Lots o' Linkage

I'm trying really hard to stay off my feet this weekend, but I have doll clothing on the brain. I swore I was burned out and done with it for awhile on Elf's B-day, but I guess I'm not.  So in my ongoing search for free patterns (not that I don't have enough purchased ones), I found some today that I had not seen before. I thought it would be good for myself and others to have a list put together for easier reference. So here it is. These are all free patterns, but some of the sites have patterns for sale also. I have not made many of these, but I've got a mental list that's growing exponentially by the minute of ones I'd like to try. Have fun!

Free Patterns:

Pettiskirt in Child and Doll sizes at YCMT

Twirly skirt, wrap skirts (one reversible) and pillowcase top at YCMT

Six sets of actual AG clothing for some of the historical dolls

Smocked Dress

Dropped Waist Dress

Old Fashioned Dress

Two Tiered Twirly Skirt

Several dress/skirt patterns

Mermaid costume (and just a cool blog in general)

Doll clothes from women's undies (Might sound weird, but it's cute and they're a good source for small scale print knits. Just click the link and you'll see.)

Hobo Bag, doll money, and a few other free patterns (plus some for sale)

Tee shirt (free) and other patterns for sale via instant download

Doll Clothes Sewing Supplies:

TLC Doll Hospital

Tiny Zippers

Home Sew

And this has nothing to do with anything else here but I ran across this book and can't WAIT to get my hands on it!
Knitted Icons by Carol Meldrum

Fashion Show featuring the lovely Julie...

Elf's birthday was a fun family day. As is our tradition we all took the day off and spent some time together to celebrate our beautiful girl. A birthday breakfast, a family swim at our gym, dinner at Elf's favorite restaurant - with lots of playtime for her and Julie in between - made for a pretty good 9 year-old birthday, I think.  The doll wardrobe was a HUGE hit and Elf was very appreciative.

So here it is...

First, here's Julie's chest and a very anxious girl waiting to see what's wrapped up inside.








Now to the actual clothes.

 A skating outfit with hat and scarf to keep her warm during practice. Dress - Hinds' book. Hat and scarf - just winged them with a crochet hook and some sock yarn. Purchased skates from American Girl (before I found them for less than $5 from Michael's.)

Sassy girl with a "leather skirt" and camo tee. BG thought it was wrong to put a doll in a leather mini. I submit that it's wrong only if I make a matching one for the 9 year old. :D Purchased pink boots from AG.

What Elf refers to as her 'movie star' coat. I loved this fringe technique so much I took pics of the process to post as a tutorial later. Coat - Simplicity 4786. Hat - Hinds' book with fringe substituted for the brim.

Some lounge wear to match Elf's. Tank - Simplicity 5276. Pants - Simplicity 4786.

And the outfits I didn't get modeled pics of yet...

Soccer star with blue and white jersey and blue shorts to match the uniform Elf wears. Hind's book. Purchased shoes, ball and socks from Michael's.

Spring outfit. Peasant top and capris. Hind's book. Purchased crocs and hat (from Michael's, of course).

Apron and oven mitt set. McCall's M6006. The apron alone took me all most of an afternoon, but it was so worth the time! 

I realized while making this that fat quarters for quilting are a perfect way to get just enough of a woven for most doll items. MUCH cheaper than buying a quarter yard of fabric and a LOT less waste.

Couldn't help myself. Little rocker outfit. "Leather" pants - Simplicity 4786. Tee - McCall's M6006.

Close up of the tank already shown and another pair of lounge pants -  Simplicity 5276.

 One more close-up of the sassy girl outfit with the boots (Simplicity 5276) and matching wrist cuff. As always, I can take a cute thing too far. 

Oh, and don't forget the Snuggie!

I found the pattern for free here. I can't believe I actually made one. I'm NOT a Snuggie fan. I've never found blankets to be a problem, frankly, but Elf REALLY wanted one. Now as I post this I realize I have just enough fleece leftover for well, what's more demented than a dog snuggie? A DOLL snuggie! I just might sew this weekend after all....