Merry Christmas

Here is hoping you have a wonderful day. 

Thoughts to End 2022 and Start 2023

 I have not been sewing for the dolls as I am trying to get Christmas sewing done. I am nearing the end of making gifts for family. 

I have been thinking about sewing for the dolls next year. I am making a list of what I still need to make and what I want to make. I need to be realistic about what I can do each month. I need to use fabric, trims, and notions from the stash before I buy. There will be purchases for special items for my dolls but what I sew and give away will be from the stash. 

Need to make:

    Stole and pantaloons for the cream Regency dress. The parasol is almost done. I hope to finish these this month. 

    The pink Regency dress needs a knit stole so it is on the list for to be done once the parasol is completed. I need to make shoes and pantaloons to complete it. I may crochet a parasol for this outfit also. 

    The Soutache dress needs a coat. I have chosen the pattern but haven't looked for fabric for it. I was going to use grey coloured fabric for it but want a more summery look. I'm waffling on it so need to look in the stash for ideas. 

Want to make:

    Snow suit from fabric I have on hand. Pants, coat, t-shirt, and leggings. I'm looking for winter boots for this outfit. 

    Apron dress, jacket and hat. Patterns chosen but not the fabric. Maybe white/blue stripe shirting with navy trim Shoes in white fabric. White tights from the stash. Undergarments (hack idea) in white. Inspiration idea was found by Elizabeth Bunce. The jacket and hat will be in navy with white trim. 

    Make several outfits from patterns I have for the little girl I sew for. I am thinking of making 6 pieces for her dolls that coordinate. The formula looks like this:

1. Layer top – coat or jacket or cardigan (neutral)
2. Bottom (neutral) (eg trousers)
3. Bottom (neutral) (eg skirt)
4. Top (neutral) (eg t-shirt)
5. Top (colour) (eg t-shirt)
6. Layer top (linking print or neutral) (eg shirt)

The layer top will be similar to this sweater (which I may ask the designer if I can buy the pattern). 

   

Little Woolens has the best ideas for sweaters.

    Sew some items for the Gotz dolls. They haven't had many new clothes for a while. I will sew what patterns I have and then buy a few more to add to the collection. I also need to knit for them using the patterns I have. 

Organization

I am thinking of buying a tension curtain rod and putting it into the closet behind the regular rod. I will have to buy hangers so I can hang the doll clothes up on them. 

I am going to go through the American Girl doll clothes once again and give the little girl I sew and knit for some more of the items I've made and am ready to pass on. Even a few historical items will leave as I want to make more items later on.  

The Gotz doll clothes will also be hung so can see what I have to make for them. 

I know more ideas will pop into my head which I will put into my planner. These are the first doll projects I want to make to finish up 2022 and start in 2023. 

Happy Doll Sewing...........................................

Using Technology When Sewing For The Dolls

 I made the 2nd pair of gloves and used the "stretch stitch". It wasn't as stretchy as I had thought but it certainly does stitch the gloves solidly together. 

I will be making more in the future for other outfits. I want to make them wrist length also. My next pair will be made with the lightening stitch as it is more stretchy. I may only do the hem with it and the other stitch for the gloves. 

I have been thinking about what I would love to have in the sewing room to help me when I'm sewing doll clothes. At this time I'm thinking of a Cricut Maker. It is on my want list. While I wait to see if it is what I want, I have been playing with the Cricut Design Space app. 

I started off with reading about the machine from Oh Sew Kat. It got me thinking and I searched for a video to help me with the process. I found this great video which I've watched several times. Once to see if it was what I wanted and twice to help me with the process. 

I downloaded the app and got started. I chose a skirt that had 4 pieces and 3 of the pieces had to be duplicated and flipped. What a huge learning curve as I wanted to be able to cut it out on a 12 x 24" mat. After several attempts I got it. 

Later on I did a top which needed to have the front duplicated, flipped and welded together. The back needed to be duplicated and flipped. I got it to fit onto the 12 x 12" mat.

