Girls Maxi Dress & American Girl Doll Dress!

 Jocie can sew!! This summer I decided that it is time for the grand girls to really learn to sew.  First they all sewed jammie pants and doll jammie pants.  Using a pattern and marking the notches and all.  The doll pants are harder—the hems and all are smaller.  Then, the 11 year old decided that she wanted sew a maxi dress.  She sketched out what she wanted,   

 

 and we went to buy fabric.  At the third store, we found her fabric.  She wanted fun stripes (Chevron) and a braid for the tie.  She was so funny- I kept telling her to keep her options open, maybe she would change her mind, etc., but she would look at the fabric- “no, my mom would wear that”… “no, that looks like someone else”… Just as she was about to settle on little chevron stripes, she found it.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

We had to half way make up the pattern.  I had an old pattern that went to a size 6 and Jocie is a size 10.  So we fixed up the pattern, and pinned it on, then she cut it out.  She sewed it, serged it and learned to press  it.  She could do the casing because she learned to make one with the jammie pants. 

 

 

 

The doll dress came next, and went together much faster—we didn’t have to think how to make it.  Doll dresses take almost as much time as big clothes, just the seams are shorter. 

 

 

 

Look how cute they turned out!

 

She likes them so well, she wears it daily!

 

 And once again I can't make the pics the size I want, and there is a little phantom one behind one of them!

American Girl Doll Dresses!

Once again I find myself sewing with no pattern.  I cut out the dresses, and decided that the dolls didn’t need pockets, they can’t reach them anyway, but just put the trim on like the girls dresses.  There are ¾ sleeves for the 3 dresses and the short sleeves for the other 2.   

As I finished the dresses, I decided that I needed to try them on a doll.  I received a doll, tried on the dress, and then decided that the dolls needed an exposed zipper, also. 

 When I added them, then the dresses were big on the doll.  So I had to take in the dress.  As I was sewing, I had to wonder, who are these people who sew doll clothes for money?  And why am I sewing 5 of the dresses for free?  And why must I fit them to the doll? But, they turned out really cute.  I now know that it will take at least 2 extra days to do doll dresses for Easter.  And a lot of crazy…

 

 

Easter Dresses

This is the Easter of black and white with a pop of color.  We started out with letting the girls pick out the print—except the 2 that don’t live here, but everyone got to decide on the pop of color.

 

 

The pattern was to be this Project Runway Simplicity Pattern.  Looks good enough, right?  Not so much…the pattern comes in a size that fits the oldest 2—size 10.  Then there are the middle 2—size 5s, and a toddler—size 2.  The smallest the pattern comes in is a size 8.  Anyway, on to measure all the girls, because part of making them clothes, is making sure they fit.  Side note:  the kids really don’t grow around too much, they just grow taller.  At least this group does. 

Doesn't everyone throw the scraps on the floor as the pattern gets cut out?  You should see the floor as I sew...

 The oldest 2 dresses go together pretty easy.   I made a change to put an exposed zipper in the back, and ¾ sleeves.  Easter is early and it’s still cold.  Now what to do with the middles???  And I’m not going to think of making the little yet.  I get a pattern that is a straighter dress in the right size, but have to figure out how to do the pocket, and even where to place the pocket.  Then, to do the same with a baby size.  YIKES!!  Then one middle and the toddler are in Alabama, and need short sleeves.  It’s already hot there.  We went to visit them for spring break.  I took my machine and could actually try the dresses on them, instead of hoping that it fits.  Well, it took at least 2 adults to get the toddler to try on the dress, and a lot of running and squawking.  The dresses even got finished before Easter and they turned out real cute.  I decided to put the doll dresses off to do later due to my serger croaking…

Here are the dresses- each family has their own pop of color, and the girls LOVE the pockets.. 

Looking at a frog-- see the zippers?