Meet Sasha...

Okay so I'm still relatively new to sewing and knitting for larger dolls (tho my practice with several types of smaller dolls is certainly serving me well right now) and I've only recently begun to make outfits for larger (18") dolls like Madam Alexanders, but all this working with larger dolls got me to thinking, what about that doll I remember seeing way back when... that doll.

In case anyone's unfamiliar, this is a Sasha doll. and I was 14 years old (hey, the same age I started knitting) when I first saw one. This doll was on Elizabeth Zimmerman's Knitting Workshop back in 1984, often sitting in the background wearing fabulous knitted garments made by the master herself.

I was quite taken with her placid, almost Buddah-like grace, so different from most American dolls, years later with he advent of the internet I found out what she was called and thought, someday I'd like to have one... then things ran away with themselves, life went on and Sasha was slowly becoming a distant memory.

Then I discovered Blythe and my childhood love of dolls returned. Since I started this blog and my knitting blog Picking Knits over 10 years ago I've been knitting (and sewing) clothes for dolls of all sorts: Blythe, Leggy, Makie, Barbie and Ken of course... but then I started trying to make clothes for 18" dolls and it hit me *that doll* Sasha! Was she still out there? Was anyone still making her? I looked her up and apparently the last Sashas were produced in the 90s and then they went cold. But they were of course still out there to be had... and last week, after much watching and waiting and looking for the best quality girl I could afford I found her, the very girl you see in the pic above, and here...

She's the 20th anniversary doll that came out in '85, what with her being over 31 years old now I was concerned about how she'd be. The seller said she was in excellent condition and she certainly looked it. He'd reduced her price for a quick sale and I thought, what the heck, she was exactly what I wanted, a blond, blue eyed Sasha and the price was fantastic, so I bought her and now she's here :D

...and in a new little outfit I made her to boot. I'm so pleased with her, her hair is excellent, she poses beautifully, she's everything I could have hoped for...

I'm very pleased with the dress I came up with for her, and as a special treat for myself, I bought Elizabeth Zimmerman's knitting patterns for Sasha dolls :)

I'm hoping to work my way through every single one of them (yes even the bell bottoms) So along with my other crafty postings stay tuned for some vintage Sasha apparel *hope* It may take time but I will get them done. Happy crafting.