Sunday, August 4, 2013

Doll Backpack, School supplies and Doll Drawstring Tote Bag

The backpack pattern I used is from myagdollcraft.blogspot.com



The school supplies came from several places:

- the notebook paper came from - http://dolldiaries.com/camp-doll-diaries-printable-school-paper-for-dolls/ 

- the Mountain Farmer magazine came from the Wren Feathers blogspot - here's a link to the file - http://jenwrenne.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/summer-sew-along-2013-part-8-bag-and-shrinkies-and-printies.pdf

- I'm not sure where I got the math test

 - the pencil tutorial is here: http://www.americangirlfan.com/2013/08/doll-craft-make-a-2-pencil.html#

for the pencil holder I cut out part of a card photo holder and inserted the pencils where the corner of the photo would be inserted in the card if it was being used in its actual application.


The water bottle is my own design. I emptied out a sample shampoo bottle and made my own label for the bottle.

The Doll Drawstring Tote Bag was from a youtube video by The CraftyGemini. I made mine big enough for an 18 inch doll to fit it and added a pocket to the front.


The fabrics I used are the fabrics in a local school's uniforms. All of these items were made for a friend's daughter who goes to that school so naturally her doll need a uniform and matching backpack and she needs a tote bag for when she takes her doll to school.

Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Another tie dye/reversible wrap skirt set in purple

Here's another tie dye t-shirt, reversible Jean/Purple wrap skirt with Hobo bag, wallet & money$$. This one was made for Karen Vital.



Here's a close-up of the hobo bag and wallet and money


Again, the t-shirt is the free pattern for a Trendy T-shirt from Liberty Jane Patterns. The wrap skirt is from the You Can Make This.com web site and the Hobo bag, wallet & money is from DollClothesPatterns.net..


Monday, July 29, 2013

Emma's still enjoying the summer!

Emma's not quite ready for school yet. Here she is in her tie-died t-shirt made from Liberty Jane Patterns' free Trendy T-Shirt pattern. Here is a link to get the pattern - http://www.libertyjanepatterns.com/2011/02/free-pattern-for-american-girl-dolls-liberty-jane-trendy-t-shirts.html .

The reversible wrap skirt is a freebie from the YouCanMakeThis.com website - the Twirls for Girly Dolly Wrap Skirt. Here's the link - http://www.youcanmakethis.com/products/free-make-twirls-for-girls-for-toys-for-tots .

The Hobo Bag is a free pattern from DollClothesPatterns blog - here's the link - http://www.dollclothespatterns.net/ .

Not bad for all free patterns!


Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Peter Pan Collar blouse

I made this blouse with a Peter Pan collar to be worn with the school uniform jumper dress. It was made using an Artistic Amy pattern purchased from Liberty Jane Patterns.



Fabric flowers

Here is a link to tutorials on making fabric flowers. It has a lot of different kinds of flowers. Just beautiful!

http://tipnut.com/fabric-flowers/

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Saturday, June 8, 2013

Crafterella: Another Pattern Storage Idea

Wow! Just the solution I've been looking for. I have a couple dozen doll clothing patterns now and need a good storage solution that doesn't cost an arm and a leg!


Crafterella: Another Pattern Storage Idea

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

School Jumper Dress

My latest sewing adventure for the American Girl doll is the school jumper dress pictured below. This is made from a pattern I created myself. It is fashioned after the actual school jumper dress and is made from the fabric of that dress.


Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Baltimore Garden Quilts: Woman's Day 1965 - The Met Quilt

This link has nothing to do with American Girl dolls but I wanted to post a link to it anyway. I actually have this pattern. I inherited it from my sister who passed in March 2012. She purchased the pattern in 1965 from Woman's Day magazine & always intended to make this quilt. Maybe one day I'll get around to making it in her memory.


This quilt is part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection. Here's what they have to say about it:

The twenty-nine ornately appliquéd blocks of this quilt display intricately designed floral wreaths and bouquets, baskets of various styles, birds, fruit, and musical instruments. The blocks are of differing sizes: The center block is four times the size of the outer blocks and is surrounded by four blocks that are double the size of the outer blocks. The white cotton ground fabric is quilted overall in a diamond pattern, and each appliquéd piece is quilted around its edges. There is a plain patch of white cotton fabric under the central basket.

Baltimore Garden Quilts: Woman's Day 1965 - The Met Quilt

Friday, February 8, 2013

Jumper Dress for American Girl doll

This is the Jumper Dress from the 30 Minute Doll Clothes book by Nancy Zieman and Joan Hinds.


Thursday, February 7, 2013

The Comfy Weekender Outfit

This was my first use of the 30-Minute Doll Clothes patterns from Nancy Zieman and Joan Hinds. The t-shirt   could have been a little bit bigger but it does fit the American Girl doll - just rather snugly. The shorts were fine.


Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Pajamas for American Girl Doll

This is my second garment for the American Girl doll - a set of fleece pajamas with appliqued embroidery patch. The pattern I used is from Strictly Homemade by Maridith. This pattern fit the American Girl doll really well.


Sunday, February 3, 2013

Cloak I made for American Girl doll


I made my first garment for the American Girl doll this weekend. I used the pattern from Liberty Jane Patterns - the MV Ivy Cape. It took me a while to get the gathering just right around the little oval piece on the back of the hood but I persevered and finally got it just right. All things considered (like the light bulb being out on my sewing machine!) it turned out very well. If I make this cloak again, I would opt for a 2 ribbons closure instead of the ribbons around buttons closure. It was really hard to sew those little buttons on  and I'm afraid it might be a little hard for a girl to push those ribbons around the buttons.

Here's a shot of the little oval piece on the back of the hood.

Closeup of ribbon/button closure.



Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Great Blog for AG Crafts

AG Doll Crafts

Patriotic Tutu

Look how cute! --- a Patriotic Tutu for your American Girl doll!

Of course you could modify the colors of the netting to suit any holiday you like - I'm thinking purple & green & gold for
Mardi Gras!!


Here's the link to how to do it:

http://aheartfulloflove.com/patriotic-american-girl-tutu-make-a-tutu-for-an-18-inch-doll/

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Make a Hobo Bag, Wallet, & $$$$ for your Doll



Here's another great American Doll Blog site - http://www.dollclothespatterns.net/blog



Liberty Jane has great doll clothing patterns




Here's a link to their web site...

http://www.libertyjanepatterns.com/category/all-patterns/patterns-for-american-girl-doll


MADE: Pieces For Reese: 18" Doll: Upholstered Sofa - Part 3

MADE: Pieces For Reese: 18" Doll: Upholstered Sofa - Part 3:   Upholstered Sofa Part 3: Upholstery - Fabric Today we will finish the upholstery of the sofa by adding the fabric cover...

MADE: Pieces For Reese: 18" Doll: Upholstered Sofa - Part 2

MADE: Pieces For Reese: 18" Doll: Upholstered Sofa - Part 2: Upholstered Sofa PART 2: Upholstery-Batting Today we will work on adding the batting (padding) to the wood sofa base  which we...

MADE: Pieces For Reese: 18" Doll: Upholstered Sofa - Part 1

If you think you might have a talent for a little woodworking, upholstery, and other crafts, this site has some fantastic instructions for making furniture, appliances and household items for your American Girl doll. My personal favorite is the sewing machine. There is so much stuff for the American Girl doll on this blog. It's really great!! Click on the link below:


MADE: Pieces For Reese: 18" Doll: Upholstered Sofa - Part 1: Today we will start our sofa build. This one is modeled after the Ikea Karlstad sofa, low and modern! http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catal...


IKEA Hackers: Expedit sewing/crafting/cutting table

This a link to IKEA Hackers - a site where people upload photos and plans for things they have made from "hacking" IKEA furniture pieces. They modify, add to, rotate, etc. to create an entirely different piece of furniture. The link below is a hack for a fantastic craft table. I would love to have one of these but right now I just don't have the space. Maybe someday...



IKEA Hackers: Expedit sewing/crafting/cutting table: Materials: Expedit 4x2 units, Vika Amon tabletop, Ribba picture ledge Description: This is a cutting table for craft and sewing project...

Monday, January 28, 2013

Loads of 18 inch dolls like American Girl Doll, etc.


This site lists a lot of 18 inch dolls - http://www.justmagicdolls.com/ - click the Meet the Dolls link on the left side to see their list.

This site does not list your everyday retailers such as Walmart (MyLife dolls), K-Mart (What A Doll), Target (Our Generation), Toys R Us (Journey Girls) or JoAnn Fabrics (Springfield Dolls).

You have to really do your homework to find out if the clothes will fit your American Girl doll because each doll has slightly different measurements (kind of like people!). I think you will find that Madame Alexander's Favorite Friends dolls are the closest match for the American Girl doll.

Sunday, January 27, 2013

My first American Girl Doll

I'm so excited to finally be getting my first American Girl Doll! I ordered her last week. I'm getting the 2013 Girl of the Year - Saige Copeland. From the reviews I've read, it sounds like she's even prettier in "person" than she looks in her photos.

I remember when my nephew first showed me the brochures on the American Girl dolls back in the 1990's. I guess he had taken his two daughters to the store in Denver. I remember thinking that they were really nice. I wonder if the girls got any of the dolls. I'll have to find out. Too bad I didn't start collecting them back then! Oh well, better late than never!!

I'll be back with more once I have my doll!