Sometimes I muse about getting another Middie Blythe. After all, if having one Middie is awesome, having two must be even more awesome, right? And then I think about it some more, and change my mind.

There are stock Middies that I am interested in (a certain Marshmallow one comes to mind), but I haven’t pulled the figurative trigger on that yet because I’m just not a good Middie owner. Realistically, I am fully aware that Middies are just dolls. Dolls don’t have real feelings and don’t feel temperature by wearing a sweater in the summer and aren’t aware when I leave them in the same outfit for like half a year. I get that. But at the same time, having a doll that just hangs out that I don’t really play with makes me feel like I’m cluttering up my living space.

That and I really don’t have many clothes that are Middie-sized, so it does make me reluctant to continue to add to the Middie part of my doll collection because I just don’t have the clothes (or the shoes!) for them. Yes, I do have some Middie-sized shoes but I don’t have nearly as many as I do in Blythe-sized. And as much of an effort as I had put into amassing the Blythe collection, I don’t fancy doing the same for Middie when it comes to just… things. I think that’s one of the reasons why I decided to hand craft my Middie’s wardrobe – I want to be inspired and creative when it comes to Blythe (and the other sizes of dolls). This mindset didn’t last very long because I do go through periods where I just don’t do much with my dolls aside from picking out, redressing her, and taking her to a meet. And then she’ll stay in that outfit until the next time that she happens to attend a meet.

This is one of the reasons why I think photo challenges like 365 are great for people who want to become more creative and take more photos. But alas, that is just not in the cards for me at this time. And my only Middie girl will continue to be the only Middie for a while long… If only because I don’t need another reminder that I don’t make enough things for the dolls around here.

Kitty Brighton is the only Middie currently living at the BlytheLife Headquarters. She is a stock Jackie Ramone (I don’t trust myself to do very much customization on the big Blythes, I’m not able to fiddle around with the innards of her little Middie head!) and she has a woefully small wardrobe. So one of my (new?) goals is to focus on building her a wardrobe. Some things that I’ve have decided that I will do include:

• Knitting and crocheting her some cardigans, hats, and/or dresses.
• Sewing her some clothes (e.g. pants, dresses – the thought of sewing sleeves puts me off)
• Finding her some more shoes.

I know that there are some amazing creators of tiny Middie-sized clothing out there, but it’s sort of a personal challenge for myself as well. As she is my only Middie, I don’t have to worry about clothing more than one doll – which is a blessing in itself. While I’d love to get my hands on that adorable Yellow Marshmallow Middie (who doesn’t have yellow hair…?), it’s just not in the cards for me at  the moment (unfortunately…). So instead of thinking of the Middies that are being released, that I love, and that I cannot afford to bring into the family right now, I focus on wardrobe building for the Middie that I do have!

This is all that Brighton has right now, seriously:

And the poor thing doesn’t really get her stock boots all to herself because they also fit her big sisters. I will hopefully have an update soon of how much I’ve been able to make for her! Hopefully a few little projects here and there will start to add up to a cute little closet full of custom-made goodies for her!

The Middie and the Petites don’t get nearly as much camera time here as their big sister counterparts! Pocket-friendly and adorable, here’s a little bit of love for the smaller dolls today!

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This is part four of my “Thoughts on…” mini series. The first three parts were on Kenners, Customs and (LPS) Petites.

At the beginning, I looked at Middie and thought she was ‘okay’. I mean, she wasn’t the same as Neo, that much was obvious. No eye mechanism, just a strange dial on the back of her head? Then there was the problem with her price. For that much money I’d expect her knees to bend at the very least. I saw Middie for the first time back in 2011 in Portland – my first exposure to other doll collectors and their dolls in person. Looking  back, it was an overwhelming couple of days. I went from living in my own safe bubble to being exposed to all manners of Blythe. Before that, I was just happy to keep everyone at a distance, through my compute. But going to Portland helped me realize that I wasn’t the only person in my area with Blythe dolls. Now I have friends that I see on a monthly basis that also have dolls – and that social circle gets a little bigger every once in a while and that’s pretty awesome.

But I digress. Middies.

I thought she was a bit like Skipper. I never really liked Skipper when I was little. She couldn’t wear the high heels that I had for my Barbie and I only ever had one outfit for the Teen Skipper that was hand-me-down. (Bonus, her dress has been integrated into the Blythe closet as it can fit them quite well).

