Sundress for Kavi

 I found a remnant at the thrift store, about 24 inches wide, of this beautiful eyelet fabric.

I immediately knew that I could make a stunning doll dress out of it.

It was so hard to choose, but I decided I wanted to make a sundress out of it that would be classic and rather bohemian.

I knew the skirt would be longer to show off all of the beautiful white-on-white embroidery.

I really debated what pattern to use, but used Liberty Jane Peplum Top.

I added a bit of a sewn-in slip, so that her undies wouldn't show.

And here it is.

I love it on Kavi, it is perfect with her dark hair and eyes!

I wish I had this dress in my size!

I also wish I had more of this fabric. I can think of at least two more projects I could make with it.

Kavi is actually reminding me a bit of Emmy Rossum in Phantom of the Opera, so maybe she needs a Phantom dress. She loves musicals, after all!

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.

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!

Rainbow Dress

 This dress was made out of a toddler's dress that I bought at the thrift store for 30 cents. 

It had stains on the hem, but I was able to work around that.

I know that the ombre rainbow look is popular right now, and I mean to gift it to a certain little girl. 

This is yet another dress made with the 123 Mulberry Street Drop Waist Pocket Tee Dress 18" Doll Clothes Pattern.

I have used this a lot. I like the practicality of making a dress with pockets, and it's a nice modern dress.

It was quick and cute.

The fabric was fighting me on this one, I do not know why. It was sort of fighting the sewing machine. 

I did not mean for the hem to have that ruffly look, but it's cute and it look like I did it on purpose. I'm just accepting it the way it is.

And it's done on time for Pride Month! Yay!

Pattern Review: Liberty Jane Leggings

 I bought a pair of toddler leggings for 30 cents from a thrift store. The leggings were an orange stripe that made me think of Halloween. 

I used the toddler leggings to make some AG leggings. I used the Liberty Jane Leggings pattern and followed the pattern to make ankle-length leggings.

It was a super- easy sewing project. Each leg is one pattern piece: you cut two of this piece. For something like this, which is striped, it's great because the stripes wrap around the outside of the leg.

You cut a third piece of fabric, which serves as the waistband with elastic in it.

It's super easy to cut out and sew. I recommend it.

It's early now for Halloween, but I am ready!

Pattern Review: Liberty Jane T-Shirt Variations

 I recently visited a thrift store that had baby clothes with slight flaws for sale for 30 cents each. The clothes maybe had a stain or had the former owner's initials marked in them. I bought a few pieces and turned them into doll clothes. The prices just don't get any better. 

This was a onesie made by Baby Gap. There was only enough fabric to make one piece of clothing. 

I knew what I wanted to do with it. I used the Liberty Jane T-Shirt Variation pattern from Pixie Faire to make a T-shirt with puffed sleeves.

The pattern was easy to follow and did not take long to sew. I was vey pleased with it.

I do like flowery, girly doll clothes, but this has a classic look that works well with modern clothing.

A friend said that the fabric reminded her of Liberty of London, which I thought was a great compliment.

Shirt for Corinne

 I love Nordic style patterns, so when I found a shirt at the thrift store with a small Nordic print, I jumped on it.

I took it home, cut it up, made it into a long-sleeved American Girl shirt, and then I had to decide who would wear it.

Well, I realized that it is perfect for Corinne! It even matched her leggings, boots and hair highlights!

I didn't actually plan for it to be Corinne's, but when there's a perfect match, there's a perfect match.

For the pattern, I used the Liberty Jane Cropped Sweater pattern. I just lengthened it at the bottom a bit.

It was a very fast and easy sewing project, and I am so happy with it!

Liberty Jane Oxford Square Coat

 This is not my first time making the Liberty Jane Oxford square coat. 

You can see the first one that I sewed in this blog post.

I thoughtfully left myself a note on the pattern pieces to add about half an inch to the front of the coat so that is can close.

This came in super handy when I made this pattern again. I also added hook and loop tape so that the front of the coat can fasten that way.

Jess is my model, and she is beautiful as always.

I am really happy with this coat. I feel like the black and white herringbone fabric gives it a classy and realistic look.

Sewing Doll Sweaters

 I went to a thrift store where they sell clothes by the pound and looked for clothes to cut up and use for doll clothes. I am really excited with what I found there.

I feel like getting the texture right is important in making realistic doll clothes, and using real clothes is one  way to do that!

I used the Liberty Jane T-shirt Variations Pattern.

Here is sweater # 1, modelled by #62, Stella: 

And here is sweater #2, modelled by Tenney.

I am really happy with both sweaters! My wallet would be in much more danger if AG made more realistic everyday clothes like these.

I love pretty dresses, but sometimes a doll just needs to relax and stay warm.

Siblies Doll T-shirts

 I wanted to make my Siblies doll Sydney some long sleeved T-shirts for the colder weather that we are getting. 

I used the Liberty Jane Trendy T-shirt pattern and simply lengthened the sleeves.

