The Polar Bear Club gets dressed

April 6-12, in approximate order.

Individual photos and ghastly details are after the jump.

Five gals with new outfits wish you a happy holiday!

They haven't agreed on what holiday, since Panthea was raised Greek Orthodox and thinks Easter is next week, Daisy and Shira are Jewish and working on Passover, Akilah Nichelle is African Methodist Episcopal and wore a hat to Easter services this morning, and Thorne was raised by free spirits who celebrate the spring solstice instead, but she likes bunnies.

The outfits in order of construction.

Panthea showed off her outfit earlier in the week, but let's take a closer look at what the others are wearing.

Panthea has something to show you... well, two things.

When last seen, Panthea was the secretary of the regional chapter of Arms Straight Out. Notice anything different?

Elbows! I have elbows!

She's on a 1990s knee-and-elbow-articulated Barbie body because the unarticulated Yasmins and Teresas had already claimed the tan Fashionista bodies.

Oh, and she has the first of the April dresses. It's the equivalent of a $15 Walgreen's dress -- nobody will mistake it for Fashion Royalty gear -- but it got done.

Articulated Stacey gets an Easter dress

The March Pinstrosity Challenge was SPRING! The need for an outfit for my smaller, articulated Stacey from the 1990s -- a Polar Bear Club member that Dad found after Mom and I thought we'd gone through all the baggies at a large thrift store, but his eye can be eagle-like -- combined with my urge to try a doll-sized version of the Starboard skirt. Time for an Easter outfit!

I can't help my Jon-Benet Ramsey vibe. It's a 1990s thing.

A is for Aqua Apparel

When I started out to do the January Pinstrosity Challenge -- brought to you by the letter A -- I figured I'd be done with Cloe's outfit by the middle of the month. Easy. Easy-peasy-lemon-squeazy.

Cloe demonstrates the America's Next Top Model "hailing a taxi" pose.

I put the last stitch in her outfit at exactly 6:30 on January 30. The original goal was to start with these pants (Pin, original), which I'd made once before, but turn them into bell bottom jeans by adding a gusset inspired by reading about medieval and Renaissance tailoring (Pin, original), though how I wandered into that topic escapes me. Damn Google.

Fifth, I help corrupt my youngest sister and we tackle the question of Korean dolls

Miss Hanzo has a mission for Minion Rei.

Leather pants! Why don't I have a pair of leather pants?

After unpacking and rebodying the Sailor Scouts, I started to feel creeping tentacles of guilt, as while Sailor Mercury (Ami) had been "my" Sailor Scout (geeky one who likes math... yup), I remembered quite clearly that Sailor Mars (Rei) had been the moral and philosophical property of one of my younger sisters (fiery spirit with a conscience... yup).

While Esteemed Youngest Sister hadn't expressed any recent interest in dolls, my conscience kept prodding and poking and prodding and poking... until something HAD TO BE DONE.

Mini Draculaura! And many fashion-doll sewing adventures...

Mini-Draculaura, seen here helping D'Laura and Briony model their winter coats, is mini-Adele of Midnight Magic (the source of mini-Pippa, a.k.a. Pilar).

We have all been to Anthropologie.

The second Saturday after I brought home mini-Pippa, I just happened to wander into the Family Dollar in the same plaza with the laundromat (well, there's not much to do there, although it's getting a new Goodwill on December 5) and just happened to visit the toy section and just happened to search thoroughly, cross-examine the lone clerk, and search some more until I found all three of the gals I didn't have.

Day of the Dresses

It was finally New Dress Weekend for a Sophie, Pippa, Miss Hanzo, and (unexpectedly) Stacie.

Whose little sister is she?
None of us has a little sister, right?
I'm going to freak out if somebody claims she's always been here.

I wanted to unbox and croon over something, and a new sewing machine issomething

In the wake of Sunday afternoon's sewing machine implosion, I went to Walmart's web site, ordered a new machine for in-store pick-up, and then went to pick it up.

Behold! New machine! It is a Brother JX 2517, which got excellent reviews from advanced beginners and cost under $75.

