A Stitch in Time 1916 Summer Dress

 I haven't made many patterns by A Stitch in Time.  The 1916 Summer dress is lovely.

I found this pattern to be relatively easy to sew. It is really beautifully engineered, so that everything matches up perfectly.

The opening on the back of the dress, for instance, end at exactly where the first ruffle starts.

It includes several possible variations on the skirt, sleeve, etc.

I loved this and will be making more variations of this pattern!

Sundress for Fern

 Fern was one of the dolls I bought at the 2021 MCM sale.

She is a stunning Jess mold with freckles and grey eyes. I love her.

She came in a hot pink princess dress. I cannot state enough how much that dress did not suit her and how much she hated it, and how much I hated it on her.

She hasn't worn a dress since she came to my house, until now.

I finally made a dress that suited Fern.

I made the Bunny Bear Endless Summer pattern in yellow gingham.

It's so cute on Fern!

My friend said that she looks like a yellow daffodil, and I love that comparison.

I guess Fern likes gingham and plaid. I will have to keep that in mind.

She might need a slip with this dress, as you can see her undies if you look closely.

Meanwhile, I am enjoying this summer look on her.

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.

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.

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. 

Pattern Review: Lemon Bay Doll Co Vintage Dress

 I finally made a dress for my 8 inch Caring for Baby doll using the Lemon Bay Doll Co Vintage Dress pattern.

I think I have had this pattern for a couple of years. I have meant to make this FOREVER.

The pattern is very straightforward, and it comes with a lot of suggestions on how you can easily alter the pattern to make it suitable for different decades.

I wanted to make a christening gown, or one that looked like a christening gown. Just because they are pretty, not because of religious belief.

I cut a skirt 4 inches by 18 inches. Next  time, I may make it even longer!

I added inset lace on the sleeves and the skirt.

This dress is so cute!

Now I want to make lots of them, all in different colors and with different skirt lengths.

I am happy. :)

Ruby Red Fashion Friends Frieda

 I was surprised by how much I loved Ruby Red Fashion Friend Stella, but I have had my eye on Frieda for a long time!

I love her coloring and her hairdo.

I made her blouse and her skirt!

For the skirt, I just kind of eyeballed the measurements.

For the blouse, I used the Dolls at Heart Designs Analisa Top pattern. It is available on etsy.

I want to make a lot more clothes using this cute pattern!

I closed the back of the blouse with velcro, so I added an extra quarter inch to each piece on the back of the blouse to account for the fabric overlap.

I think that Frieda would be VERY cute in a Regency dress! I have so many projects that I would to sew!

Pattern Review: Dolls at Heart Vera's 1920s Dress

 I made the Dolls at Heart Vera's 1920s Drooped Waist Dress, available on etsy.

I had first bought the cloche hat on ebay, and then I made the pink and green dress to match the hat.

I used fabric that I had on hand, which is why the green fabric is not an exact match to the green on the cloche.

I ended up not liking the pink fabric that I used at all. It was second hand from someone else's project. It looked like they were making a giant pillow case maybe? I don't know.  It was slippery and a bit sheer and it did not feel high quality at all. 

When I dislike the fabric that I used for a sewing project, it ends up affecting how much I like that particular project. Am I the only one with this idiosyncrasy? It's a perfectly cute dress, but that pink fabric... Ugh.

I did not pleat the skirt. I had trouble understand the way the pleating was marked on the pattern piece. I couldn't access the pattern instructions because of laptop problems.

I put velcro on the cuffs instead of snaps in order to finish the project sooner. 

It's a very nice pattern. It reminds me of some of the Keepers Dolly Duds patterns. I will no doubt be using it again. Maybe next time, I will make the pleats.

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.

Eighteen Cotton Lane

 I have been following Eighteen Cotton Lane on Instagram for a while.

The account belongs to a seamstress in Canada who does absolutely beautiful work.

I wanted to give her a shout out because she has branched into making patterns for others to use.

So far, her first two patterns are both 1930s dresses for Kit, who is her favorite doll.

Her first pattern is a replica of a sailor dress worn by Shirley Temple. It is absolutely exquisite.

It is also a beautiful pattern when used in different colors and fabrics. I have seen several different variations now.

