A Little Quilt from Grandma

As a child, I loved playing with dolls.  Grandma knew that.  When she had some fabric leftover from making aprons, she made doll quilts for me and my sisters.  This little quilt was used to tuck in some of my favorite dolls back then.      

I have not outgrown my love of dolls.  I have kept some of my favorites from childhood and have built up quite a collection of bears.  My doll quilt is still cherished and every so often I'll bring it out and display it with some of the bears and dolls in my collection.

This quilt was the inspiration for "Granny Stars"--one of the patterns in my Little Dolly's Too pattern packet. You can find the pattern on my website: http://carolsscrapquilts.webs.com. 

Wonder if this bear has invited others to the picnic???   

Little Girl Dresses

I took time out from my "Dad" quilt project to finish up the dresses for my granddaughter.  The second dress wasn't as much fun as the first...perhaps I was in the "got to get it done" mood?  It has been a while since I put a zipper in an article of clothing...had to refresh my memory.  Not sure I'm happy with the way it turned out, but it will do.  Also, the 5/8" seam allowance seems SO LARGE after working with 1/4" seam allowances in quilting!  I definitely trimmed the seam allowances down a bit once they were sewn.
There's lots of fabric left from each of the dresses.  My daughter says she doesn't want it back.  I bought my granddaughter an 18" doll for her recent birthday, .  Maybe I'll make matching dresses for her new doll???  Will check out the patterns that are available--see if there are any that are quick and easy.  :)

It's a Wrap!

My "Mrs. Santa" sewing is done and the gifts have been wrapped. I cannot believe that all is finished well before Christmas Eve! I had lots of fun making the aprons, doll clothes and doll quilts, and the best part was that I did the shopping for most of the materials for these items right at home. With the exception of one package of bias tape, all the fabrics and trims came from my sewing room. It is great to have a stash!
The multicolored doll quilt began with a collection of charm squares. The red/blue doll quilt began with a collection of fabric sample swatches. It didn't take much more fabric to turn them into these little quilts.
I hope that all your Christmas sewing will soon be finished. May your gifts be received with smiles and hugs. :) MERRY CHRISTMAS

Dressing a doll

I found a cute Fisher Price doll* for my granddaughter, but the doll came only in a diaper and bath towel. She needed a nightgown, and a hunk of flannel leftover from making a baby quilt was just the right size. I found a bit of white flannel, too, and that became a new diaper for the doll. A piece of leftover quilted muslin was just the right size for a tote bag for all of the doll's accessories! It is so much fun to make these little things! I'm looking forward to making lots more in the coming years.
*The doll really is cute, not scary as she seems in the picture. The camera's flash made her eyes glow!

Doll Quilts

First up for Show and Tell are the doll quilts I made. The fabric in this doll quilt might look somewhat familiar to you if you've been following my blog for a while. This little quilt is for my granddaughter's new doll and was made from fabric leftover from the frog crib quilt I made...remember the one that fell apart in the wash? I thought about using some of the actual fabric from the quilt--decided to only re-use the backing fabric. I chose a different green fabric for the quilt top--we'll see how this one holds together! This quilt was very simple to make: 2 1/2" strips were used for the 4-patch blocks and for the sashing strips. The borders were cut 3 1/2". The finished quilt measures ~20" x 26".

Remember the leftover disappearing 9-patch blocks? I used some of my favorite Thimbleberries fabric to border them out. This project was a great place to use up a leftover small piece of batting. And a fat quarter of fabric that I really didn't care for became the backing. I then tied the little quilt with perle cotton.

Both of these projects were fun, simple ways to use up fabric scraps!

I've Been Sewing!

I think my Christmas sewing is done! I've made lots of "little" things that sew up quickly--doll clothes, pillowcases, doll quilts, Christmas ornaments and gifts for our group gift exchange.
I've had to buy very little fabric for these things--being small, I've been able to use fabrics from my stash! Hooray! I'll get out my camera, take some pictures, and share the projects with you in my next few blogs.
I like creating and sewing so much that I'd rather do that than anything else. My house is proof of that. I could do my designing in the dust on the end tables, I think! And I certainly haven't taken the time to keep up with my blog! But now I definitely have some things to "show and tell," so stay tuned!

Fun!

A few disappearing 9-patch blocks that I picked up on a "Free" table are making the cutest doll quilt! The 9-patch blocks began as 3 1/2" squares, and it is taking only 3 of them to make the quilt. I have some fabric in my stash that will be great for a border, so I should have this project finished in no time! It's amazing what can be done with a few leftovers!!! Fun!