My newest book is on loom knitting for dolls. I wrote it for children, but I think that an adult like me who sews, but doesn’t knit very often, might enjoy making the items in the book to enrich a doll’s wardrobe. If you would like to see all of the projects in the book, check My Books page.
Here is a picture of Samantha and mini Samantha wearing backpacks made from instructions found in the book.
I am always experimenting with something or other. My family gets a little nervous when my experiments involve food, but my efforts occasionally turn out well. My most recent experiment was a attempt to quilt a cover for an eighteen inch (46 cm) doll. I used the instructions for the simple doll cover in my book Learn to Sew for Your Doll. Learn to Sew is the third book down on my book page. Instead of using light cotton fabric as the instructions suggest, I made the top from cotton flannel with an interesting design. I used fleece fabric for the lining. I quilted around some of the designs on the cover’s top. As you can see from the photo, my quilting techniques need a lot of work.
My use of fleece for the lining, rather than sandwiching batting between the cover’s top and lining, gave the quilt a soft drape. I am planning to continue work on the idea of a fleece lining to see if I can come up with something that I like.
If you are interested in quilting for dolls and would like to see the free patterns that I have for small doll quilts, click here to go to my pattern page. Click free miniature quilt blocks under Small doll accessory patterns in the directory at the top of the page, or just scroll to the bottom of the page to see the patterns.
Years ago a friend of mine and her daughter had a wonderful time filling a Christmas stocking with small gifts for the daughter’s American Girl doll. If you know a young lady who would like to make presents for her doll this Christmas, you might want to check out the free patterns on Florabunda’s Page.
The easiest pattern offers three sizes of bean bags: a small doll size, a large doll size, and a child size beanbag.
The second pattern is for three sizes of cats.
The third pattern offers three sizes of Teddy bears.
There is also a pattern for three sizes of elephants. That pattern is a little more complicated, but is also worth a try, especially if you are invited to a white elephant party this holiday season. Be sure to make the gift elephant out of white felt.
Remember that these patterns are child friendly and free. Click here to visit Florabunda’s Page.
My husband (tech support) and I have just published two new books.
Here is the cover for Sewing for Large Dolls.
Here is the cover for Sewing for Mini Dolls.
The books are available from Amazon, and Amazon.co.uk. They should soon be available from Barnes and Noble and Amazon.ca.
Sewing for Large Dolls includes my Kitty doll pattern and all of her clothes and shoe patterns. Her clothes will fit other eighteen inch (46 cm) dolls such as American Girl dolls and dolls from the Springfield collection.
Sewing for Mini Dolls includes my six and one half inch (16.5 cm) Twinkle doll and her patterns. Twinkle’s patterns will fit other dolls her size such as the American Girl Mini dolls. The instructions for Twinkle and her clothing are the same as those in Florabunda’s book, but the patterns and measurements are for the smaller Twinkle doll.
To see the books on Amazon click here. To see the books on Amazon.co.uk click here.
I have just finished a pattern for a ballgown and girl’s dress for eighteen inch (46 cm) dolls. The pattern also has princess dancing slippers, a crown, and classic Mary Jane shoes. Here are two Kitty dolls and a Springfield doll wearing outfits made from the pattern.
If you are interested in this pattern, please go to my pattern page and look for it under Kitty’s patterns. You can go to my pattern page by clicking the button at the top of the page, clicking “patterns” on the left side of this page or clicking here.
I have just finished a pattern for six pairs of bedroom slippers for eighteen inch (46 cm) dolls. There are patterns for mice, dog, and pig slippers as well as cat, bunny, and bear slippers.
The pattern set also includes a pattern for a nightgown and sleep cap. Here is my Springfield doll wearing the gown, cap, and bunny slippers.
Here is Kitty wearing a gown, cap, and cat slippers.
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If you would like to learn more about the pattern, you can click here. Select eighteen inch doll patterns from the top menu. The nightgown, sleep cap, and slippers pattern is right under the Kitty pattern.
Tech support (husband) and I are working on a new page for my website. It is designed to be kid friendly, with beginning hand sewing projects, craft projects, stories, and lots and lots of entertaining “Easter eggs” courtesy of tech support. Everything on the page will be free.
Here is Florabunda with animals made from some of the patterns.
The miniature bears are just the right size for dolls
I made the kitties in honor of Kitty, my newest cloth doll pattern.
The elephant pattern contains three sizes of elephants. The costumes for Florabunda and the elephant are not available. I made them up as I went along.
We hope to have the new page up and running in a month or two.
I am putting the final touches on my pattern for eighteen inch (46 cm) Kitty. I am also finishing a pattern for an eighteen inch doll’s A-line dress. I already have an A-line pattern available for my three small dolls. Here are Kitty and Florabunda wearing their matching A-line dresses.
I think that matching dresses for American Girl Dolls and American Girl Mini-dolls are a lot of fun to make. Here are Samantha and mini Samantha in matching A-line dresses.
American Girl Mini-dolls can wear clothes made from Twinkle’s patterns.
When my sister-in-law retired from teaching and moved out of state, she gave me her finger puppet collection. I had never looked closely at finger puppets. I was amazed at the variety of little puppets and at how well made they are.
Here is a group of animal puppets (and one jack-o’-lantern) from my new collection. Two of them are using my red spools as chairs. The spools and seven and one half inch (19 cm) Florabunda are in the photo to help you visualize the puppets’ small size.
The second picture shows imaginary creatures plus a rock star and an apple worm.
My new collection contains many more puppets, but I think that these photos give you a feel for their charm.
Finger puppets can sometimes work as hand puppets for eighteen inch (45 cm) dolls.
Springfield’s Emma is entertaining Florabunda with a puppet show. The giraffe puppet fits over her hand, but her thumb won’t fit inside the lion puppet.
In my newest book, Learn to Sew for Your Doll, one of the earliest projects is a pillowcase for an eighteen inch (45 cm) doll. If you are using this book with a young girl, I think it would be fun for you to make her a matching pillowcase, while she is making the doll’s pillowcase.
For the pillowcase I cut a fabric rectangle forty-two inches (105 cm) by twenty-two (55 cm) inches. For the trim I cut a rectangle forty-two inches (105 cm) by fourteen inches (35 cm). Fold the trim wrong side together to make a rectangle forty-two inches (105 cm) by seven inches (18 cm). Match the raw edges of the trim to one of the forty-two inch (105 cm) sides of the pillowcase. Sew the trim and pillowcase together using a one quarter inch (.6 cm) seam allowance. Fold your new rectangle in half right sides together to make a rectangle twenty-eight and one quarter inches (70 cm) by twenty-one inches(53 cm). Sew the two sides with raw edges together using a one quarter inch (.6 cm) seam allowance. Turn it right side out.
For even more fun, make a small doll’s pillowcase. The pattern is in my Doll Bed pattern.
Here are Springfield’s Emma and Florabunda with their pillows.
Now all they need is a little girl to put them to bed.
