Sunday, May 20, 2012

Kid Tested and Approved

I had the pleasure of Madeline's company Saturday it is always a great time when she visits. You can't help but smile and laugh at the things she says and does. This visit is no exception,well maybe it is because I smiled brighter and laughed harder and feel even more in love with her if that were possible. 
 Madeline spotted my doll sitting on the table on the last visit and had asked why the dolly was there and after I answered her she didn't show much interest. That doesn't mean she wasn't thinking about it or had forgotten it. Not at all. On this visit I saw her walk right to the table and look .She didn't say any thing for a while and then she just couldn't stand it any more."Granmama why is dolly still on the table and what are all the cloths on the table?" 
     When she first ask to dress dolly I say no,then I rethink my answer and show her how to dress dolly so that her arms don't get tugged on and the rubber band that holds them on break. She is very interested in how my doll is made,with pins and rubber bands. She understands that is old and not like her dolls and she treats dolly very nicely.




















I got such a kick watching her play with my old doll and I felt such pride and joy as she gushed over the cloths I had made and gush she did, her most favorite she was putting on dolly as she suggested to me ever so casually that I should maybe make one like that for her.Any guesses what she is getting for her birthday? After getting dolly dressed and not wanting to change her cloths,"dolly doesn't want to take this dress off"(laughing quietly to my self still)Madeline inquires do I have any more old dolls. I do but not the right size so we go into the pink room to see what we can find and we find a doll I forgot was in her toy box. At first she doesn't want to use it because it isn't old. A few times while talking about the cloths and my doll Madeline had asked me if I was trying to make my old doll new and I had  answered no I was just making new cloths for my old doll.I guess that is why she thought only old dolls could wear the cloths.After we  got that all straightened out Madeline happily took the new doll and tried every outfit on her.While dressing her Madeline even should me how she was made different from my old doll. Smart smart little girl.
  Once she got the outfit on this doll that she felt should stay on it she started looking around my make shift sewing room and walked over to my basket full of material. Normally the fabric is rolled log like and neatly stored inside the basket.At this moment the material is more out then in.Madeline says "I always seed this here but I didn't know it was cloths" She then picks up a scrap sticking out from the pile and informs me it would be beautiful as an out fit for dolly.She then spies a pink plaid piece still rolled and in the basket and she tells me the piece needs to be a skirt for her doll to match a skirt that Madeline has and loves to wear.I laugh right out loud when she asks if I could sit down now and sew some more cloths. When I explain it takes a long time to sew cloths and that I wanted to play with her instead, she didn't even miss a beat when she replied well why can't I sew them Granmama,I am a happy Granmama as I say when you get a little older you can sew. She goes off on her own for a bit I can tell she is thinking hard,sure enough her she comes into the kitchen to find me Granmama she says if you sew I won't ask you to play,I won't.Two breaths later "Are you done in the kitchen can we go play now?"
     My doll cloths have now been kid tested and approved!                                       

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Well almost a week

It is almost 2 weeks from my last post. I have alot to say but not enough done. The pendents while tedious and time consuming are finished much quicker then doll cloths allowing me to have more done at the end of a week.
  This is all I had done at the the end of the first week.
     For the rest of that week and this week I have dragged my feet and got even less done. I am not sure why I drag my feet and put off sewing. I love sewing, I like sitting down with nothing more then some thread and material  and a few hrs or a day later you end up with a wardrobe or kitchen or even a living room fully decorated and ready to use.
     All I can figure is that it is the patterns(and if you have been following my blogging you know I avoid patterns) and learning how to read them is making me slow down and get  it right.
  I am a person that if you want me to turn right you need to point right or touch my right hand or say as I start to go the wrong way  your other right, turning left is turn to your wedding band hand. That means I read and reread patterns many many times before I can actually use them and get them right.
  Some thing that reads like this...."FOR SLEEVE D - press under 1/4"(6mm) on unnotched edge of sleeve band. Stitch right side of band to WRONG side of sleeve at lower edge.".....Can cause me hrs of reading and rereading and hot flashes because I feel so stupid that I don't understand,,,and then all of a sudden I get it.I know just what I am suppose to do.
 So now almost 2 weeks later I have learned a whole lot,and understand I have a whole lot more to learn.
   In the above picture you see all I got done since my last post. Well I was feeling cocky and sure of my self as each piece got done then I came across and started the purple dress with sleeves. I got it done and it is pictured ,,but I feel cocky no more.

Monday, May 7, 2012

My First attemp

Most women my age have made more then their fair share of doll clothes. Most women can claim they did that while they were still kids. Not me, as my cousin reminded me after reading my first blog about sewing, I use to frustrate my grandma so much because I couldn't even master the art of knotting the thread on my needle. As we laughed on line about it my cousin and I, I think just how right she is I was horrible at sewing back then.

 So I can't help beam with pride when I say look at what I can do.




This is the first time I have ever attempted doll cloths,I never really needed to as a girl, Grandma pretty much gave up on me and made all my doll cloths,well not all of them my Mom knitted so many of my best Barbie dresses. I had a son so even after I began to master the art of sewing there was no need to make doll cloths.
  I can't believe how satisfying it was to dress my childhood doll in cloths that not only had I made but also looked good inside and out. My mind runs rampant with all the outfits I want to make.


                Doll cloths easy and fun to make.
                             Who Knew????
   

Thursday, May 3, 2012

My week Sewing

                                                           This is what I made this week,




 I took it all to a small toy store and sold every single thing I made. That felt so good. The owner wants more things from me. She is looking for doll clothes.I think that will be a fun project and far from boring.