The Birthday Gifts were a Hit

The whole time I was making my gifts for Madeline I wanted to post blogs about it and ask questions. I have no idea who reads my blogs so I kept my questions to myself and resisted posting so I could keep my gifts a surprise.
 As I made the dress for Madeline I had so many questions. Reading a pattern is not easy and I swear confusing on purpose. I muddled through painstakingly ripping out stitches and redoing each mistake as they happened.The final out come was well worth the effort. The tangle flag banner ended up being easier then I originally thought once I found out about fabric glue. Lucky for me all the doll cloths had been made months before. I had every thing done and ready to go 1 day before Madeline's Birthday celebration. 
  Wrapping the stuff was almost as much of a challenge as making them. I found a wooden wine box that was long enough and deep enough to hold the cloths, doll, and the banner. It worked out real well.

Opening the box

The box is opened

 Sorry about all the blurry pictures to come. I had a lousy night with the camera. No matter what I did the pictures were not good. Good thing this isn't a blog about photography  
  There was so many presents and packages it was hard for her to focus on any one thing for longer then a minute. Even still I got a warm and fuzzy feeling as she gushed over all the goodies in the box.

 My biggest thrill was when she picked up the dress I made for her and realizes that it is her size. As loud as can be you hear her say " Hey this is a my size dress" I was so tickled.

 The best pictures I got of the flag banner is the 2 above with the banner on the floor at her feet. Shortly after this picture was taken Madeline bent down picked up the banner and went running through the house with it flying behind her until it landed in the play area on her castle.

The dress fit and looked so cute on her. I am pleased with the way it turned out. My first attempt at making cloths was successful and fulfilling. I think I will try it again. 

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!                                       

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.

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????
   

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.
                                         

Done in a day,Pendent banner

                                                Here is an easy and fairly quick idea.
  This idea would be great for decorating a child's room, as a baby shower or birthday gift, or even to decorate for a birthday party or shower. there is so much you can do with this idea.
    Here is what you will need......
 1/2 yard printed material ( a stiff cotton works very well)
 1/2 yard matching solid material
 1 package wide single fold bias tape 3 yrds

                 

 matching thread

 1  8in triangle template

 Of the print material I got 3/4 of a yard to make sure I had enough,I did,more then enough.
  Trace 13 triangles onto both the print and solid pieces of material and cut them out. You should have 26 triangles total.

  With right side together pin 1 print triangle to 1 solid triangle leaving the top edge open. Sew together with a 1/8 inch seam allowance.

     Remove the pins and clip the sides and point.

         Turn right side out and press flat.
 

         Starting 4 1/2 inches in on the bias tape lay open raw edge of triangles onto tape alternating print and solid,fold bias tape over top of materials and pin (tip lots of pins helps keep everything in place).

       With a wide zig zag stitch sew from end to end of bias tape,making sure to catch up all the material front and back as you sew.  Back stitch to lock in your stitches.                                                                        Trim your lose threads and you are done !

                                                       

I learned to sew watching my grandma and her friends make quilts(they called them quilting bees).My grandma's sisters were tailors and seamstress and many times I went to work with them. As a young girl I was so impressed with all the black sthiney sewing machines with the fancy metal work treadals underneath that made them work.To this day I can't help but smile and think of my great aunt sewing away every time I see one of those machines.The only time you see those old singers now is in antique shops and  museums.
  Not surprising I grew up liking to sew. What is surprising is I was awful at it.I mean really bad. My grandma just couldn't figure out why,my mom was just as confused as to why I couldn't knit either(hated it thats why). I blamed my it on being left handed and not being able to make things work right like a sewing machine made for right handers,  even the bobbins where right handed. My hand stitching was bad to and I say because everything was taught to me backwards. Grandma would always say hog wash her mother was left handed and an accomplished seamstress. I never had a come back to that.

   Until I was 30 something and sewing up a storm,I made everything for my home right down to my formal dinner napkins.Even my pot holders were made by me and they where an absolute matter of pride, because grandma made and sold pot holders as long as I knew her. The come back of coarse was that My great grandma was over 30 something when my grandma born so grandma never saw her mother struggle to learn how to do things left handed that were being taught right handed.Grandma never saw all her moms disasters as I am more then sure there was. I never did get to answer my grandma back,but I did have the pleasure of hearing her praise  over my work when for Christmas one year I sent her a complete table setting and pot holders. Believe me she would not have praised if it wasn't good.

     So now I can sew and do it well. I enjoy trying new things and trying to figure out how to make things with out a pattern. I love quilting but don't really have the patience to make an entire quilt. So I am always looking for ways to use quilted fabric that I seem to always putting together. When it comes to quilting small quick projects suit me the best.

  I don't limit my self to quilting I enjoy a verity of sewing projects and this year I am about to venture where I have feared to go.That would be clothing,I have never tried my hand at clothing other then aprons,and vest. Now with my granddaughter in my life I just can't help myself. Some of my favorite dresses growing up were made by grandma. I loved that little tag in side each dress that said "Made especially for you by Grandma Fyie" Not sure exactly what my tag will say,I just know I want her to feel that same special feeling I always felt putting on one of my dresses from grandma.