Feline Friday- All Dressed Up

 

Anchor, looking lovely in a doll dress with a birdhouse motif.

Alice is sporting an apron and bow.

 

Book Review- Babies On The Go- 10" Doll Clothes

A new book from Annie's and House of White Birches- Lots to Love Babies on the Go! 10" Doll Clothes by Lorine Mason, available from www.http://AnniesCatalog.com .  (Sorry about the flash on the baby's face-my fault!).   Full-size patterns and instructions for both girl and boy dolls are included- dress, vest, pants, romper, pool side, sleeping bag etc.  With just a fabric change, you could get lots of different looks.  I have not had the chance to make any of the projects yet, but I read through some of the instructions and they sound easy and straight forward to follow.  There is a general sewing techniques section that explains the operations needed for completing these cute outfits!

Dressing Jesus

I was asked to clothe this Jesus doll.  There is a stained class window of Jesus surrounded by lambs at church that I chose as inspiration.  In the window, he is wearing a simple red robe with a white stole.  Once again, my fabric stash came through for me!  I used a red/burgundy broadcloth and a very soft ecru organic cotton herringbone. 

I simply drew a shape around him leaving plenty of room.

I folded the fabric in half so both sides would be the same.  Stitched the sides with 1/4" seams.  I hand hemmed the sleeves and used the selvidge as the bottom hem.  As for fitting it over his head, I cut a slit in back until it would fit.  I serged the edges of the stole.

Jesus is now ready for Vacation Bible School!



Student Projects

I teach sewing to students in organized classes as well as individuals.

Here are some projects by a young student of mine. 

(Sorry about the picture quality- I was using my phone.)

She sewed the above top, skirt and sash. 

 Top has a velcro closing in back and the skirt has an elastic waist.

This skirt has a back velcro closing.  On the pattern envelope, it showed a poodle skirt, but my student wanted a tiger skirt!  Very creative- good job!

We used Steam-A-Seam to attach the tiger.

Etsy Treasury- Kiss Me I'm Irish

I'm included in an etsy treasury- Kiss Me I'm Irish!  Moose Country chose my lucky paperweight creature to include.  Thanks so much MooseCountry!

Pattern Review: McCall's 4066- American Girl Doll Clothes

 I sewed this as a gift for my cat-loving niece.  I used McCall's 4066.  I changed the skirt to an elastic waist (just stretch and sew the elastic to the wrong side- no casing). I serged the hem.  The top is a lined wrap, with side snaps.  I used a suede like trim.  The pattern goes together very easily.  It also has pieces for a raincoat, pants and a puffy-sleeve top.

If your American Girl Doll needs undergarments, Check out how to sew doll bras .

Sock Creatures

On a recent rainy weekend, the kids and I started making sock creatures inspired by John Murphy's Stupid Sock Creatures.   These creatures are a little tricky to sew for beginners, but they are great for exploring creativity!  I especially love the lips and creature descriptions in the book.  Such personality!

 This blue one was a collaboration with my 8 year old.  We used toddler knee-high socks.

 Love the smile!

 I made this monkey several years ago.  My 11 year old painted the ceramic monkey.

See items in memory  and other examples of  sock creatures .

My daughter sewed the middle monkey at a birthday party.  I made the other two.  I like using buttons for the eyes, but you could also make very expressive felt eyes.  It is pretty addicting.  While I'm working on one, I get ideas for the next one.  I guess it is that way with any creative project.

New Legs for Raggedy Andy

Meet my dad's old Andy.  I'm guessing he is from the late 1930's.  He has held up quite well except for his legs.  The "socks" portion are rotting away, revealing a hard stuffing that looks like dryer lint.  Time to repair him.

I found some strong fabric, and added red ribbon to look as close to the original as it could. (The old leg is on the left of the picture.)  I hand stitched the new fabric over the old to help hold it all together.

Here he is with his new legs and his original clothes etc.  I think he's happy with the repair.

My First Quilt Ever

I made this probably when I was 6 years old.  Just tall enough to reach the foot pedal!

