My CYO experience, and what's changed since then

 

My beautiful CYO Alexandria!

Today I'm going to share my experience creating and ordering my CYO. This is Alexandria, my CYO, and I ordered her in 2018 as a birthday present. This was about a year after the CYO line debuted and she took about 4 months to come. This is because something was backordered, although I can't remember what. 

Alexandria is the Jess face mold (C face mold) with grey eyes, freckles and super short pixie-cut blonde hair. She has a hearing aid piercing on her left ear and her ears are pierced for earrings as well. 

For Alexandria, I selected the Let's play meet outfit and Let's create accessories I. I wanted the Let's explore meet outfit but it was out of stock at the time and it didn't come back into stock for a looooong while. I did eventually order that outfit and accessory set separately (which I have a tutorial on how to do here) for a total of $60. Alexandria cost $200, but my mom had $10 of AG rewards, so the total was $190 and it still qualified for free shipping because it was a CYO order and over $100. 

Let's Create Accessories I, now retired

Let's Play Outfit, now retired

I also got a free design-your-own t-shirt code! The shipping on the T-shirt was free too, and I eventually designed the t-shirt you see in the photo of Alexandria that says "Deaf not Dumb" underneath a rainbow logo. The t-shirt is available in the "design" right-hand section of the CYO website and you enter a code at checkout after designing the t-shirt and the it becomes entirely free.

With Alexandria I also got a 6-month subscription to American Girl Magazine. At the time the magazine was still being published, but I already had a subscription to the magazine so I held onto the card for a while hoping to use it when it came time to renew. Well, the magazine was discontinued before that. So, I heard through the AG community that there were two options to still use the offer, either a subscription to National Geographic magazine or a design-by-me book. However, nothing was directly offered to me so I e-mailed AG customer service and asked if anything was available because I had not used my subscription voucher. I got a free design-by-me book shipped to me for free! Now of course you can't do this because the magazine vouchers are no longer distributed, but it was a great example of how good AG customer service is. They didn't do anything to verify that I had actually purchased a CYO so I don't know exactly how many people went and sought out the substitutes for the AG Magazine Subscription. 

I also got a plain blue headband because I selected the "headband" option in the hairstyle section. Make sure to do this because it gets you a free doll headband and it's not super obvious!

I also got the braces stickers which are the same ones that come with the Healthy Smile Set. 

For further information on CYO dolls, here is the American Girl Wikia article

AG never added the dark blue glasses to the CYO, and sadly there are no options for "boy" items like the dark blue glasses or boy face molds and hair, I really hope AG considers adding these in the future. The "girl" glasses that get released are added to the CYO site usually after a few months of being out. 

My doll came with ears pierced but I don't think it comes with the basic stud set.

Is it worth it? This question has varying answers. The doll is $200. A TM doll with the meet outfit accessories, hearing aids, glasses, and pierced ears costs $175 and qualifies for free shipping. Things that don't come with just a TM doll are the free one of a kind t-shirt, braces stickers, and the extra headband with the "headband" hairstyle option. If you want a unique doll that isn't offered through the TM line, it's worth it. If you want a TM designed doll, there isn't necessarily a ton of extra stuff that makes CYO technically have more retail value than a TM doll with all of the add-ons. I think it really depends on what your goal is. Have you never had a TM doll that looks like you at all? Do you want a white Addy mold or a super unique combination AG would never create? Then a CYO doll is worth it, totally. If your CYO doll design looks really similar to a TM, consider getting the TM and then customizing it. Adding freckles with paint is simple, doing an eye swap is more complicated but there are ways to have other people do it for you. In summary, most of what you're paying for in CYO is the unique, one of a kind doll you create. Whether or not it's worth it then is up to you. 

** Side Note** There's an option in the CYO bottom right hand corner for "personality" where you can add your doll's name, fave thing, fave place and pet pal. The place, thing and pet pal don't matter and do absolutely nothing BUT whatever you put as the doll's name will show up as that doll's name when the doll is in your saved creations. I believe it asks you to name your doll when you check out though, so the process isn't necessary, but if you have several doll creations saved it can be nice to be able to "name" them by putting something in the "doll's name" section. 

