Welcome to the NEW Lee & Pearl Thursday Newsletter!

It's hard to believe that we sent our last official newsletter in August. Shortly after hitting "send" on that newsletter, we took a trip to Texas to see if maybe, possibly, sometime in the distant future, Pearl might want to move there.

So of course, on the last day of that "maybe, possibly, distant future" trip, Pearl bought a house in Fort Worth, Texas.

We've spent the months since packing up the workroom and all the wonderful projects we detailed in our last newsletter, loading them into a truck, driving from Los Angeles, and setting up the new bigger-and-better Lone Star Workroom here in Texas!

We're back now, and taking advantage of the new start to improve how we interact with you, our friends and fans, in this Newsletter.

Instead of a giant newsletter every month, we're going to be sending out a much smaller newsletter every week — every THURSDAY, to be exact. This will allow us to be more flexible in the projects, tutorials, downloads, announcements and behind-the-scenes glimpses we can offer. For instance, did you know that "Lee" designed an adorable knitted slipper tutorial last year? No you did not, because that tutorial has never fit into any of our gargantuan, themed newsletters. HOW CRAZY IS THAT?

Don't worry, we'll be rectifying that mistake on a coming Thursday. We'll also be discussing our recent visit to Toy Fair 2017 in New York, offering our input on the latest American Girl® #pantygate design brouhaha — and debuting the 2017 FREE pattern for mailing list subscribers, which will include 16 inch (A Girl for All Time®) and 14 1/2 inch (Wellie Wisher®) doll sizes, alongside the usual 18 inch, for the very first time!

We took a lot of input from our friends here, and on the doll forums and Facebook groups, for the content of our upcoming FREE pattern, and we think you're going to love it as much as you loved our 2016 FREE pattern — #1035: Olá Brasil! Bahia Dress, Samba Top, Baiana Headwrap and Jewelry Tutorials for 18" Dolls.

By the way, if you have yet to sign up for our mailing list to receive Olá Brasil, HURRY UP AND SIGN UP NOW. And tell your friends — we don't want anyone missing out!

Introducing the BOY PATTERN BUNDLE for 18" Dolls, which includes patterns #1001 (Unisex T-Shirts), #1004 (Pants and Cargo Shorts) and #1008 (Ball Cap and Trucker Hat).

This bundle will be available at a special rate of ONE THIRD OFF the individual pattern prices through the end of March only!

We visited the New York American Girl flagship store during our recent trip to Toy Fair 2017, and saw dolls flying off the shelves — particularly the new boy doll, Logan Everett™. Though we think he's adorable (we've always loved custom boy dolls) we agree with the many Internet commenters who have noticed that his wardrobe is a bit limited.

No worries — we've got you (and Logan) covered.

Lee & Pearl have been making patterns that look great on boy dolls since we launched our shop in 2013. To celebrate the release of Logan Everett™, we've put three of those patterns together in one complete wardrobe bundle. And through the end of March only, we have priced that bundle at ONE THIRD OFF the price of the three patterns purchased separately!

Use our PATTERN #1001 UNISEX T-SHIRTS to create wardrobe essential "plain white T" style unisex shirts, with mix-and-match options for lie-flat crew neck or V-neck collars, and long or short sleeves.

This pattern came about after "Pearl" tried to find a relaxed fit, boy-appropriate T-shirt that could be used in a layered outfit. Every unfitted T she tried also featured unfitted sleeves that bunched up and got in the way of jackets or other outer garments.

Armed with an understanding of the relationship between the pattern armscye curve and the resulting sleeve cap, Pearl set to work. The result is this pattern: uniquely drafted to produce sleeves that fit snugly all the way up to a narrow armhole — ideal for wearing by themselves, or layering under anything you please.

An equally essential wardrobe basic, the #1004 "BOY STYLE" PANTS AND CARGO SHORTS pattern features realistic front fly closures, working hip pockets, a bulk-reducing waist facing and optional belt loops.

The knee-length CARGO SHORTS can be made with either of two working pocket options: a traditional tailored version with crisply-folded accordion pleats, flaps and buttons, or a beachy-casual version with bag pockets and drawstrings.

This pattern also features two unique Lee & Pearl design innovations. First, you may be asking, "What is a 'boy style' pant...?"

In the real world, boys have longer waists on average than girls. One of the best ways to trick the eye and turn a female doll into a custom male doll — aside from cutting hair or swapping wigs — is to lower the position of the doll's apparent waist. For this reason, the patterns in this package are designed to fit with the waist slightly lower than an American Girl® doll's natural waist.

But don't worry, though our male doll models look appropriately boyish, these pants and shorts look great on girl dolls as well — just as casual boyfriend trousers look great on real-world girls. The waist line is only slightly dropped, and by no means a low-rider.

The second innovation is our famous "NO CRACK BACK" waist facing piece, which gently curves up around the back of the doll for full coverage while standing — and while sitting!

 

Finally, our PATTERN #1008 CLASSIC BALL CAP AND BIG FAT TRUCKER HAT provides the perfect, just-like-the-real-thing, toppers for any boy doll wardrobe.

The CLASSIC BALL CAP — a staple of sports and casual wear since the 19th century — features six panels for the proper rounded fit, ventilating eyelets on each panel, a "squatchee" (matching fabric-covered button) at the top, and an optional vent at the back for the look of an adjustable cap. Those six panels are stitched together in a series of straight seams, making this a great, easy project for a beginner looking to start making doll hats.

Our BIG FAT TRUCKER HAT is a trendy tweak on the classic silhouette, standing ever-so-slightly taller and wider, with mesh panels along the sides and back, and a stiffly-interfaced double panel in front begging to be decorated in any way you choose.

Click here to go to the BOY PATTERN BUNDLE for 18" Dolls in the Lee & Pearl Etsy store!

We hope you enjoyed this new, shorter newsletter. See you next Thursday!