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Barbie Francie doll, the cousin of Barbie Francie Fairchild

Christmas is over now but is this the best reason to say we have to wait until next year to sew a Xmas skirt for Francie? My answer is no and I can explain you why. In December 2020 I saw the fabric you can see below in the little video. I saw it and I thought it would make a perfect dress, skirt or top for Barbie doll or a family member like Francie. Francie is the cousin of Barbie doll, sold from the mid 1960s until the mid 1970s. Do I have to mention that she is still a very popular member of the Barbie family? When you’re into Vintage & Mod Barbie collecting then I guess I don’t have to.

Maybe it’s useful to explain it to the other side of my readers here. Although Francie doll is a very early member of the Barbie doll family she is still very popular among the children from back then, now being grandmas. Designed to be a bit younger than Barbie and more adolescent than Skipper doll Francie was designed to be approx. 15 years old with a little bit more breast than Skipper but less than Barbie has.

Seen from a marketing point of view and keeping in mind that the wild 60s in London, GB were such an influence that it was hard to ignore in general. Maybe this idea was the starting point why Francie doll was released in 1966. This was also a big opportunity to hop on the train because the fashion of Barbie was rather 50s like, classical, conservative, not hip. That’s the point where Francie could help. With her sling body she could wear hip mini-dresses, short skirts and tight things that Barbie was a little bit too old for.

When I made my first contact with Barbie Francie was out of production for a long time, almost 25 years but I immediately liked her when I got into collecting in the mid 1990s ( and yeah, she was affordable back then) but she was not my main focus point. I rather wanted to collect Barbie. The interest in collecting Francie was there from the first minute. After collecting for 10 years I found a Francie on a flea market with almost no clothing but her bathing suit. For a long time she had to wear it. In the last years she got another outfit but hey, believe it or not but I think the original clothes are hard to find and even expensive. Why not designing your own clothes for Francie? With this idea in mind this video is the logical conclusion of it. So here we are doing our own clothes for Francie when the original ones are too expensive.

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How do you revive a Barbie doll’s hair?

That’s a very good question but it’s easy to answer when you know what hair fibre your doll has. In general there are only three hair fibres that were ever used by Mattel. You have Saran hair ( early dolls have until mid 1980s used widely), Nylon hair ( some 80s dolls have Nylon hair, very shiny, you find it mainly on MLP My little Pony) and Kanekalon hair ( mainly used in the 90s for Barbie dolls with giant amount of hair).

What you can do with every doll head is wash the hair to revive it. It’s artificial hair so nothing can really happen except that Barbie dolls produced in the last 15 years could loose their hair because they are glued in with resin or a glue, anyway something very gluey and stick but not resistant to heat. It seems that Mattel glued the hair in the head after they bought new machine which work automatically. It seems that the new machines don’t need a worker anymore. This a way of cost saving but what about the quality? Do you know that the glue comes out of the head after you debox the doll and comb it? Some modern collectors say the hair has a feeling like wax, not very pleasant. The original way how dolls got their hair is this one…

Here you have a worker but no glue. You can imagine it like a sewing machine for doll hair. Your thread is the hair. By the way these machine are expensive up to 3000 € and more in used condition.

But back to the topic now

The easiest way to revive the hair is by washing it. Treat it with conditioner instead of soap. I show you in one of my videos how I do this. The procedure is a little labor intense but it’s worth the procedure because the hair is always looking much better than before. What these sewing machines for doll hair do is this here

So basically due to the pattern inside the head that the machine made nothing will happen when you treat the doll with the conditioner. The hair pattern done by the machine is secured inside the head. You must proverbial cut the hair very short to be able to destroy the pattern. This here is my way to revive the hair …

This method also works for shorter hair and is a very good method to save hair so that your doll doesn’t loose so much hair. This method also works for Saran and Nylon hair but these fibres don’t tend so much to tangles. By the way the doll in my video has Kanekalon hair and I think this fiber was used mainly in the 1990s because it was cheap.

So I hope I’m able to give you a good idea how you can treat the hair of your doll to revive it.

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New Barbie repair adventures ahead

I know I haven’t posted anything for two weeks but now I can tell you something new. I’m going to get a parcel this week with lots of Barbie dolls for repair and the best thing is I haven’t to pay for them. They are a gift from another collector who likes my idea to get repair without paying the repair itself only the shipping and handling costs and material costs.

She asked me to test a new glue for broken necks and I said I’d be glad to test and do a video, although I don’t know if this stuff is available outside from Germany. I’m curious to do the test. I heard a lot. Now I get the chance to do a test.

