Gardening Outfit (retired)

[mamared]

Released in 2018, retired in 2019.

Aunt Millie teaches Kit how to grow a vegetable garden in her backyard. When it’s time to tend to the tomatoes, Kit wears this outfit. Includes striped denim overalls with pockets for storing seeds, A cheery floral print shirt that her mother made from a feed-sack, A matching scarf to tie back her hair, Brown work boots with contrast stitching and cord laces.


“Aunt Millie teaches Kit how to grow a vegetable garden in her backyard. When it’s time to tend to the tomatoes, Kit wears this outfit.”

I got this outfit for my Josefina, and I think it looks adorable on her!



There are four separate components to the outfit. Here they are along with AG’s description of each:

1) “Striped denim overalls with pockets for storing seeds” - These are a straight cut with cuffed bottoms.

The fabric is a nice weight, with a simple crossed back and button closures on the front. Here is a picture of the back, and then a close up that shows the metal buttons and button holes:


There are also three pockets on the overalls: the flap pocket on the bib, and the two pockets below the waist. All three pockets are real, not faux (yay!) Because of the real pockets and lovely metal buttons, I give this piece a B+ ... I have to dock it a little because it is a bit snug on my Pleasant Company Josefina; I have no trouble putting it on her, but the fit is a bit snug on her bum which can make sitting down a bit tricky - I’m guessing this may be less of an issue with newer dolls as they are often a little smaller.

2) “A cheery floral print shirt that her mother made from a feed-sack” - I was initially surprised by how bright the floral pattern is, but I love how it looks on my Josefina! It is a cute cut, with 3/4 length cuffed or rolled up sleeves, and three buttons going down the front. These are REAL BUTTONS with finished button holes, and not a stitch of Velcro in sight! Grade: A+

Here’s the front and back of the shirt, along with close ups of the sleeve and front:





3) “A matching scarf to tie back her hair” - This surprised me, as I expected a headband, but it’s really a nice long scarf that can be tied as a headband! It’s about 1 inch wide and 18.5 inches long, and I think it’s super cute! Grade: A+




4) “Brown work boots with contrast stitching and cord laces” - These feel cheap and lightweight and look kind of plastic-y to me, but they do look okay with the outfit. Grade: C





I’m looking forward to seeing more photos of Kit and other dolls in this outfit - I think it’s adorable on Josefina!

[Emma]

The pants look a little short. Can the cuffs be rolled down? The outfit is a little tight, but it looks darling on your Josefina, and it's nice to know that it can go on one of the early dolls. Many thanks for your review.

[mamared]

Emma , it looks like the cuffs are sewn in at the seams, so while they might be able to be rolled down (the fabric is there), it would take some careful snipping and resewing. It looks like they are meant to be a little short, as if they are rolled up for work in the garden.
FWIW, I just tried the overalls on my Kaya, who is also an older doll (from the early 2000s) but smaller than my PC Josefina, and the fit definitely works better - She has no trouble at all sitting down while wearing them!

[mamared]

Not sure if this is the best place to post this - mods, please feel free to move it if not - but I was curious about how the style and fit of Kit’s overalls has differed in the three outfits that have come with them. I thought I’d post a few pics for others who may also be curious.

These are front, side, and back views of the overalls that came with Kit’s Chicken-Keeping Set, her Gardening Outfit, and her Overalls Outfit. (I don’t have Kit so Kaya and the Josefinas are helping out. The two dolls on the left are early or mid 2000s, and the Josefina on the right is one of the larger PC girls).





The Gardening Outfit overalls are definitely more fitted than either of the others. They were quite snug on my PC Josefina, enough so that sitting down was a bit tricky, but at this point I’ve also tried them on other dolls ranging from early 2000s to BeForever, and happily haven’t had the same issue.

[Jamirae]

Wow, those pictures clearly show how skimpy AG has become with fabrics. I agreed the new overalls are NOT generously cut and a bit on the short side in leg length. It would have been a nice touch if they had not be sewn rolled up. But it’s the width dimensions that bugged me the most. Old times overalls were not fashion statements but intended to be loose and comfy, as Kit’s old ones are. But I guess we just have to have the backstory that these are older ones that Kit is beginning to outgrow! I’m sure they kept clothes as long as one could stuff ones body into them in the Depression Days.