Lastly I did the Plain Jane shoes. When doing the snapshot of the shoes, I got writing which I didn't want to deal with in the app. I fiddled around using Preview and got most of the unnecessary marks gone. When doing each step in the app, it was easy to get rid of the few remaining marks. The shoes and soles have been flipped, combined and put onto the 12 x 12" mat. The soles are separate to cut out of chip board and foam. I felt really successful as I didn't use the video at all for this pattern. 

Cricut's app can be annoying as you can't save the svg files to put onto another computer and try out a machine. The files are well hidden in the app. I really wanted to try cutting out one item on a friend's Cricut as I think she has the one I want to buy - Cricut Maker. This machine was recommended by a doll sewer on a forum I belong to. 

I may have to visit my friend and talk to her about the machine once again. Though on sale at the moment, I will not be buying it at this given time. I want to look in the stores at the machines and accessories in the stores also. 

Happy Doll Sewing..........................................................

Gloves For The Regency Era Outfit

I am now slowly working on completing the Regency Era Dress so it is another complete outfit. 

The pattern is Simplicity 9438. I made a pair of shoes to go with it which I put on tear drop pearls. They were the third pair of shoes I made. They aren't perfect as I've figured out a few more tricks since then. 

When done, I knew I wanted to add more to this outfit so it was complete. I am on a mission to have a stole, parasol, gloves, and pantaloons (not era correct). I did a lot of searching and found a pattern for the parasol. I started it and there will be more on it later. 

The next search was for gloves and I found them here. I had to figure out how to get them to print at 100% as the square was 3/4" in size not 1" when printed. I enlarged the pattern to 115% when printing and then 104% (twice) at the printer to get the correct size. 

The designer has a video on how she makes them which is at the bottom of the pattern. Video 3 tells how to make them with stretch fabric. 

I bought children's size knee high socks for the fabric. I spent a couple of weeks thinking about sewing these socks as I had other commitments and needed to think what I would use for a needle and thread when making them. I finally made them yesterday. 

    Use a 60/8 microtex needle. These are sharp and great to sew knits with. 

    Use a good quality thread. I used Glide thread but other brands can be used. I wouldn't recommend cotton thread but I would try silk thread. 

    I cut the cuff off the socks I bought and then cut the length to 6". I then cut the tube open so I had a piece of fabric. I put the right sides together after sewing down the hem and pinned the pattern on with 6 pins. I removed the pins and put them back in after I stitched an area to keep the pattern secured on the fabric.

    When sewing down the hem, I turned 1/4" under and stitched in the middle. On the next pair, I will trim the raw edge back to the stitching. The hem did stretch and I steamed it so it would shrink back into shape. It sort of complied. 

    I did the first pair with just a straight stitch and would recommend you use a stretch stitch. Though I had no skipped stitches I was worried about the thread breaking when putting on the gloves. If you use a straight stitch, sew the seam twice for extra strength. I didn't and I'm now worried about the seam coming open as I take them off and put them on the dolls. 

    Sew slowly around the pattern as she shows in the video. I started at the hemmed edge and worked to the thumb. It was easier for me. I spent a lot of time on the curves taking 1 -2 stitches and adjusting the foot so I was close to the pattern. Trim as the designer shows on the video. 

    When turning the glove right side out, I used the rounded end of my bamboo turning tool to smooth out the hand and the pointed end for the thumb. 

A couple of good chuckles has ensued. While looking for a stole pattern I discovered the pattern I used for the dress has both the stole and gloves patterns included. I may trace the gloves onto paper and try them at a later date. Searching for the gloves allowed me to see how one designer made her gloves. It is a good tutorial and gave me the confidence to make these gloves. I'm ready to make the second pair this afternoon. 

I will be making the stole a bit later on as I have other sewing to do. I'll be using the Simplicity pattern for it. The parasol has been started and set aside as I'm testing a pattern for a designer and have socks to finish. I'm not in a rush to finish this outfit as I'm enjoying the process. 

