Pattern Review: KDD Jo's Writing Dress

 I made a dress with Keeper's Dolly Dud's pattern Jo's Writing Dress, which is sold on Pixie Faire.

This is my first time using the pattern. 

I used some reproduction Civil War fabric that I meant to use for a quilt. After ten years, I decided it was fair to use it for a doll dress instead. The fabric pattern was from a collection associated with Clara Barton. It has lines of music written on it and shields that say "peace."   It's mostly red with some gold accents. It's perfect for a dress for Addy.

The pattern was easy to follow.

One thing that I did not realize from looking at completed dresses from this pattern is that there is a ruffle where the sleeves meet the bodice. I think it would be better to make this ruffle a contrasting color, because otherwise it does not show up well. The ruffle could also easily be left off if desired.

The pattern calls for the stripes on the sleeves to be set at a diagonal. I chose not to do this.

It's so dark this time of year that it is difficult for me to take a good picture.

Addy's classic Christmas dress is still a classic and has a part in my collection and my heart. I think this one is pretty special too.

I am very happy with this pattern and would make it again. I also look forward to making the other "Little Women" patterns by Keepers Dolly Duds.

Halloween Clothes

 I swear I made these Halloween dresses in time for Halloween. I posted them on Instagram and forgot to put them on the blog!

I was inspired by someone else's sewing project to want to make some long sleeve Halloween dresses.

This fabric was the best doll scaled Halloween fabric that they had. I paid $2.50 for a half yard and made two dresses out of it. So much better than AG prices!

I used 123 Mulberry Street Baby Doll dress pattern yet again. It's so easy and it has long sleeves, that makes it tempting.

I think I may have made the skirts a little too long and I am tempted to shorten them.

I am also tempted to add a belt or something a jazz it up a bit.

I made the leggings out of a T-shirt and a Simplicity pattern.

So not my favorite project ever, but quick and satisfying.

Jess and Zia are still wearing these dresses. I need to change their clothes.

I made the tiny books too. They are The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch and Hocus Pocus and the All New Sequel. I do love tiny books.

1920s Frock

 I had this scrap of fancy fabric, and I wanted to make a basic 1920s dress that would be fancy from the fabric used, not from the pattern.

I used some of the pattern pieces from the Keepers Dolly Duds Nautical Pleats pattern for the bodice and sleeves, and for the length of the dress.

I made my own Peter Pan collar pattern to go with it.

I added a black velvet Peter Pan collar and sleeve cuffs.

I am happy with it. I feel like it's something a girl could reasonably wear to a jazz concert with her parents in the 1920s.

Both Phryne Valancy and Claudie got to try it on.

Who do you think looks better in it?

Hawaiian Quilt for Nanea

 I made a Hawaiian quilt!

I have always loved Hawaiian quilts, but I never thought I would make one, they are so intricate.

The Connecting Threads website sold these pre-made 16 inch appliques for quilts.

I ironed it onto a background, stitched around it, and voila! A stunning quilt!

I love it, and I plan to make more in different designs.

These appliques are made by Aloha Quilt Designs, and can be found here.

They are Nanea approved, and the perfect size for a doll quilt!

Pattern Review: KDD Nautical Pleats

 I made the Keeper Dolly Duds Nautical Pleats pattern. I was already planning a different 1920s sailor dress when this pattern was released, but this is the one I made first.

I have to admit, it took me months to finish this one. I made the top, and pleated half the skirt, and took a break. I left the half-pleated skirt under some cookbooks for the pleats to get really set in.

Then the whole project sat all summer. Finally, I finished the other half of the pleats, couldn't find the top, panicked, found it again, and finally finished it.

I still haven't added the bow on the front. I am just going to make it out of ribbon. That's one reason why I went with blue and white. Also I just like the classic look.

I am still not totally happy with the pleats, but I was using a very slippery fabric that I got at a yard sale. I am not even sure what it is. Presumably this might work better in cotton.

I want to make one of these for Claudie, anyway. This dress is for Phryne Valancy. Claudie will probably get to try it on, though.

So hopefully next time will go better!

Meet Claudie

 I got Claudie! I ordered her on release day, but it took me a while to take pictures and longer to post them.

Claudie is really adorable. I love her sweet face mold.

I am glad that there is a new African American historical, and that there is a 1920s historical.

I love her meet hat, I had one like it, minus the ribbon, in college. I still have it, actually.

Addy was happy to welcome her.. Addy is like a protective big sister to Claudie, even if they are from different eras.

