My Emily.....

My Emily has been keeping herself busy lately.  She has been doing her "have to's"...that would be school work and chores around the house.  And she has been doing the fun and relaxing stuff.....which for her, are sewing, needlepoint, and crochet.  Yesterday she stitched this adorable dress made from a Liberty Jane Pattern.  It reminds me of a pillowcase dress and it would also look lovely in batiste with a bit of lace and a bottom hem tuck.

I've been keeping myself busy with all my "have to's" as well....plus a bit of fun stitching thrown in.  I've been working on some Wee Care gowns and also a shirt for Elisabeth.  Oh, I've also been crocheting some more cotton dish cloths.  I find them so addicting and mindless, which makes them wonderful to work on while I'm listening to a podcast or an audiobook here and there.

I hope you are fitting some stitching into your days too!!!

Sewing For the Dolls...

You know it's been too long since your last post when Blogger requires you to re-sign in. And then I wasn't sure I remembered my password. That is pretty sad folks!!! Nothing major going on here to prevent me from blogging....I've just been enjoying the little ones and not sewing too much the past few weeks.

The week before Christmas I did get these cute little blue scrubs made for Elisabeth's doll. This was the only 18" doll item that she asked me to make her this year. She specifically wanted "blue scrubs" for her doll. I lucked out because I was able to use the scraps leftover from her Pippi outfit.

I'm not the only one that's been stitching up some doll clothes. The picture above shows some of Emily's work. She made the skirt a few weeks back using her own pattern and then she made the t-shirt the other night using an old t-shirt from her dad. She is SO good with sewing now that she requires no supervision on my part. She even put velcro up the back of the shirt...again without any help from me. Not that I "wouldn't" help her....she just is capable and competent and didn't need any help. I think she is planning to make more soon! She did a great job. She also crocheted a cute little shirt to match this skirt....I'll have to get a picture of it too.

Hope you all are enjoying the new year!!!!

A Sweet New Dolly......

A sweet new dolly that needed a sweater. That is what I was knitting the other day. I started making this Waldorf-inspired doll when I was pregnant with Ean. That was like 2.5 years ago! While I was sick last month I got inspired to finish some projects that were still outstanding, and this cute little girl was one of them.

This is a 12" doll which is one of the standard sizes of Waldorf dolls. I have always loved using all natural materials for projects. This doll is stuffed with wool stuffing so she "warms"up as you hold her, making her perfect for little ones, and big ones!!

I crocheted a cap for her head and then stitched it on. Then I latch-hooked her hair all around her head. I think I put a bit too much hair on her....but my girls are really enjoying giving her all sorts of different hair styles.

She still needs a pair of shoes but I haven't made a pattern for them yet. And I could not commit to only one dress so I have another one cut out and ready to sew.

These dolls are very labor-intensive....but oh so worth it! I think she is just precious! My girls want me to make another one already. We are still discussing potential names for this one....some possibilities are Rebecca, Holly, Faith, and Hope.

P.S. The sweater is a free pattern from Ravelry and I basically knit it in two sittings. It goes very fast!!! And it's cute to boot!

Baby's New Wardrobe.......

Emily (my 11 yr. old) has been having so much fun dressing this 5" baby doll of hers!!! I think she has 5 outfits completed now. I mentioned another one a bit ago. Today I jokingly asked her how long it takes to complete an outfit...."1 day?" She quickly corrected me with......"no...2 days!"

And so there are no concerns...baby has all her proper undergarments on too. Isn't she adorable? Emily uses size 10 crochet thread in various colors and a size 6 crochet hook to complete these little gems. She also has one or two that she knitted with size 3 needles. I'll try to get photos of the rest of the fun little outfits in the next few days or so.

In the meantime, I am thinking on a new tutorial. Hopefully I will get it started and finished in the next few days. It's been awhile since I've added any tutorials to the blog. It's not for lack of ideas but rather a lack of time. Ean is very mobile now and as a result my sewing time has come to a screeching halt. I'm hoping he'll slow down and become interested in his toys at some point...and then I'll be able to sit at the machine and sew again. Right now if I want to sew I have to wait until everyone is tucked into bed and hope that I am not completely exhausted...which is usually the case. I am smocking though, whenever a few random minutes come my way. I'm really curious to see how this dress is going to turn out for my Elisabeth.

Alright...time to finish dinner and get this family fed!

Meet Kissy......

I mentioned a few days back that the girls, Ean and I recently went to a Doll Show. We have been the past two years and each time there was this sweet little girl looking at me, begging me to bring her home. I kept resisting the urge, not because she was expensive, I just did not know what I would do with her. This year I warned Wayne that if she was still there she was coming home with me. And can you believe she was still there? At first I convinced myself that there must be something wrong with her. But fortunately we ran into Penny, my friend and doll show expert!!! She looked this sweet girl all over for me and told me she thought she was a great deal!!!

So meet Kissy! (That is really her name). I read a little about her on the net and it seems she was made by Ideal between the years of 1961 and 1964. I was always a doll lover, but I never remember seeing her before. She is still wearing her original outfit (not the shoes) and it is in good condition except the elastic has lost its stretch. The girls are begging me to make her some new clothes, and I am sure I will when I get past the projects I am currently working on. Isn't she just adorable? And to make her even cuter....when you "clap" her hands together she puckers her lips...hence the name "Kissy."

And in case you are wondering....Emily purchased a huge bag of doll clothes for $5 and Elisabeth picked out a large Raggedy Ann for $5. We are already looking forward to next year!