5 a Week: Tiny Doll Dresses

It’s Sunday, and time for week 7 of this year’s edition of…

 

…The Five a Week Pledge.

If you haven’t been around here, it’s where you pledge to do five things each week of your choice (see here for more info).  I pledged to make five small crafts each week.  Feel free to grab a button and join me.  If you already have, post a comment or a link to share what you accomplished.

This week’s craft:

Doll Dresses!

I made five cute spring dresses for my dolls using fabric scraps.  Mostly the same fabric as for the doll skirts (see 5 a Week: Cute Doll Mini-Skirts).  I made them the same way as my dress tutorial (see Doll Dresses for All with a Tutorial) with just a few little differences.

Instead of regular straps, I made them tie at the shoulders.  Looks really cute on a sundress.  Also the first three don’t have darts and are really tiny for one very good reason.

I got a new ball jointed doll (Here’s her “unboxing”).  Her name is Sakura and she is much smaller than my other two dolls.

Speaking of the other two, I made dresses for them as well.  (Check out the doll blog to see their reaction.)  Now they all have matching off-white dresses.  Now I kind of want one too.

Next week will be the last for this round of the 5 a Week Pledge.  What will I make for it?  You will just have to wait and see.  Look forward to it.

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5 a Week: Lace and Ribbon Jewelry

This post may contain affiliate links, please check out my disclosures page for more info.  Thanks!

It’s Sunday, and time for week 6 of this year’s edition of…

…The Five a Week Pledge.

If you haven’t been around here, it’s where you pledge to do five things each week of your choice (see here for more info).  I pledged to make five small crafts each week.  Feel free to grab a button and join me.  If you already have, post a comment or a link to share what you accomplished.

This week’s craft:

Jewelry!

I made five pieces of jewelry with lace and ribbon.  And this time they are sized for people instead of dolls (see 5 a Week: Jewelry for Dolls).  I made three easy necklaces and 2 bracelets.

The main reason I wanted to make the necklaces was to try out these ribbon clamps.  I bought them on impulse ages ago and had never used them (see The Biggest Craft Haul Ever).  In fact this was the first time I used anything like these.

First I just used them with some thin lace and clasps to make these simple chokers.  I may add pearls or a charm later, but they are cute like this.

I also tried something a little less simple, wider lace with ribbon layered on top.  The clamps aren’t too difficult to use, but they came out a little crooked since it was my first time.  And I wasn’t sure if I tightened them enough, so I used a little super glue just in case.

While I was at it, I decided to make some lace and ribbon bracelets to match.

Instead of the clamps and clasps, I stitched a hook and loop on each one.  It’s similar to some other pieces I made last year (see 5 a Week: Chocolate and Cream). 

The necklaces came out well I think.  And maybe after practicing some more with the clamps I will make a tutorial, or two.  Wouldn’t that be fun?  :)

Give it a try:

• Bead Landing Clasp Ribbon Clamp
• Offray 3/8"x21' Grosgrain Solid Ribbon
• Dritz Hooks &Eyes Size 3

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5 a Week: Doll Sized Shorts

It’s Sunday, and time for week 5 of this year’s edition of…

 

…The Five a Week Pledge.

If you haven’t been around here, it’s where you pledge to do five things each week of your choice (see here for more info).  I pledged to make five small crafts each week.  Feel free to grab a button and join me.  If you already have, post a comment or a link to share what you accomplished.

This week’s craft:

Shorts for dolls!

I made doll sized shorts using t-shirt scraps.   The two gray ones on top are from the sleeves of a gray t-shirt I’m in the middle of altering.  The bottom three are from the white t-shirt I cut up for the doll tank tops I made (see 5 a Week: Cute Doll Tank Tops with a Tutorial). 

The white pair on the left is technically a pair of bloomers I made for one of my dolls.  The pattern worked well for them as well.  Speaking of which, I used to this tutorial for doll swim trunks as a guide for making my pattern.

I made two pairs of this pair of shorts.  White with lace along the hem.  I think they are so cute, but I have to admit they kind of look like undies or pajamas.  Oh well, dolls can pull it off.

This gray pair of shorts I have been dying to try making.  I have been seeing people wear shorts with ruffles for a while.  I don’t think it’s a good look for me, but I thought it would be so cute for a doll. 

And it is cute, except the ruffle doesn’t sit as well as I would like it too.  Not bad for a first attempt though.

This last pair of shorts is the simplest.  Just a simple pocket on the side for a touch.  I thought about making the pocket heart shaped or something, but this works for now.

