New bed and bedding for the dolls

Once upon a time, I found a doll bed and nightstand at a garage sale for something like $5, but I never did anything with it.  This year, I decided I was going to do the AGPlaythings Make 50 Things for Dolls challenge, and started with making the bedding for the stray bed.

I started by using the plans here to make the mattress.  The finished size is 20"x9"x2".  The mattress is stuffed with scraps of an old bathrobe.  I also made a pair of pillows, the larger one at 9"x6" and the smaller at 7"x5".

I also made a scrap quilt from fabric scraps left from making doll clothes and various other garage sale finds.  I may have used up all the purple fabric in my quilting stash.  It's made from 5 strips of 16 5"x2" pieces of fabric for a final size of 23"x24.5".  The backing is a southwestern print.

For a final touch, I made pillow cases out of more scrap fabric (I had some scraps with lace edging already attached) and a tiny lace throw pillow.

Kanani approves of her new bedding.

As does the kitten.

Meet Shepard

Meet Shepard.  She's my modern/sci-fi/geeky/gamer girl based on one Commander Shepard from Mass Effect.  I'm still not sure what her first name is, but everyone just calls her Shepard or Shep.  She has an obsession with military history and technology, robots, science in general, and likes going on adventures.  Her wardrobe is all geeky tshirts, khakis, and her favorite N7 jacket.

The gun might be a little big.
More like a plasma cannon.

She has more pets than her room would generally hold, but her miniature giant space hamster has free run of her room.  The cat...less so.

Yes, it's name is Boo.  No, it does not go for the eyes.

And this is Nimitz, the aircraft carrier of a cat.

 If she had a choice, her character class would be 'Engineer'.  She doesn't mind shooting, but she prefers to let other things take over fire control.  (Much like her human.)

Droids totally count as drones.
(Also, it's perfectly scaled.)

Saving the galaxy.  Or trying to.

Matching Valentine's Outfits for Nellie and Samantha

I fully confess that I love dressing Samantha and Nellie in matching or coordinating outfits.  They just look too darn cute together.

Patterns Used:  Liberty Jane peplum top and easy shorts, both from Freebie Fridays

Fabric:
Cotton prints and ribbons from my stash that I was frankly sick of hoarding.  The ribbons came from either sales at Joann's or garage sales, and as with fabric, the stash breeds faster than I can use them.

Thoughts:
The first peplum top was a disaster since I tweaked the instructions so I could use velcro because I didn't have zippers around.  The waistband ended up half an inch too small for the bodice, and I had to redo the side seams so it would fit.  No idea what happened there since the second one didn't need any tweaks at all.  My favorite part had to be the little bow with a button finish.

Sweet Valentine's Day Skirt and Peasant Blouse for Kirsten (Free blouse pattern)

Once upon a time, I stumbled onto a quilter's estate sale and bought too much fabric.  Including a bag of precut 2"x4" scraps.  This outfit was the results of some of those scraps.

Patterns Used:
Blouse:  Peasant blouse/tunic by Jenwrenne Download Here and a ribbon sash
Skirt:  18 2" x 4" strips for the main skirt, one strip 2.5" x 27" for the bottom, one strip 2.5" x 13" for the waistband

Thoughts:
Well, I finally found a use for that jumbo red ricrac that came in a ribbon/trim grab bag.  Those things are mostly great, but sometimes, man, do they have some weird things in them.  I probably should have read the directions for the blouse before putting it together, so it has an elastic neckband, but also closes in the back with velcro.

Modern Silver Outfit for Kanani (plus free vest pattern)

Since Samantha and Nellie have new winter party clothes, Kanani needed something too.  Only a little more modern in her case.

Patterns Used:
Vest: Finding Pins and Needle's preppy vest Download Here.
Skirt:  Liberty Jane miniskirt from a Freebie Friday
Blouse:  Modified Pleasant Company Molly's blouse pattern Download Here

Thoughts:
The vest needed to be taken in about half an inch in the back for a good fit.  That was the only real problem with the pattern.  I think a ribbon strap in the back may also work.

Silver Brocade Gown for Samantha

It's really more suited for Felicity, but it looks gorgeous on Samantha too.

Pattern:  Pleasant Company's Felicity's Christmas Dress Download Here

Fabric:  Silver brocade for the outer skirt and bodice with silver braided trim along the front, silver satin for the underskirt, silver satin with lace overlay and three rows of silver braid for the stomacher.

Thoughts:  This is the second time I've used this pattern, and it came together really well.  Brocade was hard to work with, but this is actually (somewhat, barring the polyester) period appropriate.  It would obviously be better with silk brocade, but I wanted a draft first in a cheaper fabric of mostly the same weight.  Zigzag stitching all the raw edges before I started working was the best decision for this dress or I would have gone crazy with all the fraying.

Pattern Review: Free Winter party dress pattern for American Girl Dolls

I found this pattern here for a old fashioned (1880s-1890s) style party dress sized for AG dolls.  The pattern didn't need any tweaks for sizing, but I had a little trouble getting the lining to sit right and the multiple rows of gathers to be even.  This is more an indication of my sewing skill than the pattern since I seem to be incapable of following directions.

The dress is made from a silver satin with black lace and rosebud trim on the bodice and the cuffs.  The rosebud trim was all hand-applied.  I used a matching black and red rosebud embroidered ribbon to trim the skirt.  The back closes with velcro because I haven't mastered the art of buttonholes yet.

Nellie modeling the new dress.
(It actually looks better on Kanani.)

Back View

Bodice detail

Cuff detail