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Newsletter Archive
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR MAILING LIST and be among the first to receive all the information, tutorials and free patterns we're hard at work putting together. You'll also receive our exclusive FREE PATTERN for subscribers, #2023: The Fedora Hat for 18 Inch, 16 Inch and 14 ½ Inch Dolls as our thank you gift for joining us at Lee & Pearl™.
July 12-13, 2022
- Shop the Lee & Pearl ANNIVERSARY SALE! From Tuesday, July 12 through Wednesday, July 13, 2022, everything in our Etsy store is 20% off. We only have a sale this big once a year, and it doesn’t last long. In this newsletter, we're featuring our favorite pattern images from nine years of Lee & Pearl design!
- In this newsletter, we're featuring luxurious fabrics and printed patterns from Pearl's collection — which are also on sale at 20% off. Don’t miss out. Head over to our Etsy store to celebrate with us!
July 11, 2022
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- Introducing our new FREE pattern for mailing list subscribers — Lee & Pearl Pattern 2023: The Fedora Hat for 18", 16" and 14 1/2" Dolls. For this pattern, our designer reimagined iconic molded hat elements as flat pattern shapes and seams. That's right — this is an entirely SEWN hat. And it's sized to fit all three of our favorite dolls: American Girl, A Girl for All Time and WellieWishers and similar dolls.
Join the Lee & Pearl mailing list and get this pattern as our exclusive FREE gift!
February 6, 2020
It's almost Valentine's Day and we're celebrating with a week-long 20% off sale on all our In the Pink 100% silk organzas!
- Hooray for Huret and do you know Nuno? Lee & Pearl friends are making amazing things with our silk organzas, like this heirloom doll dress and gauzy, Nuno felt butterfly-themed silk scarf.
December 30, 2019
Want to meet up at the 2020 AG Girl of the Year debut event? If you're in the Northern Virginia / DC / Maryland area and want to join us, Lee & Pearl will be at the Tysons Corner American Girl store from 10:00 AM until at least noon on Wednesday January 1, 2020. Swing by and say hello — we'd love to hear what you think about the new girl and her collection!
- Look who's making beautiful things with Lee & Pearl Mystery Bag Fabrics! Like the picture? Click through for more details!
December 2-6, 2019
MONDAY all our 100% silk organza kits and by-the-yard listings are now ON SALE at 20% off and our Grand Gala Giveaway is live! Find out how you can ENTER TO WIN the most beautiful doll in the Lee & Pearl workroom, wearing the most beautiful outfit we've ever made!
- TUESDAY we take you behind the scenes for the making of our Grand Gala Giveaway, show you our favorite silk organza projects, and share a sneak peek at some of the NEW silk fabrics we'll be offering in 2020.
- WEDNESDAY we've got a NEW pattern release, and it's ON SALE, too! L&P Pattern 1076: Grand Gala Dropped Waist Ballgown with Evening Gloves and Russian Ballet Bodice with Neo-Classical Tutu for 18 Inch Dolls is now available in the Lee & Pearl Etsy store and as a Cyber Week bonus, it's 20% OFF through Thursday, December 12.
- THURSDAY — we take you behind the scenes for a glimpse at just a *few* of the amazing fabrics we'll be packing into MYSTERY BAGS tomorrow!
FRIDAY our week ends with a BANG. Patternmaker Pearl found amazing fabrics this year and has pulled the very best selections for doll sewers. Now we're hosting another epic MYSTERY BAG sale to share them with you. Buy yourself a wonderful present this year get a Priority Mail bag stuffed full of amazing fabrics from Lee & Pearl!
September 12, 2019
We have two ENORMOUS releases to talk about today. First, we're thrilled to introduce Lee & Pearl Pattern 1074: Mix-and-Match Ballet Costume Accessories — Tutu Plates, Sleeve Puffs and Sleeve Ruffles for 18 Inch Dolls.
- Next, the super-gorgeous, super-generous 100% SILK ORGANZA CURATED KITS you've been waiting for are now available in the Lee & Pearl Etsy store.
