1950's Dress

 I made a dress for one of the Gotz dolls. I was upset when I found the pattern too big in the bodice. It was made from the AG bodice sloper used in Pattern Academy. I had to alter the bodice so it fit Anna. 

I was drawn to the pattern as I loved the yoke on the front. I chose to make mine from the same fabric as the dress and add a bit of lace to it. 

In the end, the dress turned out okay and it gave me food for thought. 

    I would like to make the dress pattern again for the American Girl dolls as it is cute. I need to make sure the bodice pattern has the seam allowances on it for the AG dolls. 

    To make it again for the Gotz dolls, I will use a bodice pattern I have and alter it so the yoke fits. 

    When making the dress for the Gotz dolls, I will make the gathered skirt less full. It was too much using what was recommended. It will be fine for the AG dolls. 

    The pattern comes with sleeves and I hope to make a dress for the AG dolls that has the sleeves in it. 

I have to remember that the pattern was free and not tested. I should have made sure the bodice fit the Gotz dolls before cutting out the pattern. I have shop towels for that. I know finding a good bodice pattern for the Gotz dolls is hard and have to remember to check all patterns when I download them. I am a stickler for fit. 

In the end, the pattern is really nice and will be a great addition for the AG dolls. I take full responsibility of not checking the pattern to see if it fit the Gotz dolls. 

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

Pattern Manipulation

 I have not looked at doll clothes since finishing the jean jacket. I have been focusing on Christmas sewing and getting pain free. I have been working on what I want to accomplish in 2024. 

One of my goals is to work on pattern drafting and I have been watching a lot of videos on this subject. My last binge has been on dart manipulation. I decided to play with that using slopers I have on hand. 

My first round of dart manipulation was simple; move a dart from one place to another - waist to shoulder. I did the slash and move method and it was a warm up to try something harder. My objective was to do a dart that angled out from the center front neckline. I watched a video on it and my first attempt was a total failure. I watched it again and ran the process through my brain three times before attempting the 2nd time. I got the results I wanted. The goal is to work through the steps methodically and carefully. I did it with a lot of self talk. 

I got two bodices done and mounted. The doll's bodice had a dart at the waist only and I moved it to the neckline. The other bodice had a bust and waist dart and I moved them both to the neckline. More darts, more steps. 

I will be doing this exercise again and deciding on how long the dart is to be. When doing the exercises, you do the dart to the apex and when you are done, you back it off to a shorter length. For me, this will be trial and error as I have no idea how long to do a neck dart. I will be adding seam allowances so I can sew it up and see where I need to make adjustments. 

I have a bodice pattern which has a dart in the armhole and I am going to manipulate it to be in the waist and see how it fits the Gotz dolls. It fits them well now so I have my fingers crossed. 

As I have been watching a lot of videos on making a bodice sloper, I have decided to try making one (once again) for the Gotz dolls. I will take the measurement used for a human body and then work on the front and back pieces. I will tweak the pattern until I get what I want. I do know how to manipulate darts so I can move darts from one area to another so the pattern fits smoothly in areas like the armhole.  I want to do this so I can make a basic sleeve which I can change in length and fullness. 

I am to keep this cost effective but I do need to buy tracing paper and a binder. I will be using shop towels for muslins as they can be sewn and don't fray. I have a box of them in the sewing room waiting to be used.

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

Jean Jacket Outfit Completed

 The outfit from scraps is completed. What a journey it was to get the look I was wanting. The last piece to this outfit was the jean jacket. 

The number of pattern pieces was scary. 

I was going to cut them out all at once but decided against that. I cut out the back and sewed it and did it for all the parts of the jacket. It made it so much easier to keep track of all the part. 

I read the pattern several times and watched the video twice. I did not make flat felled seams which added to the amount of top stitching and I had to serge all the seams. I also had to figure out where and how to do all the top stitching. I also hand stitched the cuffs and bottom band down to hide the seam allowances. I sewed on 12 buttons and 6 snaps. I didn't trust myself to make tiny buttonholes after all the work I did on the jacket. 

The pattern fits the doll well. The pieces are well drafted but the seam allowances are a bit deeper than 1/4". I would stick to 1/4" rather than fiddle around with the deeper seams if I make it again. The pattern pieces are on the cutting table waiting to see if I trash them or store them. 

The back looks equally as good as the front for fit. 

There is a piece of the jacket fabric left which I am putting away. I will sew it later when I decide on a pattern which may be jeans. I want to knit a sweater to go with the pants. But right now I need to do some Christmas sewing. 

