Hi everybody! I'm Amy from
SewsNBows. I'm not as versatile over there as Diana is here; she cooks, gardens, sews, and Bentos her booty off! I mostly just sew. I like to make kids clothes & toys, an occasional hair bow...and sometimes I try to get crafty and usually just embarrass myself. My daughter is getting into the tween age, so I'm transitioning into a new sewing journey, full of reminders that I'm not cool and I have no fashion sense. But right now, she still loves dolls. I'm clinging to doll sewing like its the last thread keeping my little girl, well; little! Since the winner of Diana's awesome hugetastic doll giveaway will be receiving two outfits made by yours truly, I thought I'd share some projects, and the reasons why I love sewing for dolls.
Sewing for dolls puts a huge dent in my scrap pile! The t-shirt fabric above is leftover from a maxi skirt I made, and the shorts are upcycled from an outgrown shirt of my daughters. (I had to show a close up of those bitty welt pockets!)
Dolls don't judge. I wanted to try out a decorative stitch on a hoodie I made my daughter, but didn't want to seam rip it if she didn't like it. I tried it on a doll hoodie instead; and good thing. We both really prefer the straight stitch on the right. The dolls don't seem to have a opinion though.
See what I mean? These dolls have never once complained about an outfit I made. They just look happy to wear them.
Doll clothes improve my sewing skills. One thing I've learned from making doll jeans is how to top stitch nicely.
This gray outfit was refashioned from an expensive pair of slacks that got a snag. I was mad, and I wanted my money's worth out of those pants. In the process, I learned how to use a special foot so sew on that silver trim onto the jacket.
I use doll clothes to "try out" fabric, or a new technique. Like when I want to see how fabric hangs on bias. A little circle skirt can give me an idea of the drape, and how the print will look.
It's a bonding thing. I remember sitting at the sewing machine on my grandmas lap making doll clothes. I would dig through her piles of fabric and dream up outfits that she would create. Now, my daughter and I have fun designing clothing and photo shoots. My kid even learned to hand sew last year, and made this fashionable off the shoulder top. Notice the fringe on bottom? That's pretty creative. The buttons are glued on, and hey, that's resourceful.
Sometimes I need a fabric fix. I can't justify buying fabric anymore, unless its for a specific project. The stash is overflowing. But those little $1 fat quarters will make a doll dress or pajamas for a doll, and satisfy my craving to shop.
Speaking of pajamas, they are one of the easiest thing to make. And since pajamas are one of the things that are cheaper to make than buy; I make a lot. I'm pretty sure there's a law that says all kids pajamas must have a matching doll pair. That's why God invented scraps.
I like to experiment with patterns. A lot of the changes I make translate well into people garments. I love changing the look of a pattern with a small detail. You'd ever guess the dress & tunic above came from the same pattern.
Again, same pattern, 2 very different looks.
This last photo is a teaser. This is the first outfit that I'm contributing to this giveaway. I'll show you the whole thing soon! Whoever wins this huge prize is a lucky dawg. The winner gets an
American Girl of choice, plus an entire wardrobe with accessories. There are some amazing things being created for you! Thanks for reading, and feel free to stop by my place any time.
