Pattern Review: Keepers Dolly Duds Study Hall

 I made the pattern Keepers Dolly Duds Study Hall Pantsuit and Jumper for the first time.

It's a really versatile pattern! There's a blouse with two sleeve options, pants, and a jumper with two length options.

You can do a lot of different looks with this pattern!

This look shows the jumper and blouse. I made the longer version of the jumper, so it can stand on its own without pants.

Here are the blouse, jumper and pants all together.

This look shows just the blouse and the pants.

The pants have that perfect 70s look. 

I love the mix and match potential from this pattern. 

I used elastic in the pants waist, but I hate using elastic in doll clothes. Eventually it will give out.

Instead of using elastic in the wrists of the blouse, I used sleeve bands to make the blouse more durable.

I am not a fan of 70s fashions, but I think that this is a very versatile pattern if your Julie and Ivy need new clothes!

Polar Bear Pajamas

 I made polar bear pajamas. I found the fabric in a pair of adult pajama bottoms at the clothes by the pound thrift store.

I thought that the polar bears were just too cute, and they are small enough to work in doll scale.

This is the pattern that I used- Simplicity Do537.

The pajamas were very fast and straightforward to sew.

I struggled a bit with the hem on the bottom of the pajama top. The stretchy fabric just didn't want to sew neatly.

I have enough of the fabric left to make another pair of pajamas. I am deciding whether to use the same pattern again or try a different one.

Snow Pictures

 I hope that everyone had a great holiday!

Here are some pictures of a few of my dolls enjoying the snow!

Merry Christmas!

 Merry Christmas from Samantha, Felicity and Addy!

'Tis the Night Before Christmas

 'Tis the night before Christmas and Astrid is ready!

Are you?

Elf on the Shelf

 I found the AG Elf on the Shelf at the thrift store about a year and a  half ago.

It was in the craft aisle for $4! I have carefully been checking the craft aisle ever since.

I was pleased that I got to take some pictures with it this year.

Ellie, my #4, was pleased to serve as a model. 

Maybe some year I will be organized enough to do a series of Elf on the Shelf pictures. This is not that year.

Merry Christmas from Kit

 Here are some Kit Christmas pictures! 

This year for Christmas, Kit got her dog, Grace. This is thanks to the Black Friday sale.

The little freckles on Grace's muzzle are too cute.

Kit does have her Christmas dress on under her coat.

Pattern Review: Keepers Dolly Duds Isla Lass

 I made the Keepers Dolly Duds Isla Lass pattern. This pattern is an outfit for a 17th century Scottish girl.

The pattern has five pieces: the jacket, the petticoat, the fichu, the cap and the apron.

The fichu, petticoat and apron are all very easy to make.

The jacket is the most challenging piece. My jacket was made out of wool. I was able to buy a pair of wool pants at the thrift store for $2. I also found the perfect lace at the thrift store. This was a relief because the lace I was finding online was kind of pricy.

I would warn any sewists about the lining of the ruffle at the top of the sleeves on the jacket. It will be visible. I used white cotton as the lining to reduce bulk, and it shows. I don't think it ruins the look, since the jacket is dark grey and white anyway. But I would do it differently next time.

I was really impressed by the cap. It only has three pattern pieces, but the fit and the look is just superb. I love it. I thought it was not difficult to make, but it might be more challenging for a beginner.

I was trying to use only fabric that I already owned, so I didn't go out and buy the perfect plaid for the petticoat. I used plain red as a nod to the holiday season. I also used red ribbon as a tie to brighten the look a bit. Honestly, I really love this touch.

When I finish a new pattern, I want to make lots of variations on it in different colors if I enjoyed the pattern. That is definitely the case this time. The variations will have to wait, because I have lots of sewing projects planned!

Merry Christmas from Nanea!

 Whenever I do snow pictures for Nanea, I assume that she is visiting her father's parents and that she is SO EXCITED to see snow.

I love Nanea, and I love Emily's snow suit, so I just can't resist taking snow pictures of Nanea, even though she lives in Hawaii.

Caddie Woodlawn's Fourth of July Dress

 In September, I wrote about the trip that I made to the Caddie Woodlawn house this summer.