Since May, I have sewn or knit these outfits for the dolls. Only 7 more outfits and all the dolls will have dressed in something new. Then I will have to repeat the process once again.

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

Sewing With Scraps and Remnants

 I have been working with remnants and am enjoying it more than I thought I would. I usually stress when using left over fabrics for a project. I decided to let things flow and not worry about seeing if other pieces could be made from the fabric. 

The print fabric was the first on the cutting table. With careful planning and some left over white broadcloth, I was able to cut out a top and skirt. And, I have a scrap of the print left over. 

The top was sewn first and I lined it with broadcloth. I took my time as it is a sweetheart neckline. I really like this pattern without the sleeves added. I got it finished in 2 afternoons. 

My only issue - loosing a snap on the floor and having the wrong side on the part that overlaps. I finished it up in time to make dinner. Yes, there was some logger's language spoken. 

The skirt was made next. I got it ready to finish the back, tried it on the doll and you could see her panties. Not a good look. I cut out a lining from the white broadcloth and sewed up the skirt. I carefully sewed it to the skirt at the waist and folded the facing down to finish it. As I was getting the back seams ready to sew, we had a power surge (yes I was sewing during Hurricane Lee) and shut down the sewing room quickly. I did try the skirt on to take a picture. 

I just need to stitch down the back seems and sew on 3 snaps to complete this part of the outfit. The top and skirt took .8 meter of fabric to make including the lining for the skirt. I did a lot of squishing of the pattern pieces to to do this as I estimated 1 meter when looking at the patterns. 

Once done, I will start the jean jacket. I have a fair amount of fabric left and am wondering what to make with the left over piece. Another skirt? A pair of pants? I'm not sure as I need to see how much fabric is left after I cut out the jacket.  

I see I need to sweep the floor and take out the garbage that has collected under the cutting table. Today it will get done.

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

Using Up The Scraps

 It is September 1 and time to start planning the next doll's project. This month I want to challenge myself with making a doll's jean jacket. Doing flat felled seams is becoming a dream as I have limited fabric for the jacket. I need some to make a skirt for this outfit. So, it seems as if I will be serging the seams.  

My Plan

The fabric is these 2 pieces. They are remnants from August's outfit. I want to use them up so they are not in the stash. 

Fabric #1 - blue fabric that has a pearlized sheen to it. This will be the fabric for the jean jacket and Oh Sew Kat's Sixth Grade Skirt. 

Fabric #2 - the print. It will be a sweetheart neckline sleeveless top. 

The Patterns

I am using 3 different patterns that should go with the previous doll's outfit. If not, this will make its own outfit. 

The top will have not sleeves so it will fit under the jean jacket. As it is in the print, it could be worn with the print skirt. 

The skirt is an easy make and will be in the blue fabric so the cross over top could be worn with it. 

The jean jacket will be in the blue fabric and it is the challenge. There are 14 pattern pieces for a total of 25 pieces. Some of the pieces are tiny and will have to be handled with care. 

Will there be shoes? I don't know at this moment. I am running out of soles and insoles. I need to place another order. At the moment, I may use some denim running shoes I have in the dolls collection of footwear. 

This outfit won't happen until I have finished the spare bedroom pieces. I figure it will happen late next week. I am looking forward to making this outfit.  

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

Modern Out Completed

The doll's outfit is completed. It started out with this idea. 

I did a design board which I normally don't do. I usually put everything onto the cutting table and work from there. But this was fun to create and I may do it again. 

The end product was as good as I had visualized it to be. A few things changed along the way which is bound to happen. I made the purse out of fabric as I didn't want to use leather for the first try on that pattern. I'm glad I didn't as it would have been a waste of expensive leather. I added a hat to the mix as I thought it would be a great addition. 

I had a great time sewing up each piece. The end result was like I had envisioned. 

I had issues with the thread coming out of the hems on the gloves. This thread is slippery and if you don't back stitch, it give you fun and games. I decided to use some embroidery thread that is white with a silver thread and back stitch the hems down. Perfect for these gloves. 

The purse is really cute also. I took a picture of it alone to show the rick rack and the button I put on to look like a closure. 

The top was an easy sew until I got to the ties. Then it was hard due to the lack of instructions. But the concept of how the tie works kept me going until I figured it out. 

I have decided that September's sew will be a sweetheart top using the blue flower print and a jean jacket using the blue fabric. This will complete the outfit and challenge me to sew a doll size jean jacket. 

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

Progress On The Modern Outfit

 Progress has been made on the doll's outfit. The accessories are completed and they are so cute.