Quick tips and tricks to get the most out of AG Rewards

 Fans rejoiced when, in June of 2016, American Girl finally launched their own loyalty program, AG Rewards. Many other toy brands with a similar model to American Girl, such as Build a bear with their Build a Bear Bonus Club, had already had loyalty programs for years, and fans were happy that they finally got their own loyalty program for their favorite brand. The program has been quite a success, with the perks ranging from sneak peeks to upper-tier level events. 

However, most of us aren't rich, and we don't spend money at AG enough to reach their gold or berry tier and actually receive any of those perks. There are, however, ways to get free stuff and perks from AG Rewards just as a silver member. 

1. Any money you spend on AG, spend at AG.

Tip #1 starts with where you buy your AG stuff. Most collectors are looking to spend their money on now-retired items and look to secondhand marketplaces first instead of AG. However, consider purchasing items that are still available from American Girl directly through American Girl to get those rewards points. Books are a great thing to buy from American Girl, they go on sale often! (side note, shipping/tax doesn't count towards rewards points) Still, if you're wanting to buy an item that's still available from American Girl, why not have your money go to your rewards account and not just to barnes and noble or other stores. At the silver tier, which most of us will stay on, $1=1 point, and for every 200 points you earn (a.k.a. every $200 you spend) you get a free $10 reward. Spend another $200, get another $10 reward, and these rewards stack if you spend say $400. Of course, most of us won't get there. However, also consider....

2. Christmas

Christmas is going to be the time where you're likely to rack up the most points. Getting even a $100 item can give you a big boost to earning enough points for a rewards certificate. Make sure that you or anyone purchasing AG items for you, if those items are still available through American Girl, purchases those items through your personal account on their website. 

3. Bonus points and the Mailing list

Is the AG Rewards mailing list a lot of marketing e-mails? Yes, but occasionally those e-mails will include ways to earn bonus points! It could be 10 points for watching a video or 5 points for answering a survey question. These points do eventually go through, and throughout the year they can add up! The mailing list can also be useful because all AG Rewards members get some sneak peaks of new products before they launch. I earned 135 points just by doing the little things through their e-mails and answering their survey questions. I can't find any survey questions currently but it's simple things like which doll you like the best or what's the coolest thing about the summer?

4. Use your rewards wisely

Rewards come in $10 certificates. If the item you choose to purchase is $10 or under, it will be shipped for free! Certain items like Shoes, glasses and earrings are exactly $10, and it's awesome to receive a free pair of doll shoes! You can also save up rewards certificates for discounts off of bigger items like a doll or large playset or accessory set. 

Is it possible to Insure an American Girl collection?

Every American Girl collector knows how precious American Girl products are. The dolls are incredibly expensive, and their furniture, clothing, and accessories are retired so fast that most of the things in our collections will eventually become discontinued. However, life happens, and our collections are vulnerable to fires, floods, and other disasters that could potentially damage a retired item beyond repair. Having insurance allows homes and cars to be replaced, but does it allow for the replacement of any American Girl products? The way homeowners insurance works for collectibles can be really complicated, but here I will endeavor to explain what insurance can and can't do for your American Girl collection. 

The good news is that you're not at all crazy for wanting to insure your American Girl collection. There are many other collectors of different things that also want to insure their collections of antiques, hot wheels, books, or whatever else they might be passionate about. 

Homeowner's insurance in general provides some compensation for personal property. However, this compensation is often limited, and if you have a lot of American Girl items, especially items that are retired and very high in value, you could add an "endorsement" or an "insurance floater" to your homeowner's insurance policy. 

The reason this question is so difficult to answer specifically is that every policy is different, so ultimately the best answers will come directly from your insurance agent/company. 

To get the most coverage, it is generally advised to know what you have and how much it's worth. Of course we are all aware of how many dolls we have. But do you know how many outfits you have? Accessories? Do you know the value of all your doll furniture? It can be a daunting task, but it is advisable to occasionally go through and make note of these things. Even if you have a large amount like 100+, counting them is certainly worth your time. Make note of what dolls are retired and which ones will be the hardest to replace. 

