Happy
Christmas |
I attempted to post about dolls every day for a year. I came very close. Now I publish randomly. I love to hear from my readers.
Trent As Marta has noticed, I have made a turtleneck pullover for the men dolls. |
Here's the back (and Basil's back.) |
Russell was the first to wear it. |
Who is that, hiding in the sweater? |
Trent! |
I "needed" a Trent for a fit model. |
Plus, I love his over the top, almost cartoonish look. What do you think? |
Judith Eppolito of ASHENBERRY |
made these beautiful animals. |
Unfortunately, |
did not do them justice. Fortunately, There is a website with photos right HERE! |
Katharine Longo |
was showing at the doll and bear show |
that I got to go to, last weekend. |
I think her work is charming! See her work, HERE! |
I know it is early, yet. (In that sentence structure you have evidence of the 6 years I spent in Pennsylvania "Dutch" Country.) In trying to earn a little by selling on eBay, I made some stocking ornaments. They reminded me of The Doll's Christmas by Tasha Tudor. Before I ever heard of Tasha, or any of her books, I liked to dream of making my own doll sized Christmas celebration. Whether they were inspired by Tasha, or, just inspired, a Google search of "doll's Christmas" was fun, for me. Here are just two links to what I am still exploring: Doll Christmas Pleasantville Christmas (Teaser) Are you dreaming of doll Christmas? Do you include dolls in your celebration in any way? |
Knit from sock yarn in a three one rib, this dress is rather form fitting. |
Since I do not plan to show pictures of the bodies, (and they are in the dump, any way) here's what can be seen of the "lamented" dolls about which I posted. |
I |
am |
Velvet! (by Ideal) Velvet was very dirty, when she came here a few weeks ago. Having had a bath and shampoo, she looks much better. I think I missed a smudge, or two. :) |
First, you'll need a doll. |
You will need some fabric. These are scraps left after I made a new dress for Spring, about 20 years ago. |
A measuring tape is not absolutely necessary. It can help. With the tape, or with the fabric itself, determine how long a rectangle is need for the waistband. |
I folded the waistband over twice and checked that it was long enough to go around her waist and overlap AND have room for seam allowances. No problem. :) |
Similarly, measure and cut the skirt rectangle, remembering to allow for the back seam, the waist seam and a hem, if you wish to have a hem. |
Measure and cut into the seam allowance to mark for the placket. The placket allows the skirt to open up to slide over the hips. |
Here, methods diverge. I have sewn up the back seam to the slit that marks the placket. You may wish to skip this step and do it later. That way, the piece will stay flat a little longer. |
When the back seam is sewn, I double over the fabric and sew it down. I like as few raw edges showing as possible, so I fold it over, then over, again. |
I made the waistband by folding the rectangle in half, lengthwise. I sewed the short edges together. This is done with the right side of the fabric inside. |
Then I turned the waistband right side out and checked it for size, again. |
I pinned the ends of the waistband to the edges of the placket, right sides of the fabric together, or facing each other. |
Then I pinned along that edge, arranging the gathers where I wanted them to go. |
This blurry picture is supposed to show what it looked like from the waistband side. |
I sewed that together. Since this is so lightly gathered, I used a running stitch. When I gather more tightly, I use a back stitch, or I use the sewing machine. |
This is what it looked like with that seam finished and the pins removed. |
Then, I turned the inside edge of the waistband under and sewed it to the skirt on the inside. |
I hemmed the skirt. This hem was a selvage edge, so I could have just left it unhemmed. |
And, we have a skirt. (And that skirt could use a good press!) I'll try to give some tips on variations in style, sometime. If I forget, you remind me! |
You'll need a doll and a scrap of fabric. |
This is what it looks like. |
Be sure to fit the elastic so that is will stretch over the doll's hips. |
Stitch the elastic firmly together. In this case, (or casing?) I tied the elastic cord. |
Check the fit. |
Turn the skirt right side out. I left mine fringed. Turning a hem gives a nice, finished look. If I do turn a hem, remembering to do it before I put in the elastic makes it easier to press the hem. |
Turn the seam to the center back. This skirt sure could use a press! |