Saturday, May 24, 2014

Baby doll basket, version 3

Another birthday, another handmade gift.  This time the baby doll basket is for our neighbor's little girl who just turned 2.  By request I choose a fabric with Minnie Mouse and found some complementing pink fabric for the inside of the basket.  I usually choose a soft flannel since I personally enjoy the softness and figured a doll would too. (Sounds weird, right?)


The third time using the pattern was such a breeze.  It helps when the Minnie Mouse image is all over the place so I don't have to line up everything.  It messed me up the second time since I didn't notice the pattern turned upside down as the big rectangular piece is sewn from top of the basket and folds up towards the end. 

This time I actually made a decent mattress to include with the basket (pink with stars).  The first attempt at the mattress and pillow came out a disaster - nothing was rectangular and it was a little lopsided. This time I took my time by basting the batting and material layer first to help keep everything straight.  I cheated with the pillow and just made the case first by sewing right sides together, flipped it and stuffed it with leftover batting scraps.



The blanket is using up the leftover material from the outside fabric and interior fabric of the baby doll basket.

Hopefully no more baskets in the near future.  It's time to work on something new for the kids!

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Fancy stuff for J

My sister has this really nice Banana Republic merino wool sweater that no longer fits since it probably shrunk from the washer and dryer.  I couldn't bare to see it go to waste so I decided to make a nice sweater for J to wear when we have cool nights.  I used the Flashback Skinny Tee Pattern to create the sweater.  I added an extra inch to the length of it in hopes he can grow taller and still be able to wear it.  I used the original hemline for the body and sleeves to save some time and also used the original neckline trim to finish it off.  The result looks pretty good except my model wouldn't cooperate.



Shirt Details:
Pattern: Flashback Skinny Tee
Changes made: Extended length
Size sewn: 4T
Fabric: Upcycled merino wool sweater from Banana Republic

Let's hope he doesn't grow too fast.  I can't believe he will be 4 next month!  =(