What else happened in the meantime?

Well I had to work only three days last week and had a long weekend that I used for Barbie, not for doing videos but to continue to develop my sewing and pattern making skills for Francie. I started on May 1rst I think with a pattern for Francie and had problem to make it fit to her size. I had too many wrinkles at the wrong places but this weekend I had an idea how to make it probably work. I tried it and had success with my idea. It’s not perfect yet but I think I’m on the right way to find the pattern. I did a second project yesterday and designed my very first sleeve. The sleeve is definitely something for the next weekend. I saw some progress in my Francie “Let’s Dance” sewing project. It feels good to see some progress.

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Short update for pattern making friends

I can’t believe how fast the last week passed by. Last week I designed my first top pattern for Francie and I was really nervous how this would turn out because the pattern form I got for Francie was very similar to the pattern I did for Barbie. Had I used the right measurements? I was so nervous that I didn’t want to start sewing it. This sounds strange, I know. Again I had the same problem like with the one for Barbie. My front middle part had too much fabric to fit in a perfect way. I had this while doing my Barbie top. After my first Francie top try I already knew where to modify the pattern. I think the next try will fit much better because of the modification. This time I tried to document what I did because I realized that I forgot a lot. Additionally I took the measure from my Vintage Skipper so that I can do patterns for her or Ricky too in the future. Maybe pattern making becomes easier the more often you do it. At least I hope so.

If you ask yourself why I suddenly started to do pattern making for Francie, well this is due to the fact that I was not 100% satisfied with the pattern I used for my “Let’s dance” Francie dress project . So I decided to try another approach and doing my own top to come as close to the original as possible. You know I’m a purist. If you’re not familiar with the topic, just watch the first part of my new video series.

I’m going to insert a pic of my first try here in the next days. I’m still sitting here and write this article.

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Designing Sewing Patterns for Barbie and the family

Greetings and welcome to my crazy Barbie world. You have not heard about any Barbie related stuff in the last weeks from me? Yep, that’s right. I was working on some new ideas and I do course after course to learn new things and improve my skills concerning Social Media.

That’s why you haven’t heard very much from me. Today I’m going to change this. I’ve been working on new sewing patterns for Francie, the cousin of Barbie doll. You may have heard from her?

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1966 Francie has finally got some clothes of her own. Pink Power #1762 from 1970 although she is left wondering what the heck happened to her pink stockings. They seemed to have been chopped into socks! ? #barbie #vintagebarbie #vintagebarbies #barbievintage #fortheloveofvintagebarbie #francie #pinkpower #vintage #vintagedolls #vintagetoys #barbiecollector #vintagebarbiecollector #vintagebarbieclothes

Ein Beitrag geteilt von For The Love Of Vintage Barbie (@fortheloveofvintagebarbie) am

Her size and proportions are a bit different from the measurements of Barbie and I created a sewing pattern for her. Since I’m not doing this every day it always lasts a while. While doing my draft I did a stupid mistake. It was the same one I did years before when I did my Barbie top. Nevertheless I wasn’t sure about my draft and asked someone who did many sewing patterns for Barbie and her family to have a look at my pattern. The answer was no. What should I expect? I’m long enough in the scene of collectors. You often have selfish persons.

You know it’s not for me about making money with the stuff. I simply want to do my own patterns in a correct way and become better in doing so. I’m convinced I can find someone who is willing to help me and understanding my own mistakes. You can only become better when you learn from your own mistakes.

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Can’t upload docuemtens on Facebook directly, so find it here

In the last days I had the idea to share with you some documents about Barbie hair and I wanted to upload the document on Facebook but it seems impossible since Facebook pages don’t support documents, only pics. What a bullshit… So let’s avoid the problem. I post it here and then you can get it from here. No problem.

I want to test the whole thing and see if you like my idea. For the start I’ve only done one doc. Let me know if you like the idea. I could also do it for other hair fibres than Kanekalon hair.


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It’s Friday and my post is gone

This week I was a little late when I started to write a new blog post and I wanted to finish it today. Now I realize my blog post was not saved … gee whiz I had so much work to do this week … I obviously forgot it but now that it’s Friday I wanted to post another blog post because 14 days passed by since my last post and I wanted to tell you about my updates. Instead of telling that new videos gonna come with delay I finally found some time to render new videos this week, actually my PC is just rendering at the moment and I have to wait for the video so I use my time to blog. Last weekend I started to work with Silicone for one of my next videos. I also want to work with Epoxide resin but I need time for it. I don’t want to make any mistakes because the stuff is very expensive I think it’s gonna be a big project, not the longest video but the things around. I already made several calls to be sure with the Silicone. I also did one for the Epoxide idea but it’s not the last one. The only problem is the working time of my contact persons. I only can call them in the morning. That causes problems when you are working full time because you’re also working but nevertheless I find a way to do it. I’ve done at least 400 – 500 phone calls this week. After closing time I felt not like doing much private phone calls.