Shirley Temple Inspired Pleated Sailor Dress Link

Her second pattern is a 1930s tea dress. It has lots of beautiful detail. It is also inspired by a vintage 1930s pattern.

1930s Tea dress Pattern

I recommend following her even if you don't sew, or have the budget to buy from her. Her doll clothes are always a pleasure to look at.

Pattern Review: Suzy M Studio Boat Neck Raglan

 Another outfit that I made from my old shirt!

This one is from the pattern Suzy M Studio Boatneck Raglan. The pattern is available on Etsy.

The pattern has more variations available than I realized before I printed it out!

The variations include long, 3/4 and short sleeves, as well as Asymmetrical, Sharkbite, Above the knee or High-low dress.

I think the Asymmetrical dress might be my favorite, actually. 

Because I was trying to get as many outfits as I could from my shirt, I used the Above the knee dress pattern.

I made the skirt a bit longer than the pattern calls for, so it actually hits Jess at the knee.

I used the long sleeves because dolls never have enough long sleeved clothes. 

I  also felt that these colors are great for fall clothes.

This dress is a more sophisticated look for an older doll, maybe a teenage doll.

I usually consider my dolls to be ten years old, but what the hey, I was in the mood for this pattern.

This was very easy to make, and I definitely would be open to trying other variations from this pattern someday!

Pattern Review: All Dolled Up Lyric

 I made the pattern Lyric by All Dolled Up, currently called AllDolledUpbyTerrie on etsy.

I wanted to make Valentine's Day dresses for my little cousins, who have Kit and Ruthie.

I didn't have time to search for 1930s appropriate fabric, but I thought it would still be cute to use modern fabric and sew it into a 1930s appropriate dress.

I think the resulting dresses are very cute!

They have the same main fabric. The secondary fabrics are actually different, but close enough to look the same in a picture.

I had a few problems with this pattern. The pattern piece for the sleeve band was too short, and the front of the dress was longer than the back of the dress.

I was able to deal with these issues, and I am so happy to have made these cute dresses!

The pattern maker says that this is based on a dress that she wore in the 1960s, so I would like to make a different version of this dress for Melody some day.

LoveFromAfar Etsy

 I just wanted to give a shout out to the etsy shop LoveFromAfar.

The owner of the shop is someone that I know personally. 

I love the suspenders that she has made to go with the American Girl Truly Me Formal Festive Outfit.

My favorite are the rainbow colored suspenders! Way to show your LGBT pride!

Here is a link to the suspenders.

Here is a link to the LovefromAfar etsy shop home page.

Patterns and Ethics

So I was looking for the Sofie Clareese Perfectly Pleasant Sundress on Pixie Faire, and not finding it.



I did find a surprisingly similar dress, that to my eye was almost the same, but in my opinion was not quite as cute.

That was the BuzzinBea Marguerite dress.



To me, it looks like a cross between Sofie Clareese's Perfectly Pleasant Sundress and  its Sweetheart Bow Front Dress.



Then I noticed that BuzzinBea also has a pattern called the Wildflower Dress.



This dress bears a great similarity to the Lee and Pearl Ola Brasil pattern.


Both the Sofie Clareese patterns and the Lee and Pearl patterns pre-date the BuzzinBea patterns.
The Ola Barsil pattern was generously offered for free by Lee and Pearl for a year to its subscribers.

Both the Sofie Clareese patterns and the lee and Pearl patterns are sold on etsy.

I think it's highly questionable that BuzzinBea is offering patterns that are so similar to those offered by competitors on etsy.

I also think it's highly questionable that Pixie Faire agreed to list these patterns.
Sofie Clareese used to list on Pixie Faire, so Pixie Faire would be aware of these similairities.

I will not be buying any BuzzingBea patterns, and I will seriously consider a ban on Pixie Faire as well.

Sofie Clareese patterns on etsy

Last year, Sofie Clareese Fashion had one of the most popular patterns of the year.

The Pleasant Day Sundress makes a dress that looks just like Blaire's meet dress, and naturally it was very popular.


It looks cute with all kinds of fabric choices.

I keep drooling over this pattern, and lately I could not find it on Pixie Faire.
That really bugged me!

The Sofie Clareese patterns can now all be found on etsy.

