Fabric Scrap outfit

I belong to an on line mail and craft swapping site called Swap-bot. For a recent scavenger hunt swap,  I received in the mail my swap partner a piece of her favorite skirt that was too thread bear to continue wearing but too precious to discard. So she sent it my way thinking I could find something creative to do with it. When it arrived I noticed she sent the bottom hem that was slightly gathered and the perfect length for a skirt. So I finished the edges added elastic and made a skirt. I then set out to make a simple top to match. I added some pink seam binding and used another scrap to create a hair band.

I am thrilled with how a piece of a favorite skirt has been reborn into a new outfit that I will now send her back as a surprise for her new baby daughter to enjoy as she gets older.  So before you toss out or pass down a favorite item, think about weather or not you could re-purpose it into something special for your doll.
As with all my posts I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

Looking for Bitty Baby outfits? Here is an Etsy store with items for both Bitty Baby and 18 inch Dolls

I came across this shop on Etsy recently that has some great deals for 18 inch dolls and Bitty Babies. I often see items for the 18 inch dolls but rarely have come across a store offering both. The shop I am talking about is http://www.etsy.com/shop/roseysdolltreasures 

Rosey has some really cute items for both dolls. I love all the animal prints that are popular this year and this shop has items for both 18 inch dolls and bitty babies.

I thought this was such an adorable outfit. 

I also loved this coat  for only $10 is such a great deal. Sadly the boots are not included.

They are available separately for only $4.25

I am a sucker for Pj's and loved the pajama sets that come with the sleep mask and are available in some adorable patterns.

For bitty baby who can resist this adorable sleep sack

It also comes in blue. So sweet!

I love the deal on the jeans, shirt and bandanna sets only $12.95 and a good selection as well.

So many to choose from I had to share the photos here

I also loved the fancy dresses for both Bitty baby and American Girl dolls

With hair band it is so adorable!

Perfect for any occasion , can you just see it tied with a bow to match any Wedding colors, it would make a great gift for a flower girl.
Rosey's shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/roseysdolltreasures  offers items for both 18 inch and 15 inch dolls in prices ranging from $2.95 to $14.00  Rosey has had more then 500 sales since she opened her shop in 2009 on Etsy
I asked Rosey how she got started sewing and she tells me 
She  has been sewing doll clothes fro a little over 15 years. She began sewing at the age of 15. In 9th grade all the kids at my high school had to take home economics for a semester. "That is where she  learned the basics, I also had joined 4-H at the same time. My grandma taught me how to machine sew for my final 4-H project. I made a simple A-line skirt with a matching vest. I had to model the outfit on-stage at the county fair to entire it into the fair for judging. Of course I was very hot in my outfit because grandmas favorite fabric was wool and it was mid-July. I about collapsed on the stage from heat. Thank goodness the buildings are now air conditioned."
I also asked what dolls Rosey has for Models.
"I own only one AG doll. Can you believe that! I have the AG doll Kit. My oldest daughter has the AG doll Samantha and the younger daughter has an AG of today from 1995. She was my very first doll I used for modeling purposes. The 1995 doll is so much bigger than those made today. I also have a set of bitty twins, boy and girl, and a bitty baby doll."
Rosey's favorite things to make for the dolls are the Pajamas. Especially bitty baby dolls. "Somethings is so special when my own girls put their dolls to bed in a set of pajamas. Flannel is very easy to work with, comes in great pattern choices, and can be so soft." Says Rosey.
I also wanted to know how she started her sewing business.
"What made me start sewing? I was newly married to my husband when we moved clear across the state about 5 hours from home. I was unemployed and trying very hard to find a job but could not seem to find anything. We lived in a very small town in Southeastern Ohio. My mother in law had been making Cabbage Patch, Barbie, and had just started in making AG doll clothes. She asked if I'd like to join her. She couldn't keep up with the demand. So, I started just cutting fabric for her. At that time she sat me down at her sewing machines and showed me how to put together a basic dress. She then allowed me to copy her patterns. I bought my first Kenmore sewing machine after that visit and some fabric and have been making items since then. We make allot of our own patterns especially for bitty baby. I love creating patterns. It's frustrating but I always am happy with the end result."

