BlytheLife.com opened in July 2010 and is a blog and resource hub for all things Blythe!
Too frugal for the Blythe hobby?
Written on June 8, 2012 at 12:00 pm by MichelleFiled under: Musings
Sometimes I wonder if I’m too cheap for the Blythe hobby. Or rather, too frugal. My dolls, unfortunately for them, don’t wear very much designer clothing. If they do, it rarely costs very much – either received through swaps, or small commissions. But sometimes I look at what my dolls wear and then look at what other people’s dolls wear and thing that my dolls, if they were on a playground, would get made fun of for not wearing the best of the best. But maybe that is just a reflection on the kind of experiences I had with playground bullies in school.
Realistically, I know this isn’t a cheap hobby (have you all seen the prices of dolls?). And then at the same time, I’m reminded by the fact that I have spent a fair bit on clothing over the period that I’ve been in this hobby. But at the same time… I believe the most expensive item that I own in my dolls’ closet is around $20 USD. Not that expensive compared to some $50+ dolly items that I’ve seen floating around the internet.
I think how much I spend on the dolls’ clothing is a bit of a reflection to what I spend on clothing for me. I’m a fairly frugal person. It’s the occupational hazard of being a full-time student and also the youngest child in the family. I grew up on mostly hand-me-downs and, in a sense, so do my dolls. They get a lot of ‘used’ clothing (likely, used clothes in doll terms isn’t the same as used clothes in human terms), some thrifted, loads of stock items and handmade. As much as I would like to get dolly mail on a regular (daily!) basis, it gets expensive after a while. Although I would love to get daily mail, don’t get me wrong (it’s fun and the only mail I get on a regular basis is a monthly credit card statement), it just gets a little pricey at times
I think I do an okay job with supplementing their wardrobes though. I have been making a lot more since giving myself the goal of making at least two items per month (so far so good! touches wood), so that’s been adding to the closet. I also do a lot of swaps and trades with people, which helps.
Are you frugal with your dolly (or dolly clothes/shoes/accessories) spending? How do you supplement their closet? Please share your tips!
When I first got into Blythe I decided that I would make most of their clothes myself since there are so many awesome sewing and knitting patterns out there. Its taken a year, but I’m finally hitting my groove and making things that I really like. There was a pretty steep learning curve, though.
But, like you, I look at all the amazing pictures of dressed up dollies and all the designer items out there and wish I could afford it. Then I remind myself that I would never pay some of those prices for clothes for myself, let alone dolls! Instead I troll the closet clean out listings to try and pick up cute things for cheap. Knitting/sewing swaps are great too in that you get cool stuff and also get a kick in the pants to be more creative!
Besides stock I’ve only ever bought vintage clothes off ebay, for very small amounts. They are dolls, they don’t get better clothes than I have 🙂 I also only have 3, which makes it a little easier not to go crazy. I also originally got them so I could sew, knit and crochet them things, which I don’t do as much as I’d like.
So far being invoved in blythe I have only bought 2 dresses, a beanie and 2 pairs of shoes. I make my own dolly clothes, and my mum does too. Its the only way I can afford the hobby. It doesn’t stop me from having the longest list of faves on etsy
I’m quite frugal, too! I sew or knit a lot of my own Blythe clothing for myself. I’ve shopped sundries on occasion, mostly for things like shoes, socks, and tights. But the most fun way of acquiring new dolly clothes for me has been participating in the Blythe Swap Group! (Which, full disclosure, I now co-mod.) Usually I participate in one swap every month, and in addition to the fun of putting together a package for someone else, I receive a package that usually contains several pieces of clothing. (I generally make most of the clothing items for the packages I send, so that’s not a huge outlay of cash.) It has been really fun for me to acquire a variety of clothing that works with a number of styles, and a lot of it works great as mix and match, so I can make endless outfits out of the pieces. I definitely can’t imagine spending more on Blythe clothing than I do on myself, and I never buy myself anything that isn’t on sale (and I can’t remember the last time I bought anything for myself that cost as much as $50!).
I’m frugal too! The dearest item for my dolls has cost $20. I can’t knit or sew, so it could easily become really expensive to dress my seven girls. I try to only buy new things once every now and again, and only then it’s only one or two new things at a time. I find dresses are the best buys as it’s one item of clothing as a whole outfit! I refuse to spend more on my dolls than I would on myself!
I am definitely frugal when it comes to buying dolly duds, for much the same reason as you… I’m just not used to spending much or willy-nilly. I think it can be a fun challenge to be frugal 🙂 To buy cheap or used things and see how cute or great you can make them look by incorporating them with stock pieces or the occasional expensive dress. I almost never spend more than $20 for one Blythe item. Their wardrobe may be small but I don’t think my girls are unhappy with it 😉
I find making my own things in between buying others keeps my dolls happy, though she judging prices now I can appreciate more intricate items being highly priced if they took a few hours to make.
Interesting post! I am a frugal person, too 🙂 If you are a single parent you always have to be… aaaaand I am in the happy position, that i can almost craft all things myself I want for for my dollies, except shoes – So why spent so much money on things I can make myself – I better safe the money for a new doll ;D But I think there are a lot cute designs around in the community and I guess if I could spent more money on my hobby I would do it…
*Nicola alias *Dollily*
Alas, I pine after the beautiful designer dolly duds, but I can’t bring myself to spend more on a doll outfit than I would spend on an outfit for myself. I make a lot of things. Since I can’t knit, sweaters and hats I purchase. I only spend what is actually IN my Paypal account, which means that I have to earn my dolly money by selling stuff in my etsy shop. That helps to keep my budget in line!
I think I’m more middle of the road with my dolly duds spending. If I see a “must have” I will get it but the majority of my clothes are swapped, handmade, or in the under $30 range.