Christmas Gifts

Just so I have a record, here are some of the Christmas gifts I sewed for 2013.  American Girl doll clothes.

 

and a Wiksten Tova top for my sister

She so didn't want to model.  But she likes the top!

I have a quilt and some boy clothes, but they'll get their own posts, coming soon.  And then I'll be somewhat caught up and hopefully be ready to show my first finish for 2014.

Catch Up

I'm a horrible blogger, but whatever.  I'm 30 weeks pregnant with a house in chaos, a 3-yr old, a husband who is either at work or working on our family farm, and a month of holidays just behind me. 

So let's play a little catch up with what all I've been doing since Thanksgiving:

First up - Christmas Presents:
Doll Clothes for American Girl Dolls

Fleece hoodie from Simplicity 4297 - definitely need a stretch fabric for this - I had to add some contrasting fabric for the cuffs and waistband (didn't want a double layer of fleece there), but I think next time I would just lengthen sleeves and shirt to eliminate the extra pieces.  And I had to modify the front neckline to get it over the doll's head - so that was not great.  But it ended up looking cute.

Also with the hoodie - jeans from Simplicity 5333 - made from dark wash stretch denim - these fit great and were super easy to sew up. 

Raglan sleeve top from Simplicity 5733 - I would cut everything a hair bigger than printed, it was just a tad tight.  I used an old tank top from my clothing stash for the fabric.

Drawstring Dress from Heritage Doll Fashions found on Liberty Jane.  Very easy pillowcase-type dress made up in a seersucker. 

Ring Collar Dress from Doll Duds found on Liberty Jane - would not recommend silk shantung and taffeta . . . it was a bit of a pain.  And I'd make all the pieces a tad larger just to give more ease.  I definitely want to make this again in a regular cotton instead of tight and slippery fabrics.

Close up of the bodice - it's not perfect, but it's done.

 Next catch up installment coming soon . . . promise.

Sorry

I'm sorry I've been gone so long.  Here's the deal - it's not something we are keeping a secret, but we haven't made a big deal of it either - we bought a house.  In the summer of 2010.  Near my family.  We spent several months working on it during the weekends (painting and such).  The hubs is still finishing up school, so Sam and I have been living up at the new house since February, and we see hubs on the weekends.  It's not ideal by any means, but it's what we've had to do for right now.  Hopefully soon, hubs will be all finished, and we'll all be together again, but until then, I am DIYing by myself, with no internet and no satellite/cable at the new house.  So that's why I dropped off the face of the earth this summer . . . and why posts will be very infrequent for a few more months.  But don't worry, I am not quitting blogging; it's just a hiatus while I deal with bigger things in life.

With all that said, here are some projects I finished in 2011 - this summer and fall.

DIY welcome mat - spray paint and painters tape made a plain mat custom.

Sam's Bed - from the Ana White Farmhouse Toddler Bed plans (and made him a Thomas and Friends sheet from fabric he saw at the quilt shop)

A cutie skirt for a cousin - from the Riley Blake "It's a Cinch" Skirt tutorial

Drop cloth picture frame mat for a revamped Goodwill frame

In October I finally found a spot for my tobacco basket (don't mind the rest of the room; there are big changes coming there)

We celebrated Sam's second birthday with a loose Cars theme

I built some shelves to house Sam's toy baskets (Ana White - Grace's Shelves), but I used 1x4s and 1x3s for the sides and a project panel for the top instead of MDF or plywood.

I made a knock-off of Pottery Barn's Dinosaur Artwork for Sam's room - I'll have to do an easy tutorial for that one later.

Made several pillows, but forgot to take pictures of half of them

Copied a Pinterest idea and made an ornament wreath

Baby Quilt #1 - Ruby's quilt.  For quilting I just followed the designs in the fabric.  This is one I had the fabric and idea for a long time ago and was just waiting on the right time.

Baby Quilt #2 - a Swoon baby quilt.  The quilting is double crosshatching on the diagonal, and it's perfect for this quilt.

Our Stocking Hanger - made from pallet boards.  I absolutely love how this turned out.

Barbie clothes - I used patterns, but the fit was all over the board.  It seems no two Barbies are the same measurements anymore.

American Girl/18" doll clothes - It's amazing how much easier these are to make when compared to Barbie clothes.  I made the sweater from a thrift store sweater, just laid out the pattern pieces and made sure to zig-zag all the edges well.

And enjoyed Christmas.

I just yesterday picked my clamshell quilt back up after a lengthy break and have started on the 12th row.

Now I'm ready for the New Year.  I have plans to be super thrifty and tight and work on finishing up all the half-done and neglected projects lurking around my house - quilting, crafting, decor, and others.  I'm currently working on refinishing our stairs, which had carpet on them until last fall, and have just been waiting since then for their makeover.

I'm hoping for wonderful things in 2012!

Baby Doll Dress #352

. . . is another wadder.

Okay, so maybe not 352 tries, but I am so.done.with making doll clothes.  Can I please just finish these last couple and move on to better and easier things, like grocery bags?