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......................................

Thinking About Another Outfit

I have been working on the jacket and have become obsessed with the shape of it. It started when I cut it out and became more obvious when I started to sew it together. 

The shape at the waist is telling me Victorian/Edwardian. What about huge puffy sleeves in this jacket that would go with a walking skirt. 

When I put in the sleeves, I kept wondering if I could do puffy sleeves rather than the slightly gathered ones in the pattern. 

I kept thinking about it for hours and then this morning, I decided to look at the video on making puffy sleeves. I had to rejoin Pixie Faire Pattern Academy on Facebook as I was somehow taken off the list. It was approved immediately. I watched the video on how to make puffy sleeves and I will be taking the time to make them for another outfit. 

Once I finish this outfit, I have to look for the very lightweight black wool in the stash and I will be making my version of a 3 piece walking suit. It will include a vest, jacket, and skirt. I will also make a very simple white blouse to go with it. 

I have found a blouse pattern I like and will do a mock up of it. This one has a very plain sleeve, a pleated collar and will fasten at the back. 

But first I need to finish this 1930's inspired outfit before I can think of another project for the dolls. I am still excited to be working on it as I am loving the outcome of each piece that makes the outfit. 

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

1930's Doll Outfit Started

 There has been progress on the doll's outfit. The dress was done after 5 hours of marking, basting, and sewing. I am glad that I took my time sewing this dress. 

I did mark the seams on all the pieces so I would be more accurate when sewing. It did help a lot. I basted around the neckline and arms before pressing making sure I had lovely crisp edges. The skirt was gathered, and I knew that the side seams had to match as well as the darts in the bodice to the pleats. I teased the gathering into place, gave the skirt a gentle tug to make sure the gathers were straight. I hand basted the skirt in place with two rows of basting. Row 1 as to attached the skirt to the bodice and row 2 was to ensure the gathers laid straight when I sewed the seam. 

I cut out the hat and set it aside for now. 

Next up, I cut out the jacket and lining. 

I have started to sew the jacket. I have drawn the stitching lines on all the lining pieces and have sewn the shoulder seams. I am now ready to do the sleeves.

After some thought, I pressed the shoulder seams open not to the front as stated in the pattern. No particular reason, just a personal choice. 

I do have fabric left over and will be making a purse. I am thinking of this one as I can work on being very accurate and precise with it. I see lots of hand basting in this project. 

I am not sure which one I will make as they are all cute. The smallest one and the largest one are my choices at the moment. But I need to cut out the shoes before I decide on which one to sew. 

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

 I haven't forgotten about the doll's outfit. It has been on my mind a lot lately and I finally got to work on it. 

The fabrics were pressed and put on the grain. I dug through my patterns and chose the 1930's Tea Party Dress by Keepers Dolly Duds. I love this dress. 

I put the pattern pieces onto the fabric so I could see how much fabric I would have left over. 

As I stood and looked at the pattern on the fabric, I realized I need 5 yellow buttons which I don't have. I also have a lot of fabric. I also thought about being historically correct and pondered over my hat choice. 

A bit of research and I found that the hat I chose is known as a Cartwheel hat. They were worn in the countryside rather than in the city as the brims were huge. They were considered casual. A smaller brimmed version worn in the city was the picture hat. (hats) My first choice was the hat in the top right hand picture but it is too casual. 

The dress is not casual but one which would be worn as a good dress. More reading and I found the cloche kept coming up over and over again. It was popular in the 1920's but was worn a lot in the 1930's. I chose to make the cloche from Keeper's Dolly Dud's Downtown 1920's dress.

The hat will be in the black honeycomb fabric and the trim on the side in the bee fabric. I will add a bee button to it for fun. 

The shoes will still be in the black and white honeycomb fabric. I am also looking at a bolero jacket to complete the outfit. 

I have started to sew the dress together. I am focusing on accuracy. I have drawn in the seam allowances and am gluing the seams together. I'll keep you posted on that. I am enjoying the process as I do love to be an accurate sewer. 

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