I know a few years ago, whenever I went to buy a sewing pattern for me, I had to fight my way through page after page of 'American Doll' patterns, designed to allow your kid and your kid's doll to have matching outfits.

Back when I was in my doll phase, I sewed my own weird, trippy Barbie doll clothes out of my mom's sewing scraps. I also made Barbie her own custom furniture - it was crude and covered with glue blobs, but it was cost effective. Maybe the whole debate about class differences and elitism hinges on whether you feel the only option is to buy ready-made doll accessories?

Hey, I had fun sewing American Girl doll clothes for my daughters, and I've recently sewn some for my goddaughter. Sometimes they matched the girls' own outfits, such as their school uniforms or flannel nightgowns. Other times, they were their own fashion statements.

For the record, I have never bought a ready-made AG outfit from Pleasant Company. The prices are just ridiculous. And while I did get dolls for my daughters, I only did so after they had read various AG books, and after they had spent many hours playing with the paper doll theatre set that, at the time, cost a mere $11.