Happy Doll Sewing................................................ 

Isla Girl Outfit Completed

I finished the Isla Girl (Lass) outfit. I am thrilled with how it looks even though it is not era correct. 

The shawl got ties added to it so it can be tied at the back. 

It keeps the shawl closed when doing chores or out and about. 

The shawl was not worn in the 1700's but in the mid 1800's. People wore cloaks in the 1700's. It wasn't until after the shawl was finished that we discovered this. 

A bit of research showed that these people did not wear shoes and if they did, they were something along the lines of the Plain Jane shoes I have been making. 

The socks I made 7-8 years ago from sock yarn and are a bit on the heavy side to be era correct. They would have been knit on very fine pins (needles). 

Julie is very happy to be wearing this outfit and is feeling toasty warm on cool fall days. 

Happy Doll Sewing.................................................

Almost Done Isla Girl

 I am slowly getting more pieces made so each outfit is compete in its look. I am working on completing the Isla Girl outfit when I have time. 

I completed this outfit Sept. 2021 and, though happy with it, I felt it was never complete. There is an apron and hat to go with the dress. I have revisited the outfit several times, did many searches on the internet for a shawl to go with it and found nothing. One day, this pattern popped up in my search.

I started off knitting it in grey silk yarn and didn't have enough to get the size I wanted. I dug in the sock yarn stash and found what I wanted. Using tiny needles, the sock yarn and a lot of patience, I finished the shawl just over a year after making the outfit. I used 50 grams of yarn and don't ask me how many stitches were on the needles when I cast off. I refused to count them. 

I love the centre back where you increase, knit/purl and increase to get a lovely pattern that is simple to do. 

I now have pantaloons to make in cream coloured broadcloth and this outfit will be complete. I am thrilled with it. It is just what I had envisioned when I sewed the outfit. 

When I finish this outfit, I will start making items to finish the Regency dress. It needs a shawl, parasol, and pantaloons. I'm going to dip my toes into crocheting which I can do but am not as well as I can knit. Practice will be the name of the game. 

Happy Doll Sewing.............................................................

Outfits Nearing the Finish Line

I have been remiss at updating this blog. I have been busy in the sewing room. In the evenings I have been knitting. 

I have been thinking about how I want to sew doll clothes. I have decided to sew more complete outfits rather than single items of clothing. When I became obsessed with the Regency Dress and then with Lemon Bay Doll Co, I knew the path I wanted to take. It will mean going back to clothes I've made and add more to them. It also means spending more time planning patterns and fabrics in the future so I can sew a complete outfit for the dolls. 

1. Soutache Dress

I got the embroidery done and the dress sewn with no problems. The adjustments I made were to lengthen the bodice by 3/8" and cut that much off the centre back seam. I got a nicer bodice doing that. 

I cut the skirt 1/4" too short but I'm living with it. It is short enough that the lace on her bloomers show. That I wanted. 

I have cut out and started to make matching shoes to go with the dress. I would love to make a necklace and the Plumfield Cloak to go with it. I will put white ribbons in her hair if the pink ribbon I have doesn't match. 

2. Aspen Sweater

I knit this as a test pattern for a designer who lives in Halifax. I love her patterns and was so happy to be a tester for her. 

At the moment all I have are grey leggings to go with this sweater. That is fine but I need to make a t-shirt to go with it. I may keep this all in grey and use some bright crystals on the t-shirt. I have grey boots to go with it. At this time, I don't know if I have enough yarn to knit a hat. If I do, it will finish the outfit. 

3. Outlander Shawl

This shawl is still on the needles and I am making progress with it. 

It is to go with the Isla Girl outfit I made quite a while ago. All I need to make is pantaloons and this outfit will be done. 

4. Regency Dress

This outfit is still a work in progress. I have to see if I have the off white yarn to knit the shawl on large needles. I also need to sew pantaloons which I'm thinking of doing out of the satin used in the dress. 