They look so cute on my doll (check the doll blog for more photos of the shorts), and they didn’t take much time at all to sew.  In fact I actually made them all in one day.  Now if only all their clothes were that easy.

I’m thinking of making something non-doll related for next week, for a change of pace.  What do you think?  But whatever I make will still be cute, probably.  Look forward to it.

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5 a Week: Cute Felt Bags for Dolls with a Tutorial

It’s Sunday, and time for week 4 of this year’s edition of…

 

…The Five a Week Pledge.

If you haven’t been around here, it’s where you pledge to do five things each week of your choice (see here for more info).  I pledged to make five small crafts each week.  Feel free to grab a button and join me.  If you already have, post a comment or a link to share what you accomplished.

This week’s craft:

Cute Bags for Dolls!

I made five adorable doll sized purses using felt, snaps and embellishments.

They are perfect for my dolls (see the doll blog for their reaction.)  And they were super fun to make and super easy.

So easy that I just had to make a video tutorial.

All you need are:

• Felt
• needle and thread
• scissors
• snaps (like these)
• tiny beads

Any any ribbon, lace, etc. you want.  Some fabric glue (like my favorite glue) is optional.

Enjoy, and make plenty of doll purses!

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5 a Week: Cute Doll Mini-Skirts

 

It’s Sunday, and time for week 3 of this year’s edition of…

 

…The Five a Week Pledge.

If you haven’t been around here, it’s where you pledge to do five things each week of your choice (see here for more info).  I pledged to make five small crafts each week.  Feel free to grab a button and join me.  If you already have, post a comment or a link to share what you accomplished.

This week’s craft:

Doll Skirts!

I made five doll sized mini-skirts for my ball jointed dolls using fabric scraps and lace. 

Two off-white ones (with fabric from this dress), a red violet floral one (with fabric from these dresses), a pink one (like this doll dress), and a different one with some red star printed fabric (used for this dress). 

The first four skirts were supposed to be longer ruffled skirts. I started out making them with this tutorial. 

The tutorial was meant for 18inch dolls (i.e.. American Girl size), but you make the pattern yourself based on your own measurements.  It just called for waist and length, but there is something I overlooked.  American Girl dolls have very straight childlike cloth bodies, my dolls are resin and a little more curvy.

So instead of going by the waist measurement I should have used the hip measurement.  I ended up with skirts that were too small to go over their hips.   So I changed things around, turned the top part into a high waistband, added snaps, and now they are cute doll mini-skirts. 

The red one is the only one I didn’t have trouble with because it was different.  The scrap of red fabric was just large enough to make a simple skirt with an elastic waistband.  Sometimes simple is better.

The other skirts did come out adorably, this off-white one is my favorite so I made two.  One for each doll.

It was fun making them for my doll, Usagi, and even more fun taking pictures of her in them.  You can see more of them here on my doll blog.

Now what’s to come up next week?  More doll clothes?  Maybe a tutorial too?  We shall see.  Look forward to it.

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5 a Week: Cute Doll Tank Tops with a Tutorial

 

It’s Sunday, and time for week 2 of this year’s edition of…

 

…The Five a Week Pledge.

If you haven’t been around here, it’s where you pledge to do five things each week of your choice (see here for more info).  I pledged to make five small crafts each week.  Feel free to grab a button and join me.  If you already have, post a comment or a link to share what you accomplished.

This week’s craft:

Doll Tanks Tops

I made cute little drawstring tank tops for my doll (you can see her reaction here).  I say drawstring, but will always think of them as pillowcase tops.  The first time I learned how to make tops like this was from a tutorial for a top using a pillow case I saw in a magazine.  Since then I have made several (see Dolly Dressing and Give Me a Doll With Hair).

The first I actually made two of, one for both of my ball jointed dolls.  Simple with cute thin pink ribbon.

The second one I used lace instead of ribbon.  It also has lace running along the neckline.  Cute and a little dressier.

The third top has the ribbon tying in front instead of at the side.  I think it’s a nice touch, or least it’s different.

And the last one is a little rough.  I left the edges unhemmed and uses some fabric strips instead of ribbon for the ties.  By the way all these tops where cut from t-shirt scraps from previous projects.  Great way to use up the leftovers.

Now as an extra bonus, I decided to make a video tutorial for these cute doll tanks tops.  Now everyone can dress their dolls easily for summer.

Enjoy!

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It’s Back, The Pledge

I mentioned there will be a special surprise.  Well, for this summer I decided to bring back a little something I did last summer.  It’s…

 

…The Five a Week Pledge.

