My Addiction

It suddenly dawned on me recently - I've made a lot of doll dresses over the years. 

 They go together with relative ease. They're so cute. I can put as much or as little detail into them as I want. I can play with quirky prints that wouldn't really work anywhere else. I can use small pieces of fabric, scraps even, and make something with it. I can buy remnants at a deeply discounted price and still have plenty of material to finish a project with. 

I have a problem, and I can't stop.

Want to know what started this entire mess?

This little creation right here. 

My literature teacher saw that I had made a doll dress using scraps from a costume I had made for my sister's doll. That little dress was haphazard to say the least, and yet, she trusted me enough to commission a doll dress for her granddaughter. I was so stressed to make sure that I made it right; my heart was racing when I took the dress to her. Then she loved it. :phew: That was in '09.  

After that, I didn't stop. 

I've played with ethnic dresses

 I've parked in different fashion eras

And all of them are made with either scraps or remnants

Some have a lot of detail put in

Others are simpler.

These ones were all made using the left overs from my pillowcase making spree. 

I've even done matching sets

All that to say, I honestly didn't realize how long I've been making doll dresses or how many I've made over the years, and this is just a small sampling! 

Sure there were breaks in the doll dress sewing craziness and other projects thrown into the mix, but I keep coming back to doll dresses for some reason or another.  

And I don't intend on stopping anytime soon. ;) 

Until next time!

SG

Tiny Treasures - A Sneak Peak

My doll dress creations have slowly been building up and attempting to take over. So much so that I had to ask my dad and brother to make me another doll dress rack to display them. 

See what I mean? 

The collection has certainly grown now that I'm done with school and have time to play in the studio instead of slumping at the computer churning out papers. Gotta work down that scrap fabric collection! Want to see a few of my favorites from the collection? Note: I really wish that I had all of these in my size. ;)  

This one reminds me of gingerbread. Now I want cookies. 

 The next dress has a bit of a story to go with it. When my great-grandma passed away many years ago, her daughters inherited most of her sewing supplies. Since they weren't inclined to much sewing, they've been passing notions and such down to me as they sort and clean. One of the packages that I received had a pillowcase set that was embroidered by great-grandma, but one of them was too worn out to use. But the decorate cuff was still in good condition! I didn't know what to make with it then, but one day it suddenly hit me, and a doll dress was made. The bodice is finished with some vintage trim that I had on hand as well. 

 These next few are how I channeled my excitement for Comic Con. I had my cosplay all finished, but still had inspiration to spare. I had some geeky fabrics on hand that perfectly fit the bill. 

 At a the bazaar a couple weeks back, a lady was walking by and stopped to ooh over the dresses. She started to walk away but quickly turned back around, "I just realized what is on that skirt!" 

 How can you not want a dress like this? 

 I don't know if you've seen the Disney cartoon, Phineas and Ferb, but that show is a gem. Absolutely hilarious. 

I've got a lot more that I could show you, but this is already a picture heavy post! 

Do you seen any that catches your eye? These are all for sale! Shoot me an email from the messaging link at the sidebar, and we can start chatting. 

Until next time,

SG

Bazaar Season Begins

Well, this last weekend was a whirlwind. And preparing for it was just as crazy. Having comic con and the first bazaar of the season crammed into one weekend will surely knock some wind out of your sails.

First up - comic con on Saturday. This was my first con, and it was AMAZING! Ridiculously overwhelming, but AMAZING! I wore the Chewie skirt that I told you about, but I decided to do it without the vintage fur wrap. That morning when I was feeding the animals, it already felt too warm to be wearing fur, and I'm glad that I didn't - the convention center got really toasty. I don't know how my brother managed to wander around in his Pikachu onesie and not overheat.  

 

I loved wearing the skirt to the con. It was subtle enough that people only caught what it was if they were actually paying attention. And the people at the 501st booth geeked out over it. I was happy. 

When we got home from the con on Saturday afternoon, we had to turn around and load up the car with all the supplies that we needed to set up for the first bazaar. This particular bazaar is more advertised as an antique faire, but it's in support of the local grange (that has held many events that I've attended through the years), so I have no qualms about lending a hand (or some cash).

The booth was a collaborative effort between my sister, a friend of mine, and myself. We had an assortment of doll dresses, aprons, hats, gloves, amigurumi, and more. It was a rather cheery booth if I do say so myself. ;) 

In addition to the crafts that we brought, I added in some antiques to try to work that angle of the faire. :P I've had the Pfaff sitting in the corner collecting dust and junk, so I thought that it was time for it to go. I also included some vintage patterns and sewing notions. I was honestly surprised at how much conversation the sewing machine and patterns generated.   

One of the things that I love most about this bazaar (it's my second year doing it) is getting to meet and know neighbors. Being in the country, a neighbor is a loose term, but since we're all in the same general area, we consider ourselves neighbors. 

I'm going to try to compile a list of all the upcoming bazaars this season that I'll be at so that you can see if you can stop by and check things out! 

Until next time! 

SG

More Snow Storm Sewing

Well, the snow stuck around for a week, and I was perfectly fine chipping away at the homework that I could do and sitting at the sewing machine whipping out more doll dresses. I'm only now just getting to posting about them because, well, school and work.

First up, this fun little ensemble.

It's inspired by Eowyn's shield maiden dress from the Lord of the Rings movies. 

I would have put more details into it, but there's only so much that you can do when a movie costume is scaled down to 18". ;)  

After all that 'serious' sewing, I felt like doing something a little more whimsical. I had some cheery scrap fabric in the box and some bits of vintage ribbon. They were meant to be together. 