I wish that Claudie's book hadn't ended on a cliffhanger, with unresolved issues. I thought that was silly, since it's not a thriller or anything.

I love Claudie's meet outfit, and I like that her black Mary Janes will go well with other dresses.

I am going to remove her painted eyelashes eventually, but I wanted to enjoy her as is first.

I strongly recommend Claudie if you are thinking of getting her!

Tiffany Aching Dress

 Tiffany Aching is a teenage witch in Terry Pratchett's Discworld.

I have a friend who has an AG doll who is Tiffany Aching.

I wanted to make her a dress.

Tiffany is a farm girl who wears hand-me-downs from her older sisters that are blue or green.

I decided to use Kirsten's patterns. I actually used the bodice for the birthday dress and the sleeves and skirt from the school dress.

Tiffany's dress was let in and let out a lot, so I particularly wanted the tucks in the skirt.

I also ended up using several different colors of threads, which I think was true to the spirit of a dress that has been adjusted several times for multiple owners.

Tiffany has brown eyes and brown hair, and my Truly Me 28, Amelia, got to model.

Kirsten also got to try the dress on since it came from her patterns. The color really matched her eyes.

I also made mini books of the original five Tiffany Aching books by Terry Pratchett. I also made several books that were mentioned in the series that were owned by Tiffany, her family or friends.

Sometimes I am more creative in crafting for other people than for myself. It makes me happy.

Pattern Review: 123 Mulberry Street Cowl Neck Sweater

 I made the Cowl Neck Sweater by 123 Mulberry Street.

It was very easy to do. I was half blinded by a headache, so I wanted an easy project.

Even with the headache, this came together in less than an hour.

There are only four pattern pieces.

The only fault with the pattern is that the sleeves are not symmetrical, and the pattern pieces did not indicate which side should be sewn to the front or the back. I could figure this out by looking at it, but a beginning sewer might not.

I used purple because it was the most fall-like and sweater-like fabric I could find.

I think Maritza looks great in it. She should be a witch for Halloween.

I also made the tiny books.

I am looking forward to the release of the third book in the Scholomance series, The Golden Enclaves. It has been released, but my library doesn't have it yet.

Obviously, I didn't add the eyelets. That would be a new skill that I didn't feel like doing. It's a cute sweater without them.

Joss and Maritza at the Beach

 I do love some beach pictures.

I took some pictures of the face mold twins, Joss and Maritza, at the beach!

It was rather a windy day, and the sky was very dramatic. 

Nellie Pictures

 And here are some Nellie pictures.

She is a cute one.

She is one of a growing number of dolls that I need to restring. Sigh.

I couldn't find the parts that I need for restringing at Home Depot, but I know they are there!

Who doesn't love looking at fabric at the General Store? This is a smaller store than Nellie is used to, but she likes it anyway?

Let's buy some shoes, Nellie! This is a historic show store.

This is a historic Catholic church. Perfect for Nellie!

This house is the home of an Irish immigrant. Nellie felt very at home there!

Makena Pictures

 Here's a few pictures of Makena!

I was worried about taking her out, because I didn't want to mess her braids up.

It turned out that her hair did much better than Nellie's hair. I kept having to smooth Nellie's hair down.

Makena was camera ready!

Julie's Calico Dress

 I found Julie's Calico Dress at the thrift store. It was being worn by an Our Generation doll. Doll and dress cost $6.

One of my friends has been wanting an 18 inch doll to use as a sewing model, so I gave her the doll.

I am really pleased with myself to have recognized the dress.

Julie is pleased as well!

It worked out very nicely.

I have been so lucky with the thrift store, and I am very grateful. It's an upside to living in a smaller town. I am sure in a bigger town, it would have been snatched up long before I got there.

Comparison Pictures

 I took a couple of comparison pictures with the MCM dolls.

Here is Maritza with Joss.

It's just interesting to me because they have the same face mold, but they have very different facial expressions. 

I think it's in the eyebrows. I originally thought that Maritza's eyebrows were further down on her face, but this picture just shows that they are a very different shape.

Her lips also seem to be painted a slightly different shape.

I also took a picture comparing my Kaya, on the left, with the new Kaya, on the right.

They look very different! The shape of their faces even seems different. The new Kaya seems to have a much rounder face.

Removing Painted Eyelashes

 I knew that when I got Maritza and Makena, I would want to remove their painted eyelashes. These have been a sore spot with me ever since Nanea, and I particularly dislike the ones on the World By Us dolls.

