Holiday Train Show

 Trip with Thomas to the New York Botanical Garden 

I went to see the annual Holiday Train Show with my family for the first time two years ago. The conservatory was under construction, and the show was in a tent built for housing it. We were impressed by its beauty and extremely impressive craftsmanship. 

This year it is back in the conservatory again, and it is even more impressive! It is also the show's 30th anniversary. There are more than 175 of the city's iconic historical buildings and bridges displayed between the plants. They are created using natural materials from the garden. The model trains and trolleys are bustling and whistling on tracks between buildings and across the bridges. Every year the creators add new buildings to the exhibition. It is quite spectacular! 

I took my camera and Thomas. It was a little crowded and difficult to take pictures with the doll and camera, but I managed to take a few good ones. Also, it was funny how many people talked to me during this trip because I had a doll in my arms. Some thought it was a baby, some said they had this doll in their childhood and it is somewhere in the basement. Some were interested to see how the pictures with the doll came out. And I am almost certain I saw someone secretly taking pictures of me taking pictures of the doll! I guess we attracted a lot of attention :)

Very interested in the models.

I was trying to catch the Thomas train with Thomas :) 

Above is one of the new buildings added to the collection this year.

Then we went to the shop. There were a lot of nice gifts, and even trains there as well!

Thomas was very interested in the trains in the shop. 

Of course he returned home with a gift. :)

Transformation into Toddler

Meet Jonatan!

A while ago I started to think I might want a toddler doll. I had learned that there exist toddlers and wobblers, and I was really interested in them.
Some people unbend Sasha baby legs, and others attach other dolls' legs to create a standing toddler.

Because there are not a lot of toddlers around and ones that are on the market are out of my reach. I started looking for a pair of legs that could fit a baby Sasha doll well. I had a good feeling about using a 13'' Effanbee reproduction doll. 

However, I wasn't sure. I found a 13" Patsy reproduction doll on eBay for a good price and bought it just to compare them and see if my feeling was right.

                                          

Here they are together. It seemed like a good idea. However, I didn't want to take this lovely doll's legs away from her. That would be kind of cruel, as she is a very pretty and complete doll that just needed restringing! She came with two dresses and her original shoes.

I start searching again for doll parts, and got lucky. I found this pair of legs from a 13" Skippy Effanbee reproduction boy in a lot with dolls parts.

When the doll parts arrived, I was very happy. They were in good condition. They are slightly lighter and shinier than the Sasha boy's legs (comparison below). Nevertheless, they are vinyl and the difference isn't that important to me, considering that they fit well. I was also happy to learn that the Effanbee dolls have similar stringing inside, and the legs are connected by hooks. 

Then there was a dilemma. I have five baby dolls. Who will suddenly grow up? After thinking for a while I decided that my first doll, Telesyk, would get the privilege to walk around and see the world from a new perspective. I am not sure how other dolls will take it. :)

Yesterday, I finally got the courage to do the restringing.

One good thing is that the new legs have the same shoe size and flat feet!

Here you can see that the hooks on the legs are very similar to the Sasha hooks.

I've restrung one Sasha baby doll before. This time wasn't much easier than the first time - I was hoping it would be. The last time I used a loop of cord with a circumference of 3 cm (measure after tying) for the arms. However, it looked so tiny that it took me three attempts to get it right.

It was even more difficult to adjust the legs to the correct tightness. Here my baby is sitting after my first attempt. The legs were too loose. With regular baby legs, I use a cord with a 15 cm circumference. But these legs are different and their hooks are longer.

It took me five attempts to finally manage good tension. Instead of 15 cm I made it around 5-6 cm. 

Here he is, standing all on his own!

The tension is good. He can pose, sit, and stand. I am very happy with the results! The legs look right to me; not too bulky and they fit the sockets just right. Also the leg length is around 6.5''. The Effanbee doll was created to be a three year old child. So I guess the shape looks right too.

I don't mind the difference in color. I will probably dress him in longer pants or a pair of shorts.

But I am very very happy with the results.

Now the name. The doll was called Telesyk from the beginning, after Ivasyk Telesyk from a Ukrainian fairytale. It is difficult to pronounce in English. I am not changing the name, just giving him an English name as well. It's sort of the counterpart of his name: Ivasyk comes from Ivan, which is why I choose Jonatan.

Borrowed overalls :) He will need new clothes. The baby-sized overalls are a little too snug. It really is good that all of the baby shoes still fit well. I am working on a new sweater and pants for him! 

He is a big boy now and wants to go to see the trains at the holiday train show, like he heard about from his brother Thomas!

A lot of confusion on the shelf.

He promises to be a good big brother. :)