Keepers Dolly Duds Tea with the Governess

 I found this lovely coral fabric at the thrift store, and I immediately knew that I wanted to go Regency with it.

I used it to make my second version of Keepers Dolly Duds Tea with the Governess.

I think it's really lovely!

I made the ruched sleeves again, I love that detail.

Maritza is modeling this time. Maybe she is pretending to be one of Josefina's sisters!

It's a really pretty dress, and I had buttons that match the color really well.

I think that next time I use this fabric, I will make a really elaborate dress for Samantha, maybe from Simplicity 1179. 

You can see my first version of this pattern at this link.

Meet Erin

 Erin, one of my project dolls, has come to live at my work place.

She is doing a good job of calming me down while I work through some stress. And she is getting more attention than she would at my house, where there is lots of dolly competition.

I'm sure I will be learning more about her soon.

Sofie Clareese's Pleasant Day Sundress

 I love the pattern Sofie Clareese's Pleasant Day Sundress. It's very similar to Blaire's meet dress.

I own the pattern sized for Wellie Wishers. I want it in 18 inch AG size as well!

I have used this pattern to make Wellie Wisher dresses. I find it so much fun to play around with different colors and fabrics with this pattern.

The Wellie Wisher sized pattern fits the Ruby Red Fashion Friends dolls perfectly.

This inspired me to make a few more variations of this pattern! 

I wanted a pale blue dress for Camellia. I had just a tiny scrap of the fabric that I used on the bodice- but it was enough for this pattern!

This red and blue dress, modelled by Frieda, was just a spur of the moment as I was looking at my fabric piles and thinking about which ones to use.

I added the red strip on the bottom when I found a small cut in the skirt fabric. I shortened the fabric to remove the blemish and lengthened it again by adding a stripe in red. I think it was serendipitous, however!

Constance is wearing a dress from this pattern that I had already made previously. I love this one, it's a bit nautical.

Stella is also wearing a previously made dress. I love the green with her hair!

Here is a link to some of the other dresses that I have made with this pattern.

Project Dolls

 I was able to go to a second hand doll sale a couple of weeks ago. It was amazing, I am so excited about the dolls and doll accessories that I got there!

I got a bit carried away and bought five project dolls. These were all well-loved dolls that had amazing low prices. Tenney was $6.50, Samantha was $7.50, Ruthie with super short hair was $4.50, JLY 81 was $4.50, Kit was $8.50.

They had a lot of issues. Many had fingernail or toenail polish and were dirty. Wigs were in bad shape. Kit and Tenney have marker in their wigs. Ruthie's hair is cut short like a boy's. Kit doesn't have any freckles for some reason.

Then, on the same say, I went to Goodwill and found a JLY 5 for $5. 

Six new dolls in one day. Whoops. 

At least I know that all six dolls cost me a total of $36.50! That is just incredible.

So I have been working on fixing them up. First I tackled the fingernails and toenails. I tried using non-acetone fingernail polish remover. It didn't work, so they had paint and not actual fingernail polish on them. I then scrubbed them with rubbing alcohol. Then I scrubbed them with brush cleaner. I got all of the paint off, but some of the vinyl of the fingernails were faintly stained even after the paint was removed.

Next, I scrubbed all the vinyl limbs with Magic Eraser. This got SO MUCH dirt off, and a lot of marks as well.

Kit has a mark on her leg that may need acne treatment, and maybe the stained fingernails could use acne treatment as well.

I thought that the JLY 5 was going to need a new eye. Her eye looked scratched. But I used a paper towel dampened with rubbing alcohol to wipe the surface, and that fixed it. The eye was only dirty, not scratched.

JLY 81 had a wig that was completely fried, as well as cut at the front. I removed her wig. I had a wig on hand that was waiting for a new doll. I am not totally sure that this will be her permanent wig, but she looks so much better! I have serious Buttercup vibes from this wig.

This is an ongoing project. The dolls aren't totally fixed. Some of the things can't be fixed- Tenney's body is greenish, and unless I replace it, or remove all limbs and stuffing to wash it, there's not much to do there.

I am hoping to use some of these to practice eye swapping on. If I do not have the courage to eye swap a $5 doll, then I will never brave it. LOL.

Ruby Red Fashion Friends Pilgrim Bartholomew Part One

When I saw pictures of Ruby Red Fashion Friends Pilgrim Bartholomew, I laughed out loud, and thought, that's one doll I will never want, that beard is ridiculous!

