Fancy Nancy departs for Maryland

I've made a few Fancy Nancy's this past year. My first Fancy Nancy was a special request from a customer with young daughters. To be honest I hadn't heard of Fancy Nancy when she first asked. My youngest is thirteen and we kind of missed the Fancy Nancy thing.

I had so much fun designing and making that first Fancy Nancy. I think the one leaving today is maybe my fourth. I am still equally as smitten and so grateful to that first customer for having me design such a fun doll.

Today's Fancy Nancy is flying off to her new home in Maryland in a few minutes.

Fancy Nancy is careful to live up to her name and always wears her crown.

Fancy Nancy is careful to live up to her name and always wears her crown.

Fancy Nancy models a smocked dress.

Fancy Nancy models a smocked dress.

Fancy Nancy Doll
Good-bye Fancy Nancy! 

Good-bye Fancy Nancy! 


Busy with a few custom orders

A Phoebe and an Egg left for Maryland today. Only after they were all packed for the Post Ofiice (lots of tape already on the shipping box) did I remember that I hadn't done my traditional sending off to a new home shot.

In lieu of the departing box shot, I will post a few shots of Phoebe and Egg modeling before they got packed up to travel.

A custom Phoebe Doll

A custom Phoebe Doll

Phoebe's clothes

Phoebe's clothes

Phoebe taking a break from modeling

Phoebe taking a break from modeling

Phoebe in her playclothes

Phoebe in her playclothes

A custom Baby Egg in her retro cherries and gingham outfit

A custom Baby Egg in her retro cherries and gingham outfit

Egg's smocked dress set

Egg's smocked dress set

Another dress set in the works

Another dress set in the works

Doll Dressmaking Series:Dress with a bodice and gathered skirt

Last week, you learned reversible dress.  From the photos I have received, at least some of you got that down fairly easily. This next dress uses a few skills learned from that dress for a new style of dress—a dress with a bodice and gathered skirt.

Doll Dressmaking: A dress with a bodice and gathered skirt.

Doll Dressmaking: A dress with a bodice and gathered skirt.

The bodice pattern piece can easily be made from your basic dress pattern. Choose where you want your bodice to end and end the pattern piece about 1/3 of an inch beyond that. 

Making your bodice pattern piece.
Phoebe Bodice back drawing.jpg

You will end up with two bodice pieces, one for the front and one for the back. You will need two of each, because you will be making a lining for the bodice.

Bodice pieces

The pattern piece for your skirt is basically a rectangle. For Phoebe I used a 10.5"x8" pattern piece, to be placed on the fold. this will give me a 21 x 8" piece of fabric for the skirt.

For the Waldorf Doll and the American Girl Doll I would make the skirt pattern piece 12"x8". The 8 inch side will go on the fold, giving you a 24"x8" skirt.

Ultimately the skirt size will come down to taste, how full do you like your gathering, how long do you like the skirt? I don't like my gathering very full.

Start by making the bodice.

1. Pin and cut two bodices, one for the outside, one for the lining. I used the same fabric for both, but you switch it up.

2. sew all four shoulder seams.

3. Press.

Click to enlarge.

1. Sew neck and back edges and armholes as you did in the lined reversible dress tutorial.  Right sides together.

2. Turn right side out. Press.

3. Sew side seams as you did in the reversible dress.

Click to enlarge

Finish the two 8 inch edges of the skirt. these will be a part of the back closing of the dress.

1. Iron each edge over 1/4 inch.

2. Fold over again and stitch.

Click to enlarge

Next is gathering the skirt:

1. Set your machine stitch to its longest length. On most machines, it is 5.

2. Start your first line os stitches by reversing for a few stitches, as you would most seams, to secure the stitching. But do not secure the end of the stitching. Instead leave a long thread that you can grab and pull.

3. An eighth of an inch away, repeat. You now have two rows of long stitches, secured at the beginning, with long threads at the end.

4. Take the two threads from one side of the fabric (depicted in red on my sewing) and gently pull.

5. Pull the threads until the skirt is gathered and the same length as the bottom of the bodice. Even out the gathers. 

Still confused by gathering:

Craft Cupboard has a good tutorial.

and so does Craftsy.

Click to enlarge.

1. Secure gathering by winding thread around a pin.

2. Pin gathered skirt to the outside fabric of the bodice. Right sides together.

3.  Stitch along the lower row of gathering stitches. 

Click to enlarge

1. Fold bodice lining in about 1/4 inch.

2. Hand stitch with a hem (edge) stitch to hold in place, keeping raw edge of skirt tucked in while you sew.

Click to enlarge

Your dress is almost done. 

1. Hem to desired length.

2. Press.

3. Add trim if desired.

 

There are lot of ways to change this dress up. trims, contrasting fabric, the same fabric. Different types of fabric (wool, tulle, silk...

Have fun and send photos!

Bodice dress tutorial
Bodice dress tuorial

Sister dolls

I recently received two custom requests for my African American doll with the fun braids. One request was a for a jointed Baby Egg and one was for a toddler Phoebe doll. They look like sisters who are maybe 18 months apart.

The hair for this doll is done by wrapping wool yarn as though casting on for a knitting project at the end of each braid. Then I take the ends of the yarn and with a needle weave them back through and cut them.

I thought it would be fun to do a photo shoot before the ends were woven in—Medusa style.

Soon they ship off to different homes.

Phoebe doll before her hair is finished.

Phoebe doll before her hair is finished.

Sisters dolls!

Sisters dolls!

Sister dolls
Sister doll outfit set
baby shoes
Doll footsie
Toddler Phoebe with braids in process

Doll Dressmaking Series: Another Tool

My definition of a "cool tool" is something that makes boring work a bit more fun.  

Sewing by machine creates lots of little threads that need to be snipped close to the fabric. Snipping quickly with larger scissors can result in the accidental over snip into fabric, plus it's hard to get up close. But, there's the perfect little tool for that—thread snips! 

Thread snips, very low tech but useful.

Thread snips, very low tech but useful.

They are about as small, light, basic and low tech as a sewing tool can get. Mostly they are useful, they make thread cutting easy, quick, accurate and almost fun.  There beauty is in their flatness. Just squeeze gently and snip.

There are a variety of brands, on the same concept. They are usually under five dollars, so of course, you should have a couple to have ready anywhere you might sit with a sewing project.

Doll clothes, or all clothes for that matter, look much better with threads snipped.

Thread snips 21.jpg
They can snip the tiniest of threads poking up.

They can snip the tiniest of threads poking up.