Your Josefina in the old overalls is huge!!! Good thing the older clothes are cut generously. All of your dolls are beautiful as are the photos. Thank you for sharing them. Especially the overall comparison. Enlightening!

[sailormolly]

http://instagram.com/p/BsCUbDSADKo

Here's my own picture of all three versions of Kit's overalls on Kit, Ruthie and Sterling. I find it a bit sad that the new Gardening outfit is better quality than the limited edition, super expensive Chicken Keeping outfit.

[cheshie04]

I got this half off in one of the buy 1, get 1 half-off sales. I only got it for completion's sake. But I am pleasantly surprised!

I think it's really cute. I LOVE that there's no velcro! The buttons are real and the headband is just a tie. The boots are just loose enough that they can slip onto Beforever feet.

[omar]

The overalls can be rolled down with careful seam ripping and renewing. The shirt can, as well, but I chose not to, and it's not pictured here.

http://instagram.com/p/Ce_fEcoLxYZ

The overalls are snug enough to fit slim bodied dolls

-Omar

[chernayakoshka]

Shirt: A+

The shirt is made of a light cotton and features elbow-length sleeves with a stitched-up cuff and a bright, floral print. I was initially concerned that the print would be too bright, but the more I look at it, the more it seems to fit the time period. The style of the shirt is simple, but flattering, making for a very practical garment.

It has three REAL buttons that button up the front. These can probably be a little hard for little (or big) fingers, but I’m delighted that AG used real buttons for this instead of Velcro. You have to put it on like you would a human-sized shirt. It looks, feels, and works just like a little button down the front shirt!

I was a little concerned about how it would fit my early 2000s Kit, but it’s not an issue. It’s maybe a little tight, but it’s not particularly noticeable or noteworthy.


Front


Back.

Overalls: A+
A pair of straight-legged, cuffed-hem overalls. They’re made of a sturdy fabric (I couldn’t tell you what kind, but the feel quite durable). The material is blue with white stripes, giving it a grey look. The straps cross in the back. They open and close with real button closures on the straps! The overalls also have two lower pockets and an upper pocket. Like with the shirt, this feels, looks, and works like a doll-sized version of the real thing.

I’ll add that it does have one of those terrible plastic tags stitched into the waistband of the front. I won’t hold it against the outfit, but I wish it wasn’t there.

Also like with the shirt, it fits my early Kit just fine…but there’s no way Kit could have worn her panties with these. They were a little too tight for that.


Overalls. You can see the plastic tag if you look to the right of the waistline.

Scarf: A

This is a piece of fabric made of the same material as the shirt. The common use for it seems to be as a headscarf, though I bet it could also go around the neck. The pattern is on both sides, which I appreciate – makes it feel more like a scrap from the shirt fabric that’s been sewn together. It has an AG tag, but not the huge ones that some of the newer headbands have.


Scarf.

On my Kit, it looks a little awkward. Somewhere between my Kit and the BeForever Kit, the hairstyle changed. The headband makes my Kit’s hair stick out awkwardly on the sides. I think it’s rather endearing, but it’s not quite the look that I expected.


So many stray hairs sticking out.

Boots: A+

Some sturdy work boots for Kit when she works in the garden. They’re appropriately stiff with brown laces and a durable sole. The eyelets are sewn in rather than being metal, but that’s a minor complaint. Aside from that, they look and feel like real work boots.
They were a little difficult to get on my Kit’s feet, but nothing too bad. I’m a little concerned that any wrinkling will mar the fabric.


Boots.

Good Value?

I bought this directly from AG when they were running their Buy One, Get One 50% Off. I think this was my full-priced item from that sale at a retail price of $34, but I was happy to pay it. This is a quality outfit that has all the pieces needed to give Kit and functioning outfit and all the closures to keep this picky AG Collector happy.

Overall: A+

Most of Kit’s BeForever outfits have been a complete miss for me, but I just had to get this one. It encompasses the practicality and simplicity that I loved from Kit’s original collection. I never got her hobo set, so I’m delighted to be able to have an overall set in her collection, especially one as practical as this (and not too girly). It’s a great, functional outfit that doesn’t feel too frilly or inaccurate for Kit as a character or her time period. If you’re going to get anything from the BeForever collection, get this!


Kit, looking for a garden to dig up!