July Sew-A-Long for Marie-Grace and Cecile

As I was walking down the street,

Down the street, down the street,

A pretty gal I chance to meet,

Under the silvery moon!

This summer I discovered the American Girl Plaything's Sew-a-long (SAL) on the site's forum.  Each month a new challenge is issued to the sewers, and this month, we were tasked with creating a new look for Marie-Grace and Cecile.  Ah, the 1850s!!! I have been stuck in Ruthie, Emily, and Rebecca's time periods for awhile, so it was fun to time travel to a different generation.

I began browsing 1850s photos online, searching for a dress that would provide perfect inspiration.  When I found this purple dress, I fell in love with the skirt.  The bodice is nice, too, but a little more complicated than what I wanted to tackle at the moment.  For my dress's bodice, I selected Simplicity 3929 Dress B.  I loved the gathered, round neckline, and I added the lighter fabric on the end of the sleeves to give the dress a little contrast.  For the skirt, I adapted Dress F of McCalls 3627, shortening the side panels.  I considered shortening the length as well since most of Marie-Grace and Cecile's dresses are shorter, but at the last minute, I decided to leave it alone.  My favorite part of this dress has to be the bows on the skirt! All eight of them were hand sewn- another first for me! I've never made fabric bows before, but I think they really make the outfit.  

When Ruthie tried on the dress, I recognized the dreamy look in her eyes- no doubt imagining she was in middle of one of her favorite stories- the Wolves of Willoughby Chase.  To help bring the fantasy to life, she needed a new hairstyle.  Are you afraid of brushing your wavy haired American Girls as much as I am? Well, here's a hair tip you might use! Instead of a spray bottle, I filled a small cup with water and dipped the corner of a baby wash cloth in it.  Then I used the damp wash cloth to pat her hair.  Frizz disappeared instantly, and I was able to use a hair pick to work with individual curls with no fear of water getting into the doll's eyes.  I created three pin curls on each side of Ruthie's part, and the rest of her hair was tucked into a small bun at the back of her neck.  I added a few hair clips and bobby pins to hold the style together long enough to take photos.  Ruthie hasn't looked this cute since I brought her home years ago! 

Inspiration: The Ginghams (Set 1)

When I was a little girl, I loved playing with my paper dolls just as much as my real dolls.  My favorite paper dolls were called the Ginghams, a series of four little girls wearing old-fashioned clothes, each trimmed in gingham fabric.  Last summer, I decided to recreate some of my favorite paper doll dresses for my American Girl Dolls.  While these dresses are not literal recreations, my fabric and design choices were directly inspired by the paper doll dresses.

The most difficult part for me was deciding which dress to recreate! I selected this one from "Carrie's Birthday Party."  For my dresses, instead of polka dots, I chose a white cotton fabric with small tulips. The paper doll dress looks as if it has a gathered ruffle on the bottom, but for mine, I used a flat seam.  I trimmed the neck and sleeves in mini rick-rack, and the bottom ruffle was trimmed in medium rick-rack.  I alternated colors to give each girl her own special look.  Since my dresses had a very springy look to them, I made the decision to use short sleeves instead of long.  For my pattern, I used Simplicity 9381, aka "Old Faithful."  This is my favorite go-to pattern for a quick, basic dress.

Of all the dresses I've sewn over the years, these three are among my very favorites.  It just goes to show a little creativity can dress up even the most basic of dresses! A classic style, such as this one, can be worn by nearly all of the historical characters.  Simply add a longer skirt for Felicity.