Faerieluna

Photo courtesy of Melissa

THE PASSION FOR BLYTHE

Part five in my series on the obsession passion 

for the big-headed doll known as Blythe. 

Interview #7: Melissa from Canada
known as Melissa-Best Dressed Doll on Flickr

Please honor the fact that these photos belong to Melissa

and may not be used in any way without  permission

photo courtesy of Melissa

R:  Thank you, Melissa for agreeing to do this interview.  I really appreciate it knowing how busy you are with your young family and your sewing.

Let's begin with a little about you, your life, your family,

pets, and what you do aside from creating beautiful Blythe

clothing...and how would you describe a 'perfect day there

in your little corner of the world.

M:  Well, that is a hard question!! I have a few different ideas

of what a perfect day would be.  Many of those ideas include shopping.  I just love getting into the stores and searching for a deal.  I guess my number one perfect day would be to drop off the kids and spend the day with my husband out of town shopping, eating and laughing together.  

photo courtesy of Melissa

photo courtesy of Melissa

My family consists of my two beautiful girls, Olivia, and Emma,my husband David, and our two dogs, Coco and Nikita.  I could not ask for more.

R: When did you begin to gather Blythes and tell us about your first doll.  Do you still have the very first Blythe?

M:  I bought my first Blythe in March of 2006.  She was a birthday present to myself.  A Candy Carnival.  I sold her quite quickly, though.  I wish I still had her.  She is such a bright and cheerful girl.

photo courtesy of Melissa

R: There is always talk amongst Blythe collectors of favorite molds of the doll, do you have a favorite or one that you don't care for as much as the others?

photo courtesy of Melissa

M:  I do not really have a favorite.  I usually buy RBL girls so I can send them away to have them customized.  

photo courtesy of Melissa

photo courtesy of Melissa

I find it's easier to get them apart to do a little bit of the prep work.  I made the mistake of buying an ADG once when I was just starting out.  I did not like that mold. 

photo by Melissa

R:  What is it about this doll, Blythe, that you love?

M: I love so many things about this doll.  I love that one doll can have so many different looks.  

photo courtesy of Melissa

I love how she can almost look like a real little girl in pictures.  I think the main reason I love Blythe so much is the connection with all of the other people out there who also share in the love.  

photo courtesy of Melissa

 I have made so many friends through Blythe.  I am thankful for that.  

photo courtesy of Melissa

R:  Is there any advice you would give to someone who might just be coming into this wonderful world of Blythe?  Where did YOU turn to for information?

M:  I would tell them to just ask questions  That is what I did. 

photo courtesy of Melissa

 I started out by joining This Is Blythe forum and then found flickr.  One of the first places I visited often was Jamfancy!  
I just love to go through and look at all the fine details in each of Christina's posts.  Not to mention the beautiful art.

photo courtesy of Melissa

 R:  Now let's talk about the amazing dresses you make under the 'Best Dressed Doll' label I totally adore your creations and one of my girls, has been wearing the lovely white dress of yours pretty much since it arrived.  It is my total favorite.

photo by Rella - model - Lyra

 Does this keep you totally busy when you are not tending to 'Mommy things'?

M:  It does keep me busy!  I think I could be lost without it.  I tend to sew once Emma has her daily nap and at night when the kids are asleep.  

photo courtesy of Melissa

I have a lot of fun sewing for Blythe.  I wish I had more time each day to be creative.

 Once my children are in school all day I plan to make Best Dressed Doll a full-time part of my life.

Photo courtesy of Melissa

 R:  When did you begin offering the dresses for sale on your Etsy shop, and do you even have an idea at this point how many dresses you have created?

M:  I opened the Etsy store in July 2007.  I actually started out selling larger outfits sets on Ebay in 2006 and quickly had commission requests.  Having a shop on Etsy helps me to track what I have made and gives me a better idea of how many items I sew each month. 

photo by Melissa

I really have no idea how many pieces I have sold.  It would be kind of fun to figure it out, though.

R:  How and when did you learn to sew?

M: I first started sewing when I was eighteen.  I joined a night class at a local high school and then lessons at a nice lady's house each week.  By the end of high school, I had dreams of being a fashion designer.  I went to collage for fashion design and worked in the industry for five years.  My favorite job was working for Lida Baday, one of Canada's well known fashion designers.  It was not a glamorours job but it did teach me a lot about the fashion industry.

photo courtesy of Melissa

 R:  Your work is impeccable and it's so easy to work with you when there is a little idea floating around the brain.  Is most of your work these days customs pieces?

M: I think it is about half and half.  I sew something and usually only stock one dress in my shop.  It sells and then someone else requests that they would also like the dress...but in a different color.

photo courtesy of Melissa

I like to sew one dress at a time and see the results.  I know it is silly to sew this way, but I get so much joy in being able to see a finished product on my girls.

R:  I love, love, love the little sash you send with your dresses.  Our girls model them so proudly.  How did that wonderful idea come to be?

M:  Thank you!  When I was thinking of a name for my shop, I was picturing an illustration of one of my Blythe girls in a pretty dress, holding flowers and wearing a crown..tears running down her face.  They had just won Best Dressed Doll in a beauty contest.

photo courtesy of Melissa

I wish I was an artist.  I would love to have that image as my store banner or business card.  I thought the sash would be a great start to that idea.

R:  Now for one of the favorite questions of the series.  How many Blythe girls live there with you?

M:  I do not even know!  I can go count now.............

......O.K..I have fourteen Neo Blythe girls, two Middle Blythes with one on the way, and two Petite Blythes.  

photo courtesy of Melissa

Most of my girls are custom.  I have a love of mohair girls.  My favorite Blythe would have to be Ophelia.

Photo by Melissa

Thank you so much, Melissa.  I've enjoyed getting to know you more and introducing you to my readers.  No doubt a few know you all ready, and now, a few more will experience Best Dressed Doll. 

photo courtesy of Melissa

So there you have it my friends, another wonderful friend in the world of Blythe.  A creator of darling dresses for our girls.  I hope you enjoyed this interview and stay tuned...next week I promise yet another peek into the world of artisan #8.