Your daughter just received her first American Girl doll and now she wants all the stuff that goes with her doll. She wants clothes, shoes, dishes, and furniture. In other words, she wants you to take a second job so you can afford to buy everything she desires. Fear not, there is a way to provide some of the things your child wants without breaking the bank. Let's begin with the basics -- some attractive clothing. The AG catalogue shows the most current fashions for the dolls at an average price of $28.00 a set. Some sets include shoes, which isn't too bad. If you're like me, you look and think -- that's more than I paid for my last piece of clothing! Now what? There are several great options: 1. You purchase less expensive clothing through EBay or online stores, and auctions; or 2) You make them yourself. There are many EBay and online stores that sell less expensive clothing, and much of it is very cute. Then there are the home seamstresses that offer their wares for auction. These are very talented women, creating some of the most beautiful fashions for dolls now available. I am always inspired by their work. But if this seems too expensive you can always sew for the dolls yourself. Sewing for dolls is not diffcult. There are many wonderful patterns available. I currently have 2 patterns I like that also fit well. The first is Butterick 3491, the second is McCalls 4066. These patterns offer the home seamstress many options. Now, let's compare cost: AG doll catalogue outfit - $28.00. Make it yourself - under $5.00. Here is a breakdown: Patterns should only be purchased when on sale for 1.99 and under. The average cost of cotton-blend fabric is around $6.00 to $9.00 a yard. For a small dress you want to buy about 1/2 yard. Fabrics are always on sale, too. So buy what you and your child like while it is on sale. 1 dress = $1.99 plus $3.00 = $4.99. Of course, I am assuming you have a sewing machine, pins, thread, buttons, and elastic already. Even if you don't own a sewing machine you can still hand sew a small garment. All it takes is a needle and thread. Additionally, the more times you use a pattern the more money you save. My daughter enjoys the same dress pattern made over many times with different fabrics. If you already have some fundamental pattern construction knowledge all you need to do is follow the pattern directions for cutting and construction of the garment. I would like to offer several helpful hints here. The greatest mistake I see in constructing small scale clothing is just that -- scale. These dolls are 18" tall. For the garment to look its best you should look for fabric with small scale prints. Take the doll with you to the fabric store if you have trouble finding patterned fabric to scale. My second helpful hint is to always keep to the 1/4-inch seam allowance. If you sew a garment with larger seam allowances it will not fit the doll. This can lead to serious frustration at the sewing machine. Other 18-inch dolls, like Magic Attic and Springfield are not as chubby as AG dolls. So fitting is less problematic. Be sure when you purchase a pattern that it will fit your doll. I can't tell you how many times I have purchased a pattern that would not fit an AG doll, when the pattern stated it was for an 18-inch doll! These patterns are obviously designed for a skinnier doll than AG. The two pattern suggestions above really do fit the dolls very well. If you don't have any sewing knowledge, but want to learn, you can check out your local fabric store for classes, or read books like: The Idiots Guide To Sewing (patterns are also available). Finally, remember to have fun with all your projects. I mean, look for fun ribbon, rickrack, or lace to add to the doll garments. There are also edgings and iron-on decals, like flowers and poodles. Just remember to keep it to scale with the doll. These are the fashion additions that set a homemade garment apart from a manufactured AG garment. You can make clothing that is just as nice, just as pretty, and fashionable as anything that is manufactured. Best of all, when somebody asks your daughter where she got the cute clothing for her doll, she will smile and say: my Mom made it! Believe me, it's happened to me many times. Good luck and stay creative! I'll write more soon about the other stuff (like shoes) -- if I can ever quit my second job.