From what I have seen surface in my years within the AG collecting community, American Girl is willing to replace items that are still available when approached by insurance agencies. For example, if you have a truly me doll that is still in production that gets destroyed in a fire, there is a good chance you will be able to get a new replacement. However, as American Girl retires so many items so fast, monetary compensation from the insurance agency is likely the best thing you can get if your items are retired. 

Unfortunately for us collectors, that is many of our items. The best steps we can then take are to safeguard our collections and know how much things are worth (or, think of it as how much money would you want to be able to replace the item?). Don't keep your dolls in an area that might potentially harm them. For example, if they're in a box, keep that box off of the ground in a place where flooding isn't likely to affect it. We sometimes ask each other what doll you would save if you had to save only one in a fire, but that might be a question worth answering. 

Your dolls are precious, and as much as we hate to think about what would happen if disaster struck, it happens all the time. So, take note of your collection. You don't have to do everything at once, but from time to time work on building up a document you can hand to an insurance agent in the event your collection is harmed. There's a good chance you won't be able to replace everything, but taking steps like these can ensure that you have some sort of compensation for anything lost in the event of a disaster. 

Tips and Tricks for Sewing Amazing 18" doll Clothes

 I have been sewing clothing for my American Girl Dolls for about 8 or 9 years. My American Girl Dolls are actually what got me into learning how to sew and one of the first things I made on a sewing machine was a pair of pants for my dolls. From there, I've gained many skills and I now create lots of historical garments, which I post after their creation on reddit.com/r/americangirl. From my experience, I have gained valuable experience on what makes good doll clothing, and I would like to give some tips and tricks to anyone sewing for 18" dolls, whether you are a beginner sewer or a grandmother looking to make something for your grandchild, or a collector who wants to explore fashion history, here are some tips on making doll clothes that you'll love for a very long time.

1. The first thing one should know about sewing for 18" dolls is that patterns are scaled very differently on them than on humans. Polka dots are the best example of this. Some polka dot patterns include super large polka dots, and if those super large polka dots are used to make something very small, the result can look really strange. On the other hand, sometimes a pattern may look regularly or even smaller sized on something scaled to humans, but it can be used creatively on dolls. Observe:

This plaid happens to be a great scale for this jumper.

The scale on trims should also be taken into account. The design on this trim is very small so it works well with 18" dolls, but anything larger may look strange.

The dress on the left is an example of how an oversized pattern can be creatively used in a piece of doll clothing. If I had made a different type of dress that was not a large, elaborate ballgown, it may have looked strange because of how huge the flowers are compared to the doll. 

Pattern scale can be used in creative ways, and ultimately you have the power over your own creations. However, being aware of scale allows you to be creative and makes your doll clothing look much better. Larger scale patterns can still be used to create items for dolls like pillows, mattresses and more, just like scale is used in the human world.

2. The MOST important thing you should do when sewing amazing 18" doll clothes is to sew put effort and quality into your work. Even on the simplest projects, if you do not put in much effort you will not get fantastic results. This means clipping curves and corners, ironing when possible, making a strong effort to have all of your stitching lines and hems as straight as possible, and taking your time when you are making something. 

This dress looks okay in this photo, but in the back nothing matches up and you can see the white velcro stick out from the side of the dress. I was so excited to make this that I didn't take the time necessary to make this dress something I would want to put on my dolls frequently. As a result, it doesn't get much use. This was made in 2017.

Here is something I made recently in 2020, I consider this outfit to be 95% perfect, meaning that the only obvious flaws are only noticeable by me or any other professional seamstress. I LOVE this outfit, and I kept it on my doll all the way until I made another ensemble to dress her in. 

You will know when you've put in enough effort to something when you want to keep it on your doll, or keep using whatever you've made for your doll. Putting in effort to something is so much more valuable than making something crazy. Even if you're only making a doll pillow or a simple blanket, you should put as much effort as possible into those projects because they will be things you are proud of and continue to use, instead of things that get tossed aside once they're not on or being played with anymore. Of course, you won't begin by making perfect things, you will begin by making things that are okay, but for as much as it is necessary to strive for perfection and effort in your work, it is also okay to make something bad and put it in the scrap bin for later. Still, even in the beginning, straight lines and effort alone can make a project incredible when nothing else does.