The outside of the hat has the blue fabric as I wanted the print to frame the doll's face. I hand sewed rick rack on to the crown and added a button for a bit of detail. 

The purse was also another small item I made to accessorize the outfit. It was more fiddly than hard. I had to buy the silver grosgrain ribbon for the strap but the button, snap, and rickrack came from the stash. 

I chose to start the blouse as it has the most pieces and looked like it would be hard to make. I was fooled as the pattern is well drafted and went together so nicely after I rethreaded my sewing machine. 

The sleeves have little pleats at the bottom. I drew in the lines and took my time sewing them together. Though a bit fiddly, they went together easily. 

I am ready to serge the side seams of the top and insert the sleeves. Once that is done, I can add the tie to the bottom and it will be done. It will take a bit of figuring out but I am sure it will go together fairly easily. It calls for lots of top stitching but I am going to do a lot of hand sewing. This outfit does not call for a lot of top stitching as it is suppose to be a dress up outfit. 

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

A New Outfit Started

 I have started the next outfit for the dolls. It consists of

• wrap front blouse that has a tie closure
• simple gathered skirt with waistband
• silver leather shoes
• wrist length gloves
• floppy summer hat

I started the outfit by making the silver leather shoes. I haven't sewn leather for 12 years. It was similar to learning something new though I had a few techniques I knew would work. Teflon foot, longer stitch length and using a pressing cloth when pressing leather.

I did line the shoes as I like the finished look but not a lot of designers line leather shoes. I did add a bit of trim to the soles but would like to use a larger trim the next time. 

The next item I made was wrist length gloves. I used the feet of 2 socks (legs can be tights). With this project I found that using the walking foot fed the knit fabric through nice and even with little to no stretching. When sewing around the pattern piece, I used a small stitch (2.0 on my machine). I did sew slowly and they turned out fine. 

I couldn't find the hat pattern but on the 2nd look it was in its proper envelope. I was able to cut out the skirt and hat lining carefully as I need enough fabric to make the bag lining and a top for another project. The skirt is simply gathered onto a waist band. 

And the hat lining. I did have an extra crown interfacing which I will use. 

The blouse pattern is rough cut and the bag pattern is printed ready to rough cut. I will be cutting out today as it is too wet to work outside. My vision is coming alive as I work on it. 

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

Looking At The Doll's Stash

 I have the next outfit on the cutting table. It is only pressed. The patterns are on the table also. I am working on other projects this week and I hope to start the doll's outfit next week. 

I spent almost an hour cleaning the closet. This closet is dubbed the doll's closet as most of what is in it is for the dolls. 

I have way more than what I need but I was going to make doll's clothes for sale. That is not going to happen now for several reasons. The main one is that I don't sew fast enough to have a lot of stock on hand to sell. The other reason is I don't like sewing single pieces I like to sew outfits and sometimes detailed outfits. 

I spent an afternoon with the two tubs full of cottons sorting through for the outfit I am wanting to make next. I pulled every single piece of fabric out and looked at each piece. I put aside about 12 meters which I have donated to a quilter's guild to use in charity quilts. What is left is still too much but there is sentimental attachment to most of it. I had the "I need to make this and this from these fabrics" syndrome. So they all went back into the tub. 

As I cleaned out the closet and handled the tubs I had to come to terms with this stash. I made an agreement with myself that I will continue to sew from these tubs until December 31 2024. After that, I will purge again and see what remains. I do know that the scraps of cotton fabric left from the sewing will go to the quilter's guild. That is a given. 

The trims and notions are not being purged at the moment. I am using them up when I sew. I haven't bought any trims or notions for well over a year. I dig until I find something suitable. I do buy thread in small spools and buttons if I need to. I'm okay with that as long as I've looked in the stash before I buy. I will probably purge the buttons and toss what I can't give to the thrift shop. 

I love to knit items for the dolls and have been using up what I have in the yarn stash. I'm okay with knitting expensive yarn for the dolls. It is slowly being used up. I knit more in the cooler weather than I do in the summer. I haven't bought a pattern for knitting for a long time as I have plenty of them on the iPad. When I knit the last of them, I will look at a pattern or two to keep me interested. 

I haven got a few doll patterns but mostly ones that are free. I am trying to sew up the patterns I have on hand (both pdf and paper). I may buy a few later on but I am refraining for now. 

The doll clothes I have made and kept will be looked at once again. I don't think there is much to purge but I do need to divide the outfits up either into eras or for each doll. I want each of my dolls to have a wardrobe as I may sell most of the AG dolls (I have 3 I want to keep). I will keep the Gotz dolls as I love them. But a doll purge won't happen until late 2024 at the earliest. 