So the list of items yet to sew between now and then is

1. Pantaloons for the Regency Dress and Isla Girl outfit. 

2. Cloak, shoes and necklace for the Soutache Dress.

3. T-shirt for the Aspen Sweater (I may make another pair of leggings also. 

4. Finish the shawl for the Isla Girl outfit. 

Not too bad for a list of items to make complete outfits. 

Happy Doll Sewing...........................................................

Finishing Outfits

Life has had a dramatic change for me. The Spousal Unit passed away on Sept. 21 and I have been slowly getting back into the sewing room. I do miss him visiting with me while I sew. We have done that for many years and I do cherish those times. 

Regency Shoes

I had started these shoes and then they sat while I was busy. I had decided to add tear drop pearls to them which was a good choice. I also used up some of the trim on the soles to make them more "expensive" looking. 

One thing I did learn was to measure the top part when attaching them to the soles. One top is 1/4" shorter than the other one. 

I may make a stole out of the satin that is 4" x 28" and do a rolled hem on it. I would then call this outfit done. 

Outlander Shawl

I decided to knit the Outlander Shawl to finish the Isla Girl Outfit. 

I started it in a silk sock yarn and didn't have enough. I will use the small shawl on another outfit. The one I am knitting now is more rustic looking and the colours are wonderful. 

I am not quite half done so have about another week of knitting. Maybe more as this shawl is increased by 4 stitches one row and 2 the next row. 

Next

Once I have finished hand sewing the binding to a quilt, I will be starting the final version of the Soutache dress. I am looking forward to making it and figuring out what to make for accessories. Silver leather shoes? Necklace? Maybe. 

Happy Doll Sewing..........................................................

Soutache Dress and Regency Shoes

 Life is moving on here and I'm sewing some when I have the time. I spent a lot of time doing a muslin for the Soutache dress. It was a great learning session and I'm now ready to make the dress in pink. 

I'm glad that I spent the time having the embroidery on top of the pleats. I need to add 1/4 - 3/8" to the bodice so the embroidery does not get caught in the neckline seam. I also want a smaller hem. 

I decided to make a pair of shoes for the Regency dress before I start the good version of the Soutache dress. The satin fabric is light weight so I interfaced the fabric. I'm glad I did. The uppers went together with no real issues. When I glued the first upper to the insole, the fabric absorbed more glue than I expected. I think the interfacing was the culprit. It took a while for the upper to stick to the insole. The second shoe was being a pain It didn't want to center on the insole and took three tries to get it in the right spot. When done, I took a picture and walked away. 

I was pleased with the results though I will work on the back seam more. I have an idea to help have less bulk when attaching it to the insole. The soles were glued on and left to dry. I am thinking of just adding hotfix pearls to these shoes. As I get better at making shoes, I will do more to make them fancier. 

I have to say, I am enjoying making shoes even if I get frustrated while learning. I'm hoping to get better as time goes on. I'm thinking of leather shoes that are lined. Ideas are floating in my head about this one. I'm thinking a bag and matching shoes in leather lined with cotton. I have enough light leather to make a lot of shoes, purses, and even a jacket or two. 

But, it is back to sewing doll's dresses for the rest of the month.

Happy Doll Sewing....................................................

First Doll Shoes Made

 Since I last posted, life has been extremely busy and a lot has happened in our household. But, when I had my respite time, I did make the doll shoes. 

The first pair of shoes I made were the Plain Jane shoes by Love U Bunches. I followed her YouTube video on how to put the uppers onto the insole. I learned a lot. 

Pressing is really important to have a professional looking shoe. I pressed the shoes a lot and they look good. 

Putting the upper shoe onto insole needs a lot of attention as I have a bubble in the heel (lining only). 

I followed the instructions for putting the upper on and it worked out well. The next time I am going to follow the written instructions and clip the 1/4" seam. I hope it will allow the seam to lay flatter. 