Rosey is a mother of three, two daughters ages 10 and 6 and a son 5, Rosey  as well as a busy shop Rosey sure has her hands full! I am glad she took the time to share with me her story so I could share it with you.

As with all my posts I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

Meet Rachel Noel a very inspiring young lady!

I want to share with you a bit  of information about a young lady named Rahcel Noel. Rachel is some one I have met through Etsy. Though we have never met in person her keen eye and attention to detail is the reason so many Etsy shops are featured on my blog.  Etsy has a great program that is called  Etsy circles.When you add someone to your circle you see all the items they have "hearted" or like on Etsy.  Rachel liked an item from my store so I added her to my circle and I am so glad I did.This type of networking is such a great tool! It seems like every item Rachel likes draws me into the stores she likes and because of her many shops have been and will be continued to be featured on my blog. To be a member of Etsy you do not have to have your own shop, and to be in a circle you do not have to have a shop either. Rachel Noel however has both.

Rachel  is offering her creations in her store for sale this week for great prices. Her shop can be found by clicking my link her  Rachel Noel's Shop

 What impressed me most about Rachel is that even at her young age she has found away to turn her love for American Girl dolls and her hobby sewing into away to save to purchase her next American Girl Doll! I was so impressed with Rachel's motivation for making and selling doll clothes I wanted to share it with you.
Here is Rachel's Story. 
I asked Rachel how long she had been sewing...
"I've been sewing since I was six years old, I started with a needle and thread and eventually moved on to my own machine after learning the basics from various sewing classes and my very dedicated aunt! All I wanted for Christmas when I was 8-years-old was a sewing machine, and that's exactly what I got! I've had many chances to get a newer, nicer sewing machine, but I've had to many great memories with this one to give it up quite yet!"

I had to know how many Dolls Rachel had...
"I currently have eight A.G. dolls, and they serve as my inspiration and models! Nicki was my first doll whom I received in 2007 and started sewing for immediately! Since then, she has undergone a head replacement after a few sewing accidents as a model . I went through a personal few changes before getting back into A.G.'s in 2009, and I got Chrissa for Christmas that year. Since then, I've gotten Lanie, two just like you or My American girl dolls (also known as  JLY's/MYAG's), Felicity, another JLY/MYAG, and a Josefina doll off eBay for $35!" Now that is a great deal!
Do you make all your own doll clothes?
"I prefer to make doll clothes, but upon request or personal interest, I make human clothes and various accessories too!I  also have a knack for making handbags
I have made doll clothes and human handbags outside of Etsy and given them as gifts, but never sold them"

So what do you do with your doll clothes earnings?
I am currently saving up for Ivy Ling, and I am sewing lots of 70's inspired things for her, including what I like to call "Ivy's New Meet Outfit". I would like to make copies of at least that outfit, and sell it through my Etsy, if not more 70's outfits! I also love sewing colonial gowns for Felicity and I plan to sell a few of those too!"

I hope that some of you will be encouraged by Rachel's story and I hope you will visit her shop at http://www.etsy.com/shop/RNBOriginals

As with all my posts I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

Quality affordable 18 inch Doll clothes from Karen's Kreations on Etsy

I came across this Etsy store recently and was thrilled with the name of the store and the quality affordable items as well as the selection. http://www.etsy.com/shop/Karensdollkreations
The lady behind Karen's Kreation's on Etsy, Karen Gilbert opened her shop on Etsy in April of this year and has more then 30 items in her shop.
Karen began making doll clothes when her girls were little. They enjoyed dressing their dolls and barbies. Now, she makes doll  clothes for their children.


