Homemade With Love

When I was little, I had a My Friend Mandy doll and a My Friend Jenny doll.  Mandy had blonde hair and blue eyes, while Jenny looked much more like me, with dark hair and dark eyes.  There was also a My Friend Becky doll that had red hair, but I didn't own her.  I did have a red-headed friend named Becky, though, and of course she had a Becky doll.  How could she not?

Sometimes, when I came home from school, Mandy and Jenny would be set up on my dresser wearing new outfits, sewn by my mom and her trusty Bernina.  Obviously, I had the best mother in town, because none of my other friends' dolls had homemade clothes, nor did they have wardrobes that were anywhere near as extensive as the one Mandy and Jenny had.  I was a lucky girl.

That is one of my favorite memories from my childhood: Coming home to the surprise of a new outfit or two for my dolls.  So, when Chloe asked me to make doll outfits for her birthday party, how could I have possibly said no?  There is just something magical about homemade outfits for favorite dolls.

So (finally) here is a picture of what I ended up making for my girls and all of Chloe's party guests.  Hats, scarves and coats.  Only my girls got buttons, which just got sewn in this week, by the way.  Everything is also supposed to be blanket stitched, but once I realized what I had gotten myself into, I quickly began to simplify, so things like buttons and blanket stitching quickly went out the window.  I don't think anybody cared, anyway.

The pattern I bought has lots of other outfits on it, and I think I will go buy a couple more patterns.  Heaven knows that I have plenty of extra fabric sitting around, and I want my own girls to come home to their dolls set up on their dressers decked out in new garb.  School is out June 9, so I only have a couple weeks, and I already can't wait to see their faces.