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! 

Bleuette's H Dress Pattern for 18" Dolls

The girls have new dresses! This time it's another pattern resized from The Bleu Door.  What is it about those little French dresses that I love so much? Is it the pleated center or is it absence of gathering? I love the neat and tailored look- even if my ironing leaves a lot to be desired!This pattern was originally published in 1928 for an 11" Bluette doll, but I have resized it to fit 18" dolls, such as American Girl.  The year 1928 is a little late for Rebecca and a little early for Kit, but with the right styling, it could be perfect for either of them!

Download the free pattern here.

 

When the Storm Strikes...

For my niece's 2nd birthday, I wanted to make her some clothes for her favorite baby doll. What began as a simple sewing project soon escalated into a race against time as I battled not one- but two power outages in the same day!

Friday Morning 
After an exhausting week of touring daycares, I finally had a few moments to myself to think about this project. With my niece's party on Saturday, I knew I didn't have time for anything complicated. Besides, I didn't want anything that might frustrate her two year old fingers. So I turned to Pinterest for inspiration and found a few surprises.

First, I found a link for this great free pattern from Skip to My Lou for cloth baby doll diapers. They looked so fun and easy to make! What little mommy wouldn't love new diapers for her baby doll? I decided to pair the diaper with a simple Dress E from Simplicity Sewing Pattern 3572, altering it slightly by leaving off the sleeves and collar.

Next, another great freebie from We Wilsons. This pattern contains two very easy to sew patterns- one for a pull-over shirt and another for a pair of pants, making it easy to mix and match fabrics for a variety of looks. Since my darling niece loves Jesse from Toy Story, I knew right away I wanted to create a cowgirl outfit. 

Friday Afternoon
I spent a little time selecting fabrics and inspecting my sewing stash. As my first official sewing summer project, I was running a little low on supplies, and I needed to run to JoAnne's to stock up on a few basics, such as thread, velcro, and elastic. By 4:00, I was finally home, my projects were cut out, and I was ready to roll! Just as I was about to sew my first stitch, the lights blinked off once, returned, and then blinked off again. I looked out my window- not a cloud in the sky. As the minutes turned into hours, I realized my present probably wouldn't be finished in time.

Friday Night 
With no power in the house, my husband and I decided to go out for dinner. When we returned around 7:30, the power still had not returned. No need to sulk; it was time to throw in the towel and clean up my sewing space. But all of a sudden, the lights flashed back on. I quickly turned on the iron and began to sew like the wind, feeling the pressure of the impending deadline. Every few minutes, my cell phone interrupted my thoughts with weather bulletins. Severe thunderstorm watch... severe thunderstorm 50 miles away... severe thunderstorm warning for my neighborhood. My sewing wasn't as neat as I would have liked, and I never took time to change out my white thread. I heard the rumbles of thunder in the distance, and just as I finished my last stitch, I saw the first bolt of lightning. I was hand sewing the velcro when the lights flashed off again. No problem... I could finish that in the morning.

Saturday Morning "Party Day" 
We still didn't have power the next morning, and neither did a million other people who were affected by Friday's storm, including my sister. By the end of the day, I learned a new word: derecho. But despite the insane 100 degree heat, we celebrated anyway, and the party was a great success. Because of the storm, I didn't have a chance to take many pictures of my creations before I gave them away, but overall, I was pretty satisfied with the final products. When we finally got home Saturday night, our power was back; the a/c welcomed us with open arms. Unfortunately, our neighbors weren't as lucky...

Final Thoughts
The diaper pattern was so easy to sew! With three little nieces under the age of four and a little girl of my own on the way, I have a feeling I will be using this one for years. I highly recommend this one as well as the Simplicity dress pattern. The shirt and pants were... all right. The pattern was designed with a novice sewer in mind, and I didn't particularly care for the way the pants were constructed. The best part about this pattern was no buttons, snappers, or velcro. With only elastic, it is very easy for little hands to dress their baby dolls in this outfit. I am not dying to use this pattern again, but I will probably give it a second chance in the future.

Patterns Used in this Project
Diaper Pattern from Skip to My Lou
Shirt and Pants Pattern from We Wilsons
Dress Pattern from Simplicity 3572 Doll Clothes(S-M-L)