Dolls! Deck Chairs for the Bleuettes

I was passing the local Red Cross op shop recently and quickly ducked in for a look.  I picked up these little deck chairs for a small amount of loose change.  The lady on the check out asked me what I was going to do with them. Of course I knew what I was going to do with them but I couldn't be bothered explaining the doll collecting "thing" so I mumbled 'I will think of something'.

The Ruby Red Galleria Bleuettes are being sun smart in their bonnets.

Dolls! Simplicity 2775 Bride Dress for my 1950's Virga 8 Inch Doll

Here comes the bride!  I have finally finished the bridal outfit for my 1950's 8 inch Virga doll using Simplicity pattern 2775 which is a re-issue of the original 1950's pattern.  I really dragged my feet with project for a variety of reasons; I got bored, too interested in the next project I was going to do, it was very fiddly (the bodice and skirt is lined) and I was also studying for my course.  Anyway, I am quite pleased with the finished project.

Those vintage flowers are fairly hard to come by and the ones that are in her hair to match her pretty party dress are delicate and hard to get out so I used some of the lace left over from her sleeves to make the head piece for her veil.

Her flower girl and page boy.

The bridal procession. Dad has shrunk a bit with age and is looking a little bleary eyed after a late night out with the bucks party. I hope the groom arrives!

Who will catch the bouquet?

The lined skirt.



Dolls! Small Sewing Using Simplicity 2775 Again

Sorry about the cloudy photo, but I just wanted to show you my progress so far with the Bride's dress from Simplicity pattern 2775.  This outfit is for an 8 inch/20.5 cm doll and I am trying to be patient putting it all together. One of my sewing club friends suggested sewing these small outfits by hand. I don't know how to sew up seams by hand and I am in too much of a hurry to get to my next sewing project to learn how so it has been made on the sewing machine so far.  The only thing I did do differently was to hand baste the sleeve in before sewing it in on the machine. It worked beautifully so I will try that method when attaching the skirt.

Dolls! Trousseau Doll Boxes

I have been looking at doll boxes or trunks on some of the great doll blogs on the internet, and got inspired to try one of my own.  My Virga doll will be the first lucky recipient. Using Simplicity 2775, she will add to her trousseau with a wedding dress. I might do the petticoat, jumper and dress after that.

Here is the Virga doll's trousseau so far:

Some of the boxes I have looked at on the internet have dividers to make compartments for the doll and their outfits and accessories. They are made to look gorgeous with vintage style papers and lace or braid along the top of each compartment. Not sure I can do that with this box as it is in an old fashioned trunk style.

I could do it with this box which is for these two plastic baby dolls. What a pity I can't crotchet as they would make great subjects for outfits made this way.

Have a happy sewing and dollie week!



Dolls! Pretty Party Dress for my 1950's Virga Doll - Simplicity 2775

Here is my Virga doll in her pure silk tafetta party dress from pattern Simplicity 2775.  All the details about the dress are here.  I just love how you can style the tafetta so that is sticks out, exactly as it does in the drawing on the envelope cover.

I used vintage flowers from the 1950's, which gives the outfit added authenticity.

You might notice that the bodice is a bit low on her but I had so much trouble with the tulle straps. Even though I anchored the gathering threads, they still wanted to stretch out again. If I made this dress again, I would probably just use ribbon straps which would be just as nice.

I even made the bag which I think is so cute with it's ribbon handles.

Just for fun, here is an 'everyone in' photo of some of the dolls I have wearing pink, or close to it.

I like this pattern and I am thinking of making some of the other outfits from it and placing them and the doll in the box I have used as a background in these photos. I have seen some other people make these on the internet, and I think they look fantastic.

Happy sewing!