gifts for Ellie

This is the year Ellie decided that dolls might be as nice as stuffed animals. She asked Basia for an American Girl doll that looked like her this Christmas and that's exactly what she got. Around the same time she came home with a copy of The Princess and the Pea from the school library. The version below came out about a year ago and I've been dying to get it for her. Tree Fall makes some lovely sets to go with the story, but I needed mattresses that fit her doll bed and a dress to fit her new doll. Twelve "feather beds" are a good way to use up some fabric you've had forever. The dress also falls under the "use what you have" category(I chose green because the princess in the story has a pea green dress). I wish it's small size related to a short amount of time to make it. It took as long to make as a full-sized one. The pea is of felted wool and has a little organdy bag to hold it. (Any bets on how long it will take for the pea to get lost?)

A new set of winter stitchettes showed up to join their friends. I'm not sure which one I like best - the ice skater (who has teeny marshmallows in her cocoa) or the little shopper (her bag is a bit hidden). These were sewn near the beginning of the year, back when I was still trying to keep myself from being overwhelmed this Christmas. A plan like that only works if you stick to it. Oh well.

And finally, why I was still sewing at noon on Christmas Eve-Ellie's lap quilt. The fabric was bought this summer with only a vague idea of how this would come together. I knew it would be simple in design because it was the fabric I was in love with and I didn't want to distract from it. The top only has 13 pieces in it with the sizes being determined by the yardage I had. The rick rack was in my stash and added some much needed color to the top. My favorite print is the multicolored backing. All prints, but the black with white polka dots(which reminded me of old-fashioned composition books), are from the Dick and Jane collection. I channel quilted the center on the diagonal, the black inner border has been quilted in the ditch and the side borders are channel quilted. The storyboard corners have been stipple quilted around the center design.

The perfect lap quilt for a little girl who's learning to read.