My first "quilt" is really applique.  I hemmed the bottom piece and then sewed each square on top.  I keep it on my bulletin board in my sewing room.  About 5" x 6", it looked great in my dollhouse!

Kids Sewing Projects

On a recent weekend, my kids decided they wanted to sew something. My daughter, 10, designed the owl. She is fully capable of sewing it herself, but she ran out of steam so I assembled the pieces.

My son, 7, drew the griffins on fabric and then I sewed around them. He helped stuff. I try not to pressure my kids into sewing. I wait until they are ready to work on a project. Hopefully this approach will lead them to view sewing as a fun hobby (not something Mom made them do!).

How to sew Doll Bras!

My daughter wanted bras for her American Girl Dolls (18"). I took an old cotton batiste slip with lace already attached and cut out a strip 12 1/2" x 2".*

I serged the bottom edge and sewed velcro to each end. The straps are 1/8" wide ribbon, 6 1/2" long.

I added a flower applique to the front.

Here are two bras. *They ended up curved because the bottom of the slip was curved, but it fits just right.

Stuffed Fabric Gnome

My son loves gnomes, so we were very excited to see gnome fabric at Quilting Adventures! www.quiltingadventures.com We sewed the front and back together, stuffed it and now he sleeps with it every night!

This is the back view before it was sewn. Pre-printed panels are a really easy sewing project for beginners or children who just want a quick, fun activity that won't take forever to finish.

Sew an Alien

My son loved the alien I made him last year, so he wanted a friend for his alien this year! These are fun to make. I use whatever scraps I've got- wool felt for the "belt" and eyes. The one on the left has flannel on the bottom and corduroy up top. I applique the felt parts first. With right sides together, I stitch around the shape once and then again, because space travel can really knock the stuffing out of you! Clip all your curves before turning right side out. Big simple shapes are the easiest to work with, especially with heavy weight fabric like the corduroy and the checked drapery fabric. I can't wait to see these rocketing through the house!

Angel Hair Repair

Let's hope this doesn't happen to you! This poor angel's hair all fell out! I brought her down from the attic and her hair came out in clumps. My daughter wanted me to fix her, so I hunted around in my sewing room and actually came up with curly blond doll hair (I love it when I can find exactly what I need). My glue gun wasn't doing the trick, so I made a lace veil to help hold her hair on. She started out as a brunette, but I think she looks fine now.

Gnomes and Sleigh

Shhhhh! This is a Christmas present! My son loves gnomes so I made him these two and a sleigh for them to ride in. Actually the sleigh and the gnome bodies are from a craft store, but I painted them and made their clothes. It was a fun project, different from sewing. I was very inspired by http://weefolkart.com Check them out!

All freehand- you can probably tell!

Stuffed Fabric Turkey

This is a big bird that my son made with me from a printed panel by Patty Reed Designs. It was easy to sew and my 7 year old enjoys stuffing things.

I hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Nesting Dolls

Its a family photo of my Russian nesting dolls! My daughter arranged them, but I have been thinking for awhile that I would like to make some fabric ones. I love all the bright colors and patterns. In case you are wondering- 3 are Russian and one is East Indian. My son even has one of sea animals but I couldn't find them for the picture.

Gallery of Creatures

I made these a while ago, but I might do some more because they were so much fun! Sewn and stuffed. The fairy and mermaids have plastic pellets so they are poseable.

Summer Classes at Quilting Adventures-2009

Three summer classes at Quilting Adventures for beginners ages 8-adult.

Make A Fabric Friend, Letter Pillows, Sock Creatures

For each class, you pick out your own favorite fabric to use. Go to http://www.quiltingadventures.com/ to learn more.

Irish What?

Iwanted to make something for St. Patrick's Day, so I pulled out my green fabric and trims and just started playing around until I came up with this cute little creature. I couldn't think of a name. An Irish....what? He is a distant relative of the Leprechaun. Not as well known, but certainly as charming! Check them out at http://catsongstitchery.etsy.com/