I saw someone call him "Beardy Bart," which is perfect, really.

But there was a sale on him, and I really wanted a Luca mold, and I decided that maybe I could customize him into a girl.

I dampened the beard with rubbing alcohol, gripped it at the bottom, and pulled it off. That left glue and hair on the face. 

I used acetone nail polish to remove the glue. I washed the face after using acetone, as it can damage plastic. The acetone also removed the face paint on the lower face.

There is still a faint yellow line on the face. You could try micromesh to remove it, but I think I am going to count on covering it with a face up.

I plan to do a face up with very glam red lips and rosy cheeks, but it may be a while before I have a chance to buy the proper art supplies. I'm glad I don't have to do the eyebrows, those are my least favorite.

When the doll is done, it will be a girl. I am thinking of naming her Bertha. I think it's a pretty name, and it is similar to Bartholomew.

Pattern Review: Simplicity 9438 Regency Dresses

 I wanted to make some historical doll clothes for my cousin's daughter, but I didn't know what dolls the younger cousin has or what her favorite colors are.

I decided to make two Regency dresses using Simplicity pattern 9438.

One of the dresses is pink, and the other is white and purple.

Caroline is hiding from me currently, so I used Saige and Isabelle to model for me. I think Saige actually resembles Violet Bridgerton a bit.

I didn't change their shoes, haha, but the dresses are so long that you can't see Isabelle's ballet slippers or Saige's gold sandals.

The dresses were VERY easy to sew. It's a pretty basic pattern, but it is easy to make and it looks great!

KayandMay Civil War Dresses Part Two

 So in this post, I shared a dress that I made from the KayandMay Civil War dress pattern that I wasn't 100% happy with.

I re-made the dress with the same fabrics and a different, longer skirt.

I also made a second dress with fabrics in different colors.

Here they are. I am happier with this set of dresses. They are cute.

I used JLY 61, Astrid, so that I could model both dresses next to each other. Astrid sometimes moonlights as Civil War-era Caddy Woodlawn, anyway, so she already had period boots on.

Addy has first claim on both dresses, however. She is spoiled rotten, as she should be.

New Ruby Red Fashion Friends

 I am really fortunate to have been able to buy Ruby Red Fashion Friends Special Edition Camellia and Constance. They were on a special sale, and I wasn't sure if my purchase would go through until they shipped.

They are really beautiful dolls.

Constance has a wig that is glued down, but Camellia's wig is not glued. She did come with a wig cap to help her wig stay in place.

Constance is the Daisy mold, and Camellia is the Diana mold. I am very happy to add two new face molds to my growing Ruby Red collection.

Constance is my favorite of the two. I am drawn to her sad little face. I also love her wig, even though it is more old fashioned.

Camellia's dress is amazing. It has layers and layers with sequins, and it is heavy! I probably won't dress her in it most of the time, but it is really a work of art. I am thinking of taking her earrings out too, so they won't catch in her wig. That would also minimize the risk that they might stain her vinyl, like American Girl Ivy.

Constance's dress is also very nice. It has a lot of separate pieces- dress, cap, vest and apron. I like the blue color. I am also going to be redressing her.

I feel so lucky to have these dolls. I was not willing to pay full retail price. They are very much treasured.

Summer Sundresses

 I made four sundresses from the same pattern, all in the same day!

I wanted to sew some doll dresses for my cousin's daughter for the first time. This was the fastest way that I could build a wardrobe.

I used the Liberty Jane Peplum Top pattern. I added a waistband and a longer skirt. I just think it's a simple but elegant pattern.

Here are the dresses, being modelled by Jess, Makena, Evette and Maritza.

I used a variety of colors. I sadly don't know the recipient very well, so I hope that she finds something that she likes in this batch!

Here are some other dresses that I made from the same pattern.

Thimbles and Acorns Prairie Dress for RRFF

 I was looking for doll clothes to sew for Ruby Red Fashion Friends, and I was delighted to realize that I own the Thimbles and Acorns Prairie Rose pattern for Wellie Wishers.

Wellie Wishers and Ruby Red Fashion Friends are slightly different sizes, but so far I haven't had any problems with them sharing clothes. The biggest size different is in the size of the heads, not the bodies, I think. It makes them look more dissimilar than they are.

I made this pattern before, in American Girl doll size. You can see my version of that here: Blog Link.

The pattern has both a modern version and a historical version. I was torn on which version to make, but so far I have chosen to make the historical version. I think that they are both pretty.

