Mini Makeovers

I have one pet peeve.  Hehe!  No, I have lots, but one pet peeve is that my kids have all these toys and they don't get played with, so Ryan and I have stopped buying them toys unless they want to earn money and buy it themselves.  We have also found that we can renew their interest in toys, which is even better than buying new, right? 

Pearl and Clover took a trip to the fabric store with me to pick up a pattern for a friend.  (Butterick patterns were on sale for a bone!)  To keep them busy I opened the pattern book to the doll page.  Pearl decided she wanted to make some new clothes for her American Girl doll...apparently her current wardrobe is stale.  I was on board (for a buck each?!) and we picked out a few that we thought Olive and Divine might enjoy as well.

As we rummaged through my fabric, I pulled out this sack of upholstery samples my sister gave me at Christmas, really nice upholstery that is around $30-$40 a yard.  I hadn't used a single piece, since they are all so small, but I knew they would be perfect for this project and make some rockin' pants.  Turned out, though, that it was more complicated than she could handle, so I now have a long list of what their dolls need in their wardrobes. 

Olive wanted a dress which took more fabric than the samples I had, so I pulled out a maternity skirt that I wore when I was pregnant with Divine.  It was ready for a reinvent.  Above is what was left after cutting it out: dupioni silk.  As I cut into the luxurious fabric I asked Ryan if he thought I might regret it.  He always gives me that boost of confidence that I need sometimes.  Of course not, he said.

My favorite part: adding fun details.  A bit of cross stitch around the hippy-esque placket shirt.

Some vintage grommets that my mother-in-law had in this old prescription bottle:

Fun little treasures that most people who don't sew would throw out **gasp!**

I love the faux fly and faux pockets.  (oh, and I didn't make the vest.)  Ryan said he wanted a pair of pants just like these.  I managed to match up the plaid on all the pieces except for one of the back legs.  It will drive me bonkers, but I know nobody else around here will even notice.

These girls rekindled their friendship.

The beadwork is what took forever.  Just kidding.  Way too much work for a doll's dress.  Even for me.  No, my skirt came with all that embroidery and beadwork along the bottom.

All that socializing wore them out.  They were used to being in a big bucket, upside down with their hair all in a tangle.  A makeover was worth it, though.

patterns used: Butterick 3491 view A (the dress), Butterick 4089 views C & B (the pants and shirts)