Disney Little Mermaid Princess Outfit for 18" Dolls - Simplicity 5705

As my regular visitors have already surmised...I have a lot of doll loving little girls in my life at the moment (3 Granddaughters and 2 nieces)!
So, you won't be surprised to see that I've made another doll outfit.

I tend to be a pattern hoarder and have purchased almost every American Girl (18" Doll) Pattern out there, so about a year ago, I showed a good sampling of these patterns to my sweet little ones and they all picked out an outfit that they wanted, so I had to get busy!

This is the second outfit of that bunch, you may have seen my first one, this pajama ensemble that I made for my niece "K".

Her Sister "H" picked out the Disney Princess Little Mermaid Dress from this adorable Simplicity Pattern:

I was a little worried, as I am still somewhat of a novice sewer and wasn't sure I could handle the fabrics that are required for this project, but it's the one that sweet "H" wanted, so I was going to give it my best shot!

I did have some problems with the purple fabric used in the bodice.
It was called "Confetti Dot, Purple" and contained nylon filament and metallics.

I kept getting the fabric stuck in the hole of the throat plate and tore up several pieces of fabric before I realized that I needed not only to change the needle (fine needle 60-70) but needed a different or "special" throat/presser plate made for sewing such delicate materials on a small scale (doll clothes).

I did not come to this realization on my own however...as much as I'd like to claim credit...lol!

After total frustration, I did a lot of "googling" to try and find a solution to my problem.

I finally found a somewhat obscure site that solved my problem: http://www.sew-fashion-doll-clothes.com/sewingmachines.html .

There was some great advice on this site and best of all it addressed my specific issue with the delicate fabric and presser plate.

The only problem was...Singer (the mfr. of my machine) does not make a straight stitch plate for my model, so I was still in a bit of a pickle...I tried making a makeshift cover made out of card stock per the instructions on the above site, but I just couldn't get it right.

It did work, for a bit, but it definitely wasn't a long term solution.

Fortunately, my good friend "D" has a Janome machine that has a straight stitch plate and she let me borrow her machine to finish my project!

I think I will stay away from the delicate fabrics for doll clothes for awhile...at least until I can afford a different machine that accomodates a straight stitch plate!

Overall, I was pretty happy with the finished product!

I was really excited to finally get it to my sweet niece "H" and was so pleased she was happy with it!

Hope you all enjoyed looking at my project and if you'd like more info or have questions you can e-mail me or message me on my facebook page. 

If you'd like to see more pictures of my project check out my Flickr page.

Thank-you for visiting!

This post/project is linked to the following sites/link-up parties:

 sweetcsdesigns.com

American Girl Pajama Set

I am a big fan of the American girl dolls.

My daughter Beth had several of the dolls when she was growing up.

She actually won a doll and a bunch of clothes and accessories one year when she attended an AG Tea Party with a friend!

In fact, the doll I am using as a "model" in these photos is that very same doll!

I believe this doll is from the first year that the Pleasanton Company came out with the "Just Like You" Dolls and I think it was 1995, but I could be wrong about the year, my daughter is now 26 years old and my memory is fading! LOL!

Now that I have Granddaughter's and Nieces I am renewing my love for the Dolls through them and have recently been working on some special projects for the girls.

My latest project is this adorable pajama set from the McCall's pattern M5019.

Even though I have been sewing since I was a child, I still consider myself to be at the beginner to intermediate level when it comes to this craft, because I have not done a whole lot of it until recently.

Given that...this pattern was a tad bit difficult for me in some areas, but overall it was easy to make and I was excited to make it for my Niece "K".

She handpicked this pattern/outfit from the one's I showed her and I wanted to get it right for her.

The PJ pants were very easy to make and I used a flannel print that sewed nicely.

Probably the most difficult part of this project was sewing the fleece.

I had never worked with fleece before and was not quite prepared for the challenges it brings!

Fleece can be difficult even on a full-size project, but...imagine using it in miniature!

Here are a few tips I learned during this process:

1. Be sure and use the correct needle for this fabric as it is thick and dense.
2. Go slow while sewing the fleece, it can jam in the feed dogs if you aren't careful.
3. It also helped to lengthen my stitch slightly, as it didn't jam as much and if you end up having to "rip-out" a mistake, it's less likely to damage the fleece.

The tiny fleece slippers were tedious and I think next time, I will try a lighter weight fabric for those, like maybe felt.

I made a video detailing how I made the second slipper, as I thought if someone else might be having the same issues I was, it might help them.

Here is the video if you would like to see it:

The robe was made using a cotton checked print and was easy except for the collar and lapel, which is always confusing to me when sewing any item, but the more I sew, the better I get at this.

I just need more practice!

I will be giving this American Girl outfit to my niece soon and I will take some photo's to share with you all!

It was so much fun to sew this project, even with the challenges...as I love making things for my family and I love sharing with you all!

I want to say a special "Thank-You" to my daughter Beth who photographed most of this project for me!

(You can SO tell which one's she took and which one's I did...mine are definitely not up to par compared to hers!)

She is an awesome photographer and is so creative!

If you get a chance, check out her photography site at: www.bethraper.com or her facebook page at: Beth Raper Photography.

Thanks so much for stopping by to visit!

This Post/Project is linked up to the following sites/linky parties:

http://snapcreativity.com/show-and-tell-32/

http://www.thegirlcreative.com/2013/02/24/just-something-i-whipped-up-2.html

Happy Nieces!

Thought I'd give a little update on my last completed projects.

I made a Doll Sleeping Bag for my niece "K" and a Baby Doll blanket for my niece "H" and recently went by to see them with gifts in tow.

Here are some photos of them with their dolls & new accessories:

I think they were pretty happy, which of course made me very happy!

They are such sweet and beautiful little girls and I love them so much!

If you'd like to see my post about the doll sleeping bag, you can see it here.

I have not had a chance yet to make a post about the doll blanket, but when I do, I will update this post with a link.

The blanket was partially made with an old shirt of my Hubby's, so it's an "up-cycled" or "re-purposed" project that was pretty easy and fast.

I have been trying to do more sewing lately, but I am so critical of my work that sometimes I talk myself out of even starting.

I need to change that and just get motivated and SEW!

I really love it...and my awesome Hubby just bought me a brand new, fancy-smancy sewing machine, so I need to get busy!

Perhaps I will post about that new machine too!

Thank-you all for checking in with me and staying around...I will try to be more regular about posting.

XOXO

Lisa