I made two shirts this way, one plain purple shirt and one with Persian pickles.

I am please with both shirts.

I realize that the Pooh bear stuffie hides the shirts to some extent, but you get the idea. It just makes a cuter picture and more natural looking with Pooh bear!

I was, however, really disappointed when I looked closely at the doll.

I only bought her a few months ago. It looks to me like her eyes, especially her left eye, is starting to turn purple pink. It was hard to get a photograph of this, but it's visible in person.

This is a nearly new doll that has been sitting in a room with blackout curtains and has barely been exposed to direct sunlight.

It is also rather an expensive doll.

Some doll brands, like My Twinn and Hearts for Hearts, have been known to have eyes that turn purple, but it's really disappointing in such a new and expensive doll.

I am really glad that I do not own more expensive dolls from this brand, and I will not be buying any of the larger, pricier dolls that this brand makes.

It's really disappointing, and if the eyes get any worse on her, I will be contacting the company about the issue.

A New T-shirt

 I also made a T-shirt out of my old shirt.

This is what the original shirt looked like, actually. It was just a long sleeved T-shirt, but dressy enough to wear to work.

I used the Trendy T-shirt pattern by Liberty Jane. 

I just drafted a longer sleeve pattern by adding the length of the sleeve from the Suzy M Studio Boatneck Raglan dress.

I got a really good series of pictures of Mara wearing this shirt. It was like she was a real model posing for me.

I feel like it's a whole mood.

I think I might have just enough of this shirt left to make one more doll shirt. I think this time I will use short sleeves or 3/4 length sleeves to change it up a bit.

I think this is a cute shirt, it was easy to make, and someone will definitely wear it come fall.

A Busy Summer

 July is always a challenging month for me to take doll pictures and post n the blog, due to visiting family members.

All the same, summer is going by way too fast for me.

The only doll thing that I have done lately is make three more Fourth of July dresses from the Liberty Jane Peplum Top pattern.

I didn't take any new pictures, because they were identical to ones I already made and shared on here. Plus, I was in a hurry to get them mailed before the holiday.

These were for the granddaughter of my mom's friend, and I just wanted her to have some Fourth of July dresses. She has an 18 inch Madame Alexander doll named Mary that she is devoted to. I am a sucker for little girls who love their dolls.

I hope to have more doll content to share in August, if not sooner!

Fourth of July Dresses

 I am really jumping around on the holidays out of order, but I wanted to make some doll dresses for the Fourth of July for my little cousins. I had the perfect fabrics on hand.

I used to love the Fourth of July, but now I have mixed feelings about it because it does not acknowledge that this land was stolen from indigenous people.

With that acknowledgement, I love these dresses.

I used the pattern for the Liberty Jane Peplum Top once again. I made the waistband 1.5 inches and the skirt 6.5 inches.

I feel that this gives it more of a classic look, rather than a trendy one.

I also added a quarter of an inch to the back of the dress to make sure that this would fit my cousins' dolls.

It's very funny to be taking pictures of Fourth of July dresses in the snow! 

Oh well, you do what you gotta do.

I am happy with the dresses, and my cousins will be, too. I like how each dress is unique, but they go very well together as a whole.

Liberty Jane Oxford Square Coat

 I made another version of the Liberty Jane Oxford Square Coat. 

I was so pleased with how quickly and easily it came together the first time.

You can read that review here.

This time, I added some velcro so that it stays closed in the front if desired.

Once again, this pattern did not disappoint.

The coat is almost as long as the 123 Mulberry Street Baby Doll dress!

It was actually snowing when I took this picture. If you look hard, you can see the falling snow flakes.

I think Zia was happy to have a warm coat on!

This coat is on its way to be a little girl's birthday present. She says that her doll Mary has the same birthday that she has, so her grandma is going to write "To Mary" on the birthday present package.

That'll be so cute!

Liberty Jane Peplum Dress

 This is the second time that I have made the Liberty Jane Peplum Dress.

You can read about the first time here.

I had this fabric, and I thought it would make a really cute Fourth of July dress in this pattern.

Amelia is probably thinking, it's not July now, why do I have to model this dress in the snow?

I should have re-read my blog before making this dress, because I did not add any extra fabric allowance.

I just followed the pattern as it was written.

There was slight problem that the waist band was not long enough, and I had to cut a second one that was about two inches longer.

The skirt length was six inches long, before adding in seams, and I think it came out looking a really good length.

I also think that my sewing skills have improved, and I managed to do a better job on the details at the top of the bodice.

I am really happy with this dress!

Thirteenth Doctor Coat

 Using the Liberty Jane Oxford Square coat pattern, I made a doll sized replica of the Thirteenth Doctor's coat from Doctor Who. 

I altered the pattern a bit. I made the coat longer, wider in the front, and I also made the hood pattern longer on the end so it would meet up with the sides of the coat.

The coat is grey, with a royal blue lining. I used 5/8 inch rainbow ribbon to match the inside lining of the coat.