For those who missed it, it’s where you pledge to do five things each week of your choice.  Feel free to grab a button (<--it’s over there) and join me.  Pick a goal and pledge to do it 5 times each week than share your results.

 

I am again pledging to make five small crafts each week, and I will post the results each Sunday.  This will go on until the end of July.

 

Now time to get started.  Meet you back here next Sunday!

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Special Announcement or What to Expect

First off, this week’s Five a Week craft didn’t get posted or even completed because I got a little too caught up with another project I’m taking up.  As soon as that’s all finish I’ll post it, trust me it will be worth the wait.

Work is getting busier than ever, plus I want to spend a little more time focusing on that special project as well as all the projects on my craft list.  This will mean that it will be a bit quiet around here for a while.  I will still be doing the Saturday Shuffle blog party each week though.  It’s just too much fun not to do.  And I will probably do a few things about Halloween, it will be here before you know it, can’t wait!

Just know I’m still around and I will be back shortly to share with you all.  Look forward to it.

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5 a Week: Crystal Pearl Bracelets

 

It’s Sunday, so it’s time for week 11 of…

 

…The Five a Week Pledge.

 

If you haven’t been around here, it’s where you pledge to do five things each week of your choice (see the first week for more info).  I pledged to make five small crafts each week.  Feel free to grab a button and join me.  If you already have, post a comment or a link to share what you accomplished.

 

This week’s craft:

Bracelets!

I got plenty of jewelry making supplies and tools this week (see The Biggest Haul Ever) and was itching to use them.  I used some of the pink and white faux pearls from the last batch of bracelets I made (see Five a Week: Bracelets), but this time I added clear crystal-y beads for all but the last bracelet. 

The last one was just a way to use up some extra beads.  I just took the last few beads I had in those sizes, arranged them in a way I thought looked good, then added some more faux pearls until it was long enough for a bracelet.

Now for a small request, I’m having a hard time deciding what sort of project to do for this coming week.  Any ideas? Please leave a comment with any suggestions, links to tutorials are more than welcome too.  And look forward to next week.

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5 a Week: Fleece Blankets for Dolls

 

It’s time for week 10 of…

 

…The Five a Week Pledge.

 

If you haven’t been around here, it’s where you pledge to do five things each week of your choice (see the first week for more info).  I pledged to make five small crafts each week.  Feel free to grab a button and join me.  If you already have, post a comment or a link to share what you accomplished.

 

I’m afraid due to a few personal issues and what not, it’s a day late this week.  But let’s not dwell on that.

 

This week’s craft:

 

Fleece blankets!

 

Since I got the idea to finally use that fleece blanket kit (see Fleece Blanket for Christmas?), I’ve had fleece on the brain.  I thought it would be great to make a few doll sized blankets too.

 

The pink one on top I thought would be the right size for my bjd (see Catching Up and a New Friend).  She is just under 18 inches (45cm) tall so I cut the fleece about 20 inches by 20 inches and I cut the strips about 2 inches.  The other two I made consecutively smaller and smaller, I thought they would be perfect for various other dolls and toys.  My niece and nephew have loads of them and many could use a nice blanket.

 

One of the first thing I noticed was that is was necessary to make the strips narrower as the blankets got smaller.  This was both to make them work for a smaller scale and to make it easier to actually tie them.  I also found that it’s better to go cheaper with the fleece.  Thinner fleece works better for making blankets this size, it’s less bulky and more realistic.

 

For the last two blankets, I decided to try to sew them instead of knot them together.  I’m not sure I like how they turned out.  Maybe with a different colored fleece material it would work, but like this I have the strongest urge to turn them into pot holders or something.  The problem with that is that I don’t think fleece is flame retardant. 

 

Overall I’m satisfied with how they came out.  And as soon as it finally feels like Fall around here (I’m in Arizona remember?), there will be some nice and toasty warm stuffed toys and dolls.

Now it’s 10 weeks since I’ve started this challenge, so it’s time for another recap of what I’ve accomplished.

First 5 Weeks:

• 5 Beaded Bracelets
• 5 Lace Brooches
• Plus 1 Lace Appliqué Brooch Tutorial
• 5 Ball Jointed Doll Sized Circle Skirts
• 5 Ball Jointed Doll Sized Lace Tank Tops
• 5 Ball Jointed Doll Sized Lace and Ribbon Sandals

Second 5 Weeks:

• 5 Lace Wrist Cuffs
• 5 Chocolate and Cream Colored Accessories
• 5 Fleece Needle Books
• 5 Fleece Mini-Pin Cushions
• 5 Doll Sized Fleece Blankets

50 plus one bonus is 51 crafts completed in 10 weeks.  Yay!

