More Things For The Dolls

The girls are getting American Girl dolls for Christmas from their other grandmother and I have been busy making clothes for them. I showed Jimmy the table and chairs in the AG catalog and asked if he could use the dimensions listed to make an appropriate sized table and chairs for the dolls as a Christmas present for the girls.

He did a great job and I know they're going to love it! I have a china tea set that will fit perfectly! I took an old picnic basket and lined it with a red printed fabric. Instead of packing the doll clothes in an old box, I thought this would be perfect! I found another tutu and leotard at Michael's craft store and it came with a set of plastic butterfly wings for the doll. I took it apart and traced it on a transparency sheet, cut it out, punched the two holes, creased it, put in the elastic cord and Voila! another set of butterfly wings to go with the tutu and leotard that I made.

I wrapped up some little boxes as Christmas presents from Santa (with a card from him for each doll). I also wrapped up two other little boxes as birthday presents (with cards) from each doll to the other. My last effort was to make 10 little envelopes with tiny cards inside for the dolls to send to each other or to Maggie and Emma. I think I'm having more fun than they will! Included in the picnic basket are two little notebooks I made for the dolls' journals. I'm hoping that Maggie and Emma with write in them. They are very little - 2 1/2" x 2 1/2".

After Christmas, when the sale is on, I'm going to Joann's to get another pattern for clothes that includes pants. The sale price for the $15.00 pattern will be $1.99. I think, tho, that all their McCalls patterns are regularly 40% off every day, but $1.99 beats $9.00!

The 3rd Gingerbread House

This year's gingerbread house needed to be built first before we could decorate it! Yikes! Luckily, it all went together better than I thought it would. The royal icing is very thick and dried quickly.

Maggie and Emma each took one side to decorate as well as a front or back. Again, Maggie ate more than she put on the house, but we were expecting that!

The candy cane lying down is a sled. There is one on the roof, too. I think it's Santa's.

The Best Dressed Bears

These little bears are only about 3" tall. I knitted up the front, cast on 6 more for each arm, knitted up to the neck opening, cast off 10 stitches and then recast them on the next row, decreased 6 stitches on each side after I thought the arms were wide enough, then knitted down to the bottom on the back.

I think Kit and Ruthie will love their bears.

I think Maggie and Emma will too.

Mag's Sweater

This is the sweater I just finished for Maggie. I plan to make the stocking hats for both of them next week. Maggie's blue color is a stripe in Emma's sweater and Emma's color is a stripe in Maggie's.

The Knitting Factory

I finished Emma's sweater and her American Girl doll's sweater, hat, skirt, shoes and Teddy Bear's sweater. I'll finish her hat sometime this week, I hope. Maggie's AG doll's outfit is finished and I'm working on Maggie's sweater. I just have to knit the sleeves. I love my knitter!

The dolls' clothes were knitted by hand. I tried to do them on the knitter, but they were too small. It was easier to do them by hand, even if it took longer.

Maggie and Emma know about the sweaters and hats I'm making for them, but they don't know about the American Girl dolls or the clothes. I think they'll be pleasantly surprised!

The girls picked out their own yarn colors. Emma's is this pretty lime green and Maggie chose a beautiful blue mint. I thought by adding a little of the other's color to each sweater, it would be a constant reminder of her sister. Maybe that's a good thing, maybe not. I think they'll look really cute standing next to each other.

When I started, I made the dolls' sweaters first. My intention was to use the stripe on the sweater front, back and on each sleeve. That's what I did with the dolls' sweaters. When I started Emma's sweater, I made the stripe on the front and back as intended. I was latching up the ribbing on the first sleeve when I realized I had forgotten the stripe! Yikes! There was no way on God's green earth that I was going to rip out an entire sleeve and start over.

When using a knitting machine, the sleeve is started by picking up stitches at the shoulder and knitting down to the ribbing. The ribbing is formed by dropping every third stitch and latching it back up. When you've done the ribbing and bound off the stitches, you're finished. Just the opposite when hand knitting. Kara suggested that I just put the stripe on one sleeve, but I gently declined her suggestion.

Seamstress To The Dolls

I spent most of this morning and about an hour after dinner finishing up three nightgowns and one beautiful red lacy dress for the girls' American Girl dolls. I made two of the nightgowns with the hearts. The third nightgown is pink flowers and I made that one to give to the little girl who lent me her AG doll so I could make sure these creations actually fit. Can you imagine how horrible it would be to spend all that time making these dresses only to find out they don't fit?!?!? Luckily, they fit great! They are easy to put on the doll and to remove without pulling or gritting one's teeth.

One thing's for certain - being a seamstress to the dolls is a career move I don't wish to make. I've had some fun making these dresses, knowing how happy the granddaughters will be, but I must be getting old because I did something I don't think I've ever done in about 40 years of sewing - I ran the sewing machine needle into my finger. I actually had to use the wheel to reverse the needle to get it out. Now that smarts a bit! Maybe I need glasses.

I used to keep the mess to a minimum but today I realized I had threads all over my clothes, all over the floor and some were even out in the hallway. I dropped pins and, luckily, they landed point first into the carpet. I'm glad I have the ones with the colored balls on top. I could see them poking out of the rug before I stepped on them. I kept leaving the scissors on the ironing board and had to get up each time to get them because the board was about two inches too far away from my chair. Do you think I'd move the board closer? Or remember to put the scissors on the sewing machine table? Or get two pairs? Huh?

When I get the sweaters knitted (one's almost finished) I'll take a picture of the girls' sweaters with the dolls' sweaters and with the teddy bears' sweaters! Too cute for words!!