Sewing for Little Girls - Baby Ellie and Travel Case from Ruby Jean's Closet

I found THIS pattern on Etsy, (which is also available as Simplicity 1238) and knew it'd be a great way to use lots of cute quilting fabrics I have on hand.

I love totes, bags and cases (see my train case here, another fav!) so this appealed to me.  I confess I did buy the main fabric,  I couldn't help it, but all the rest is remnants I had on hand.

It is bigger than might appear in the photo, at a generous 13"x16"x5" (and about 3" deep) 

The inside is just TOO cute!

This is a little "bedroom" for a 12" stuffed elephant doll and her little clothes.  

 You can tuck the Baby Elephant into "bed" here

The pocket on the front of the "dresser" stores the little outfits 

12" Baby Elephant doll 

She was so cute, I made a "twin" sister for her!

Ruffled Panties

Also, little coveralls, and PJs

I found the adorable vintage bunny fabric at an estate sale, and made matching PJs for the 18" doll

More Repurposing for American Girl Doll Clothes - Best One Yet!

My daughter-in-law gave me an old pair of jeans - at my request - so I'd have some authentic looking denim for the doll clothes.  It had great back pockets with lots of "bling,"

I picked it off the jeans, cut it right down the middle, and used it for the front of the vest.  It didn't quite fit the pattern piece, so I laid a plain piece of denim underneath to cut it out, then I satin stitched it into place with a decorative thread.  That is the line of gold stitching at the bottom left.

And WOW, this made the cutest vest!  I still need a skirt to go with this outfit, maybe out of the same denim.

I did break down and buy fabric for this little dress because at this point I'm kind of getting carried away by the whole project.  Besides, I needed a knit for this dress and I didn't have anything suitable. 

(sleeves aren't hemmed yet.)

All these pieces are from Simplicity 8041

I'm not done yet!  I have knitted little crop sweater from a glittery red yarn which I will pair with a skirt from the red/white striped fabric so each girl will have one Christmasy dress-up outfit. 

To be continued....

Bonding with my Singer 404 and Making a "Stash" Wardrobe for American Girl

So every time I bring home another vintage Singer, I have a routine.  I clean it, oil it, and make any minor repairs.  Then I sew with it for a while until I feel comfortable with it (and can work out any bugs), then nine times out of ten I end up reselling it.  I'm not sure about this one yet, it may be a keeper.

Like many vintage Singers, this 404 is Perfection in Straight Stitch.  As seen in the following pictures, I've sewn satin, lace, tulle, fake fur, corduroy, and denim - and I've made buttonholes. There is something very peaceful about sewing on a no frills machine that never talks back - in all the hours I've used it so far, I haven't had a single hiccup, just perfect stitching with perfect tension every time.

On to the projects...

I was blessed with four sons, and loved raising boys.  There was only one thing I kind of missed when they were growing up and that was sewing girly things.  Happily, my boys have provided me with granddaughters so now I get to make up for lost time and indulge myself.  The girls are getting new dolls for Christmas, so I've been doing a little stash-busting to make them clothes.

Oh, and I scoured the local thrift stores for an 18" doll to use for a model (only $6.99!) and although her hair is kind of whacked up, she'll do.

Simplicity 8041

Everything is from my stash, even the buttons. The corduroy is from a jumper I made for myself.

Katie Dress - Living a Doll's Life

Stash fabric that I used to face the jumper made of the corduroy above. Stash rickrack.

Cardigan by Cindy Rice Designs

Beret by ABC Knitting Patterns

Blue satin left from granddaughter's Cinderella costume and yarn remnants. More stash buttons.

Simplicity 8280

This was Estate Sale fabric, probably a vintage piece - at least it looks like it.  Tulle from the half-price remnant bin at JoAnn.

Simplicity 8041

Pink knit left from making t-shirts for the girls.  Denim cut down from a pair of my old jeans.  Crocheted edging from thread stash.  Iron-on appliqué from JoAnn.

Simplicity 8280

The faux fur was stashed from a Christmas stocking I made last year. The satin and tulle were from the half-price remnant bin. Only the striped fabric was bought off the bolt.

I'm not done yet, I'll be making as many outfits as I can until Christmas and I have lots more remnants to use.  I think I can say that I've now officially bonded with the 404.  I really can't find any fault with it, and other than needing to zigzag on my 503 occasionally, I could use this for everything I sew.