Here is the fabric for this month's outfit. I truly do love it and am looking forward to starting it next week. 

And the shoes will be silver leather. This is real leather not faux leather. 

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

Pioneer Girl Outfit Completed

 The outfit is completed and I am quite pleased with it. It took longer than expected due to the small amounts of fabrics I had. The only large piece left is from the poke bonnet which is being kept for the time being. The rest of the fabric is either gone to a quilt group or in the trash. 

The poke bonnet pattern was a fun make. I put in 1/2" elastic at the back and would put in 1/4 -3/8" elastic if I make it again. 

I also would have liked to have seen a bit more pouf at the top of the bonnet but I'm okay with how it looks. A wonderful pattern that isn't too difficult to make. 

The shoes were cut from scraps of fabric and I'm really proud of them. They fit well and match the dress. 

In all, the outfit is cute and I do like the fabrics I chose or it. Not historically correct but I'm over that for this one. 

The next doll's outfit is planned but I can't start it for a bit. I have to finish the projects I have on the table, prep some bags and then I can start cutting out the fabrics. 

As I hunted for the fabric for the next outfit, I have put 7.3 meters of their stash into the donate pile for the quilting group. I still have way too much fabric for them so am going to work on sewing each of the doll's a new outfit over the next many months. Some will have several pieces and others will have one or two pieces. My goal is to sew up at least 10 meters when I'm done making these new outfits. 

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

Working On A Historical Outfit

 I am sewing up the last of the winter fabric I used to make placemats, etc. I decided to make a pattern I got for Christmas. 

Simplicity 9516

I made the apron first and it is cute. The hardest part was cutting it out of scraps of fabric. I did succeed though I had to line the bodice with broadcloth. The sewing was fairly easy; the hardest part was the square neckline. The instructions were a bit vague but I got it figured out. 

The apron fits a bit big so it can go over the dress. The doll is wearing a skirt that got tucked between her legs when I stood her up. I enjoyed making the apron and did learn how to do the back seam a different and more simple way. 

The dress was next up and I squeaked it out of .5 meter of fabric. That was a miracle and I had scraps of fabric left over. Let's say enough to make the insoles on 2 shoes. I have another scrap I am hoping to make the shoes out of. 

The bodice of the dress fits a bit tight in the sleeves on my doll. But it isn't too small in the back which is great. I did sew lace onto the sleeves where the hem stitching is and then hand sewed the lace to the neckline. 

When I lined the bodice, the instructions said to stitch the sleeves into both pieces of fabric. I didn't choosing to hand sew the lining down to hide the sleeve cap seam. It was slow and time consuming as I had such a small space to work in. But so worth the time and effort. 

I love the skirt as it has a curved waist line that is gathered to within an inch of its life. It took me 2 days to get it onto the bodice due to time restrictions. I spent a lot of time teasing the gathers to lay straight and sewed the skirt to the bodice at a turtle's speed. When pressing the dress, the iron spit a rust mark on the back of the skirt. I had to race upstairs and wash it out with Dawn soap. A disaster was diverted. I put it out to dry under the deck umbrella. 

Sewing the dress ended at that point. I have to press the dress, hand sew down the bodice, sew up the back seam, hem, add lace to the hem, and sew on snaps. That won't happen until Saturday. I have to work on getting a quilt ready to take to the quilt shop so it can be quilted on a long arm machine. 

I am looking forward to seeing how this dress turns out. Though not sewn in my usual fashion and not exactly historically correct, it is really a nice change from sewing my usual way. 

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

 

Using Up Fabric Remnants

 With trying to get some fabrics used up, I have spent my time working on them. There is enough fabric left to make a doll's outfit. Not the one I wanted to make but another one. 

Simplicity 9516

I have some of these fabrics left over from the placemats, table runner, bowl cozies, pot holders, and mug rugs I have been working on. 

I have not decided which fabrics will be used where due to the amount I have left. Once I trace the pattern pieces I will know. I am hoping that I will have enough of the bottom fabric to make shoes to go with this outfit. 

All of the fabrics are heavily starched so I need to launder them. Once that is done and I have the last of the placemats binding hand sewn down, I will be ready to start on this outfit. 

I know this pattern has a historical look with the dress and apron that a girl in a small western town or farm would have worn every day. How historically correct it is I am not sure about as I can't find simple dresses that the girls wore. It is too long for sure as girls wore their dresses much shorter than this until they were in their teens. They also wore a poke bonnet vs the hat on the doll. 

