Underwear

Hello....I'm back with some more sewing for "The Girls" :)  I'm SO excited....only 2 more sleeps until Kate's birthday....woo hoo...then I won't have to hide the doll things every time they come to visit lol I've asked my DD if it's okay to post a video here of Kate opening her present, so once I sort that bit out (I've never posted a video on Blogger before!) you'll be able to see her reaction :)

Diane Morello on YouTube has some wonderful instructional videos on how to make doll's clothes, shoes and accessories. I subscribed to her channel and get alerts when she posts new videos. Diane is a lovely lady who happily shares her knowledge for free with anyone who's interested....well worth checking out her channel :)

Recently Diane posted a video on how to make a bra for your doll. I'd been thinking about making a crop-top for the girls' dolls as that's what they wear. We've never been big on singlets in our house....my fault I think as I never really liked them! I always thought they were 'men's' clothing when I was growing up. Probably thanks to "Chesty Bonds" advertisements!! Anyhow, I obviously passed this aversion on to my daughter as she's not big on them either. The girls either use a t-shirt as an undergarment, or these days, a crop-top, so I thought I'd make their dolls something similar :)

I made a matching set.....crop-top and knickers.....

Sage is the gorgeous model today :)  I've made the underwear from cotton lycra that's been in my stash for a long time. I made all my grandbabies nighties from this stuff before they were born....the eldest is nearly 14!!  It's the BEST fabric for babies as it's very soft, sturdy and stretchy....in a word COMFY! I'm sure "The Girls" will enjoy wearing it too :)

The edges have been finished with fold-over elastic from my Etsy buy. This stuff is brilliant!! I had to fiddle with the knicker pattern a bit to get them to fit how I liked, but got there in the end. There are a couple of pairs of trial runs that will be okay to use too. I made a pair with lingerie elastic, with a little picot edge, and that works great also, so I might also make a crop-top with that trim when I get around to it.

I haven't photo'd the back view but I've closed the top with velcro. I couldn't find any closures that I liked, that were small enough and the GDs real life crop-tops don't have any closures, they are pull-on....not practical for the dolls....so velcro it is!

I've been doing a bit more knitting...vests, slippers, etc but I'm a bit behind on the photos. I'll be back to post them when I get organised :)

Lynne xx

Casual wear

Hello, I'm back with photos of the little jeans and denim jacket I've made. I'm having a blast sewing all these miniature clothes :) The Aus Girls are great to sew for....the clothes aren't small and fiddly, so I can make replica people fashions without too much trouble!

Here's the first pair of jeans....

I used the Liberty Jane Bootleg Jeans pattern for these and adjusted it to fit. I'm not keen on the waistband so with the next pair, I made a different waistband and made the fly open instead of just being for show. It's such a cute pattern :)  It has proper pockets and all the stitching you see on regular people jeans....cute!

This is the revised version, with opening fly and shaped waistband....made in a lighter weight denim. The jacket is from a pattern that comes with the book called Complete Wardrobe for 18" Dolls. It's going to need a lot of adjusting before I make the next one! As you'll see in the next photo, I had to 'tuck' the back to bring it in quite a lot. The pocket flaps need to be smaller also....and the sleeve head is a little too big for the armhole opening. So....when I make the next one, I'll correct all these issues!

The front has been closed with large press-studs, then buttons sewn on for show. 

I've chosen a new name for this doll....formerly known as Amy, she is now Sage :)  I couldn't have one doll named after a granddaughter and not the other. I decided on an "S" name so it still fits in with the JEMS....so now we have....Jasmine, Emily, Matilda, Sage :)  Kate & Amy had a little friend called Sage who moved interstate. They missed her a lot so I thought it would be nice to have a name-sake to come and visit. They can bring Emily & Jasmine (once Amy has her birthday) for playdates with Matilda & Sage :)

It's now 1 week today until Kate's birthday!! I'm so excited. I hope Kate is as excited as I think she'll be, at getting her Emily doll!! I have a few more things I want to get made, so this week every spare minute will be used for making doll clothes. Last night I knitted a little pair of purple slippers with fluffy trim, to go with the dressing gown and PJs....they are so cute. I'll post them once I get the pink ones done for Amy's doll. They were really quick & easy to make :)

Lynne xx