July 4, 2019
Happy 4th of July from Lee & Pearl! Before we send you off to enjoy barbecue and fireworks, we've got a quick reminder about our latest swimsuit pattern release, some BIG news about upcoming Fabric & Trim Kits, and details on our COMING VERY SOON 6th ANNIVERSARY SALE, which starts next week. Don't miss out!
June 27, 2019
LIMITED TIME SALE PRICING ENDS JULY 4th! Get your dolls ready to watch the fireworks with Pattern 1058: Retro Ruffled Swimsuit and High Waisted Bikini for Dolls. This pattern is NOW AVAILABLE for 16 inch A Girl for All Time® dolls and 14 1/2 inch WellieWishers® and similar dolls, as well as 18 inch American Girl® dolls.
June 21, 2019
June 13, 2019
Meet the Dollmaker an interview with Frances Cain, creator of the A Girl for All Time® line of 16 inch historical and modern play dolls. We first met Frances at Toy Fair in New York back in 2012. We fell in love with her beautiful dolls and were enchanted by their creator and you will be too. Set aside your pins and needles, make yourself a pot of tea, and let's get chatting with the amazing Frances Cain!
May 31, 2019
Lee & Pearl Pattern 1025: She Blinded Me with Science Unisex Lab Coat, Unlined Coat and Safety Goggles for 18 inch, 16 inch and 14 1/2 inch dolls is NOW AVAILABLE for purchase in our Etsy store! We packed this pattern with just-like-the-real-thing features for all your STEM-lovers, astronauts, doctors, doll veterinarians, steampunks and fashionistas. With the perfect fit of this versatile pattern you can make stylish jackets and raincoats as well as lab coats and goggles!
May 16, 2019
We've got ballet patterns for all your dolls. Don't miss out on the extra-special, 2-size bundle pricing on our new 16 inch and 14 1/2 inch doll sizes!
- Anatomy of a Costume Tutorial Sam's Flower Fairy Bodice and Tutu
- A Girl for All Time® crowdfunding news and details including a picture of their NEW boy doll, Max
May 9, 2019
We are thrilled to announce the release of our full suite of Ballet Performance patterns — newly redesigned for 16 inch A Girl for All Time® dolls and 14 1/2 inch WellieWishers® and similar dolls, as well as 18 inch American Girl® dolls. Get ultimate mix-and-match flexibility to make just-like-the-real-thing dance and recital ensembles for all your favorite dolls.
April 11, 2019
The photos are here and they're gorgeous! See our first photoshoot for the COMING VERY SOON Ballet Performance patterns for 16 inch A Girl for All Time® and 14 1/2 inch WellieWishers® and similar dolls.
- Get holiday ready make beautiful Easter and Passover gifts for your dolls with FREE craft printables and projects from Lee & Pearl™!
January 31, 2019
- Look Who's Making: Pattern 1038 The Gift Bow Front Dress for 18 Inch, 16 Inch and 14 1/2 Inch Dolls, our current FREE GIFT to Lee & Pearl™ mailing list subscribers.
- Look Who's Making: 1072 Corps de Ballet and 1073 Prima Ballerina Ballet Performance Patterns for 18 Inch Dolls and a SNEAK PEEK from the Lee & Pearl workroom!
January 17, 2019
We just loved Blaire's Gardening Outfit, so we made our own version using Lee & Pearl patterns.
- One of those patterns is a NEW tweak-the-pattern set of variants on our Pattern 1035: Olà Brasil! Samba Top and Bahia Dress for 18 Inch, 16 Inch and 14 1/2 Inch Dolls. Get your copy of the FREE additional pattern piece and full directions here!
November 22, 2018
Happy Thanksgiving to all our friends! We've got big news in this newsletter, so pour yourself some mulled cider, grab a slice of pie and let's get started!