I think if I make the modern version in the future, I might make the skirt somewhat fuller.

These dolls are somewhat taller and thinner in proportion than the AG dolls. This sometimes feels a bit odd when I am taking picture. I'm sure I'll get used to it.

Again, you can see Stella hiding her sneakers under her historical dress. Ha.

Pattern Review: KayandMay Civil War Dress

 I saw a dress made from the Kay and May 1860s Civil War Dress pattern made by someone in a Facebook group.

I thought it was really cute. I really liked the sleeves and the square bodice. The belt was also unique among doll patterns that I have seen.

The pattern was affordable, so I was happy to buy it and give it a try.

I ended up not being very happy with the skirt. I felt that the skirt was the right length for a 1950s dress, but too short for a 1860s dress.

I also felt that the way the hem was curved made it harder to hem it neatly.

I think that the skirt should be about two inches longer than it is. You can see the dress sewn to the original pattern in the picture above.

I made a second, longer skirt, that could be worn under the dress that I had made. This gave the skirt three tiers.

I wasn't really happy the way it looked. It didn't look like it was planned, because it wasn't.

I did not give up on this pattern.

I have made two more dresses, in which I used the bodice pattern and a skirt that I just cut as a rectangle about 25 inches wide by 8 inches long. I gave up on making the skirt tiered.

I will share the other dresses I made from this pattern when I have a picture of them. I still think it's a cute pattern, but I am annoyed by the skirt debacle. 

Doll Joy Joy Dress- almost finished

 I made the Joy Dress from the Doll Joy pattern maker on Pixie Faire.

The repetition in the pattern name and the pattern maker name is a bit annoying.

Anyway, I was really excited to get this pattern as a Freebie Friday, thank you.

I made the pattern sized for 14.5 inch to 15 inch dolls.

Sadly, I don't totally 100% like this pattern.

I like the sleeves, they are really cute. I love doll clothes with long sleeves!

I thought that the neck was too big on Stella, and it would be better with a narrower neck. Which I can fix next time, but not this time.

The dress is meant to be a very loose fix around the waist. It looks cute in pictures, but it bothers me in real life.

The material for this dress is from a blouse I got at the thrift store. I like the fabric.

All I have to do to finish this dress is finish the bottom hem. I have not yet done so.

For one, thing, I do not want the dress to be any shorter than it is. Next time, if I ever make it, I might make the bottom ruffe a half inch longer to compensate for that.

And as I said, the loose fit around the waist bothers me. I am tempted to cut the whole thing shorter and add a fitted waist. Or even make it into a blouse.

Anyway, I can't make up my mind what to do!

Almost finished!

 I am almost finished with this cute robe from Simplicity pattern 8281. 

I am going to add a cat face onto the hoodie.

I didn't do it yet, because I was really on a roll with the sewing machine and wanted to move on to the next thing.

I also know that the face is the part that everyone will really be looking at, and I don't want to mess it up.

But I expect I won't get it done soon, so I decided to go ahead and share the project.

The pattern called for stretchy fabric. I am not sure if that is actually needed or not.

I was sooo excited to find stretchy terry cloth material at the thrift store so I could make this project!

It would be pretty easy to change the ears on this pattern and make different animal faces.

I could make a guinea pig bathrobe!

KDD Beth Dress for RRFF

 I made the Keepers Dolly Duds Beth pattern, sized for Ruby Red Fashion Friends!

This pattern in this size was a Freebie Friday pattern, and one I am very happy to have.

It is just as cute in the Ruby Red size! I found it easy to make, especially since I had made the pattern before.

It's smaller, but not so much smaller that it is too difficult.

I just wish that I had better shoes to match this to put on my Stella! She is wearing sneakers under her lovely dress.

Stella looks really good in green. I shall continue to sew for her!

You can see a version of this pattern when I made it for American Girl Addy at this link.

Pattern Review: Liberty Jane Catalina Pattern

 I found this fabric, purple sparkled with gold, at the thrift store. I thought for a while about what to do with it.

I wanted something modern and classy, but not TOO dressy as it is cotton.

I found the Liberty Jane Catalina Crop Top printed out, and decided to give it a go.

I love the finished product! I  like this better than Saige's official hot pink fancy dress.

The bodice has 14 pieces, so it's a lot for a beginner. But it made sense and it came together easily.

I am glad that I had gold shoes (from Lea's collection) that went well with this dress!