Karen sells most of her doll clothes locally especially around Christmas time. She also advertise them in the local paper.Her daughter talked her into opening a site on Etsy to sell her doll clothes. I am so glad that she did!

Karen's best sellers are the jackets and jeans. Her personal favorites  to make are the dresses. Prices for her outfits are so reasonable! Even with shipping this store has one of the best prices on Etsy for 18 inch doll clothes. With outfits starting at $5 this store offers a great selection for any 18 inch doll with out breaking the budget.

I love this set. There are so many pattern's to choose from and I love that the doll can hold her own pillow, what a great sleep over party idea!
 On average I spend about $6 on lootbag items for kids parties as it is and this outfit and others like it would make a great gift or addition to any loot bag.

Okay there is another reason I really liked this store, the reason I personally was drawn to the store. I love NASCAR, though Jeff Gordon is not my favorite driver, (sorry #24 fans) I still love this idea. There are allot of young girls out there active in motor sports and there are a handful of promising Ladies in NASCAR today.
When I was in Texas last November for NASCAR weekend I was thrilled to see girls at the track with their families and their dolls! So I think Karen is on to something with this outfit.
Fans can request their favorite and Karen says she will doher best to find that for them.  Now if only my current favorite driver the #16 had a fabric pattern, I would be all decked out.

With so many outfits in her shop so reasonably priced I think that her store will do very well on Etsy. Visit her store today  at http://www.etsy.com/shop/Karensdollkreations and pick up some great deals on quality affordable doll clothes!

As with all my posts I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

Make an apron for yourself and your doll!

I bought a Klutz book called Simple Sewing at a recent church sale and paid 50 cents for it. I bought it because it had not really even been used. It still had most of the supplies inside. When I got home I discovered there was directions on how to make an apron for a child with a Tea towel and that that got me thinking about making a matching one with a dish cloth.
So I picked up my supplies, a tea towel and matching dish cloth from the dollar store, I bought bias tape at Walmart and was ready to go.

First I folded the tea towel in half length wise. Measured in from the fold 4 inches and then from the top pf the other side down 10 inches. I used a ruler to make a mark then cut.

Then opened the bias tape package and matched the ends. Measuring 9 inches from the middle of the 'loop" creating the neck opening for the apron and attached the bias tape with my sewing machine down the cut edge on both sides.
This was so easy to do and the apron was ready to go. On my niece Laura it was too long so I folded up the bottom and created three pockets, sewing them in place with just straight stitching.

Then I set out to make a matching one for the dolls. Shown on my doll Chrissa as her doll Soccer Dolly did not come over today.
I did basically the same thing with the doll apron. I measured two inches from the fold, then 3 inches down. I allowed 4 inches for the neck and attached the bias tape the same way to the wash cloth as I did for the tea towel. I also folded up the bottom of the apron to create the matching pocket, stitching it the same way as I did the girl sized one.
Laura is thrilled to take it home and cookies for her dolls.
As with all my posts I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

Make a doll shirt out of a Car window decoration!

My sister Bre-Anne found these at the dollar store near where she lives she picked me up ten. I have had the best time turning them into fitted Canada Day t-shirts for my dolls as well as some lucky girls in my area. It is so simple to do and I wanted to share it with you so that you can do the same should you find shirts like this at your dollar store.

First I opened the package and turned the shirt over, I cut it straight up the back.

Next I cut some broadcloth to match and sewed it to the back, one strip for each side and I added some velcro.

 Now my dolls are ready for Canada Day, which is July 1st here in Canada. We celebrate our national holiday in much the same ways as our American neighbors celebrate their July 4th holidays.
I will be taking my boys to our local parade and pancake breakfast, then we will have a family BBQ.

I am posting this early so that perhaps you will have time to find a shirt and make one for your doll!

