Salvaging Mrs. Beasley
I ended up with two Mrs. Beasley dolls while I was in Florida. One was in pretty bad shape and my husband wasn't sure he could fix her talking box but the other one was pretty good. He was able to actually fix both talking boxes but the worn out Mrs. Beasley really needed fixing. I looked high and low for the blue polka dotted material to remake her body and clothing, but I wasn't able to find an exact match. While in Disney World, my husband came up with the idea of dressing her like Minnie Mouse. That idea took hold and, once I got back to Canada, I set about doing just that.
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| My two Mrs. Beasley dolls are enjoying their refreshed looks. |
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| The plush Minnie Mouse at Disney World that inspired it all. |
I needed a bit more detail for my creation so I downloaded some photos from the internet to give me some better details on how Minnie's dress and shoes looked. If you look closely, this one is showing off her little bloomers.
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| Minnie Mouse frontal view. |
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| Minnie Mouse back view. |
I wanted to have Mrs. Beasley wear the Minnie Mouse ears headband. These are very popular in Disney World and many people wear them during their visits.
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| Detailed picture of Mouse ears headband. |
Recap on Mrs. Beasley's Condition
These photos show most of poor Mrs. Beasleys damages.
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| Mrs. Beasley has seen better days. She's over 50 years old. |
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| Her one foot had already been poorly repaired. |
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| Her arms had opened seams and the material was kind of rotten. |
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| Despite it all, she still managed to keep smiling! |
Making Mrs. Beasley a new body
I first made a pattern for her new body using parchment paper. It's a bit slippery to use this kind of paper, but it's see-through and that helped me.
I used a thick black T-shirt that I never wore for the body material because it was stretchy. I knew I'd have trouble pulling the skin tight body suit over her big hands and feet. I sewed the shoulders by hand, after it was on her, and I sewed the little flaps over the shoes by hand as well.
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| New black body frontal view. |
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| New black body back view. |
I made it with a union suit type flap where the backside could be exposed. I needed an opening to install the voice box.
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| Opening for voice box. |
By making the little flap separate from the back and legs, I was able to fit it so that Mrs. Beasley could bend well to sit up.
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| The separate flap on the seat allows Mrs. Beasley to bend well to sit up. |
After sewing the shoulders, I tucked in the neckline and sewed it right to the original material. Because the old material was so old and rotten, I also sewed in a thick thread that I pulled really tight around her neck to hold it on securely. I did the same for around the hands.
I got lucky in that it was only the top of her feet that were damaged. I extended the black part of her legs down further similar to how Minnie Mouse's high heeled feet look and top stitched the black right onto the existing Mrs. Beasley feet.
Again, little Mrs. Beasley is smiling through the whole process.
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| With just the black part of the outfit made; Mrs. Beasley looks a bit Ninja like. LOL! |
Making the Bloomers
I used an old white shirt for the material to make the bloomers. I made them to be about 2 inches wider than Mrs. Beasley's torso and legs. To note, once I put on the black outfit, Mrs. Beasley got fatter by 1 inch! (So my first attempt at the bloomers were too small for her.) This is my second try at this.
I used a tutorial from the internet for the shorts pattern itself and just adjusted it to fit Mrs. Beasley's bottom.
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| I made a little button hole for the string. Remember, my Mrs. Beasley now talks! |
Making the Dress
The red material with white polka dots is the only thing I had to buy to make this project. I got one meter of this material and I have about half of it left over. The white parts are from the same blouse I had used for the bloomers. I made a pattern for the dress skirt by measuring how long I wanted the skirt to be and making a half circle on the folded fabric, giving me a full circle once it was cut out. I then cut an oval in the middle so that it fit around Mrs. Beasley's waist.
I had so much trouble trying to make a collar with lots of bubbles at the bottom that I ended up just making a little Peter Pan collar instead.
It was tough, but I managed to make the collar fit well at the back too.
The puffy sleeves were a challenge because it was tough to fit such a small armhole under the sewing machine needle. I top stiched and gathered the top and bottom part of the sleeve and then I put the white trim on before attaching the top part of the sleeve to the dress.
I didn't hem the skirt until I measured the length against the bloomers. I wanted to make sure it was short enough to show the bottom of the bloomers but not too short so that her bottom showed.
Making the Mouse Ears Headband
For the headband, I used the thing that watches are held on when you buy them in a display box. I had to cut it in half, but it was a good size for Mrs. Beasley's little head. I covered it with black felt. I made the ears but sewing circles made of felt and turning them around inside out so the edges were hidden. I used floral wire to keep them stiff and I glued that in with Aleene's Tacky Glue. I held it all together with clips until the glue dried. The bow was made with a scrap of the red with white polka dot material stuffed with quilting stuffing.
Adding Zigzag Lace to the Bloomers and Collar
I had really wanted a sculpted look to the bottom of the bloomers and the collar of the dress but I just didn't know how to do it. I had given up and was just going to keep them plain when I came across some white zigzag lace in my sewing stash. I added it to the bottom of the bloomers and the collar and I really like the effect it gives.
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| Zigzag lace on the bottom of the bloomers. |
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| It was hard to sew this onto the dress, but it came out okay with a little ironing. |
I put little bows on her shoes. I was pretty happy with the way her feet looked. Especially since I didn't need to replace them. I glued the bows on with Aleene's Tacky Glue. I just didn't want to test the old fabric the original yellow shoes were made of.
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| Front view of finished Minnie Beasley |
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| Back view of Minnie Beasley |
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| The two Beasleys hanging out. |
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| I think I'll keep them in my living room for a while. I love how they look. Not sure if I'm going to get new glasses for my Minnie Beasley or not. |
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I used a thick black T-shirt that I never wore for the body material because it was stretchy. I knew I'd have trouble pulling the skin tight body suit over her big hands and feet. I sewed the shoulders by hand, after it was on her, and I sewed the little flaps over the shoes by hand as well.
I got lucky in that it was only the top of her feet that were damaged. I extended the black part of her legs down further similar to how Minnie Mouse's high heeled feet look and top stitched the black right onto the existing Mrs. Beasley feet. 
Again, little Mrs. Beasley is smiling through the whole process.
I had so much trouble trying to make a collar with lots of bubbles at the bottom that I ended up just making a little Peter Pan collar instead. 
It was tough, but I managed to make the collar fit well at the back too. 
The puffy sleeves were a challenge because it was tough to fit such a small armhole under the sewing machine needle. I top stiched and gathered the top and bottom part of the sleeve and then I put the white trim on before attaching the top part of the sleeve to the dress. 
I didn't hem the skirt until I measured the length against the bloomers. I wanted to make sure it was short enough to show the bottom of the bloomers but not too short so that her bottom showed.
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