Using the weekend to relax?

No, I’m the wrong person you should talk to when it comes to see somebody laying on a sofa. I’m almost always busy … preparing this … doing that but I try at least to stop my work at 8 p.m. in the evening because you have to stop at least once a day for a rest and a good night’s sleep. I also try to read at least 3 pages per day in a book. The good news is that I can sleep very well at the moment and I feel relaxed after waking up.

Ideas I had for almost one year

At the moment I work on a project that came into my mind last year but I had difficulties to put it into reality because the material I used was not the right one. It has to do with the blue chunk you saw in my “projects for 2020” video. So I really thought for a long time how I could do it. In February I found a solution during a conversation with other crazy “makers”. I suddenly had a new starting point and it became much easier. That’s the video series I’m working on at the moment. I know my solution is not perfect but it will be good enough for a demonstration of my ideas. Maybe a chemist will come along and help me a little bit with knowledge???

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Barbie doll wiki: the crimp waves in her hair

Good day my dear fellow collectors. The crazy Barbie collector is back with another crazy story to tell. In 2018 I bought several Barbie dolls. Among them is a Ultra Hair Whitney. She’s in good condition, has uncut hair but the crimp waves from her hair is almost gone.

Time for experiments

You know me. I love to do experiments to get good results. At first I thought I could restore the waves with hot water. This idea did not work out like I wanted it to. For a very long time I didn’t care about the waves but by the end of last year this project came into my mind again. Is it really a bad idea to try it again?

Before my vacation I started to check out places where you can buy used hair crimpers. In the beginning I was not very successful because I found only one hair crimper and it was sold during my vacation. Not good…

When I came back home another hair crimper was offered. I bought it for a reasonable price and had the chance to test it in the meantime. The good thing is that you can control the heat. The crimper is not immediately very hot. You have at least five minutes to prepare the hair. That’s very good in my opinion. In this way you can’t burn the hair of your doll.

I can definitively recommed you hair crimpers with temperature control for your experiments. I did several tests before I want to work on my Ultra Hair Whitney. The result is quite good for the first time. I’m currently testing the crimpers.

Yes, I have bought more than one. The technology has become better and I saw that they have often interchangeable plates concerning the size of the waves. This was impossible 30 years ago but now we have the chance to test which one works best. So why not try it?

Next steps

I’m a fan of testing things before doing videos but it’s not always possible. For me is the next step to get my second hair crimper. It was already delivered by a postal service. Unfortunately the company wasn’t able to tell me where to pick it up. Two days later the crimper was on its way back to the seller. I can tell you this was definitively not what I wanted. Obviously it’s not easy to get your parcels when you’re working full time. I called the company who delivered the parcel to my door step. Nobody felt responsible in any way. I also a e-Mail but nobody cared about my inquiry. For me the next logical step was to contact the seller and tell him the problem. He promised me to send me the parcel again. I hope that I have it by next weekend and can start my tests with the second crimper.

Important things to consider

What I’ve already learned is that you should work with wet Kanekalon hair. The moisture keeps the hairs out of the situation of ruining the hair. Don’t let them too long in there. Don’t use too much hair. I recommend rather to do little streaks. It’s easier for you and you get better results. Have patience and get a feeling for the iron. I know that I’m going to need some practise before I do my next video but nevertheless I can have lots of fun while practising.

