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!

123 Mulberry Street Baby Doll Dress

 This is the second time that I have made the pattern for the 123 Mulberry Street Dress.

The first time, it went really well. You can read that blog here.

This time, it didn't go quite so flawlessly.

The sleeves were too narrow, and doll hands could not fit through them.

I am not sure why this happened this time and not the last time I sewed it.

I revised the sleeve pattern a bit to be longer and wider at the wrists. They are full length instead of three quarters lengths.

It came out very cute, and I am very happy with it!

Zia wanted to make snow angels despite her bare legs.

(Yes, okay, she fell over, but it looked cute!)

Holiday Pictures

Here are a few of my holiday pictures of the dolls!

Thimbles and Acorns Minoan Wrap Skirt

I have made the Thimbles and Acorns Mioan Wrap Skirt before.

I gave that outfit away. Here is the blog post with the pictures and more information about Minoan art.

I made it again, in time for Zia and Amelia to be Minoan girls for Halloween.

I used the same fabric again, but this time I made two different outfits by reversing where the colors are used.

I will say that dressing up as a certain culture for Halloween is not always a good idea.


Here is Amelia:

And here is Zia:

They both look pretty adorable!

Pretty Pictures

Here are some pictures I took of what the dolls were wearing before I changed their clothes.

They look so good!

Kit

 Anneliese

 Saige

 Kanani

Zia

 Kaya

Pullips

I think that Pullip dolls are lovely. I love seeing Pullip pictures.

HOwever, the few times that I have seen one in real life, they just didn't work for me.

Which is a good thing! I don't need to start collecting another line of dolls.

So I have two mini Pullips. These were a good price at Tuesday Morning, they are cute, and they ease my Pullip itch without starting another expensive coll collection.

I don't remember what these dolls are called.

This one in purple has the classic Pullip face mold.

This one has the Dal face mold.
I thought she would make a cute Tinkerbell custom but I have not done this yet.

Mini Pullips are the right size to be a doll for a doll for American Girl dolls as well!

Zia is all in favor of this!

Llama Pajamas!

I saw that My Life As had llama pajamas for dolls and I really wanted them!

Llamas are a special thing in my family. I have two pairs of my own llama pajamas, one for Christmas and one for spring.

Luckily for me, mcooper of Isn't She Dovely found them for me! Yay! Thanks so much! Doll collectors friends are the best.

Here is Zia modelling the pajamas:

It fit just fine, which I was pleased with.
If it had been too small, my back up plan was to make them into pajamas for A Girl for All Time dolls.

Here is Zia getting ready for bed:

And all tucked into bed with mini Gabi:

I am so happy to have these cute pajamas!

Pattern Review: Jinjia Mixed Goods Gothic Lolita Blouse

Jinjia Mixed Goods has released her first doll clothes pattern for sale (she has done many free patterns) and it is fabulous!

This pattern is the Gothic Lolita Style Blouse and it is for sale in her Etsy shop.

This pattern has so many choices. You can basically make any blouse you ever dreamed up. 

There are 256 different combinations from different sleeves, collars, and other options.

I made a blouse with short puffed sleeves and a Peter Pan collar and peplum. 

I want to make many more of the other options!

This is really a classic blouse. It reminds me of one that I had that I loved.

Here is a look at the inset lace I did on the sleeve. So pretty and ladylike!

I love this pattern. what more can I say?

If you want to read more about the pattern, you can read the pattern designer's blog post about it here.

You should go buy this pattern immediately. There is a coupon code for her etsy shop.

It is  JMG10TH and it is valid until May 10 for 10% off $5 or more in purchases.

This is a pattern that you will use over and over. Definitely worth the price.

Zia's Photoshoot

Here are some pretty pictures of Zia enjoying the lovely weather!

Happy Easter!

Zia is very excited for Easter. She is all dressed up in her best and ready to hunt for eggs!

Pussy Hats

My kindergarten teacher is more cool than your kindergarten teacher.

I know this for a fact, because she commissioned me to make a pussy hat for her granddaughter's doll.

Her granddaughter is about a year old, but she is determined that she should have the coolest hippie doll ever.

I am happy to help.

 I think this looks like a new group of super heroes. Wonder Woman better watch out, she has competition!

Snow Good to See You Outfit

The Snow Good to See You Outfit is the current Purchase with Purchase online at American Girl.

Winter Doll Photography

I have posted about this at American Girl Collectors, but I still feel like talking about it.

Taking doll pictures this time of year is really tough for me.

My apartment is really dark. Even if it's around noon and I have all the lights on, it's still too dark to take doll pictures.

If I drag lots of lamps over, I get very stark shadows.

I get pictures like this one:

Or this one:

And I guess they are adequate, but I want to take good pictures, and I don't want to wait until April!

I can't take pictures outside. The ground is covered in half-melted snow. It is not lovely.

I probably need to invest in some photography lamps and reflectors. Several have been recommended to me, and I just don't know what to get. Plus, I don't want to spend too much money.

So that is one reason the blog is currently quiet!

Renaissance dress, part 2

I finally finished reworking this skirt so that it fits better! What a big relief!

You can see my post about sewing this outfit here.

Happy Election Day!

Happy Election Day!

Everyone who qualifies, get out there and vote!

Here are some pictures of a new doll quilt I made with 1930s repro fabrics. Very American!

Zia likes the quilt!

New doll quilt

I made another doll quilt. Zia gets to model it!

It's a mix of colors. It's made from Moda fabric. It was sold already cut up in these nice small squares! That made for a quick and easy quilt.

I had trouble deciding what color to make the borders. I think it worked out well.

Zia likes it! She's ready to read Melody's book before going to sleep.

Meet mini Melody!

Mini Melody Ellison is so adorable. I'm in love!

Anne and Zia got to unbox her.