The sandals were a greater learning curve. Though they went together easily, they are too big for the doll. I am going to have our neighbor cut the insoles and soles down with our dremel. I also was rushing and didn't cut the fabric larger to cover the edge of the insole. Once again, I will snip the edge that is glued to the insole to see if they lay flatter. Instead of just the uppers, there will be the covering for the insoles making it an extra layer thicker.

I am going to make another pair of the Plain Jane shoes so I can get better at attaching the upper to the insole. Then I will make the satin ones to go with the Regency dress I made. 

Happy Doll Sewing.............................................................

Blue and Yellow Wardrobe

The blue and yellow wardrobe is finished. I am pleased with how it turned out. I am only a month late which is good for me.

Picnic Play by Oh Sew Kat

This pattern was sewn first with no apparent issues. I wasn't a big fan of the top as it wasn't fitting as nicely as I had thought it would. It stood away from the neck and shoulders. After some fiddling and putting the top on backwards, I moved the top snap to the point and the fitting issues basically disappeared. I need to replace the star button with a flat yellow one. The shank on the star is too big and thick for a doll's top.

The capri pants fit well and I'm pleased with the results. 

Liberty Jane T-shirt and Leggings

I made these two pieces out of a pair of X-large girls leggings from Walmart. There is enough fabric left for another pair of leggings. 

The top was done using the adaptions I've made to the t-shirt pattern. I added jonquil (yellow) crystals to the neckline for some bling. The capri leggings are a bit long so I need to check the pattern to see if they are the capri length. If so, I will cut off an inch.

I decided to try using Eloflex thread and I had issues with the stitches being too small.

I chose to fiddle with the tension and got it stitching perfectly.

The tension is set at -0.8 and works beautifully. I have three colors of this thread and will use it up and not buy any more. Not worth the price as I can use regular thread and a Microtex needle as effectively. 

I am ready to start making the shoes for this wardrobe. The Plain Jane shoes are cut out ready to sew and glue onto the insoles and soles. I need to read the pattern for the 5th time for sewing the uppers and video once again on how to attach the uppers to the insoles. I am excited and scared at the same time. It is my first foray into making shoes.

Happy Doll Sewing...............................................................

Regency Dress Completed

 It has been a while since I posted. The Regency era dress is complete. It was a delightful sew and I'm thrilled with the outcome. The pattern is one I recommend if you are looking for a Regency dress pattern. Simplicity 9438.

The dress, on its own looks elegant with all the appliques. 

The back of the dress looks perfect with just a row of appliques added to it. 

I lined the skirt of the dress as the satin is light weight and the lining hides the stitching of the appliques. It worked perfectly. 

When the overlay was added, it was gorgeous and I couldn't stop admiring it.

I found a pearl choker I had made and it finished the outfit. When I have made a couple of pairs of shoes, I will make a pair to go with this outfit. I may have to master gloves to be worn with these gowns. I have a pattern for tea length gloves that I can cut from the dress material. I still want to make a parasol which will be a time consuming project. When things are calmer here, it will be put on the list.

I have another Regency era gown in the design stage. It will be a pale blue. I will cut the design from this piece of fabric daughter is sending me. Yes, I will hand applique them onto the skirt. 

I am now working on a summer outfit that is fun. 

Once it is done, I will be making a pair of shoes to go with it. There is enough to make a pair of sandals which will be a fun make. Then I will try to make the shoes to go with the Regency dress. I do know I will have to interface the fabric to make it feel like the weight of quilting cotton. 

Happy Doll Sewing........................................................................

A Pinterest Inspired Idea

 Thoughts of doll clothes are always meandering through my head and when I see something on Pinterest, I can get quite excited with ideas. 

Today this happened. This came up on Pinterest today and it made me excited. 

The interesting part was the top and skirt. This pattern came to my mind immediately.

This was a Freebie Friday a while ago. The top is the piece I would use. A soft colored fabric that is plain or lightly textured. 

For the skirt, I would look for a lovely floral that goes with the top fabric. I would use my tutorial on making a 3 tiered skirt. 