Luckily, I saw a post on a forum about using "Windsor & Newton - Brush Cleaner & Restorer" to remove markings from doll vinyl. I bought it at Joann. It cost $8, but I was able to use a 50% off coupon. The cleaner was in a locked case at the store I went to, and I had to get an employee to unlock it so I could buy it.

I used this on the dolls with a toothbrush, so I could control where the fluid went.

I used a dry paper towel to wipe their faces clean after removing any sections of face paint.

I was able to use this successfully on Maritza, Makena and Corinne.

I like all three doll much better this way! I think it looks best on Makena in particular. It makes her look older.

Funnily, one of my friends misunderstood me and thought I was removing their eyebrows.

She said she thought that this was a bad idea, but she was going to support me anyway. I agree, it would have been a bad idea! Although I wish that Maritza's eyebrows were slightly higher on her forehead.

Usually, when I get a new doll, I enjoy them a bit as they come before I make any changes.

 But I knew that this was a change that I wanted, and I am very happy with it.

MCM Dolls 2022!

 I picked up my MCM dolls on Saturday. The benefit sale actually asked us on social media not to come Saturday morning if we didn't have to. I didn't see that post. I just got up and went. My GPS actually died on me, and I had to go buy a new one.

I got there about 9:30 am, and didn't have to wait long. I was surprised that I had to park in the street and carry my items across the parking lot to the car, because I hadn't seen the post.

I picked up my items and the items for a friend who couldn't do the pick up this weekend. I am going to meet with them in September to give them their items.

The dolls that I got are Maritza and Makena. They were both brand new, never been taken out of the box, no X on their bottoms.

I was amazed at how long Maritza's hair is! It's past her bottom! It has pretty red highlights. It is really beautiful.

Makena is super cute too!

My friend got Kaya, who was also in perfect condition.

As usual, I had a really good MCM experience. I feel guilty about going on Saturday morning when they were asking people to stay away. I thought the morning would be less busy than the afternoon.

After picking up the dolls, I went to Clausen's Bakery, the India House Grocery store, Joann, St. Vincent de Paul thrift store and Portillo's for lunch. Since I live in a very small town, it was really special to have all of these great shops so close together.

Here is a link to my blog post on the MCM sale in 2023- the very last MCM sale ever.

MCM Sale Report 2022

 Yesterday was the start of the Madison Children's Museum Benefit Sale. It is ongoing though Sunday.

This is the third online sale.

It's never started on a Thursday before, but this worked for me for having a better Internet connection.

I logged in at the start of the sale at 10 am.

I decided not to try for any Create Your Own dolls. There were only 263 of these and I knew competition would be high.

 First I checked to see if there were any 35th Anniversary Felicity dolls. There weren't.

Then I went to the World By Us section and tried to buy Evette. She sold out while I was trying to check out. It must have been in the first five minutes or so.

I went back and made about three separate purchases, trying to keep my finds from selling out.

I got dolls: Maritza and Makena. Martiza was not listed in the World By Us section. I found her in the All Items section.

I also bought several doll outfits: Explore the Outdoors Outfit, the Everyday Accessories with an orange hoodie, Dream Pajamas with a hot air balloon on it (for my Saige), and the Wellie Wishers Frosty Fun Outfit.

The items I wanted most that got away were Evette and a set of pumpkin pie.

There were no technical problems, which was very nice.

Overall, it was a good experience. I look forward to picking up my purchases in a couple of weeks.

MCM Sale Report 2021

MCM Sale Report 2020

MCM Sale Report 2019

MCM Sale Report 2018

MCM Sale Report 2017

MCM Sale Report 2016

Pattern Review: Read Creations Baby Sister's Sleeper Outfit

 I wanted more clothes for my Caring for Baby, and I wanted them to look like something a real baby would wear.

I used the Read Creations pattern Baby Sister's Sleeper Outfit.

It was easier than it looks!

It can be made with different sleeve and leg lengths, and the closure can be on the front or back.

So it's very versatile!

I used fabric from a real baby onesie for authenticity and to find a print small enough.

The pattern used all of the fabric from one onesie.

I am very happy with this pattern and the onesie!

Willa and Emerson

 I found Willa and Emerson at the thrift store, and they came home with me.

I have been wanting Willa!

I already had Emerson, but this one had a different outfit on and was so cute with her pierced ears. I couldn't resist!

Willa is missing her boots and needs a spa treatment. She has some orange marks on her face that didn't come off with magic eraser.

The orange doesn't show much in picture!

Emerson is so cute. I stand by my dubious decision to have two Emerson dolls, haha.