3. I sew exclusively for American Girl Dolls. However, there are many brands of 18" dolls and each brand is slightly different in their body sizes. American Girl and Pleasant Company have both produced patterns that I have sewn with, however, it is important to make mock-ups and measure carefully if you are using any patterns other than those that were produced by your doll's manufacturer. For American Girl Dolls, this means making a mock-up and noting any fit differences if you are using something besides patterns from Pleasant Company or Mattel. My grandmother once made me a set of Doll pajamas. The bottoms fit perfectly, but the top was way too tight and too small because my grandmother was using an off-brand pattern and she didn't have a doll to try the garment on as she made it. Speaking of trying things on, try them on! Just like with creating human clothing, when making doll clothing be sure to try things on before sewing important seams, you might just save yourself from a grave mistake. When you are using patterns from the doll's manufacturer, this may not be as necessary, but depending on what garment you are making and what fabric you are using, the fit could at any moment be compromised. Especially, though, if you are using an off-brand pattern, or a free pattern on the internet, make sure it fits! If you're a grandmother or other family member sewing for a child in your life, try to work on the project while they are visiting and have them bring their doll as much as possible. You could even consider finding a TLC doll (Tender Loving Care, or dolls that need their hair or body fixed or cleaned in some way) to fit clothing on, but this can be a more expensive solution. 

I made this item without a pattern, but it still fits very poorly.

This item fits very well because I tried it on as I was making it and I used a Pleasant Company pattern (pleasant company Addy's School Blouse). 

Of course, have fun! Making your own doll clothes can be an awesome experience, you got new clothes for free (technically) and you have infinite possibilities on how it looks! Making your own doll clothes can also lead you into studying fashion history or being able to re-create the latest met gala looks as is on trend right now. 

If you would like to see more of my personal creations, watch reddit.com/r/americangirl 

Expanded Use of Pleasant Company 1991/92 Clothing Patterns

 1774, 1824, 1854, 1864, 1904, 1944. These are the time periods and iconic styles of the 6 original American Girls. Each of these girls has a collection of sewing patterns which includes not only some of their outfits, but also undergarments and basic accessories. When we look think about clothing through history though, changes in it aren't immediate, they take time. People also wear similar garments, even with slight variations, within the same time period. It is because of this gradual change that the original clothing patterns from Pleasant Company can be expanded upon to provide garments specific to additional characters/dolls created long after 1991/92. Here is a full list of other items you can make with the patterns that were released:

Felicity's Pretty Clothes

The shift can and should also be made for Elizabeth

Felicity's ballgown is a nice launching pattern to create Elizabeth's gown as well as other gowns in Felicity and Elizabeth's series. 

The mob-eared cap pattern is also highly versatile, as the ribbon color is up to the sewer to decide and the mob cap was worn by everyone. 

The handkerchief is super easy to make, and many extra handkerchiefs never hurt anyone, you could also do whatever you wanted to the handkerchief, as the pattern is only a square of cotton. You could embroider and make almost every historical character's handkerchief by hand if you so desire. 

Josefina's Pretty Clothes

Josefina's pretty clothes are less versatile to other time periods, however they are extremely versatile to her collection. There are two different skirt patterns included, and with those patterns you could make almost every skirt in her collection depending on the fabrics and trims used. Josefina's basic camisa pattern can also be altered and the lace changed to whatever other outfit you might be recreating. 

Additionally, I did once see someone modify Josefina's christmas dress into a dress for Felicity by not using the puffy part of the sleeves. I intend to try this one day and will post the results on r/americangirl.

Kirsten's pretty clothes

Kirsten's pretty clothes, like Josefina's, are more versatile within her collection than outside of it. Specifically, Kirsten's school dress is the exact same pattern as her meet dress, and could be transferred to many other outfits outside of it. You could leave the neck band out for a different look, and make further alterations for additional outfits. 