To top it all off, I would make a pair of Plain Jane shoes to go with the outfit. Maybe in the top fabric. Or maybe Happy Bankky Crafty Mom's Bow Knotted Sandals. Or maybe both pairs. 

Do you get excited and inspired by what you see on Pinterest?

Happy Doll Sewing................................................................

Regency Dress Update

 The Regency dress bodice was done when I sewed the appliques onto the front bodice at the end of June. It wasn't hard to do once I got the rhythm to it. 

I will have to say the sleeves went in like a charm. No gathering at all and a perfect fit. 

The appliques were laid out with the center front marked. I fiddled a bit as they are not exactly the same. 

The skirt was easy to sew but I spent at least 6 days sewing down appliques. Some sessions were short but on good days I could do an hour. On respite days I could hand sew for 2.5 hours before my eyes and hands started to get tired. I finished the appliques today. All I can say is hurrah.

I have started to hand sew the hem down and have one back done. 

I have decided to line the skirt for two reasons. One, the waist seam will be hidden. Two, the hand stitching on the back of the skirt will be hidden. The fabric is light weight enough a lining will help with the drape. 

Once the hem is done and the skirt lining cut out, I will be ready to assemble the dress. Here's hoping it will be done this weekend. 

It really was never my intention to do all the handwork on the dress but when I saw the overlay fabric I knew I had to use the remaining flowers on the dress. What is left is now in the garbage. Nothing worth keeping. 

On a side note -- I ordered enough insoles and soles to make 6 pairs of shoes with white soles and the same number with black soles. Yes, I finally fell down the rabbit hole of making shoes. The first pair will be of quilting cotton and the 2nd pair will go with this dress. More on this later as the materials required is coming from Texas to Canada. I will buy the pattern for the shoes once the materials arrive. 

Happy Doll Sewing.........................................................

S9438 - Regency Dress Begun

With the hot weather coming, it was time to start the Regency outfit so one of the dolls could walk the promenade. 

I chose to make my first Regency outfit using Simplicity 9438. 

View C was my choice as I wanted an overlay and plain sleeves. 

I knew exactly what fabric I was using for the dress; ivory satin that looks a bit like silk on the wrong side. The overlay was going to be a bit of a mystery as I needed to dig in the tub of fancy fabrics to see what I had. 

As I was looking/digging for the satin, I found a piece of lace left over from a doll's wedding dress made in May 2017. It was a piece left over from the center as I had used the border for the skirt of the dress. It had a few embroidered flowers on it and was perfect for the overlay.

But, did I have enough? Out came the pattern and I had enough with some scraps left over for later on. 

I decided to make the overlay first. I carefully cut out the skirt and bodice pieces and started to sew it up. A lot of time was spent basting a 1/4" to turn over to finish the arm holes, neckline, front and hem. The white thread showed but I was prepared. Trim I was gifted was perfect for edging the openings and hem. 

I carefully prick stitched the trim onto the overlay and the end result was as I had hoped for. I closed the front with a hook and eye.

Other than a good pressing, it was done. 

I started the dress yesterday. The pattern was traced onto pellon tracing material and then the pieces were cut out. 

The bodice was done first. After 2 false starts of sewing the wrong sides of the back to the right side of the front on both the outer bodice and lining, I got the shoulder seams done. I next stitched the neckline, clipped the curves, turned it right side out and pressed it well. Onto the doll it went and, of course, I had to see how the flowers cut from the overlay would look. 

The overlay covered up the flowers.

I fiddled around until I got something I liked but am not sure if I will be putting them on the dress. 

The next step is to serge the side and back seams of the bodice and the side seams of the sleeves (they are lined). I can then attach the sleeves, sew the side seams and the bodice will be done. Next will be the skirt.

So far I am enjoying this pattern. I have taken it one stitch at a time and am pleased with the results so far. I need to cut a piece of bias so I can cover the waist seam as I'm not a fan of exposed/serged waist seams. It is just me. And I have plenty of fabric left as I started out with 2 meters of the satin. 

Happy Doll Sewing..............................................................