It has a hood. It does not have any closure such as velcro or buttons.

The pockets do not match the pockets on the full-sized Thirteenth Doctor coat, which are set at more of a slant. This detail bugs me a tiny bit, BUT I feel like the Doctor needs pockets that hold things.

I can change it if I make it again. I made altered pattern pieces and set them aside for future reference.

This picture shows the coat's hood.

This picture shows both Doctor coats together. I suppose I should made the coat for the Eleventh Doctor, since that is included in Simplicity 8111. I need to find appropriate fabric that is scaled small first.

Here's a link to the blog about the Tenth Doctor coat!

Pattern Review: Liberty Jane Oxford Square Coat

 I made the Liberty Jane Oxford Square coat for the first time.

I was really surprised by how fast and easy this pattern is.

The coat is not lined, only the hood is. You could add lining if you prefer.

I added half an inch to the front pattern piece so that the coat would close in the front. The original pattern is designed to be skintight, and that didn't sound comfy to me.

This coat looks great, is easy to make, and has a hood and pockets. Doll clothes need pockets, too!

It would be easy to add buttons or velcro as a closure.

This dark turquoise color looks great on Saige.

I am really happy with this coat!

Two Pattern Reviews!

I made two doll clothes patterns in a hurry last night.

Requiem Art Designs released a free pattern for doll sized face masks. You can find the pattern here.

Knowing that my library has an American Girl doll that can be checked out, I thought it would be nice to make her a face mask, and we could put pictures on social media of the doll modelling socially responsible behavior during the pandemic.

BUT if we were going to put the doll on social media, I should hurry up with a project from my back burner list, and make her a T-shirt with the library logo on it.

Luckily, I had all the items that I needed to make this happen, including a T-shirt with the library logo on it that I could cut up.

I used the Liberty Jane Baseball T-shirt pattern for the T-shirt. This pattern is on Pixie Faire.

Knowing that this doll is a chubby Pleasant Company doll and that the Liberty Jane patterns are tight, I added space in the front and back of the T-shirt.  Good thing that I did, it fits her perfectly, although the sleeves are a little tight.

As soon as I finished sewing, my neighbor texted me with the news that my library is closing, possibly until the end of May.

Today is the last day that we are open. It's stressful.

My co-workers are delighted with the doll's new wardrobe.  We have been taking lots of pictures to post on social media, and it's giving everyone a much-needed smile.

We have decided to name the doll Wilhelmina, as the school mascot is named Willie Warhawk.

I think she is a Girl of Today #14, also known as Just Like You #14, whatever you call the modern line of AG dolls.

A note on the mask pattern: I used bias tape to hold the mask on the doll's head, as I had it on hand, but it makes the sides of the mask stand out from her face a little bit. I think very thin elastic would be better.

Wilhelmina also practices social distancing from the library's stuffed tiger, Arthur:

This may be the last blog post I write for a while, as I do not have Internet at home.
Stay safe, everyone!

Secret Snarker 2018 Part One

I always look forward to Secret Snarker each year. It really sparks my creativity to design a gift for someone else's doll.

This year I was very excited, because I was assigned agate13. She wanted gifts for her Kanani, who attends Hogwarts and is a member of Ravenclaw.

I love Harry Potter, but had not used this as inspiration to sew doll clothes before.

It was pretty obvious and straightforward to make a doll-sized Ravenclaw uniform.

I used the pattern from Read Creations to make a Hogwarts robe. This pattern is free, which I greatly appreciated!

I did need to read the directions for the robe at times, but it was pretty straightforward to make.

I made the robe lined in blue for Ravenclaw, of course.

I used the Luna Lovegood uniform made by Kate Lauren Designs as inspiration. It's not so easy to get a good look at the Ravenclaw uniforms, as they are not always front and center in the movie.
I really appreciated having this as a resource.

I used the Button Up Shirt pattern by Liberty Jane.
I thought that the sleeves were more detailed than I needed. I really just wanted a basic pattern, since I had so many pieces to sew. There are days when I appreciate detailed patterns, and days when I just want to sew as basic a wardrobe staple as possible.

Also, the collar was 7/8 of an inch too short. I had to draft a new collar piece to get it to work.
So yeah, this was not my favorite pattern.

For the gray pleated skirt, I used Forever 18 Inches Timeless Schoolgirl Skirt. I was inspired by the Luna Lovegood uniform made by Kate Lauren Designs to use this rather than a more classic pleated skirt.

There are plenty of the other kind of grey pleated skirts out there, and this one was worn by Luna, so that makes it special.

I did not follow the directions to make the skirt. I thought it made sense to hem the bottom of the skirt before I pleated it, so I did.

So, there is a classic Harry Potter uniform! Kanani should be pleased.

....
You can view Part two of the swap here.

You can see what I made for Secret Snarker in 2016 and in 2017 in older blog posts.

Pattern Review: Liberty Jane Swimsuit

This is a swimsuit pattern from Liberty Jane. You can pick it up for free at Pixie Faire.