Christmas Projects

Although I have been very busy knitting and sewing of late, most of the clothes have been made for either my Etsy shop or orders.  As a result my dolls get to wear clothes briefly for modelling only to have the dress whipped off them and they miss out!  

Now it is time to spend the last couple of weeks before Christmas to make them some clothes of their own.  I have decided I would quite like to focus on just a few dolls and make them a Christmas outfit each.

Tilly (Matilda, A Girl for All Time) of course got a dress the other week which will be her Christmas dress as she looks so elegant in it, and it is red 😊.

Yesterday I started a dress for the new Hearts for Hearts girl Shola (not sure if I will rename her yet) and I finished that today.  I photographed her before I managed to find her a more suitable pair of shoes to match her dress.

I had knitted a dress in the same yarn that Chrissy (my American Girl doll) modelled a couple of weeks ago, but that sold, so I am going to make her one to keep.  I have started that.

Hazel (wooden Bleuette) and Clara (Les Cheries) are also next on the list.  After that I am not sure.  Peggy Sue has already had her Christmas dress made for her and all the Sasha girls already have Christmas dresses, made over the years.

Who else has Christmas projects they have in mind or are working on?

My First Handmade Rag Doll.

At the request of a friend, I am writing a little bit more about Alice, Peggy Sue's rag doll.

This little rag doll was given to Peggy Sue back in January 2013.  I found her in a box of sewing notions (possibly belonging to my husband's Grandmother, I can't quite remember) in pieces unfinished.  I gave her little fingers by sewing her hands and put her together, sewed her facial features and gave her hair.  I made her a pair of pantaloons, and she is wearing a dress I made for Tressy back in the nineties.  She is nine inches tall.

I guess you could say this was the very first rag/cloth doll I made.

Two New Handmade Dolls.

I have been busy making dolls - instead of buying a doll, I am going to make one, at least that is the intention.  I do still have one on my 'wish list' that I hope to get before Christmas, but only if funds allow.

My latest two are 'Beth Ann' and 'Yet to be Named'

I used the wonderful 'Prarie Flower Doll' pattern that the very generous Beth has made available on her blog 'By Hook By Hand'

Thank you Beth for your wonderful patterns.

My last though is probably a different take on her original thoughts for the doll, but this doll just kind of 'happened'...I am obviously being influenced by Raggedy Ann stories at the moment.

This little girl is 6.5 inches tall.

She has removable purple boots

She clearly likes the colour purple!

Next I wanted to try the pattern at full size.

Here she is yesterday lounging on the couch.

Hair = much stabbing of fingers!

Ta Da!  Finished today.

Underwear made from handkerchief.

Reading...

Enjoying the garden.

The beginnings of Little Miss Perfekta's wardrobe.

Last night I did some knitting for Little Miss Perfekta

I knitted her a little dress with some lovely NZ lace weight wool

She needed a pair of underwear so I made up this pattern as I knitted.

This little simple green dress was made for her yesterday.

This is a little nightgown, also made yesterday.

A little purple felt dress made this morning.

She was also seen spotted talking to Frog..this morning...

I wonder what they were talking about?!

A Small Doll

Some of my Flickr friends have been making Ann Wood Dolls... at their encouragement I decided to download the pattern and make one as well.

Her arm is a little wonky!  I might undo it and and see if I can get it to match the other side.  I stitched a little heart on her chest and I might embroider a little flower on her bottom.  Her bloomers are made from a vintage handkerchief.

I fussed around with her hair a bit more until I was happier with it,  She has a little camisole also made with the same vintage handkerchief.

This is the back of her hair - I decided to leave a bit long.

Yes I think I am going to have to redo her arm!

She has a little smock dress

With an apron over the top.

She is enjoying the sunshine in the garden

I think I am going to call her Lucy... after Lucy Locket...as she fits in my pocket!

Edited to add:  Renamed Heather by Hazel Bleuette who claimed her.

Embroidered Apron Challenge.

My creation and entry for the Bleuette Sewing Clubs 'Embroidered Apron Challenge' was made using an old blouse of mine which had sweet embroidery on the collar.  I used this collar to make pockets as every apron needs useful pockets!

July Cover Girl Challenge

The challenge on the AADC Bleuette group this month was 'Cover Girl'  

We had to chose an idea from a magazine and make a dress and a scene from it.

I chose this magazine cover  and made Hazel a little yellow dress. (The light was very bad this afternoon though with black clouds looming so the yellow doesn't show very well.

This is the picture I came up with.  She is skipping in the garden with the little dog watching on.

Sewing for Hazel

I have been doing a little sewing for Hazel recently.

She wanted something green...

So green she got...

Of course she needed a cardigan to match.

This little dress was made for the Summer Challenge on the Bleuette group I am in.

I liked the pattern so much I made another, experimenting with some bold reds.

Sewing on Sunday

I have had a very productive couple of days sewing - I have eight Sasha dresses now to hem - I hand sew the hems generally.  I also have three shirts to sew buttons on and then the oh so dreaded sewing on of 'snaps/poppers' .  I really don't enjoy that part - does anyone like sewing on snaps/poppers?  

It has been a good day - thanks to my muse.  So it only seemed right that she got a new dress as well.  

I wanted to try and new pattern so I used some fabric I had in my stash that I had plenty of and that I didn't regard as 'special' as I wanted to make sure of the fit first.  It worked out pretty well so I will now have a hunt for something special for her.

Won't you play me a Sonata?

Of course the boots don't quite match this dress!