I finally made Caddie's Fourth of July dress, the version in the illustrations! It is from the book "Magical Melons," also retitled "Caddie Woodlawn's Family."

I used Keepers Dolly Duds Megs Ball Gown pattern. I did not add the collar, as it was not in the illustration.

I think there is no way that Caddie, one of eight children, had such a fancy dress for the Fourth of July. Her mother knew she might ruin it. But I wanted to make the dress from the illustration anyway.

There's no way it would have had lace, either. I decided to add the lace because I knew white on white would be very subtle.

I was lucky to find a ribbon at the right width to use as her sash.

Here is the Woodhouse home in Wisconsin! It's so beautiful. I wish I lived close enough to visit more often!

Here is the illustration in the book of Caddie's Fourth of July dress.

I have to say that I thought the Meg's Ball Gown pattern looked intimidating, but I found it very easy to sew. I am so pleased with it.

I may just leave this dress on display from now until the Fourth of July!

Merry Christmas from Mara

 Mara looks so snazzy in this outfit! She is ready for the holidays.

Nautical Dress for Melody

 I love nautical dresses, sailboats, canoes, kayaks, you name it.

I found this fabric at Joann's Black Friday Sale. It looked 1960-ish to me, and I immediately wanted to make Melody a dress with it.

I used the Keepers Dolly Duds Town and Country pattern. I have used this pattern before, but I always used the view that had a ruffle.

This time, I used the tab view with the collar.

I found three small metal buttons in a button collection that I got from my mom. They were perfect for what I wanted!

I was really happy with how the dress turned out.

When it's on Melody though, I feel like the round collar makes her look like she has no chin. 

I have noticed the same thing with the collar on the Eden Ava Couture 1930s Vintage Dress. I just feel that this collar is not flattering on AG dolls.

Overall, I am happy with this dress. If I make this view of this pattern again, I think I will leave teh collar off.

Merry Christmas from Claudie!

 I love Claudie and I love her Christmas coat. They are so cute!

Matching 1920s Christmas dresses

 These dresses were made in a hurry for a little girl who had COVID. I wanted to give them to her grandma so I didn't have to pay for shipping, so I didn't get a picture of the dolls wearing the clothes.

The girl has a 16 inch Disney Animator Tiana, and a 18 inch Madame Alexander doll named Mary.

I was going to 1920s style dresses, since that would be appropriate for Tiana.

I thought it was super cute to  make them matching Christmas dresses! 

The Disney Animator  dress was made using the Requiem Arts Designs Disney Animator Dress Basics  pattern.

The 18 inch doll dress was made using the Dolls at Hearts Vera dress pattern. 

Both dresses fit the dolls, and made their owner very happy!

I was relieved, since I did not have a Disney Animator doll to use as a model to test the fit.

Christmas pajamas

 Here are some pictures of Danielle and Maritza sporting Christmas pajamas.

Naturally, Maritza got the "sporty" Christmas pajamas.

Danielle lost her glasses. I swear it was her and not me.. she's been on display and I haven't touched her. LOL.

Happy St. Lucia Day

 Here is Kirsten to wish you a happy St. Lucia Day!

It is so dark here. I look forward to the days getting longer.

I am counting this picture towards the photo prompt "light" given me by my friend Rose.

I wanted to light the candle, but I was afraid she'd fall over and I would burn the doll or the house.

Stockings

"The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, in hope that St. Nicolaus soon would be there."

My friend Rose gave the me photo prompt "Stockings."

That led me to sew four stockings from felt, from a pattern by Lee and Pearl.

The resulting pictures are very cute!

Melody's Christmas Dress

 I am a huge fan of Keepers Dolly Duds. Once I master one of her patterns, I want to use it over and over again.

So it is not surprising that I made a new dress for Melody and used the Keepers Dolly Duds Town and Country dress pattern. I have used it before.

AG has a lovely Christmas dress for Melody, but her grandparents technically give that to her for her birthday, which is New Year's. So I really see that one as more of a New Year's dress, and this one is more Christmassy.

I added long sleeves to the pattern and used the ones from the Keepers Dolly Duds Downtown 1920s dress. Melody lives in Detroit, so it's cold in December! Three quarter length sleeves might have been more trendy for the 1960s, but warmth is important too.

