Yes,
it's me with my mom who helps me with some of the sewing! Now you can put a
face with your seamstresses!
A little history of my doll clothes making experience.
About 25 years ago, I started to collect what is now known as vintage Barbie dolls. The only ones I could afford were ones that either weren't dressed or had horrible-looking outfits. So I set out to learn to sew for my little collection. I found out that this was something I was really good at and enjoyed.
A local woman who had just started a doll clothes business let me sew for her on a consignment basis. The fact that she even thought my work was good enough to sell at her shows gave me the confidence to start selling it on my own. I'll never forget her for giving me that chance.
Little by little I made and sold different kinds of Barbie doll clothes or outfits. I had a good following where I worked and got orders all the time.
I started doing a couple yearly craft shows about 1986 and included just a few items and even some Ken doll clothes along with some other crafts I did. In 1992, I started a regular schedule of craft shows after we moved to where I live now. I finally was able, since I was now home with a 2-year old, to get enough stock sewn that I displayed mostly Barbie doll and Barbie friends outfits and a much smaller percentage of regular craft items.
In 1998, my hobby-selling turned into the business it is now with taxes and expenses and all that wonderful stuff. I'd sold a few Barbie doll clothes on eBay and thought it was time to look into a website to sell and display my items and hopefully link to my eBay About Me and auction page .
Now that 2-year-old is my college-bound fashion consultant, having served as clothes tester from age 3-8. She definitely lets me know if something looks like it's sellable!
When you purchase Barbie Doll Clothes, Ken Clothes or any handmade fashion doll clothes from me, you can be assured that they are made in small batches by my own two hands or my mother's hands. I do not sub out any of my work unless it is to my mother, and I would never consider having it manufactured.
Competitors can boast lower prices and gigantic selections, but remember the old saying "You get what you pay for." If you think of my store as more of a boutique at the mall, you'll come to appreciate the fact that I have a modest-sized collection, which is growing, along with unique fashions such as this Barbie Wedding Gown . Dare to compare and I think you'll return to my store. Besides, my handmade clothes are definitely NOT outsourced to another country. You are supporting an Ohio based home business right here in the good old USA when you make a purchase from my site.
Thanks for taking the time to read about my company. I hope to count you among my customers some day. There is always room for more happy Barbie clothes lovers!
~Tari and Rosemary
Tari Hann, owner
Barbee & Friends Doll Clothes
Mt. Sterling OH
Proud to be an American home-based business!
Buy With Confidence
It's my goal to deliver a quality product and have happy customers. Each item of doll clothing is cut and sewn by me
or Mom. You will find quality, durability and consistency in anything you order from Barbee & Friends. Nothing is subbed out to other
countries or seamstresses except my mother--ever. She makes the Ken Tux you
order and also the Graduation Set as well as the small chenille stem
hangers, plus she does various cutting for me when I need help. You can be assured that her quality is the same as mine or better. After all she's the one who taught me all I know about sewing.
I hope your shopping experience will be a positive one. Please click the Got Questions Link if you have any questions.
Bratz Clothes Are Available Here Too!
The newest dolls I'm sewing for now are the popular 10 inch Bratz. Right now my
Bratz Clothes
line is small but like everything else, it's destined to grow and
hopefully include Bratz Boyz and Babyz clothes too. I have already started a new site for American Girl size doll clothes and if you like the beautiful Crissy and Velvet dolls, my mother would be happy to help you out there. I made some Crissy clothes for a happy customer once but regular orders have grown so much that I have turned over any Crissy or Velvet clothing orders to Mom. This is the only special doll that I offer clothes for and you're only going to know if you read this page anyway.
If you're not familiar with the beautiful red-haired Crissy doll from the late 60s and early 70s, you can read about her and the entire Crissy doll family at Kaylee's Korner of Collectible Dolls . That link opens in a new window so you don't have to leave my store, nice huh? While at Kaylee's you can reminisce about your own childhood dolls and look at some pictures of little girls and their dolls through the years. Have fun and don't forget to come back here!
Some exciting news!
Barbee and Friends now has a sister website, that's right! It's called
Kitt's Kloset
and features handmade doll clothes for the 18 inch
American Girl doll. It's fun for me because I collect these beautiful dolls and 1) I get to show off some of my collection by using them as models and 2) I discovered it's a nice break to sew for a bigger doll once in awhile.
I am also planning to add Bitty Baby and Bitty Twin clothes to it. I already
sew for them but just haven't gotten time to put those items on Kitt's yet.
As with Barbee and Friends, Kitt's Kloset features handmade doll clothes made by myself, my mother and a very talented seamstress named Holly who I met through eBay. I became friends with Holly several years ago and have purchased some of her doll clothes for my own dolls. She said she would like to sell her items on my new site along with selling her items on eBay. So when you see her name, you'll know that those particular items will be shipped directly from her. For the moment, I have 2 different carts set up and it would be very helpful if you order, that you order Holly's items in one order and then place a separate order for my items since the clothes are shipping from Ohio or New York.
I also plan to offer accessories for your 18 inch doll as well and possibly a few essentials that are easier for me to purchase wholesale than to make, such as undies, slips or t-shirts come to mind. It will be similar to how I sell the premade Barbie undies as a convenience item for my customers. I hope you'll stop and visit Kitt's Kloset Doll Clothes very soon!