- Introducing Lee & Pearl Military Uniform Separates, Caps & Hats Pattern BUNDLE for 18 Inch Dolls;
- Finish the look — make your own realistic military dog tags for dolls; and
- Here are some more SNEAK PEEKS of our Pattern 1038: The Gift Bow Front Dress for 18 Inch, 16 Inch and 14 1/2 Inch Dolls — our COMING VERY SOON new FREE pattern for mailing list subscribers!
October 11, 2018
- Mystery Bags are now available in our Etsy store! The end of the year finds us swamped with extra sewing and craft supplies: fabric, trim, notions and craft materials that we've purchased for pattern development, tutorials, crafts and even some of our own personal costumes and cosplay. We need to clear these out to make room for FUTURE goodies, so we're ruthlessly pulling yardage and items from our storerooms and workrooms and packing them up for YOU to enjoy.
October 4, 2018
Our Mystery Bag Sale is COMING SOON and we're busy collecting beautiful materials to include in those bags.
- Here's our latest PAINTING PLASTIC tutorial turning a dollar store plastic toy into an antique, enameled grocery scale for dolls. Want to make your own? Seven lucky multi-Mystery Bag purchasers will find one of these toys in their shipping box!
September 3, 2018
August 23, 2018
August 9, 2018
It's the perfect layering basic, now lovingly re-sized and redesigned for A Girl for All Time® dolls and Wellie Wisher® and similar dolls! Introducing Lee & Pearl Pattern 1001: Unisex T-Shirts for 18 inch, 16 inch and 14 1/2 inch dolls. GET ALL THREE PATTERNS FOR THE PRICE OF TWO and for our friends who already own Pattern 1001 for 18 inch American Girl® sized dolls, get both smaller sizes for the price of only one pattern FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY!
July 4, 2018
May 17, 2018
We're proud to present the NEW Lee & Pearl craft guide Introduction to Jewelry Making for Vinyl Play Dolls (18 Inch, 16 Inch, 14 1/2 Inch and beyond!) We know that you put a lot of effort into getting your doll's style just right. But clothes can only be one part of any look. Learn how to make your own doll-scale earrings, bracelets and necklaces as well, to fully explore your doll's unique style.
April 5, 2018
- We've had enough of cold weather and we're ready for long summer days and sunshine for miles. Who else is ready to dress their dolls in BREEZY SUMMER DRESSES for all those wonderful picnics and barbecues, open-air concerts and bonfires on the beach?
- COMING SOON from Lee & Pearl Jewelry Making eBook and Pattern 1035: Olá Brasil for 16 Inch A Girl for All Time® and 14 1/2 Inch Wellie Wisher® and similar dolls!
March 27, 2018
March 15, 2018
Introducing Lee & Pearl Pattern 1075: Ballet Slippers for 18 Inch, 16 Inch and 14 1/2 Inch Dolls AND Pattern 1051: Ballet Basics for 18 Inch, 16 Inch and 14 1/2 Inch Dolls. Your dolls will love these perfectly scaled ballet shoes, complete with pleated toes and working elastic cord ties. And you'll love the easy to sew preparatory steps we designed to take the free-handing anguish out of making doll shoes.
February 11, 2018
January 31, 2018
Our visit to the American Girl® store to see Luciana Vega, LIVE on Facebook
- Important changes to your Facebook newsfeed and what you can do about them
- Lee & Pearl ♥ Space check out our space station pictures featuring Luciana's Space Suit and our Pattern 1025: She Blinded Me with Science, our FREE Pattern for mailing list subscribers
- What's coming NEXT from Lee & Pearl...?
October 3, 2017
September 13, 2017
September 3, 2017
July 12, 2017
June 27, 2017
June 15, 2017
June 8, 2017
Introducing the 2017 Lee & Pearl FREE pattern for mailing list subscribers — #1025: She Blinded Me with Science Unisex Lab Coat (or Unlined Coat) and Safety Goggles for Dolls. This is our first multi-size bundle, with patterns that fit 18" American Girl® dolls, 16" A Girl for All Time® dolls and 14 1/2" Wellie Wisher® dolls!