My next projects are going to be much more pink. I have another bazaar coming up just before Valentine's Day, and I thought that it would be appropriate to break out all the pink fabric. 

Until next time!

SG

Winter Cloak

With all the snow that blew the the Pacific Northwest, I found myself with plenty time at home. Our corner of the world was turned into a winter wonderland and made life's hustle and bustle come to a screeching halt.  

School was cancelled, I couldn't make it into work, I guess things just lined up perfectly to sit down at the sewing machine. ;) And with the winter-y weather came the inspiration for this little ensemble.

It reminds me of Thorin Oakenshield in the recent movie adaptations of the Hobbit.   

The faux fur was a clearance bin find. Michael's had it steeply discounted after Christmas. I couldn't imagine decorating with a faux fur garland, but it's the perfect size and scale for doll clothes. 

Weird stuff it is... Kinda reminds me of a cat tail. Or a squirrel tail. o.O 

In addition to the cloak, I was able to make a tiny muff to go with it since there was plenty of faux fur left. I quilted a small rectangle with the scrap material left over from the cloak, sewed in the ribbon, and tacked on the fur trim. Would have gone together rather quickly if I wasn't so easily distracted. :P 

Here's a peak at the construction. This is more for my own reference than anything else - Now how did I make that? ;)  

And all together!  

Can I have one in my size please? 

Stay warm, everyone!

Until next time,

SG

Some Tiny Sewing

The last few weeks, in the spare moments that I can find or if I'm procrastinating on homework, I've been chipping away at the scrap stash to add to the doll dress collection. That way I have them ready to go for the next bazaar, and I won't be scrambling to pull my act together the week beforehand. ;) 

I've lovingly dubbed this one the 'back-to-school' dress for obvious reasons. 

As I was rummaging around in one of the many scrap bins, I found just enough of the apple print to make a dress with. My only qualm with it was how much it screamed '90's'... But I decided to give it a go anyway. No harm in using the material if I already have it, right? I finished the dress, threw together an apron, tacked on some ric-rac and declared it done. I was surprised at how cute it turned out once it was all put together. I was rather doubtful about the whole thing while I was sewing. 

This next one, I've decided to call 'Winnie the Pooh'. Because it's yellow and red like Pooh Bear. Then my sister said that those colors reminded her of McDonald's. I like my name for it more. :P 

The trim is actually a vintage ribbon that was given to me from a fellow crafter. Her store was relocating and she needed to clear out some product. I was picking up my doll dresses before she moved the store, and she gave me a couple of lengths of ribbon so long as I promised to use them on doll dresses. I most certainly can do that. 

This next one is one that I want in my size. Pretty please? 

Eyelet makes for easy hemming. ;) 

The other day, I was cleaning up the craft/sewing room, but as I was working, I found a piece of pillowcase that had been given to me from my great-aunt. I believe that it was embroidered by my great-grandma, but the rest of the pillowcase had been terribly worn out over the years. I have the matching pillowcase on my bed, but this cuff had been relegated to a forgotten corner of the notions box. 

And all of a sudden, I knew exactly what I wanted to make with it. So I sat down and whipped out a doll dress when I should have been cleaning. 

The pink braid is also a vintage trim that was given to me. I can't recall who it was from though... 

Can I have this in my size, too, please? 

Until next time!

SG

Some Rainy Day Sewing

 With the recent storms that blew through the area, there was obviously no desire to be working  outdoors. We battened down everything before things got particularly nasty, which left time to finish homework and some sewing. :shocker: So armed with a big cup of tea and time on my hands, I started digging in the fabric stash looking for inspiration.

I found some cheery yellow striped fabric with blue flowers on it in the scrap bins, and knew exactly what it should become. Whipped out the dress, put it on the tiny dress form, and stepped back. Yeah, the dress was done, but let's make it an entire outfit! I've got time! So a few things were added to the ensemble. Too bad I haven't mastered doll millinery because that would be the perfect final touch. I apologize in advance for the lousy phone pictures.

IT'S SO CUTE!!! I want one in my size please! 

It looks like something that could be worn to a summer tea party in the garden. 

 The extras for the dress are an apron, fichu, and bum roll. You'll see how much the bum roll helps to hold out the tiny dress later.

 The main dress is in two pieces, each with velcro closures in the back.

Details of the bodice

See how flat and floof-less the skirt is? The bum roll is one way to fix that. Just depends on the silhouette that you're trying to create for your doll. ;) 

 Until next time!

SG

Almost There!

Eeep! Tomorrow is the day for the Kinton Country Antique Faire!

This afternoon, my mom and I loaded up the 12-passenger van (that thing is quite handy when it comes to hauling anything and everything and everyone), and headed down the hill to set things up for the bazaar. 

This morning, I was still painting display pieces, cutting business cards, and creating a banner for the table, and assembling the clothes rack. Thank goodness for family because I probably would have been a wreck if I had to do it all by myself.  

Yesterday, my brother whipped together the display pieces for the pillowcases. We repurposed the sides of the old crib that we (still) had in the attic, and he designed the base pieces to prop up the crib. They're rather ingenious if I do say so myself. I owe my brother a plate of cookies. He's requested snickerdoodles.

The other night, I had created some templates for my di-cut machine, but the machine needed to be realigned. I didn't have time to dedicate to that, so this morning I pulled out some brown paper that I use for pattern templates and sketched out the design. Went over it all with a fat sharpie, and that was done.  

Once I finished setting up, I took a deep breath and looked around at what others were working on. I love how everyone's booth has a different personality, and everyone has put some much time and effort into creating their miniature shops. 

Are you able to make it? There will be great food, live music, amazing vendors, and me of course. ;) 

You can find more information here! 

Until next time!

SG