thrifty thursday

This was a hand-me-down from one of the lovely quilters that I see every Tuesday.

I haven't made barbie clothes yet even though I have some of the reissued vintage patterns. Those pieces are just so tiny - not that I haven't gotten myself into miniature work in the past. However, the gown and cape on the bottom row look easy and cute.

The pattern dates from my junior high through high school years. I can remember making a skirt and track suit like the ones in the top row for myself. The track suit even had some frightening polyester or nylon trim stripes down the arms and legs. I remember the skirt's waistband not quite going on right and just pinning the damn thing when I wore it. There's photographic evidence of the skirt somewhere in my photo albums. Fortunately, the track suit has been lost to history.

ellie's tee

Today is Ellie's turn. She spotted a teeshirt from Lands End that she loved. The store was out of her size, so we set about making our own version with a brown shirt they did have in her size.

This one was made the same way as Trixie's - wonder under to hold the pieces in place and a tight zig zag stitch. I forgot to mention yesterday that I also use a tear away stabilizer underneath the area to be worked (I spray baste it to the wrong size of the tee shirt, but pinning would work too). That extra step prevents the tee from stretching all over the place and is worth the time it takes to remove it when all the sewing is done.

Sorry, but I can't remember where the chipmunk patch is from. The buttons are out my stash as were the fabrics. Grandma Bev - do you recognize the top of the tree?

trixie's tee

Lately I've been snapping up teeshirts that are on clearance for applique work.

This started with an applique of a kerchief girl's head from superbuzzy. I built the body out of fabric scraps and a bit of ribbon. Wonder under and a tight zig zag stitch hold the body in place. The head was just edgestitched.

I've been loving all the matryoshka dolls that have been out in pattern, fabric and ribbon form and think there'll be a lot more of them in the girls' future.

wee robot

I almost forgot to post what I made for Glenn for Valentine's Day.

He'd been eyeing this pattern by Hilary Lang in the Softies book for some time.

In the interest of time, I did as much as possible on the face by machine. The "mouth" is a great utility stitch to use for stuff like this.

The arms weren't too hard once I got out a doll needle that was long enough to push through the body with some accuracy. I'd also recommend making sure you use VERY thick yarn to wrap the arm wires or you'll be wrapping for a very long time to get them nice and full.

Now I have to take the wee guy back to his leader.

thrifty thursday

Looks like I'm hopping on that craft blogger bandwagon of doll obsession.

I found these the same day as the desk for Trixie.

This one isn't handmade, but I love the dotted swiss fabric. The elastic didn't survive a good soak and washing (the dots were a murky tan when I bought it), but that's easily fixed. I'm crossing my fingers that it'll fit one of the girls' baby dolls.

Not sure what doll this would have gone with. A teddy bear perhaps? I just love the piping on it.

This group thrilled me - The calico dress is hard to see, but it has eyelet trim on the straps. The top with the ricrac trim is so sweet. And really, how could I pass up a Barbie kilt?

This was the show stopper for me though-

The back has a pleat and I can't stop staring at those tiny cuffs and collar.

If Ellie doesn't play with it, I will. In fact, this just might have to hang on my wall for a bit. I've got to have wire around here somewhere to make tiny little hangers.

it's a bird, it's a plane...

it's ladybug girl!!!

I adapted the pattern from Sew Pretty Homestyle Christmas to create a costume to go with Trixie's favorite library book (for now) - Ladybug Girl.

The boots are hand-me-downs that are in heavy rotation right now.

Guess who knows she's cute.

angel wings

I meant to post this a couple weeks ago right after Ellie got it from us for Valentine's Day. I'm so sick of the fairy wings they have that are made with nylon stretched over a frame. My girls really PLAY with them and every pair gets trashed within a few weeks. (The wings for Ellie's Halloween costume were part of a Tinkerbell outfit that met that fate. I recovered the frame with lace for her princess outfit.)

Not long before Christmas I ran across Sew Pretty Homestyle Christmas at the library and saw this adorable pattern. I'm usually short on time for projects before the holidays, but tucked the idea away for a future present. In fact, this would make a great present for a friend's birthday paired with a simple tulle skirt. I love that the fabric can't run, and the size keeps them from clearing nearby tables when the girls decide twirling is in order.

You can almost see a halo in this shot.