Happy Independence Day!

Happy 4th of July!

My niece is in town -- yay! -- and she brought her dollies! We got together last night, along with my sister-in-law, and sewed away. This is one of her girls at the parade this morning, wearing a patriotic outfit we made.

She is QUITE a seamstress herself, and has made her little girlies some of the CUUUTEST outfits, like this one:

She has created her own patterns. And, she makes the most ADORABLE headbands for them -- something I've never attempted! She has even woven the ittiest bittiest little friendship bracelets for them. Incredible!

It was TOO FUN to hang out and talk dollies with her!

I'm back!

It was an amazing trip!! I met the most amazing people, ate the most incredible food, and stayed at the most beautiful historic hotel.

And, of course, the best part -- my traveling companion was my mom! :o)

We each made little mini-me outfits for our girls. Too fun!

This little pirate outfit represents the most time I have ever spent sewing any single dolly outfit. And every minute of it was SO FUN!

I love all the itty-bitty details -- from the white, lace-trimmed under dress (with puffy sleeves, of course!), to the leather vest, to the big ol' gold hoops, sword, and black satin skirt. I love how it turned out -- and I love this girl! :o)

And, of course here's little Matilda in the little sailor dress I made for her. This one took hours and hours, too -- and I just LOVE how it turned out!! (My mom made her adorable hat!)

After my trip, my brain needs a "reboot" -- and the swimming lessons continue, taking up a serious chunk of the day. So, needless to say, there isn't going to be much sewing this week -- but I will be back next week with some fun stuff! :o)

Barbie Bed -- A Dollar Project!

Hee hee! I am tickled by today's project for Dollar Store Crafts. But, then again, you know me and tiny things -- I just love them! Can you guess the source of my doll bed frame and comforter?


The comforter and pillow were made from a dollar store pillow cover -- with fabric to spare -- and the bed frame was made from two wooden "Zen Garden" trays, also from the dollar store. I have had my eye on those for over a year, knowing they had great potential. Finally the perfect project to use them for!

Here's what I used:
~ One pillow cover (lots of prints and fabrics to choose from!)
~ Two Zen Garden trays

~ Scrap of eyelet trim (for the bed skirt)

~ Scraps of white fabric (for the mattress and bed skirt)

~ Scraps of polyester batting
~ Also need: sand paper or utility knife, wood glue, finish nails, saw

(pardon the lighting on this photo and the next one, taken down within the depths of the basement!)
First we will need to construct the bed frame. My husband was kind enough to tackle this part of the project for me!
STEP ONE: Measure and mark ONE of your Zen Garden trays 3 5/8" from one end and carefully saw. The longer piece will be the headboard, and the shorter piece will be the foot of the bed.

STEP TWO: With both cut ends together and the two tray pieces back to back, use a sharp pencil to draw a line on the headboard piece, marking the height of the foot of the bed, as shown.

STEP THREE: You will be butting the shorter end of the first tray (the foot of the bed) against the short end of the second (uncut) tray. The cut side will be the part of the bed that touches the "floor." Lightly sand (or in our case, since we had no sandpaper handy, scrape with a utility knife) JUST the two surfaces that will be touching. This will help the wood glue to hold. Use a thin layer of wood glue, then carefully nail one finish nail on either end for a sturdy hold.

STEP FOUR: Now for the headboard. Again, carefully sand or scrape the two surfaces that will be glued together. Your drawn line will be where you line up the TOP of the long tray. We glued and then used a staple gun to hold the headboard in place.

Allow the glue to dry!

STEP FIVE: Now we're getting to the fun part -- the sewing!
I started by carefully removing the zipper (to save for a future project!) and then cutting along the seam lines of the pillow cover. Set your pillow cover fabric aside.

STEP SIX: Make the bed skirt! Cut as follows:
Center piece: 11" x 4 1/4"
Ruffle pieces: Two rectangles, 14 1/2" x 4"

Hem the two short ends of all pieces, and one long end of each of the two ruffle pieces, by turning the edges up 1/4" and sewing. Gather the raw edge of the two ruffle pieces a scant 1/4" from the edge. Attach to the long edges of the center piece. Your bed skirt should look like the photo.

STEP SEVEN: Make the mattress! Cut two rectangles, 12 1/2" x 5 1/4". Sew all the way around with a 1/4" seam allowance.

Open each corner as shown and sew a line 3/8" from the point, perpendicular to the seam line. This will box the corners of your mattress.

Cut a 6"-8" slit down one the center of one rectangle and turn it right side out. Carefully stuff with a stack of batting and whipstitch the opening closed.

Bed skirt and mattress? Check!