I was apprehensive about Middie at first – who wouldn’t be? She was expensive, no changing eye colours (the one true defining characteristic of Blythe), no bending knees and… to top it all off – she was a completely different size of doll to clothe. I had enough trouble keeping my Petite and BJD in clothes that fit (mostly because my efforts of expanding the wardrobe is primarily for Blythe). Before I got my Middie, I actually got her shoes, as funny as that may sound. Kelly shoes wind up in lots for vintage Barbie boots, Skipper flats or bagged thrift store things all the time. So I had quite a few pairs in a bag somewhere just waiting for someone to step into them.

So I had the shoes, now what about the doll? Quite few of the Middies really ‘speak’ to me. I adore the look of custom Middies, but at the time I was looking to buy, they were out of my price limit. I was giving myself a hard limit, just in case I didn’t like her at all. I figured that I’d be safe with a stock Middie because if I didn’t like her, I wouldn’t have much trouble reselling her.

Then Jackie Ramone’s “real” photos were released. I was smitten with her. The next time I knew, I was preordering a doll for the very first time.

She arrived in her smaller shipper, plastic-wrapped hot pink box. I wasn’t quite sure what to think of her. One thing’s for sure though – Takara was cutting corners with the undies that they were packaging the dolls with.

No hemming? Are they serious?!

For what a Middie costs, brand new, you’d think they could afford to make simple white cotton panties that didn’t, you know, suck. But the rest of her stock was delightful. Jackie Ramone’s stock boots actually fit the bigger Neo Blythe sisters quite well. Her leather jacket fits quite nicely – and while I do wish it didn’t feel so plasticky, the dress is pretty cute too. Plus the sunglasses? Darling.

I’m not entirely sold of Jackie Ramone’s hair. I think the release photos looked a lot better, but I do like her overall. And her chips are much prettier in person, and I originally thought they were quite nice looking in photos.

She’s cute though, isn’t she? I named her Kitty Brighton. Kitty after Kitty Bennett (from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice) and Brighton after the location. She has a few pairs of her own shoes, her stock clothes, a few tops that will work as dresses on her…

And I’m totally smitten with her. Let’s just hope she doesn’t want any sisters her own size!

I thought Middie was a bit odd when she was first announced. I mean, she had no eye mechanism (like the larger Blythe size, anyways)! No pull string, no four sets of eyes. For the most part, Petites were tolerated for not having those key features because her head was so tiny. But Middie? Why not have an eye mechanism? And a wheel? Ugh.

Of course, now I’m all “I really want to get a Middie! Melo looks so cute! I want a Middie! OMG, ALL THE MIDDIES ARE ADORABLE!” Yeah, I’m a convert within the Blythe community.

Since Middie’s debut in late 2010, they’ve been sporadic and mostly limited edition. This didn’t help with Middie’s popularity at all, nor did the fact that they are expensive for what they are. For the cost of a Middie, you could get a Simply Chocolate or Vanilla. For some of the more limited and sought after Middies, they cost more than many types of modern Blythes. But one thing that Blythe has always surpassed Middie in is the amount of shops and crafters that sell Blythe sized items.

I wanted to do a little showcase of some fantastic sellers who craft for Middie, the poor little middle child who’s been so restricted in terms of getting a decent wardrobe! So I selected out shops that carry hats, shirts, carry bags and dresses. Hopefully you’ll find something fun and cute for the Middie in your life!

Shameless Plug by nuwandalice

Super adorable crocheted hats for both Blythe and Middie. My favourite in her shop right now is this cute little piggy hat! My favourite part about the hat is the cut little ears. She also has a Middie-sized bear hat and a striped Middie hat in stock (as of writing).

The Helmet Factory by irulethegalaxy

This shop has both beaded helmets for Blythe and Middie! The neat thing is that the Middie-sized helmets fit Middie, Odeco and Moof – so if you’re a multi-doll collector, this could be great for your favourite dollies! My current favourite that it’s in stock has the neat ‘frosted’ rainbow beads!

ericaduh by ericaduh

Now that we have your Middie’s head covered, it’s time to look at the rest of her! ericaduh makes super adorable tops in various sizes. She crafts for Blythe as well as Middie and Odeco. Yes, if you see that she has Odeco tops in stock, those fit Middie as well!

SewPixie by SewPixie Designs

I love my Neo-sized carry bags by SewPixie, but did you know that she also makes Middie carry bags? She does! SewPixie also carries Petite bags and does custom orders. I love both the simplicity in the look of the carry bags and the elegance in the design. The carry bags keep your dolls protected in a lightly padded bag without too much added bulk.

StitchWhipped by SwitchWhipped

Adorable doesn’t begin to cover the cute little dresses over at StitchWhipped. Not only does the shop carry dresses for Blythe and Middie, but also Petite! There are both dresses and skirts in Middie sized, but I wanted to showcase that covers all of the doll and I think it’d go great with the piggy hat featured above! My favourite was a little piggy Middie dress.