April 10, 2017
March 31, 2017
March 16, 2017
March 9, 2017
November 2015
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What's New from Lee & Pearl Holiday Patterns and FREE Download Page
Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for Tutorials and Video Reviews
Video Tutorial and FREE Printable Template: Make Your Own Chanukah Menorah (Chanukiya) for 18" Dolls
October 2015
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Craft Tutorial: Halloween Candy for 18" Dolls
Costume Breakdown: Dread Pirate Roberts Cosplay and Accessories for 18" Dolls
Tweak the Pattern 3001a: "Scottish Princess" Medieval Gown and Accessories for 18" Dolls
July 2015
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What's New from Lee & Pearl
May 2015
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Monthly Message from Lee & Pearl
FREE Sew Easy with Spandex eBook
FREE Tweak the Pattern 1057x: FRINGED Halter Swimsuit for 18" Dolls
March 2015
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Monthly Message from Lee & Pearl
Look Who's Making Pattern #1041: Slim Skirts for 18" Dolls
FREE Printable Craft Easy Woven Easter Baskets for 18" Dolls
January 2015
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Monthly Message from Lee & Pearl
Tutorial Pull Up A Chair (a Question of Scale)
Tutorial Paint Paris Red!
FREE Printable Bonjour, Paris Bistro Menu
December 2014
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Monthly Message from Lee & Pearl
Tweak the Pattern Holiday Stockings for 18" Dolls, inspired by Pattern #1022 (but no purchase is necessary to complete the stockings Merry Christmas!)
November 2014
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Monthly Message from Lee & Pearl
Tweak the Pattern Swirling Snowstorm Marbled T-shirts to be used with Pattern #1001, sold separately
June 2014
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Monthly Message from Lee & Pearl
Tweak the Pattern Fold Over Elastic-Edged One Piece Swimsuit to be used with Pattern #1051, sold separately
May 2014
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Monthly Message from Lee & Pearl
Tweak the Pattern Fun with Beanies! to be used with Pattern #1008, sold separately
April 2014
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Monthly Message from Lee & Pearl
Tweak the Pattern Ice Princess / Bridal / Red Carpet Skirt to be used with Pattern #1055, sold separately
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Happy Halloween from Lee & Pearl! Make MORE candy for your 18 inch dolls with this fun new tutorial addition to our doll confectionary series. Follow along as we show you how to make wonderfully realistic doll-scale replicas of popular fun-size bagged candies. Skittles and M&Ms are our favorites what are yours?
Today on Lunch with Lee & Pearl, we've got a spooktacular craft demonstration as Lee finishes turning an inexpensive plastic dragon door knocker from Target into a gloriously painted fantasy dragon head faux taxidermy perfect for all your Halloween castle walls and wizard's towers! Join us for Lunch with L&P LIVE on Facebook every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 2pm Eastern, 1pm Central, 12pm Mountain and 11am Pacific.
Happy Independence Day from Lee & Pearl!
Handmade batik fabric face masks are now available in the Lee & Pearl Etsy store. We make these masks ourselves using our own pattern, which features fabric ties, nose wire pockets, stacked top pleats, chin darts for a better fit, and the innovative NO GAP STRAP a separate strap, cut slightly shorter than the mask to maintain tension across the top of the mask, while allowing the fabric underneath to conform to the shape of your nose.
JOIN US for LUNCH WITH LEE & PEARL, a twenty minute livestream chat on the Lee & Pearl Facebook page, every day at 2pm Eastern / 1pm Central / 12pm Mountain / and 11am Pacific. We'll answer your questions and talk about everything from sewing patterns and crafts to COVID-19 epidemiology and stay-at-home survival strategies. Let's face it, we could all use a little more connection right now so please join us!
Fabric and pattern lovers, we've got great news for you. Click through to see some of the gorgeous materials and the workroom machine that we got at a recent liquidation sale in Dallas. And check out SNEAK PEEK 2 at our COMING VERY SOON new exclusive pattern for mailing list subscribers!
