My Cuddly Surprise

Hooray, the big day is here!  It's a good thing too because I was about to burst.  Happy Birthday to my second daughter today.  She is still in the midst of playing with baby dolls, not just having dolls as friends, so I am excited to share with you this great find that we have for her.  Remember all that sewing I did last month?  Well it was especially for this tiny, sweet doll.  Meet Madelyn, a My Twinn Cuddly Sister.  Isn't she just adorable in her petite little way?  At just 14" in length we are having a time finding clothes to fit her.  Lucky for my girl her Mama can sew!

What a head of hair she has too!  These braids are long and silky.  Could you imagine a real baby with hair this long? This doll is made with the same high-quality materials that the rest of the My Twinn doll line is.  This includes a premium wig that is soft and full for styling, gorgeous eyes full of sparkle, a full set of premium eyelashes, artist brows and face, and a snuggly-soft bean body that just calls for a little mommy to hold it.  This fabulous eBay find came with 3 pairs of shoes, 3 outfits, and her ribbon hair ties.  My sweet little girl is in love with this Cuddly cutie.

  Now go play with your dolls!
-Whimsy

Shh! Can You Keep a Secret?

We will be celebrating a special little girl's birthday around here next month.  In preparation for her big day I have been keeping my sewing machine humming as I crank out goodies for her.  I don't want to brag, but isn't this precious?  I found this tiny doll carseat/carrier at a local thrift store and paid almost nothing for it.  Since I know what she is getting for her birthday next month I'm certain this will go along perfectly.  When I brought it home I also realized just how plain it was.  Off to my fabric stash I flew to find the perfect pairings.

Car Seat Lining - I made a paper pattern for the inside lining and marked where the cutouts would need to be for the safety harness.  Then I sewed the two right sides facing, turned it out, used the button-holer for the strap holes, and voila!  Instant liner to keep baby sitting pretty.
Canopy/Cover - this is just a big rectangle.  Again I sewed the two right sides together, turned it out, and top stitched around.  Next I made two tabs from fabric remnants and sewed on ribbons to function as straps that tie.
Diapers - I eyeballed these with a paper towel pattern until I got the size just right.  I then cut the three diapers from craft felt, sewed on some carefully placed hook and  loop tape.  Presto! Chango!
Burp Cloth - Have you seen those contoured burp cloths?  Well me too.  I loved them so much that I bought an in-the-hoop pattern from Digistitches for my embroidery machine so that I can make as many of them as I want and give them away as shower gifts.The stitches are accurate and  clean with no loops or jumps.  Jennilee is one of the better digitizers around and I have enjoyed using several of  her designs.  Stop by her site when you are ready to buy some amazing machine embroidery designs.
Doll Carrier/Sling - another giant rectangle turned out and sewn together to form a big loop.  Gather again at the shoulder with another simple fabric tube.
Covered Wipes Case - this took a little time.  The hot glue gun and plenty of patience is key to success in this project.  I covered a travel-sized soap case with batting and fabric and attached the ribbon trim around the edges.  Felt squares serve as "wipes."  Needless to say, I can't wait to give this away.  Now go play with your dollies!
-Whimsy