The funny thing to me is that the red ruffle blends right in with the stripes in this fabric.

I am really happy with this dress.

I love that Addy and Melody now have Christmas dresses that match, but are also appropriate for their respective historical eras.

Here is a link to a different version that I made of this same pattern.

Pattern Review: Keepers Dolly Duds Downtown 1920s Dress Pattern

 I have made the Keepers Dolly Duds Downtown 1920s  Dress pattern before.

Apparently, though, I didn't post about the pattern on the blog before. Oops.

The pattern looks so fancy. It was easier to make than it looks.

I really love patterns where you can combine two different fabrics in contrasting colors, so I love the pleats in contrasting colors in this pattern.

I really ran with the color play this time. I made Claudie and Phryne matching Christmas dresses. Both dresses use the same fabric. I just swapped which fabric is the main focus. It makes a big difference in the way the dresses look!

The hardest part of the dress is probably the piping. I cut the piping extra long, ironed it before I sewed it, drew the line the sew along on the fabric, and clipped extra fabric carefully. It didn't turn out perfectly, but it turned out pretty well.

Phryne got the green dress to match her eyes.

Claudie got the striped dress because it's Kwanzaa colors, and to match with Melody and Addy.

I am really pleased to have made Christmas dresses in such a timely manner.

I often end up making doll clothes out of the season they are meant for. At least dolls don't outgrow clothes

Tasha's Bake

What is Tasha baking today?

Pattern Review: Keepers Dolly Duds Setting Sail

 Today is Pearl Harbor Day. My great uncle Ralph served at Pearl Harbor on the USS Macdonough.

By coincidence, Nanea got a new outfit today.

I made Keepers Dolly Duds Setting Sail. I love nautical clothes and sailor collars!

I think that maybe this pattern is meant to be 1950s, but I feel like it works for Nanea. After all, her meet outfit includes shorts. She would probably wear capris.

My favorite part of the outfit is the hat! 

Isn't it weird how trying a new thing can be intimidating? Last year, I realized that I could sew doll coats, and I made tons of them and was surprised that I could easily do this. Now I feel the same about doll hats.

This hat was so quick and easy to sew, and it is so adorable! I love it!

I do feel like the buttons that I used were slightly too big. I cut them off a blouse from the thrift store.

It is hard to find buttons at AG scale, and even harder to find five of them that match. Hardest of all seems to be small white buttons. It's easier to me to find them in color at Joann. They don't seem to make them in white.

The blouse is slightly loose on Nanea, even though I did all the the cute, tiny little tucks. It's fine, though.

I did not do the eyelets on the capris. I have had trouble adding them in the past, it would be more things that I would have to go out and buy to make it work. The capris are plainer without it, but it's fine.

I am very pleased with this outfit, and glad that I could finish it by Pearl Harbor Day.

Getting Ready for Christmas!

 Claudie is getting ready for Christmas!

How about you?

Pattern Review: Keeper's Dolly Duds Amy's Jumper

 I was gifted some beautiful Christmas fabric. I have been using it to make many different doll dresses.

I am posting the dress made from Keepers Dolly Duds Amy's School Jumper first, because it is the first time that I made this pattern.

The colors in the fabric made me think of Addy's American Girl Christmas dress. Of course, that is a classic that can never be replaced- but this dress is lovely too.

I was so intimidated to make this pattern! It looks so complicated!

But it was beautifully easy to make. 

Unusually for KDD patterns, the blouse and the jumper are two separate pieces.

I love this!

This means that you can reuse the same blouse and match it with lots of different jumpers.

It also means, if you are low on energy, that you can make half of the outfit and still have a finished piece to show for your effort.

I actually ended up hating the red embroidery that I used on this blouse. It reminded me of a mariachi band, which is just not the look that I was looking for.

So I will be making another, plainer blouse to use with this jumper. I didn't put buttons on the front of the blouse because I disliked it so much. It is so hard to find buttons in the right scale.

It would be easier to make this pattern with fabric that isn't striped. I went to great effort to get the stripes to match up on the front of the jumper.

I really loved this pattern, and now I want to make lots of different outfits using this!

Tasha's Challenge

 Tasha is plating up a Showstopper to present to Paul and Prue. She takes a minute to check the decoration that she has created.