Tomorrow is Valentine's Day, and we've got sweet treats to share with you silks on sale, holiday-themed dresses, adorable new wigs and a SNEAK PEEK at our coming soon new FREE pattern for mailing list subscribers!
It's almost Valentine's Day and we're celebrating with a week-long 20% off sale on all our
We've got a newsletter treat this week! Join Lee in JAMAICA as she goes fabric shopping in Ocho Rios and finds sewing machines and beautiful dolls in the mountains at the Bob Marley birthplace museum.
We've almost got the hang of putting "2020" on documents instead of "2019," but it's still hard to believe we're three weeks into a whole new year. We've been so busy, busy, busy unpacking new books and tools, considering new crafts and classes and of course working on our coming soon new FREE pattern for Lee & Pearl mailing list subscribers. How is 2020 shaping up for you?
Want to meet up at the 2020 AG Girl of the Year debut event? If you're in the Northern Virginia / DC / Maryland area and want to join us, Lee & Pearl will be at the Tysons Corner American Girl store from 10:00 AM until at least noon on Wednesday January 1, 2020. Swing by and say hello — we'd love to hear what you think about the new girl and her collection!
Happy Veterans Day! Join us in honoring our valiant armed forces with a 20% OFF SALE on every just-like-the-real-thing Lee & Pearl military uniform sewing pattern for 18 inch dolls. This sale includes our ARMY COMBAT UNIFORM pattern, our PATROL CAP and BUSH HAT patterns and our already-discounted multi-pattern Military Uniform, Caps and Hats BUNDLE for 18 Inch Dolls. This sale will only last for ONE DAY ending at midnight on November 11, 2019. Don't miss out!
This week, Lee & Pearl pattern maker Pearl went to a local estate sale and came back to the workroom with TWENTY SEVEN HUNDRED vintage patterns and a car load full of beautiful fabrics as well! Stay tuned as we sort through this amazing collection from a truly stylish retired seamstress, and prepare to share its glories with our friends on Etsy!
ORANGE you glad it's almost Halloween? This amazing color from the Lee & Pearl collection of traditional Korean silk organzas is No. 89: VIBRANT ORANGE. It's a glorious color, like every Halloween pumpkin ever, saturated, and over-saturated and super-saturated until it glows. To celebrate this gorgeous color and Halloween, the favorite holiday of costumers everywhere we're slashing the price on VIBRANT ORANGE 100% silk organza all the way down to $6/yard from now through October 31, 2019.
Browse over 100 beautiful colors of 100% SILK ORGANZA fabric from Lee & Pearl cut-to-order at close-to-wholesale prices! We've completed the sales prep for all 100-plus bolts of shimmering silk organza from our recent estate purchase of traditional Korean fabrics, and we're thrilled to announce that both pre-cut kits and by-the-yard listings are now LIVE in the Fabric & Trim Kits section of our Etsy store. Enjoy!
With a glorious palette of 110-plus colors spread out on the worktable in front of us, we like to think that each of our gorgeous five-color MYSTERY PACK silk organza kits is a unique work of art, with a unique story to tell. Wouldn't YOU like to be the one imagining that story for your own kit? Now you can — click through to see how!
It fits, it fits! This week we tried a few of our COMING SOON Pattern 1074 ballet tutu plates, sleeve ruffles and sleeve puffs on an American Girl doll brand tutu — and we know you'll love the results. We also found an adorable new member for the Lee & Pearl barnyard menagerie, and we're celebrating our designer's recent interview in a doll sewing magazine. Enjoy!
Take a hands-on craft class on Fabric Marbling for Doll Clothes or Fleece Preparation for Spinning with our own Rebecca Menes — craftmeister "Lee" — at NOVALabs makerspace in Reston, Virginia. And check out this sneak peek of our COMING SOON Pattern 1074: Ballet Costume Accessories Tutu Plates and Elastic Sleeves for 18 Inch Dolls!
Lee and Pearl had an amazing week together in Texas, cataloguing our recent estate purchase of glorious Korean silks. We made several Lee & Pearl patterns out of these gorgeous materials, and tested craft and embellishment techniques as well. Then we visited the Monet and Dior exhibits at the Fort Worth and Dallas art museums for even more inspiration. Join us...!
