Ever since I announced my Mystery Doll Pattern where you can buy a full doll pattern designed by me for only $3 USD, I've been receiving questions regarding how it works. Here are some of the frequently asked questions I've been receiving:
Q: I've paid for my mystery pattern but I haven't received it yet? Where is it?
A: The Mystery Pattern will not be released until October 3, 2012. Anyone who purchases the pattern before the October 3rd release date is getting an extra special, one time only discount of 75% off the paper pattern price. So by pre-ordering the pattern you are saving a lot of money.
Q: Once I've paid for the Mystery Pattern what happens?
A: When you sign up for the Mystery Pattern and I have confirmed payment from you, I will send you an invitation to the Mystery Pattern Yahoo Group. You MUST join the Yahoo Group in order to receive the pattern. The only way I can offer such an amazingly affordable pattern is by using a mass distribution method like Yahoo Groups to send the pattern to each person participating. Sending individual e-mails to each of the participants would take so much of my time that I would have to charge more for the pattern.
Q: I've signed up for the Mystery Pattern and received an e-mail from you but it is blank/has blank attachments. What is going on?
Unless you've written to me asking a specific question, the only e-mail you will receive from me, will be the Yahoo Invitation. Sometimes the security settings on your computer may block the images in the e-mail or send them through as though they were attachments. I have not sent any attachments with your invitation so they won't be anything important.
If however, you are not able to click links in the Yahoo Invitation e-mail in order to join the group, then you can always visit the Yahoo Group by clicking this link and click "Join this group" in the top right hand corner. This will allow you to request membership. Please make sure to tell me what name you used to purchase your Mystery Pattern so I can connect your request to your payment. I can then approve your membership and you're in!
Q: I've signed up for the Mystery Pattern and I haven't received my Yahoo Invitation yet
This could be down to one of two things.
1) If you have chosen to pay via e-cheque (e-check in the US) then it takes several days for your payment to clear. As soon as your payment clears I will send you an invitation.
2) I will send the Yahoo Invitation to the e-mail that was listed in your Pay Pal payment. So whatever e-mail address you have listed on your Pay Pal account will receive the Yahoo Invitation. If you use a different e-mail address than the one listed on your Pay Pal account then you can write a little note when you pay for the pattern telling me what e-mail address you would like the Yahoo Invitation sent to.
If you have already paid for the Mystery Pattern and have not received your Yahoo Invitation, please feel free to e-mail me to request another invitation to the e-mail address that you would like to use OR you can visit the Mystery Doll Pattern Yahoo Group and click "Join this group". If you request membership directly through the Yahoo Group, please make sure to give me the name you used when purchasing the Mystery Pattern so I can approve your membership quickly.
Q: I'm having trouble signing up for the Yahoo Group. Help!
Before you sign up for the group, you do need to create a Yahoo account (also called a Yahoo ID) before joining a Yahoo Group. If you have taken online classes or belong to discussion groups online chances are you will already have a Yahoo Account.
If you don't already have an account it is completely free to register. If you need some help with creating your Yahoo Account, below you'll find a You Tube video that walks you through how to set up your Yahoo Account:
If the trouble you are having is related to accepting the Yahoo Invitation that you were sent then please visit the Mystery Doll Pattern Yahoo Group and click "Join this group". If you request membership directly through the Yahoo Group, please make sure to give me the name you used when purchasing the Mystery Pattern so I can approve your membership quickly.
Q: If the Mystery Pattern doesn't come out until October 3rd, why are you sending me the Yahoo Invitation so early?
Yahoo only allows me to invite 50 people a day. Due to the volume of people participating if I left the invitations to the last few days I wouldn't be able to invite the numbers of people who've signed up. Therefore, I'm inviting people now. The Yahoo Invitation also acts as confirmation that I have received your payment.
Yahoo Invitations do expire after 30 days so you must accept them within that time limit or you'll have to request membership.
Q: There's a fair bit of chatter going on the in Yahoo Group and I don't want all those e-mails in my inbox. How can I make them stop?
Those people who have already joined the Mystery Doll Pattern seem to be having a great time chatting to one another. Some people have been asking me questions while others are chatting to friends they have "met" via previous classes, conferences or online discussion groups.
While it seems like most people are enjoying the discussion, you may not want to participate. If you'd rather cut down on the chatty messages or avoid them all together, simply change the e-mail delivery settings within your Mystery Doll Pattern Yahoo Group membership.
If you'd still like to read the messages but just don't want the volume of e-mails, choose the Daily Digest setting.
If you only want to receive news that the latest section of the pattern has been released and don't want any of the chatter, you could choose the Special Messages setting.
If you are going on holiday and don't want the message to arrive while you are away, you could choose the Web only setting which means you would have to visit the Yahoo Group online to read messages.
Click this link to read more about how to change the way you receive messages in the Yahoo Group.
Q: Is the Mystery Doll an online class?
No, the Mystery Doll is a pattern. I can see why you might be confused and think the Mystery Doll is an online class. Much like an online class, I am using a Yahoo Group to distribute the pattern in sections, week by week for 5 weeks. And like an online class there is the ability to chat within the group and ask questions.
However, unlike an online class, the content of the information you will receive is the type of content you would expect in a printed paper pattern or PDF pattern. While designers vary widely in what type of detail they will give in a pattern, here is what you can expect from me. The Mystery Pattern has black and white diagrams of many but NOT every step in the process. Although my patterns are very thorough and cover every aspect of the doll and her costume, you will not get the same level of detail that I give in my online classes. To give you an example, the Mystery Pattern has 27 pages of instructions (with black and white diagrams), but my online classes might be somewhere in the region of 60-70 pages of instructions with colour photographs for each step. The level of detail included in an online class is reflected in the price. Although, I personally think that if you purchase the Mystery Pattern early for $3 USD you are getting a heck of a lot for very little cash. It's a one time only bargain.
Q: I am going to be away/busy when the pattern is released. Can I still participate?
Yes. Make sure you purchase your pattern before you go away to ensure you are getting the discounted price. Also make sure to accept the Yahoo Invitation as soon as you receive it because it expires in 30 days. Once the pattern is released you can download the files from the Yahoo Group when you are ready.
Q: When can I get the supply list?
The supply list will be available shortly via the Yahoo Group to those people who have purchased the pattern and have signed up for the Yahoo Group.
Want to sign up for the Mystery Pattern? Click this link to read more about the mystery pattern and to buy it now for the amazing discounted price of $3 USD.
Remember that if you wait until the pattern is actually released on October 3rd the price goes up to $6 USD.
If you wait until after November 3rd when the doll is revealed and the paper pattern is released then the price will go up to $12 for paper printed pattern and $10 for a PDF pattern.
If you still have questions about the mystery pattern and how it works, please e-mail me.
Diane,
To answer your question the doll is 16.5" tall.
Colleen
Posted by: Colleen Babcock | October 02, 2012 at 05:49 PM
What size is the Dool?
Posted by: Diane Frank | October 02, 2012 at 04:14 PM
Hi Colleen, Thank you for doing this for all us doll lovers! Its fun to do with such a diverse group and just have fun! It is great that you made it affordable to each of us,especialy in this day and age. Ladies have fun don't get stressed have a blast! Each one will be your creation and will be a part of your history. Thanks Coleen!!!! Hugs M.J.
Posted by: Mary Jane Griffith | September 19, 2012 at 07:04 PM