As with all my posts I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

A great Doll Play site on Etsy

I love doll play items and today I am showing you some really great doll play items from an Etsy store called
http://www.etsy.com/people/childrenswoodland
As you know I love to promote other American Girl doll crafters and artists from Etsy and here is a store that has an amazing selection of not just American Girl doll clothes and doll play items but many more fantastic handmade items at such reasonable prices!

I love the set pictured above it includes a camera photos and boxes of film. I also thing the photo book is adorable.  The fact that these sets for doll play are under $10! Such  a great deal!

Perfect for summer a chalk bucket, the chalk actually works!

having a doll pirate party? Her is such a fun set!  I love the doll money has AG girl doll faces on it!

While I love the laundry set most, this one touched my heart! $8.98 and with only 6 months until the holiday season I think this is a must!

Another great item from this store is the coats she has made for American Girl or 18 inch dolls. She has so many in different colors and they can be dressed up or down and for under $10 it is such a steal!

I also find it fascinating that Elizabeth has been creating and selling her items since she was only 14 years old. She started selling at local craft fairs and her business has grown from there. I interviewed her about her shop and here are the answers she gave me.

What motivated you to begin making doll clothes?

Sewing and dolls are two things that have been passed down by the women in my family so, as soon as I was old enough to run a sewing machine, sewing clothing for my dolls was an obvious hobby.  I started out selling my work at local craft shows when I was just 14 and, now that I have moved online, I still get much enjoyment from designing and creating new things.

How many dolls do you have?

I have been collecting dolls since before I could talk so I probably shouldn't mention exactly how many I have!  My most cherished dolls are the cloth dolls my grandmother made for me when I was a very small girl.  I also have been collecting American Girl almost since the line was started.  My favorite American Girl is the Kirsten I received for Christmas when I was just 10 years old.

The doll play items in your shop such as the laundry day, chalk and scrapbook sets are darling how did you come up with such great ideas?

When I come up with a new idea I am always thinking about what I would like to have in my collection.  (There isn't an item in my shop that I haven't also made for my own dolls.)  I am really detail oriented so I like my accessories to be as realistic as I can possibly make them.  I make a special effort to keep things at just the right scale for 18" dolls and to keep my costs down so that my prices are affordable to everyone and anyone who has a special doll in their life.

You also make other amazing handmade items, how do you find the time?

Selling online is my main job and means of support so I always put my work and my customers first.  Sometimes, it can get very busy, but I still love the feeling of creating something with my own two hands and knowing that it is making a special girl (or boy) smile!  My biggest problem is finding the time to create all the new ideas that pop into my head!

What are your best sellers?

My very best American Girl seller is my desk set.  It has over a dozen AG-sized school supplies.  Last year alone I sold over 175 sets.

 It has been so popular I am planning on adding a new school set later this month.  It will also have a dozen pieces including pocket-folders, worksheets, composition books and even a hall pass!

 

Another American girl item that is really popular are my headbands.  I sell them in sets of 3 and they are all handmade with an elastic back for easy on and off.

They became so popular I now also offer them in sets of 10 which allows you to choose the color you would like (out of 9 different colors available).  People love these for craft projects and party favors!

Elizabeth has a special offer for you!  Here is her special deal!

Special Deals:

I am currently running a shipping special for American Girl customers.  If you purchase 4 of my AG accessories I will ship them all for the shipping cost of just 1.  (Please just wait to pay after to purchase and  I will send a revised invoice or I am also always happy to refund the extra after payment.)

Or, if you are looking for some new clothes for your doll just purchase 3 of my clothing pieces and I will ship them all for the shipping cost of 1 (which is just $2.50 to anywhere in the U.S.).

Other info:

I  have a website ( www.childwoodland.com ) that features my soft books and toys and I currently have a American Girl themed website in the works that I am hoping to have up by the 2011 holiday season.  It will feature all of my AG-sized items (as well as some new surprises) and will allow customers to shop by item type, character and price. Here is the link to her new website http://www.mydollsworld.com/ which will be operational for this holiday season.