Boil-washing extravaganza plus new dresses to celebrate Rebecca's body transplant

It's amazing how an unexpected visit from one's landlord can suddenly make tidying and cleaning seem so much less onerous, to the point that doing it right now works extremely well. The answer to stress is always boil-washing, which is why there's now a candid shot of some Liv girls with their painted-on pixie cuts.

Alexis seems worried about what Fitzroy's going to do next.

Katie, Hayden, Alexis, and Krys are all getting their hair cleaned and shined because everybody was looking as if they'd been in Arizona for a while -- and frantic cleaning had resulted in putting most of the body farm in a bag in the closet, leaving me free counter space.

Alexis is first on the block to have... something...

Alexis wanted something less cocktail-party than her brocade wrap dress -- a cool, comfortable dress she could wear to church and brunch, like she did as a child in Alabama. She also has something new and different for the Liv girls.

Cleo is compelled to dress like a lady

Katie and Sophie took Cleo aside and explained firmly that her clubbing dress would not work for job-hunting in Phoenix. It was imperative that she acquire a more suitable outfit, preferably one that would also keep her cool and shaded in the merciless summer sun.

Move to Phoenix, get dresses!

Sophie wanted her dress to be an homage to the prevailing Mid-Century Flintstones architecture of CenPho, but the results may be a bit more sauvage than she'd intended.

The same skirt that looked appealingly pouffy in person turns very Pebbles Flintstone-auditions-for-Survivor on camera. This dress is from the no-sew circle method, same as Draculaura's, but this time, I put a slit at the back of the neck to help it over the head. The fabric is from my favorite thrift-store skirt of 2013, which I wore until the fabric gave way at the seams -- and it lives on! The patterned top layer -- yes, this is lined, same as the skirt was -- is slippery and deceptive. You think you've cut a straight line, but no, whoops! there's a notch missing.

There's also the difficulty that this dress causes Sophie to fade into the upholstery. Not her favorite look, unless the fashion design is just a cover for a career with the FBI or CIA.

Sophie is more satisfied with Alexis' dress for networking cocktail events. The restrained menswear pattern says business, while the dramatic neckline says glamor.

This is from the same no-sew pattern as Katie, Hayden's, and Cleo's dresses. The fabric is a scrap from Nasco. Alexis and Sophie were, of course, wearing perfectly nice Barbie clothes, but apparently the rule is: move to Phoenix, get dresses!

The tight skirt isn't the best for sprawling on a bed, but it's a relief to have a talk with Katie away from the young 'uns.

Draculaura goes for vintage chic

After her first latte, Draculaura started hinting that now she was out of high school, she was ready to move on from short, pleated skirts to a more vintage look. Twenty minutes at Antique Sugar, and she was properly fitted out, though she'll want to shop for a less ironic sash.

This dress follows the no-sew circle dress method from My Froggy Stuff. This fabric isn't knit, which means once the head hole was large enough for Draculaura's head, the dress required careful adjusting to not be outright indecent.

She now seems much more content, while Sophie, satisfied with the day's fashion progress, puts her feet up.

Cleo packed only club wear

When asked if she might like to change out of that dental-floss swimsuit before dinner, Cleo announces that the only other thing she packed was her clubbing dress.

In person, the dress is shiny teal satin, not bright blue. So it doesn't actually clash with her shoes. Not that it wouldn't be a Look if it did.

The dress is made by the same no-sew wrap dress method as Katie and Hayden's dresses.

With a latte in her lap, Cleo now feels herself to be a model of lady-like deportment.

Katie and Hayden get no-sew wrap dresses

Amidst the dust of construction of their kitchen, Katie and Hayden still have time and energy for looking nice.

These dresses are based on the How to Make a No-Sew Doll Dress tutorial from My Froggy Stuff.

Katie and Hayden feel a bit underdressed

Katie and Hayden aren't sure what to make the giant monster coming in with the tide. This is a very strange beach!

Hayden is wearing her sunglasses because, having sworn I wasn't removing any more accessories, I cut the little plastic strings while waiting for the iron to heat. Everybody involved still has all limbs, much to my surprise.