Upcycling

At the weekend, I tried to use my daughter's outgrown vest to make a doll vest (tank top). I used the Liberty Jane Free Tank Pattern for American Girl Doll and positioned the pieces so that the hems along the bottom would become the bottom of the top. I even cut the lace edging from the old vest to use on the tank top.

I thought I was so clever! But it was a disaster from start to finish. My thread was constantly jamming and/or snapping. I checked everything I could think of on my machine. It took me forever to do each seam. It didn't matter whether I used straight stich, or zig-zags; both were a disaster. When I finished, I realised that the way I had sewn on the lace had completely distorted the neckline. The whole thing was worse than rubbish and I threw it in the bin :-( I didn't even take a photo!

Even though I was really frustrated, I had some cute quilting cotton with a ladybird (ladybug!) print that I was keen to make into a skirt. I didn't know what to expect from my machine, but guess what? It worked PERFECTY. So I am assuming that all the trouble was down to using old, worn cotton. It was worn quite thin and hadn't been a top quality garment to begin with ;-)

I am very pleased to have resolved what I feared was a problem with the machine... but I am disappointed that my upcycling failed. I will have to think more carefully about the fabric, next time. I am definitely going to use the pattern again; I LOVE the Liberty Jane Patterns!

Before I go, here is a photo of the ladybug outfit. It is a gift for a special girl who is mad about creatures of all kinds!

The skirt was made without a pattern: I wanted to practise doing ruffles, so I used a strip of fabric that was just under twice the length of the doll's waist measurement. The waistband is just about an inch longer than the doll's waist measurement and it is threaded with ribbon to tie at the back. The top is separate and I used the top part of a Doll Tag Clothing dress pattern. It's really easy and one of my favourites. You can get the pattern FREE if you subscribe to their email newsletter :-)

That's all for today. Did you notice I figured out how to do the links? ;-) 

Happy stitching x

Hello!

Hello!

I am a mother, wife and teacher who always has a dozen crafty projects on the go! My daughter and I are currently engaged in creating an extensive wardrobe for her two American Girl dolls. I've been knitting since childhood and sewing doll clothes for a year or so. I am learning as I go! I LOVE Pinterest; it's an endless source of ideas. I have created this blog to share some of the outfits I have made, and some of the lessons I am learning along the way. 
I would love to add links to some of my favourite online sources of patterns, such as the amazing Liberty Jane Clothing website. 

For now, here are a couple of photos:

I made this from a free online pattern: it was nice and simple, but very loose-fitting, so I tried again, trimming about 1/4" from each side and also adding a lining. I changed the neckline, too, to make it higher.

Here's the second dress:

I prefer it more fitted, like this. I used a fat quarter of a Cath Kidston print and lined the dress with sage green cotton. The ribbon and bow are upcycled from a Christmas gift package! 

That's one example of my trial and error, learn-as-I-go approach. All comments, advice, ideas etc. will be very welcome! 

Happy crafting :-)