STEP EIGHT: Make the comforter! Cut two rectangles, 9 1/2" x 13 1/2". Layer them right sides together and sew three sides, leaving one short side open. Trim the corners as shown and turn right side out. Carefully tuck the raw edges inside 1/4" and press. Topstitch all the way around, closing the opening as well. Done!

STEP NINE: Make the pillow! Cut two rectangles, 5 1/4" x 3 3/4". Sew right sides together using about a 1/8" seam allowance, leaving a 2 1/2" opening on one short end. Turn right side out.

Topstitch right along the edge on the three finished sides, then 1/4" from your stitching line.

Stuff with another stack of batting. Carefully tuck the raw edges inside and topstitch the opening closed, then sew 1/4" from that stitching line.

Everything's done! Time to make the bed!
I topped my little bed with a tiny embroidered sachet that belonged to my grandmother. It makes a perfect accent pillow!

Barbie is all set to relax and read a book!

Blythe Clothes Obsession....

For the last couple weeks I've obsessing like crazy over my Blythe -- the bigger one. After all, I've had her for nearly two years and have been neglecting the poor girl as far as her wardrobe is concerned!

Of course I have to start with my very most favorite creation -- this sweet little lace dress. I adore every detail!

So far I've used quite a few patterns from this Japanese pattern book. (Search "Doll Coordinate Recipe" on ebay -- this one is volume 11.) Just thumbing through and looking at the photos is RIDICULOUSLY fun. There is so much attention to every detail!

All the instructions are in Japanese, which I don't speak or read, but there are easy-to-follow diagrams that guide you in numbered steps. So far I've only come across one or two things that were tricky to figure out.

Ready to be subjected to more photos? :o)

Valentine's dress

Plaid pants!!

Pink pants -- this was my first attempt at a pattern in the book.

Paisley blouse

I adore the scale of the paisley, and the blouse pattern, but maybe not together? Still thinking on that one. I think I'll use the same paisley fabric for something a little more girly....

Black skirt and colorful heart thigh highs. Guess where the fabric for the socks came from!!

:o) a dollar store bra!! :o)
(Oh, you should check out my mom's Doll Clothes from Underwear tutorial -- for 18" dolls! Hee hee!)

Next to try: My mom found this Simplicity pattern (#2353) on sale at Hancocks for a buck! That hoodie is killing me!

New Blythe Dresses

More lace.....


A new favorite -- doll and dress, both!

(But who am I kidding -- they're all my favorites!)

This one suits this girl FAR better than the last one. Also a favorite!

More Tiny Valentine Dresses

I know, I know! I doubt very many people care to see my dollies -- so this post is all for MEEE!

I love my tiny Blythes, and have been obsessing over making a tiny Valentine dress for each one. I have to start out with my favorite:

Somehow her dress just feels so "I Love Lucy" to me! And they said redheads should never wear pink.... Shows how much they know! :o)

And what is that little thing on her desk?

A teeny-tiny Valentine!
It measures 1/4" x 3/8".

I adore it! (Big surprise! What, ME? Love TINY things??)


Here are some of the other dresses I've made so far:
That last one is my least favorite. It definitely doesn't suit that particular girl. But I have a red and black lace number I'm working on for her -- and I think it will be perfect!

Each dress uses only the ittiest bittiest little scrap of fabric.
See?? I'm actually USING those tiny little scraps I haven't been able to part with!

Here's my other favorite dress. Pink lace with cowboy boots!

Hmmm.... Is someone jealous about that Valentine?

:oD Now I probably sound nuts! :oD
I can't even describe how much I adore these little dolls! They are just TOO much fun!
Thanks for being a good sport and letting me share!

tiny obsession + blythe obsession + valentine obsession = ?

Hee hee!! LOVING it!!

Working in such a teeny-tiny scale for clothing is definitely not an easy task, but I love it!

My favorite is the lace trim at the bottom! :o)

Tiny Party Hats!

Today's Dollar Store Craft just kills me! My kids and I are obsessed with collecting tiny little stuffed animals. We have a great time playing with them and making them do all sorts of fun things. One of our favorite things to play (besides camping) is that they are having a birthday party, so of course they needed some tiny little birthday party hats!

So tiny!

I simply used some leftover party hats, a tiny hole punch, some clear tape, and this pattern.


Trace your pattern on the back side of an opened party hat and cut it out. When you tape, don't overlap your ends -- butt them against each other and use one piece of clear tape on the inside and one on the inside. Punch holes and thread the original hat's elastic through. Tie on either end, creating the length you need. Done!

I got carried away and made a couple dozen for our stuffed animals!
And this size works great for Barbie, too!