Threads of the Past: Samantha Parkington




For the past decade, I've wanted to sew for 18" Dolls, even though I didn't have any. Life got busy, and my sewing dreams were put on hold. My mind is constantly filled with endless ideas for doll outfits, from 11.5" fashion dolls to Cabbage Patch to 18" dolls.
Last year, I finally took the plunge and bought my first AG doll, Nicki Hoffman. I chose her because of her straight hair, thinking it would be easy to maintain. Initially, I only intended to use her for business purposes, but then I found myself swept up in the world of 18" dolls.  Before I knew it, my collection grew and I realized I'd gone a bit overboard! I ended up selling most of them.

Samantha Parkington's surprise return to the market after being retired was too tempting to resist, and I ended up bringing her home. As I awaited her arrival, I read
 reviews and was expecting to be disappointed. When she arrived, I was SO HAPPY with Samantha and I LOVE the new book! It is everything I was hoping it would be and more!  I have a flip-through of it on youtube.  Reviews say the dress is thin. It’s taffeta. Taffeta is supposed to be thin. It’s not like cotton. But it’s not as thin as I was expecting. It’s a good quality. Her eyes are absolutely stunning. 

Her arrival sparked an obsession, however. Her story takes place in 1904, so I dove headfirst into researching early 1900s clothing, and I'm excited to share my journey with you.

From the Sears Catalog, issue 112 from Fall 1902, I found a page of girls dresses for inspiration.


As a side note, it's interesting that these elegant dresses cost only about $1-$3. Since wages averaged 22 cents an hour, it would have taken one to three days worth of work to buy one dress.

Girls' fashion during the Edwardian era featured puffed sleeves, gathered bodices, large ornate collars with high necklines, and full skirts with plaids, stripes, or solids. Dresses were made from cotton, linen, muslin, or wool. Spring collections showcased delicate pastel shades, whites, creams, and light blues and lavenders, while fall collections featured richer, earthier tones like red, blue, green, and brown. Many dresses were adorned with intricate lace, embroidery, or beading, adding a touch of elegance to these charming outfits.

Here’s another archive I found from the Boston Store 1903 Spring and Summer Catalog.

There are countless ideas that I have found on archive.org. One of which came to me with Samantha's book! It says on page 12 that the inspiration for Sam’s school dress came from a woman’s magazine called π™π™π™š π˜Ώπ™šπ™‘π™žπ™£π™šπ™–π™©π™€π™§. So I looked it up on archive.org and sure enough, it’s there. The December 1903 issue even has an illustration on the cover that looks a lot like Sam. Unfortunately many of the issues are of the cover only. But there are a few that have the full magazine, loaded with drawings. I’m really not sure how to get out of this rabbit hole. Every time I turn around, something pulls me in deeper.

Researching and planning Samantha's outfit, hers was supposed to be my first 18” doll outfit. However, since I had been working on Peaches and Cream Cabbage Patch outfits, I went ahead and made one for American Girl dolls. Working on orders, I hadn’t been able to get to Sam’s outfit yet.  And now with my move underway, I’m not sure when I will get to it.

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