I am looking forward to making this outfit with maybe a poke bonnet from another designer. It will use up the remaining fabrics I have and the doll's will love wearing it. I am glad they aren't as fussy as I am. 

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

1930's Outfit Completed

 It is time to post again. I am finished the 1930's outfit and am excited to show it to you.

This outfit took longer than I had anticipated due to yard work and not feeling well. I see the doctor on Saturday to see if I need a medication change. 

This outfit had its challenges. I had .5 meter of each fabric and wanted to make an outfit. The yellow bee fabric sold out and the black honey comb fabric was available. I ended up with just a piece of the black fabric which is not large enough for anything. 

The trim on the hat presented problems as mentioned in the last post. I had to move it more towards the back and play with the placement. It took quite a bit of time to get it where I wanted it to be. I am now happy with the results. 

The shoes had me laughing my head off. The first cut of them on the Cricut had them tiny. I don't know where I went wrong on sizing them but I did size them wrong. I knew the shoes had to be in black when I discovered that as I didn't have any pieces big enough to line them in the yellow fabric. 

The wristlet is tiny but ever so cute. It was hard to handle when hand sewing the opening together and adding a snap and button. But so worth the fiddling to get it done. 

I know I will be using the patterns again in different outfits. They are all great patterns. 

I have decided to make a modern summer outfit next. My inspiration is from this picture I found on Pinterest. 

I need to dig in the doll's stash to find the fabrics. I may even make a purse to go with this outfit and will be making a pair of shoes. Maybe my challenge will be sewing the shoes and purse in silver leather. 

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

Cloche Frustrations

 I decided to work on the cloche for the outfit. I had cut out all the pieces earlier and read the pattern several times. I drew the sewing line on the circular crown. When I started to draw the sewing line on the brim pieces, it started to stretch so I stopped. The two bands didn't get lines drawn on them as they were easy to sew accurately. 

As I constructed the hat, I did a lot of pinning and basting. I enjoy sewing without having pins in the way. Especially when sewing small items. Sewing the hat together was the easy part. I had it done in about 4 hours. That included hand sewing the inner band to hide the crown's raw seams. 

The hat fits well on Kit which made me want to do the trim part. It was easy to sew, turn, and hand stitch the opening together. I got the gathering stitches in and put it on the hat.

I struggled with the trim piece. I tried and tried and got more and more frustrated. I got it to where I liked it but not loved it. 

I realized after looking at the hat in the pattern, I have the trim too far to the front. I need to take out the hand stitching at the gathers and move it towards the back of the hat and turn it down more so it looks like this. 

I need some time to fiddle with it and then get it sewn down when I am happy. I will still add the bee button to the trim as it adds a bit of fun. 

The jacket is now finished and the dress has the buttonholes and is ready for buttons. I have got the wristlet and shoes on Cricut ready to be cut out. 

This won't happen for the next few days as I have other things to do -- the garden is being planted and I am out sewing tomorrow. But I hope to work on it when we get our next hot days this week. 

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

The Jacket

 The jacket is almost finished and I have spent about 6.5 hours making it. There have been pros and cons. 

Pros

    Drawing the stitching lines let you sew on the line when stitching. You can match the pieces together more accurately.

    Basting seams together and removing the pins allows you to focus on sewing rather than fighting with pins falling out, shifting, and doing what ever pins like to do.

    Sewing slowly allows for accuracy and precision.

Cons

    Drawing stitching lines and basting consumes a lot of time.

    When drawing lines, you need to be accurate as you can make a garment too small. 

The jacket went together very well and I didn't struggle with pins. I followed this video to attach the lining. The opening to birth the jacket was in one of the sleeve linings. I spent a lot of time pressing little seams open but had to go back and press open the sleeve and side seams which meant I birthed the jacket twice. (Birth the jacket means turning it right side out through an opening). 

Once I was happy with the jacket and had the edges rolled neatly, I basted where I would have top stitched. I have the jacket a good press, turned up the cuffs, pressed them well, and tried it on Kit. 

I had folded back one side and took the jacket off so I could the other side the same. Both lapels were pinned and pressed. I then had to pin on a bee button. How cute is that. 

I was tired at this point as my brain had to think a lot to get the lining in correct. I still need to sew the opening closed in the sleeve, give it another good press, remove the basting stitches and sew on the button. That I left for another day. 

I am not certain if this is 1930's or Victorian. It is cute and hopefully it can be both eras by using different fabrics. 

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