The Doll Bed

 

 

This was a fun project for my sister and I to work together on. I found the doll bed at a rummage sale this summer.
The plan morphed from sewing some bedding to sewing matching nightgowns for little Miss Sophea and her dolly plus the bedding.

I started off making a mattress pad. Then I grabbed a piece of muslin to make a sheet and did some embroidery -- mostly daisy chain stitch.

I drew a chalk line and envisioned a green stem with pink and red flowers twining across the sheet and I am really pleased with how it turned out. No pattern - just free-hand stitching.
After I finished embroidering - I used a hoop - I cut it to a sheet size and utilized a double fold narrow hem on three sides and the fourth is folded over  all of the embroidery stitches - keeping the loose threads safe.

I was also working on this blanket at the same time - binding it with a blanket stitch.

This blanket started out as a wool (lambswool) sweater that I picked up at a garage sale. Even though it was seriously pilled, the gal wanted $3.00 for it just because of it's label (Gap?). I talked her down to a buck because no one was ever gonna wear it again with all the pillballs. I felted it the easy way by throwing it in the washing machine with an old towel. Then I threw it in the dryer. I picked the sweater after skyping with my sister who was in charge of buying the flannel for the nightgowns. Our color palette started off in red because of the doll bed. The computer screen clearly showed a PINK fabric which this blankie matches quite well.

Next up are two pillows because one is never enough. I had some old sheeting in my stash and cut two 4" x 6" pieces of loft batting and one 3" x 5" piece which I sandwiched between the two larger layers, creating a rather inviting pillow. I serged two sides of the folded fabric, turned it right-sides-out,  inserted my batting package and then pushed it out of the seam area while I serged the fourth side closed. A little finger push was all it took to move the batting back to flat.
The pillow cases were made similarly but before I sewed the two sides together I sewed a pink running stitch along the seam where I doubled the fabric (as in a real pillowcase). All rough measured with fabric on hand. The only thing I measured was how wide the doll bed is. I took some fabric, folded it over the batting - is there enough for a seam? and sewed.

Lastly (haha), I cobbled together a Waldorf nightie for the doll. I looked around the web but I did not want to purchase a pattern as I don't have the doll here. Not sure if there is enough room at the shoulders for the arms, but everything is elastic. I might still do some more trim work here (or not)-- If it works, great. I don't exactly have dolls laying around anymore. My kids are more into bottles.

My niece's kids have four sets of grandparents so they are quite busy during the holidays. I won't see them for another week - which gives me time to work on a little doll quilt, and maybe a fitted sheet for the mattress. I would think putting a fitted sheet around a mattress would be a huge dexterity skill for a 3-yr-old.

My sister is still sewing Phea's nightie and will send it as soon as she finishes. She actually bought a pattern which we can use again.

Bottled presents at our house.
About the size of Phea's doll.

I was thinking of a simple patchwork quilt with lace trim around the edges. I will utilize some of the nightie fabric and some other fabrics that go with this rosy pink color theme. Then again, I may come to my senses and realize I am done with this project and it is time to move on to the next -LOL.

SewExpo review

I am still processing all of the ideas percolating in my tiny pea brain after the show.
Lots of garment classes this year. Five years ago it was all about quilting. And the home dec. market looks to explode as the brand new sewer's branch out.

Cool jacket with RTW stitching details on this pattern from SEWN - Upline Jacket

Sewn used a hand-dyed fabric for this sample of the UpLine.

Indygo Junction's Recycled Sisters Pattern also caught my eye.

This book with the crappy cactus cover had a project for a tall, slender candle in a jar that was very sellable.
Called Stash Happy by Cynthia Shaeffer. A piece of fabric encased the candle with rivets tied with an interesting fiber. The whole 'candle jacket' featuring scraps in a random happy pattern.

Even though I bring my camera, you are so busy looking (read gawking) and talking that the camera doesn't make an appearance.

Airplane fabrics --- which were very tempting. But I made a vow to try and find more solids - not like a kona solid but a solid with a pattern -  a tone-on-tone solid fabric. I was also looking for the proper weight of knit fabrics for tops and yoga pants.

Knits cause problems for me.
*1. They aren't readily available except at  RCT Fabrics in  the Portland area.
*2. Getting the type of knit for the type of garment matched is difficult. If you give me a cotton - quilting weight, bark cloth, cheap Joann's cotton, I know what to sew with it. Knits behave differently and I am still learning how to  select the correct knit for what I am making.
*3. Buying on-line means you cannot 'feel' the knit. the stretch, nor the weight.
*4. Of course, now that I own a serger and a coverstitch machine, it is much easier to sew on knits.

Here's one for my creative friend:

Tiny pincushion necklaces made out of old hollow silverware. Darling.

Finally, a reminder for Pencil Girl who teaches 4-H sewing & photography.
A project for both groups.