Saturday, July 20, 2013

I must confess......I spy with Pinterest and Etsy!

I admit it.  I surf both Pinterest and Etsy looking for fabulous doll clothes and ideas.  Even though I sew,  occasionally I  purchase clothes made by several  exceptional doll clothes maker/designers.   The first thing I do when my purchase arrives it to inspect the garments for "quality" with regard to fabric, construction and sewing techniques.  My most recent purchase was from an Etsy Shop called Mena Bella" http://www.etsy.com/shop/MenaBella.   I have made several purchases and have always been impressed with the product, workmanship and guest service of Lin the shop owner.    My decision for my last purchase was based on the fact that Mena Bella had used 2 patterns that I had not used before from my pattern collection.

Capri pattern from All Dollrd Up - http://www.alldolledup-dollclothes.com/patterns.html
 
Lin had several outfits for sale that were just too cute to pass up and I was thrilled to have the opportunity to see first hand how she constructed the outfit and what if any modification she made to the garment and pattern.  I aspire to make my garments with the level of quality I find in Mena Bella's products and other Etsy sellers.
 
I just finished these 2 outfits using the patterns noted above.  I think my Granddaughters will like them.



Sewing notes:  Capri pattern by "All Dolled Up".  This is a great pattern....if you don't have it you should put it on your wish list.  I made the pants with no adjustments and they fit perfectly.
 
The little fabric bows on the blue denim capris was a copy of the Mena Bella capris.  On the pink pants I added 3 assorted colored buttons a design feature I have seen used by others.

Peplum Top:  Some minor adjustments.   Pattern uses a zipper for closing the back seam.  Some prefer zippers but I like Velcro.   If you have read some of the other comments on this blog you probably know by now that I do not like my tops to fit snug on my dolls or ME.  I did increase the side seam of the back bodice by 1/4" as well as the back center seam by 1/4".  I increased the shoulder top seam by 1/8" and made the waistband longer to cover these adjustments.  The  increases made at the side and shoulder seams affects the fit.....so it is not as snug.  The increase of the back center seam accommodated the change I made in the construction that differed from the pattern instructions and had no impact on the fit.  The final adjustment was to the ruffle.  I wanted it to look fuller.   On the yellow / blue version I increased the ruffle by 8 inches on the other on I increased it by 16 inches.

I made the waistband in a contrasting fabric on the pink set.   I also made a ribbon belt with a pink bow attached to add a little interest (cuteness) to the top.   The detachable belt and bow was my hubby's idea as I could not decide whether I liked it or not.   He said make it a separate piece and you don't have to be concerned one way or the other.

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Sewing fast and furious

Carousal Dress with Vest
 





Finished this dress today using a cute pattern by Doll Tag Clothing - Carousal Dress and Vest.  I had made it to fit my AG doll but it was a bit snug so it's a "hand me down" to Jane my Journey Girl doll.  The vest has a temporary ribbon tie closure until I can purchase some round metal white eyelets, though the bow looks kind of cute too, so I may make one with attached ribbon ties.   This pattern was so easy to make thanks to the detailed instructions and great pictures.   I know that all dolls are not alike so with a small adjustment to the pattern I'm heading backing to my sewing machine to make some more dresses.

Update:  I've made several more dresses / vest.   I increased the size of  the vest pattern by placing the back vest piece 3/8 of an inch from the fold line (increasing the overall dimensions of the vest by 3/4 inch). 
I increased the dress front bodice also (placing the pattern piece 3/8 of an inch from the fold line.  I also increased the dress bodice back by 3/8", I use the extension to the back as additional fold over for finishing up the back center seam and applying the Velcro the 1/4 inch fold over that most patterns call for just does not work for me.   
I prefer the clothing for the dolls not to fit too snug...the clothes are for my young Granddaughter and I want easy off and on.

Flutter Sleeve Dress and Capris with Halter Top

My Granddaughter are coming for their annual week long visit in August.  My goal is to have lots of
new doll clothes for their American Girl dolls.  The dress was made using the "free" flutter-sleeve dress pattern from:
  http://pacountrycrafts.blogspot.com/2013/06/flutter-sleeve-doll-dess.html?utm-medium=gadget .
 I still had some of the fabric left over and decided to make a pair of pants and a top.   The top was also made from a "free" pattern from Eden Ava....it is a reversible halter top (link below).   Easy to make and a wonderful use of scraps.  The pants were made using the Playdate pattern in a previous post.


Click here for halter top pattern.   You have to sign up for her newsletter to get it.   I enjoy getting her newsletters and the
free pattern is a bonus.   Eden Ava also has a free pattern for a slip.  http://edenavacouture.wordpress.com/2013/06/22/free-summer-time-pattern/
Update:   I made a slight modification to the construction of  the halter pattern.  I left a finished opening at one the side seams.  Instead of having the ties twist around each other in the back I slid the tie through the opening eliminating the twist and minimizing bulk in the back.