Bow Girls!

A few years ago, I bought this cute bow print thermal knit from Girl Charlee. It took me forever to finally sew it up!

My original plan for this fabric was a sweatshirt style top for me. I wanted something comfortable just for hanging out at home, but even at home I like to be cute.

I wanted a sleek fit and I thought a dropped shoulder would be fun. I started with the Kitschy Coo Comino Cap top, which I love the fit of, and just drafted a semi-fitted sleeve. Instead of a band at the neckline, I bound it with my coverstitch, which made the neckline a little bit higher.

I love the slightly scooped back neckline of this top. It's so pretty. You can see the dropped shoulder a bit better from the back. I think it's a fun detail. It nods to the wide shouldered 80s trend without the linebacker shoulder pads.

Since the Comino Cap Top is so economical of fabric, even with long sleeves, I had a ton of fabric left over.

Myra got the bulk of the leftovers. I pulled out an Ottobre raglan tee pattern I've made for her twice before. It is from the 04/2013 issue and has a nice fitted shape with a bound neckline. I made the sleeves 3/4 length, as Myra has trouble keeping long sleeves out of messes. And because her cute baby-chubby wrists slay me.

When I showed Myra her new top, she immediately wanted to know where Teresa's was. Ooops. Back to the sewing room! I was initially trepidatious about this print on Barbie, since the scale is rather large, but it worked out nicely with a single motif centered on the front of the tee, and at the sleeve hems. Teresa got a bound neckline too. The pattern is a blend of Simplicity 4719 and 4702.

So, between sewing a trio of thermal knit tees, and this weekend's extremely pleasant weather, I think I'm ready to start sewing for Fall and Winter. Bring on the wool! I'm ready!

Happy 4th of July!

Today the United States of America celebrates our Independence Day. I am happy and proud to be a citizen of this great country.

Summer shows her USA pride in a knit sundress and coordinating belt.

The pattern (Simplicity 4719) is for a princess seamed sundress. It is drafted for wovens, so since I was using knit fabrics I sewed all of the seams at 3/8 instead of 1/4 inch to give it a bit of negative ease. Just for fun, I did the side princess panels in solid red and the rest of the dress is the black and white stripe.

The upper edge is bound with 1/4 inch bias tape. When I had the bias tape out, I wrapped a bit around her waist and it was so cute I had to make her a belt. I topstitched the edges of the bias tape to coordinate with the bodice binding and added a HotFix star to center front. The belt snaps in the back.

I really liked the length of the dress unhemmed, but the knit was a bit curly, so added some Hug Snug with a teeny scant 1/8 inch hem and turned the Hug Snug under like a bias facing. I like the body it adds to the skirt and the finish is nice and clean inside.

It turned out so cute, I kinda want to make one in my size.

Summertime Chic for Barbie

Cropped, slim pants are a look that I love, but just doesn't work for me. Fortunately, it is physically impossible for Barbie to look like her legs are stumpy, so I can make her all the cropped skinnies my heart desires.

And when I saw this print, I knew it had to be pants. I kind of wish I could find this print in human scale. I'd totally make myself some pants out of it.

For a pattern, I deconstructed a pair of dreadful pants that came from a Teresa doll. The fabric Mattel used was an awful plastic-y polyester, and the print was eye searing, but they fit the Fashionista body really well, so they made an excellent pattern.

I added some little vents at the hem, just for the sake of cute. I love this detail on other people, but it never seems to work for me.

For the top, I used Simplicity 4719, which is a knit crop top. I lengthened it to hip length and did an elbow length sleeve, using the finished edge of the lace as both lower edge and sleeve hems. The neckline is just turned and topstitched, but I'm not thrilled with this finish. I think it needs some lace trim.

For under the lace tee, I made a cropped princess seamed bustier. The fabric is a textured knit without much stretch. I tried several different edge finishes, but all added unsightly bulk, so in the end, I left the edges unfinished.

Overall, I'm pleased with this outfit. I think Melodi looks very chic. And thanks so much to my IG friends for helping me name her! You gave me some great ideas for the other girls as well.

Jeans and tees for Barbie

Generally, I sew fantasy-type clothes for my dolls. Ball gowns, 50s sundresses, silky negligees - the kind of stuff I just don't have occasion to sew for myself. But all that frou-frou stuff just didn't seem to fit for Katniss.

So, I decided it was time to make jeans for my girls. I really love making jeans for me, so it seemed like a natural extension.

Teresa (standing) is wearing my first attempt. I am using Simplicity 4702, view E. I made Teresa's pair out of a thin stretch denim, and it turned out just too big. On the advice of some Instagram friends, I roughed them up a little, rolled the cuffs and called them boyfriend jeans. I think it works. For the jeans details - button and rivets - I used hotfix studs. The 2mm studs are the perfect size for Barbie jean rivets and the 4mm size makes an excellent button. The jeans actually close with a snap at center back.

The second version, shown here on Allriane, is my favorite. I slimmed the jeans through the waist, hips and thighs and took in the waistband. The critical change I made was to firmly interface the waistband to prevent the stretching out that happened with the first pair. I also added functional hip pockets, so that Allriane can put her hands in them. One thing to note here is that Allriane actually doesn't have a Barbie body. Her body is a Liv doll, which is slimmer than Barbie. I love these jeans, but they don't fit the fuller hips and butt of Barbie. They are perfect for Liv and Obitsu dolls though.

For Katniss, I went back to the original Simplicity pattern. My only alteration for fit was to slim the back hip slightly (like 1/8 inch), and to interface the waistband. The fabric is an extremely stretchy lightweight baby cord. I also flared the legs to give them a more wide leg look. With the waist interfaced, the fit is perfect. Since these are cords, I didn't do the front pockets or rivets.

In back, all three pair of jeans have traditional patch pockets. I did have to slim the pocket pattern piece slightly (1/8 inch on each side) to compensate for the stretch of the fabric.

Once I had the jeans done, I realized that my dolls have no casual tops. So I set about making a few.

Katniss got the first one. This is again Simplicity 4702, this time view F/H top. Other than adding 1/4 inch of length, I made no changes for fit. For the front piece and the neckband, I used a Superman sock. I am beyond thrilled with how it came out, and I really wish I could find a giant sock to make myself one. The sock was too small for the sleeves and back of the top, so I used a scrap of rayon jersey for the rest. The necklace was also made by me, from a lock and key charm which Anne sent me. Thank you!! Katniss loves it!!

I made Allriane's top next. The pattern is Simplicity 4719, and this is view G. Again, the pattern is sewn unaltered. I'm pretty thrilled with my teeny neckline binding, which I did sew as a binding rather than a band. The fabric is cotton lycra jersey left over from this top. I have found that using fabrics with a bit of lycra, really improves the drape in these teeny little clothes, and makes them look more realistic.

Teresa's top was the last one I sewed, and I'm not sure I completely love it. I wanted something relatively unfitted, to go with the boyfriend jeans vibe. This top is Simplicity 5785, view A. I made it out of chiffon, double layered for opacity and a clean finish at the neckline. After it was done, I thought it was pretty shapeless and unflattering. I took in the side seams a little, and shortened the front hem so that it hit at the waist instead of the hip. I also added some beading to the neckline to bring the focus up. I'm still not sure I LOVE it, but it works with the style.

I kinda love the easy, relaxed vibe they have together. I like to think that if Katniss had grown up in the US, maybe this would have been how she dressed.