With the techniques and tools we feature in our Introduction to Jewelry Making for Vinyl Play Dolls eBook, when you see a style that you like, you can recreate it yourself. Follow along as we show you how we turned a Pinterest inspiration image into this turquoise sunburst choker for 18 inch American Girl® and other dolls!
It's our birthday, which means it's time for the Lee & Pearl ANNIVERSARY SALE! From now until midnight TONIGHT, everything in our Etsy store is 20% OFF. We only have a sale this big once a year, and it doesn't last long. Don't miss out — enjoy a look back through some of our most adventurous and unique images from the last six years, then head over to our Etsy store and celebrate with us!



Are you SEW ready for summer? The skies are blue, the breezes are balmy and the promise of long summer days has become tantalizingly real... Enjoy our summer idea book, and get your summer sewing plans in order with these great patterns for doll dresses, tops, shorts, hats and SWIMSUITS from Lee & Pearl!
Happy Lunar New Year — and happy Year of the Pig from Lee & Pearl! Pig years are thought to be joyous times, full of friendship, luck and good fortune. How fitting, as we are sharing this newsletter with friends, and we've stuffed it with a wealth of lucky doll-scale finds from our recent travels — like this great Lion Dance puppet, perfect for Wellie Wishers™ and other 14 1/2 inch dolls.
JOIN Lee & Pearl on January 1, 2019 as we welcome American Girl® Girl of the Year™ Blaire Wilson™ in person at the Dallas Galleria! Then read the newsletter entry to see the Blaire-appropriate dress, hair flower and waterfall braid we made using Lee & Pearl patterns and linked tutorials — including Pattern 1038: The Gift Bow Front Dress, our current FREE PATTERN for subscribers.
Dazzle them with doll jewelry gifts that are easy and fun to make, too! We're thrilled to present a holiday Tweak-the-Pattern addition to our Introduction to Jewelry Making for Vinyl Play Dolls eBook — pretty, filagree Christmas tree earrings for dolls!
Happy Thanksgiving to all our friends! We've got big news in this newsletter, so pour yourself some mulled cider, grab a slice of pie and let's get started!
Our Mystery Bag Sale is COMING SOON and we're busy collecting beautiful materials to include in those bags.
Introducing Pattern 101: Gym Shorts for 18 Inch, 16 Inch and 14 1/2 Inch Dolls the FIRST in our new "Pearls by Lee & Pearl™" line of time- and budget-friendly basics patterns!
Introducing "Pearls,"
our COMING SOON line of time- and budget-friendly patterns by Lee & Pearl™
Meet the Lee & Pearl™ workroom assistants and enjoy our review of the Our Generation® Healthy Paws Vet Clinic for dolls! Our dolls took to this set right away, wearing perfectly-scaled lab coats made using our #1025: She Blinded Me with Science pattern for 18 inch, 16 inch and 14 1/2 inch dolls.

SHOW US YOUR CHRISTMAS ORNAMENTS! It's the most wonderful time of the year, when doll-scale props and accessories show up in all the stores, masquerading as things to hang on trees. Lee & Pearl found some adorable items this year. What have you found?
It's the Lee & Pearl™ HOLIDAY WISH BOOK! Make Glorious Gifts with Lee & Pearl patterns and FREE downloads, tutorials and printable crafts as well. And get our FREE holiday stocking pattern with any purchase in our Etsy store through the end of the year!
Happy Halloween from the Lee & Pearl Mad Scientist Laboratory!
Visit the lab with Chrissa, Clementine and Willa — and see how we built and assembled their costumes, furniture, equipment and props, including a monstrously realistic doll brain painting tutorial. Bwahahah!
We have a date! Mark your calendars: the once-in-a-lifetime SILK SALE in our Etsy shop will launch next Tuesday, September 19, 2017 at 12 noon (Eastern Standard Time).