There is one item, however, that is the most versatile pattern available, and that is Kirsten's pantalettes. Every character from Addy to Kirsten to Marie-Grace and Cécile, they all wear pantalettes. The sewing pattern is easy up until the elastic attachment, and you can even forgo that step because adding elastic instead of a drawstring of some kind is a historical liberty taken so that little hands can easily handle the items. Seriously, though, Kirsten's pantalettes pattern can make almost any pantalettes you can imagine.

Addy's Pretty Clothes

Addy's pretty clothes are interesting in that they are definitely closer to Marie-Grace and Cécile's style than Kirsten's, despite the fact that they come about a decade after them. I attribute this to regional differences in style at the time. Kirsten was a pioneer living up in Minnesota while Marie-Grace and Cécile were from New Orleans in the south. In today's world, through globalization, everyone is very connected and trends spread faster than ever all around the world. However, in the 1850s/1860s, distance was a much larger barrier to the spread of fashion trends, so it was common to have vast regional differences like those seen between Kirsten and Addy/Marie-grace and Cécile. The close proximity of Marie-grace and Cécile's style to Addy's was even proven when American Girl put Marie-Grace and Cécile's crinoline and chemise into Addy's collection. 

Addy's patterns may not directly translate to the Marie-Grace and Cécile collection of your dreams. However, Modifying the patterns and creating a similar Jacket, skirt and blouse combo for Marie-Grace and Cécile is something I look forward to doing in the future. 

Samantha's Pretty Clothes

Within Samantha's collection there are some versatile items and others not so versatile. Samantha's muff, for example, could be exactly the same as Molly's muff from her skating outfit. However, with respect to Nellie, most of Samantha's clothing, at least within the pattern collection, translates over well. The only casual type outfit is Samantha's birthday dress, which doesn't really fit with anything from Nellie's collection. This is most likely because Samantha's clothes included in the pattern represent some of her most luxurious outfits, and they also represent outfits that aren't likely to be casual or very useful across different time periods. Still though, a fur cap and muff are nearly timeless accessories. 

Molly's Pretty Clothes

The most important outfit in Molly's pretty clothes is Molly's birthday outfit. This is because in "Happy Birthday Molly", Molly and Emily decide to have a tea party birthday and wear matching dresses like the princesses in England. Mrs.McIntire makes the girls matching dresses and, after some drama and a few quarrels, things are resolved and the girls celebrate Molly's birthday together in their dresses. So, technically, Molly's birthday outfit is Emily's "birthday" outfit (note: Molly and Emily have different birthdays with Molly's being in April and Emily's in September). So, technically, to have a FULL Molly and Emily collection, Emily needs a birthday dress. Now you could simply buy a second birthday dress, at least up until 2013, which I didn't do, so this pattern is a lifesaver. (You could also still buy a second birthday dress on Ebay or elsewhere today but that's not as much fun right?) I plan to make this very far into the future, simply because it is complicated and I am focusing on many other garments at the moment, but the birthday outfit is a piece very central to Molly's birthday storyline and one I am very happy to have access to a pattern for. 

The two other most useful pieces in Molly's pretty clothes are Molly's school jumper and blouse as well as Molly's pajamas. Molly's school jumper is useful in that it can be made out of a variety of materials, which will work well for any of you with Linda and Susan dolls out there. Of course the girls didn't wear jumpers to school everyday, there was variety, but it makes for a nice utility to the pattern. Then, Molly's pajamas could easily be modified to make Emily's pajamas. The pants are exactly the same, just with different fabric, and replacing the top collar with a peter pan collar might take a little fiddling but everything will work out, and you don't have to make the tie and can then add more buttons and trim the sleeves in the same lace as the collar to create Emily's Pajamas. 

Fashion changes, but the old stuff doesn't just disappear, it lingers around in grandmas' closets and gets pushed into the charity shops for other people to find (this is actually oversimplified and most old clothing tends to end up in the landfill but this blogpost isn't about that and I don't have time to go into the issue here). Trends come and go, and some even resurface. The history of fashion might be linear, but the reality of what clothes people wear isn't necessarily the same. So go ahead and have your dolls time travel, experience the making of some of these pieces. When you do, think about the similarities and differences between pieces of different collections, and how exactly those pieces might have changed over time, because that is true historical analysis taught through the American Girls Collection.