One of the projects that I would like to make some day is a doll-sized version of Belle's library gown with really lush fabrics.
Belle's my favorite princess, and this is my favorite of her gowns. Even if AG makes it, I am not sure I trust them to do it right.
Original dress:
Inspiration:
Today is my friend's birthday!
She really wanted a Jane Eyre dress by Pemberley Threads for her Addy. We are ignoring the 20 years' difference between this 1840s dress, and the year Addy lived in, 1864..
I asked what color she wanted, she said purple, and here she is.
It goes very nicely with my cute little irises.
I think this is a great pattern. It looks elegant and is easy to sew.
The bodice was a little loose on my Addy, but better too loose than too tight. Her Addy is an older one who is likely chunkier anyway.
Here is a gorgeous picture of her Addy wearing the dress!
Perfect for Easter!
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!
I made the Keepers Dolly Duds Nancy and Mary Jane pattern in full!
I used a version of the pattern to make Nanea's Christmas dress, but that didn't have all the scallops.
This version has the scallops!
I always feel when I make scallops that they could be more defined.
These aren't the best and aren't the worst.
But it's a pretty dress, and I am happy that I tried to make the pattern!
I love this fabric. So pretty!
This is another dress made from the Thimbles and Acorns Wrap Front Regency Dress pattern.
I did not realize that the pattern also contains the pattern pieces for a second, simpler doll dress!
This one closes in the back.
I was happy to dive in and make another dress for Caroline.
This dress was supposed to have tucks taken in on the skirt. However, I did have a mishap cutting out the fabric for the skirt and decided to just go with a simpler skirt made from a shorter piece of fabric.
I think it's a pretty dress! I think that this pattern is more versatile than I realized, and I enjoyed making this.
My first doll dress of the year!
I made the Thimbles and Acorns Wrap Front Regency Dress pattern.
I'm so proud of myself!
I did have to read the instructions carefully on this one.
The sleeves are actually the easy part. They are straightforward sleeves, just long and with a wrist band and snap to create the bunching.
The top was the challenging part, but I got there!
It's so pretty! I love this fabric print.
Caroline is happy to have a new dress to wear (and to get out of the closet, let's be honest.)
I was very sick over Christmas. It feels so good to be up and doing things again!
I decided that Nanea needed a Christmas dress. I am surprised that AG hasn't made one for her.
I wanted to make a green one to go with her eyes.
I found a green plaid fat quarter with snowflakes in my stash. It was perfect!
I used the pattern Keepers Dolly Duds Nancy and Mary Jane pattern. I didn't add the scallops. They would have been lovely, but I wanted a simpler project. I will make them next time!
Oddly enough, tackling a simpler version of this pattern makes me more confident in tackling a more complicated version later.
I am very happy with the finished version. Nanea can match with the other dolls wearing a Christmas dress now!
I think this dress goes well especially with Molly's and Addy's Christmas dresses.
It is so dark this time of year. It makes it more challenging to take good pictures.
I need to start sewing again!
I started with Keepers Dolly Duds Sweet Summer Days.
Yes, I consider it a hilarious and wonderful joke that after I sewed all of the Keepers Dolly Duds patterns, three more were released.
I am happy to have more wonderful patterns to sew!
I made this dress in yellow gingham. Having learned my lesson the last time I sewed this dress, I lined the skirt so that it wouldn't be see-though.
Nanea gets to wear the dress. It looks great on her! I was sewing this on a rainy day, and the dress was like a drop of sunshine.
If you are not into the midriff gap, Forever 18 Inches Country Diva is a pretty similar pattern.
I'm excited to be sewing again! I'm less excited about winter approaching, but oh well.
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.
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!
I have had this pattern for years, and have been waiting for the perfect fabric.
Well, I finally went with "good enough." I was thinking of making it with the red and blue checked fabric, but I decided that with the curvy pattern pieces, this would work better with a less geometric print.
And I think I was right, because looking at this dress with the flowered print, I can't even see where the seams are.
The pattern pieces fit together perfectly, and they fit the doll perfectly as well.
I did one mistake, which was totally mine. I sewed the neckline shut before I added the collar. So I had to unpick it and add the collar. I think that the extra work was worth it!
Yes, I have been sewing for Julie a lot lately. I just have been thinking sundresses, and I guess that the 70s had a lot of sundresses? Or I am really inspired by that red and blue checked fabric. Either one.
Makena also got to have a turn at modeling the dress!
This is the second dress that I have sewn for Julie from the same fabric.
For the first one, I used the Heritage Doll designs Wrap Top Dress pattern.
I knew that it reminded me of Julie's Patchwork Outfit.
So I decided to sew a version that was even more similar to her original outfit by using the pattern Bunny Bear Patterns Endless Summer.
I really like this pattern! It's elegant, and the fit is perfect.
It was also very easy to sew.
Next, I want to make an all-white version of this pattern for Kavi. I think it would be cute on her.
Here are Julie and Evette modeling their "matching" dresses!
It reminds me a bit of the Beverly Cleary book Ellen Tibbits, where the moms sew dresses for their daughters from matching fabric.
I found this fabric at the thrift store, and it was giving me serious 1970s vibes. It reminds me of Julie's Patchwork Outfit.
I knew that I wanted to use it to make a sundress for Julie.
I have never smocked, so I wasn't going to imitate Julie's Patchwork Outfit in that regard.
I decided to use the Heritage Doll Fashions Wrap Top Dress pattern. I thought that it would work well with this print, and it is one of my favorite patterns.
I think that the result is very cute!
I may think about whether there is a more 1970s pattern that I can use with the same fabric, but this one is still a home run!
Here is another sundress that I made in this pattern.
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.
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!
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
I found Pleasant Company's trunk for Molly! It was $20 and I found it in a pile of stuff in the garage (!) of my local thrift store. It...
