Craft Bazaar - Doll Dress Display

I promise I haven't gone AWOL on you. School, homework, work, homework, farm stuffs, project deadlines for homework, more work, and finals have taken all my time and energy. Yep. I haven't sewn a stitch since my Regency ballgown. And that is a tragic fact. 

But... 

I did have an opportunity to sell my huge (I am not exaggerating here) stock of pillowcases and doll dresses at the Christmas brunch and bazaar at my friend's church because my former venue (the tent that we have set up while doing Christmas trees) didn't pan out this year. 

One thing that has been driving me bonkers all these years of selling doll dresses is my lack of a display for them. I've tried just about everything under the sun for showcasing the pint-sized dresses from the store using a coat rack, to spreading them all across a table to only have a cat jump up there and leave her little paw prints all over everything. :glares: This year, I decided that it was time to invest in a dress rack specifically designed for 18" doll dresses, but I didn't want to lay down a bunch of cash for a display. And all the ones that I found were shorter (in length) which meant that my collection would get scrunched up and make things difficult to view. 

Then I found this on pinterest. It was exactly what I wanted. But again with the scrunching of the dresses. And the spending money. I can be such a scrooge when it comes to some things. Why couldn't we totally DIY it? We had railing left over from building the house. We have a massive collection of wood scraps in the shed that would certainly have a piece that would work for a base. The only things we bought for this was a dowel and the world's smallest can of paint. 

My awesome dad rigged up the entire thing. Minus the paint. After applying a coat of paint and waiting for it to dry, our creation was finished. 

Tada! 

Isn't it the cutest thing?

Do you know how much I would have loved having something like this growing up? 

I also like how tall the dress rack is. It means that I can do dresses with a train and it will still hang. ;) 

Until I actually sew something. Which shall be very soon because Christmas is right around the corner. 

SG

Spot the Sleepy Puppy

Sorry that I haven't posted anything lately... Between getting a job and all the things going on 'round our farm, I haven't had a whole lot of time to dedicate to sewing... The sewing that I have been able to do has been in bits and pieces, making for slow progress on any project.

Anyways...

I found the most adorable sewing book at the library. And I truly mean the most adorable. Storybook Toys by Jill Hamor is certainly a book that every seamstress wants in her collection. Even if it is just for the world's cutest pictures. 

I loved the book so much that I put it on my Christmas/birthday wish-list. Lo-and-behold, it was under the tree. ;) But I haven't had an excuse to make one of the projects in it 'til now. 

A couple in our church just adopted a little boy. They've been waiting for a baby for two years, and now they have a little boy. I've been making quilts for all the babies lately, but I wanted to break my trend and try something different. Spot the puppy was the perfect thing to make for the little one. 

I even had all the supplies in my stash.  

I love having all my fabric on mini bolts. I can quickly scan everything to see if I have what I need before I made a mad dash to the craft store to get what I need. 

I transferred the patterns onto Swedish tracing paper (best gift EVER! I use that stuff all the time!) and cut out the pieces.  

As I was cutting out the fabric, I was really beginning to wonder, 'How on earth are these pieces going to make a dog?!' I trusted the directions and followed them to the letter. I wasn't disappointed; I had a sweet, lounging puppy when all was said and done. Actually, I didn't follow it to the letter exactly. (Big surprise there ;) ) The directions are for a pajama holder for your little one. I wanted a plushie, so I didn't put in the pocket inside the puppy's belly. I just stuffed him all the way and closed him up. 

I truly believe that faces are what make or break a doll or critter. Actually, I'm :really: picky about toy faces. One of my biggest pet-peeves is people who put weird or freaky faces on dolls. I guess of all pet-peeves, that's an okay one to have.  

With that all said, no pressure, right? I mean, how hard can a dog face be? Well, the face pieces weren't part of the pattern. ;) I took a deep breath and started to free-hand cut the felt into what sort of resembled what was in the book. After getting the eyes and nose cut and positioned on the face, it needed a little something extra. A spot around the eye was the perfect addition. 

G'night, Spot!

Until next time!

SG

Disclaimer: I haven't gotten anything for 'reviewing' the book. I just wanted to share it with you :)