearing a vertical yellow and pink striped dress; Penny is eating a red popsicle because raspberry is her favorite flavor. Next to Penny is Penelope sitting in a translucent hot pink chair that has arm rests. Penelope is eating strawberry ice cream out of a cone. She is wearing white sunglasses on top of her head (the rims are shaped like flower petals), a red and white Hello Kitty print dress with a white Peter Pan collar, a white purse with Hello Kitty's face on it, and white tennis shoes. Penelope has a fidget spinner--a hot pink flower--on her left hand. Behind Penny and Penelope, is a diner with red and white stools that look like peppermint candies.