I really am thrilled that Elizabeth took the time to talk to me and that I am able to share her creations with you today! 

As with all my posts I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

Another Great idea by NikiG!

 

I was so excited when NikiG said I could share this with you, a great doll play idea for a dress form for your doll clothes using a memo holder from her local dollar store Nikita made this fantastic display!

It is perfect for displaying your dolls clothes and accessories!

To make the dress form body she traced her doll.

Next she cut out the cardboard

She used an Xacto Knife, if you are under 16 please ask a parent to help you with this part.

 

Then she dressed the doll form in one of her amazing hand made items! You can visit her Etsy shop at http://www.etsy.com/people/ByNickiG

 Thank you so much Nikita for sharing your ideas with us!

As with all my posts I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

Another great Etsy store! this one has fabulous clothes for 18 inch dolls and Bitty Twins!

Continuing with my series of featuring great sites on Etsy for American Girl doll items I came across this shop http://www.etsy.com/people/LinsBittyBoutique

Lin sells some truly adorable doll clothes in her shop. What first drew me to her store was the shoes! With most of the outfits Lin sells in her shop she includes matching shoes! To me that is a dream you can never have too many pairs of doll shoes! Once I was viewing her shop I was amazed to see the variety she has and thrilled with the outfits for Bitty Twins!

this outfit for the little boy is my favorite! The outfits for the little girls are also adorable!

Another thing I really like about this shop is the photos and the variety of dolls she uses to display her outfits.
Sometimes it is hard to imagine what an outfit will look like on a doll like the one you have when it is on a completely different looking doll.

I also love that in her photos you can see the most darling full length doll mirror, I asked Lin about it as it makes for absolutely adorable photos!  She says she found the chairs at Michaels craft shop and her  mirror came from eBay. "The Boutique itself is a vanity that I re purposed". Lin says.What a great addition to doll play it would make in any ones collection.

Lin's shoes start at $5.00 a pair and outfits are mostly under $20!

Lin's mother taught her to sew when I was about nine years old,She made my first Barbie outfit with a "real" pattern and was hooked, it was a jumpsuit from the late sixties that she still has  somewhere. Her mother was a seamstress who made everything from doll clothes to formal gowns and everything in between, but her love was Barbie clothes. Lin made children’s clothes when her children were young, however they outgrew them so quickly...too much time and effort for something worn so little.

When her oldest daughter was about eight when she got her first American Girl doll, Samantha. Lin began making clothes for her and soon friends were asking about clothes for their dolls, that was eighteen years ago. Lin was a stay at home mom, having so much fun making them and yes Lin thinks you can have too many, so she started selling them at craft shows. Her youngest daughter loved baby dolls and when she got the Bitty Baby twins I changed direction completely, Lin  loved the cutsie outfits that I could make for the toddlers. Craft shows were getting to be to much for Lin with a family and that’s when she found eBay. Lin sold there for about six years when her youngest daughter introduced her to Etsy where Lin opened her shop in February 2010. Lin's  children are all grown now and she finds herself gravitating back to the eighteen inch dolls with more of the little girl look. Lin really enjoys the look of little girls from the fifties, very girly.

Lin  does collect dolls herself, these and others. "Seems like I’m always finding another doll that I need“. Says Lin "I’m getting ready to expand my shop and start selling clothes for the ten inch Ann Estelle and friends, little girl dolls." 

I asked Lin about her adorable doll shoes and this is what she said

"Yes, I do make my shoes. Just wanted to add coordinating shoes to my outfits and so with a lot of trial and error I set out to come up with something that worked and would be easy to use. My shoes are made to slip on and the strap in the back holds them secure until you take them off."

Lin's shop photos give a real feel of a  "Boutique" when you shop in her on line store.  http://www.etsy.com/people/LinsBittyBoutique

I really like this store and am looking forward to receiving the shoes I ordered for my dolls from her store. As soon as this postal strike in Canada is over.
As with all my posts I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com