Sunday, February 17, 2013

Chocolate bunny, anyone?

This chocolate bunny was so fun to make! She is 16 inches tall, but much more slender than my standard doll pattern. Her "fur" is actually an upcycled cashmere blend sweater and is quite soft and fluffy! I stuffed her body softly to give her a very floppy posture. Her bunny ear hat is removable and she has a brushed mohair cap.  Totally delicious! Have a wonderful weekend!










Friday, February 15, 2013

Jessica's Story


Jessica is a beautiful doll who can sit very well, but cannot walk or even really stand up.  She began as a test pattern for an infant baby style of doll.  I learned a lot about how the fabric that is used for the skin will behave quite differently when it is cut on the bias. Instead of the chubby infant legs I was expecting, they stretched out long and thin when they were filled with wool.  Rather like a young girl's legs instead of a young baby. Except the legs are bent in such a way that does not really allow for standing.


 Even though her legs are not quite right for a young girl or for an infant, but something in between, I felt compelled to finish this doll. So, I made a dress for her with a beautiful vintage lace trim and polka dot pants with matching trim. And I put my Roses And Cream logo on the bottom of her foot with my new stamp and fabric ink. Cute!




Her hair is made with a lovely soft yarn in the colors of the sunset.

I am hoping to find a home for her where she will be loved, so I am planning to set up a giveaway for her from my facebook fan page when I reach 200 likes on my page! Please visit my page at http://www.facebook.com/rosesandcreamstudio and consider pressing that "like" button to help me reach my goal. Then watch for the chance to win Jessica!










Sunday, February 10, 2013

Linen tea bags for dolly tea parties

Hello! I made these little tea bags the other day for my daughter to use for her pretend tea parties.  I took a few photos as I went along to share how I made them, in case any of you want to make your own! Please excuse the photo quality - I was just snapping some quick photos in progress and did not have the best lighting at the time.



I decided to make 8 tea bags (with 4 different tag fabrics). I used linen for the body of the tea bags and some little cotton prints for the tags. Cut two pieces of linen for each bag, and one piece of cotton for the tag (make these pieces twice as long as your finished tag because this piece will be folded). For the "string" part to attach the tag to the bag, I used silk ribbon. I also used a bit of wool batting to stuff the tea bag and add a bit of dimension, but that is really optional.





Place your silk ribbon between two tea bag pieces (like a ribbon sandwich), so that it will be caught in the seam when you sew the pieces together. I left an opening along the bottom edge to turn it all right- side out after sewing around the outside of the tea bag pieces.



After sewing and turning the piece, I put a tiny amount of wool batting in the bag and tucked in the edges of the part that was left open. I sewed a top stitch line around the edge of the tea bag for decoration and stability, which also closed the hole at the bottom edge.


Then I folded the tag fabric in half, with right sides together and sewed two of the edges, leaving one edge open to attach the ribbon. I did not get a photo of this part. I turned the tag right-side out and tucked the edges of the open side in and also slid the end of the ribbon in the opening. A top stitch secured the ribbon and closed the opening. This part was a bit fiddly with the tiny parts. I may make bigger tags next time!


Now, find your favorite cup, pop in your teabag, put the (pretend) kettle on, and have a tea party! Enjoy!