I don't blame Sofie Clareese at all, as I understand that Pixie Faire takes a large amount of the pattern price for pattern makers to list there. I think it's as much as 40% of the price.

I hope that Sofie Clareese is doing well on etsy, and I am happy to know where t find her patterns.

I still want the Pleasant Day Sundress pattern, but for 18 inch and 14 inch dolls!

(I would love it if she packaged both pattern sizes together and knocked a dollar or two off the price.)

Check her etsy shop out! She has many other cute patterns for sale!

Renee Graef on Etsy

I have just discovered that Renee Graef, who illustrated the American Girl Kirsten books, has her own etsy shop selling prints.

You can find her etsy shop here.

She has a wide variety of prints to choose from, and she will autograph them for you.

This is a great way to get an autograph of one of the American Girl artists, as well as directly supporting that artist.

I was particularly excited about the Laura Ingalls Wilder illustrations- there are prints of these available in her shop.

These prints would make great gifts!

Pattern Review: Farmcookies Doo Wop Days 2

This dress is the second dress I made from the Farmcookies Doo Wop Days pattern.

I was not as pleased with this one, but it is partly my fault.

Okay, in the first place, I think I should have made a more narrow ribbon for the bodice decoration.

Rather than buying ribbon, I cut fabric, sewed it in a tube, turned it inside out, and ironed it.

My calculations were slightly off, it turned out wider than I intended, and I used it anyway.

Since I wasn't using ribbon, I did not make a bow, but that was intentional.

The neckline of the dress is curvy, and that is made by sewing the front fabric of the dress to a lining and turning it inside out.

I almost always have trouble with this coming out right when I made doll clothes, and this was sadly no exception.

However, that turned out to make almost no difference, because the neckline is so close to the doll's neck that it is barely visible in any case.

Still, I think it's not a bad dress at all. It's just one of those things where it frustrates me by not coming out exactly as I wanted it to.

Here are the first three dresses that I made with this fabric. They are all cute and unique!

Pattern Review: Farmcookies Doo Wop Days

Here is another 1950s doll dress that I made from the cute turquoise kitty fabric.

This one is made from the Farmcookies pattern Doo Wop Days.

It's a popular pattern because one of the two dresses in the pattern, this one, is a facsimile for Maryellen's school dress.

This was a cute and easy pattern to make.

I used a think blue ribbon that I think helps to set it off visually in the "series" of dresses that I made for this fabric.

One problem that I had was sewing the ribbon on the curve of the bib of the dress.
I sewed in on, but it doesn't fully lie flat in places.

Maybe I should have done a seam on each side of the fabric instead of down the middle of the ribbon, but it is very narrow ribbon, so that might not have worked either.

This is the first time I have used a Farmcookies pattern, and I was pleased with it.

I would have liked if the dimensions to be cut for the skirt had been listed on the page with the pattern pieces as well as being listed in the instructions, but that is a small quibble.

1918 Girl Scout Handbook for Dolls

Windstar of Jinjia Mixed Goods has outdone herself this time.

She made a pattern to create the original 1918 Girl Scout handbook.

According to her, at this time the requirements for girls were the same as for boys.

The book has printed pages inside that describe the different Girl Scout ranks and the merit badges that girls could earn.

The book is super detailed. It has pictures of the merit badges and more.

I was very glad that I did not have to earn the Morse code badge! It sounds very difficult.

I am SO excited to add this to my collection of doll books!

This book is not currently listed on her etsy shop.

If you wish to purchase the pattern to print and create this mini book, you can message Windstar through her shop on etsy, Jinjia Mixed Goods.

Panda hoodie

This is the sixth hoodie that I have made from the Requiem Art Designs hoodie pattern.

It's a panda!

 Hearts for Hearts doll Surjan is my lovely model.

There are a lot of panda themed clothing items out there, but I think this one is super cute.

I want to make hoodies for all of my Hearts for Hearts dolls.

What is next? A polar bear? A pig?

I honestly haven't decided yet.

Some animals just won't translate well as a hoodie- turtles and seals for instance. It would be really hard to make a giraffe with its spots. Ditto Tigger and his stripes.

I have thought of a penguin, but I am not sure it would look good.

What animal would you make as a hoodie?