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???????,?????????? ??? ? ?????? ???? ????????? ??????. ??? ??????? locket surprise Barbie. ??? ??? ??????,????? ?? ?? ?????? ???????,??? ?? ???? ???????? ?????? ? ?????????? ?????? ??????????,? ????????? ???? ????????????? ?????? (??,??????? ? ???????) ?? ?????,?? ??? ???????? ??????? ?????????? ???????????? ? ? ??????,??? ?? ???? ??????? ????? ??????? ??? ??? ??????,? ????? ??????. ??????? ???? ??????,???????? ???? ?????,?? ????? ???? ???????? ?? ??????????? ?????????? ???????? ? ?????????. ? ??? ????? ???????,??? ???? ???? ?? ???????,?? ???? ?????? ?? ? ????,?????????? ??????????? ???? ?????. ??? ????????? ????????? ???? @vanilladaisy_dolls , ??? ??????? ???, ?????? ? ???? ???????? ???? ?? ???.? ? ????? ??????? ?????????,? ??? ????,????? ?? ???????????? ????,??? ??? ??? ? ????? ?????,???? ??????,? ?????? ??????? ????? ???????? ????? ??????????,?????? ?????? ? ????? ????? ? ????? ???????? ??????? ????? ?????? ??????????? ??? ?,????????????? ?? ?????,?????? ?????????? ?????????? ??????????????? ? ???? ???? ?????-?? ???????,?????? ????? ??????,?? ??? ?? ??????????

Ein Beitrag geteilt von ????? 90 ??? ??????… (@barbiecollector90s) am

Here you can see what I’m talking about. The Locket Surprise Barbie has for example crimp waves ( like many Barbie dolls from the 1990s). My second crimper is going to have temperature control but it is not here right now but it’s on its way to me. I got a short notice today. Let’s cross our fingers that I may have it here by tomorrow evening. So curious to test how it works …

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Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2020

This week I have not very much to tell. The crazy Barbie collector is on vacation. The Santa Claus Ken I wrote about last week has arrived at my apartment in the meantime. Pic gonna follow in January when I’m back home. It’s my goal to enjoy the holiday at my parent’s. We see each other very seldom.

I had no adventures on my trip by train. Within 10 hours I arrived at the city where I was born once. New posts come in the new year 2020 and I hope you have a quiet Christmas without accidents and some time for yourself.

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Barbie doll wiki: Don’t forget Santa Claus Ken ….

The crazy Barbie collector is back again and has a new topic for you. Christmas is coming up in the next week and it’s time for Santa Claus. In the last weeks a thought came into my mind. What about the Santa Claus Ken?

He came into my mind because I don’t have him in my collection but it would be nice to have one. I have the whole series of Coca Cola Barbie from 1998 & 1999 but Santa Claus is missing. This year I realized it in time and I hope that he’ll arrive in time since I’m not at home for the holidays.

I have them all

I bought almost all dolls from the Coca Cola series several years ago. I have them all, the blonde waitress, the Soda Jerk Ken, the Coca Cola Soda Fountain Sweetheart Barbie with her petticoat, the Majorette and the Cheerleader Barbie. When this series came out around 20 years ago I wanted to have them all. I think they are cute, they are dressed in one of my favorite decade’s outfits and there is a diorama for this series. The diorama, the Coca Cola Soda Fountain, is great. I wish there were more of these dioramas. It came in a giant box from Spain. Okay, I got mine from Spain. Hey, but who cares? The most important thing is to have it. What about you?

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??? ?? ?? . ?? ?? ??? ? ?? ??? ?? ??? ???? ????? ??? ? ?? ???? ????? ??? ? . . #?????? #?????? #colabarbie #cocacolabarbie #barbie ?????? ??? #???? #?? #???? #barbiedoll #cocacola

Ein Beitrag geteilt von ??? ????? ? (????) (@barbie_toysalon) am

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Coca Cola Barbie. NIB. 350 ribu. Damaged box. Kaos kaki kotor dan bahan kulit jaket mengelupas. #jualbarbie #jualmainan #jualboneka #barbie #cocacola #cocacolabarbie #garasirana #sold_garasirana

Ein Beitrag geteilt von Garasi Rana (@garasi.rana) am

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???? ???? – ????? – ?????????? – #??????#?????#??????#???#??#???#??#??#????#????#??????#barbie#cocacola #cocacolabarbie#???#???#??#???#????#bemypal

Ein Beitrag geteilt von ??kid’s vintage & collectible (@bemypal_vintage) am

Many years I didn’t realize that the Santa Claus Ken belongs to this series because the other dolls look more like it’s more like summer and not like Christmas. Maybe it was the reason why I didn’t consider him being part of this series.

https://barbie.mattel.com/shop/en-us/ba/barbie-special-occasion-dolls/coca-cola-santa-23288
Coca Cola Waitress waits for Elvis Presley Ken
My Soda Fountain with Elvis Presley

IMG 4095
Barbie from the Barbie loves Elvis gift set sings

I hope my little photo stories become better and nicer with the new Santa Claus Ken. That’s the joy of a Barbie collector … just play around with your dolls. Believe it or not but I have seldom time to do so.