I definitely plan to keep this up, just hopefully I’ll post them on time from now on.  Look forward to that.

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5 a Week: Mini-Pin Cushions

 

It’s Sunday, so it’s time for week 9 of…

 

…The Five a Week Pledge.

 

If you haven’t been around here, it’s where you pledge to do five things each week of your choice (see the first week for more info).  I pledged to make five small crafts each week.  Feel free to grab a button and join me.  If you already have, post a comment or a link to share what you accomplished.

 

This week’s craft:

Pincushions!

Little ones made each with a single square of fleece and an extra scrap for decoration.  The method I used for them is a little hard for me to describe in words.  I think I’ll explain it with more detail in a later post, it’s easy I promise.  The decorative flowers were made with just a strip of fleece and some thread and running stitches.  It’s a easy little technique I learned from a book on fabric flowers that I found at the library years ago.  I will probably explain that one later too.  Wow, much to do for the future.

Anyway, these pincushions were so quick to put together.  I could literally whip one up on the train ride to work, and whip up and attach the flower on the ride back.  I actually finished the last couple of flowers while waiting to leave from work.  I kind of stuck around the store for a while longer than intended last night due to a major storm.  Nothing like sewing to keep you occupied when waiting.  Especially sewing something as cute as these pin cushions. 

I kind of thought they would make cute gifts, either for people I know who sew or for people who are interested in learning.  Maybe coupled with the needle books from last week (see 5 a Week: Needle Books) and some other necessary supplies.  For now, I still need to focus on the next batch of small projects as well as my craft list.  You thought I forgot about that right?  Nope, I just hadn’t quite had enough time to get started right away.  I did get one project from it finished, the easiest.  I’ll share that one plus some more things later this week.  Look forward to it.

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5 a Week: Needle Books

It’s Sunday, so it’s time for week 8 of…

 

…The Five a Week Pledge.

 

If you haven’t been around here, it’s where you pledge to do five things each week of your choice (see the first week for more info).  I pledged to make five small crafts each week.  Feel free to grab a button and join me.  If you already have, post a comment or a link to share what you accomplished.

 

This week’s craft:

Needle books.

Or needle cases if you prefer to call them that.  I say needle books because they look like cute little fabric books until you flip them open.

See what I mean?

The main reason I made them was to use up some leftover fleece.  Despite recent attempts at decluttering, I still had a few fleece squares hanging out in my stash waiting to be used.  Plus I realized I didn’t actually have anything cute to put my sewing needles in.  Just the packaging they came in, which is super boring.

This needle book is my favorite.  I love the cute daisy print fleece.

These books are super easy to make.  All I had to do was cut a couple of rectangle shaped pieces from the fleece for the “pages”, cut a wider piece to wrap around as the “cover”, then sew a straight line along the side as the “binding”.

I chose to just let the fabric do the talking, but if I wanted to I could have actually made them more elaborate.  Maybe add appliques or trims to the covers before sewing, or decorative stitching along the edges.  I kept on coming up with tons of ideas for making these books while sewing them, maybe even for making similar fabric books.  For now I’m happy with these, but I did come up with one good idea.  What’s a cute needle book without a cute matching pincushion?  So that will probably be next week’s craft.  Look forward to it!

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5 a Week: Chocolate and Cream

It’s Sunday, so it’s time for week 7 of…

 

…The Five a Week Pledge.

 

If you haven’t been around here, it’s where you pledge to do five things each week of your choice (see the first week for more info).  I pledged to make five small crafts each week.  Feel free to grab a button and join me.  If you already have, post a comment or a link to share what you accomplished.

 

This week’s craft:

Chocolate and Cream.

That is, accessories made with more chocolate brown ribbon and creamy off-white lace.  I got the idea from some of the lace cuffs from last week’s craft.  From the left is a pair of choker necklaces, then a headband on top, a hair clip below it, and a small broach.

The chokers were made by cutting a length of the lace about long enough to wrap around my neck plus a little extra for hemming and breathing room, super important.  I cut a second piece of lace and sewed the two together along their top edges.  The chocolate ribbon covers this seam.  All I had to do then was hem the ends, add some snaps and make and attach a bow.  Then repeat all to make a second one.

For the headband, I did the same thing with the lace as the chokers.  It’s actually two layers of lace pieces sewn together with two rows of stitches down the center.  This created a channel that I could slide a plain metal headband through.  Then I added the ribbon.  I also wrapped ribbon around the ends of the head band to hide the raw edges of lace and to make it cuter and more comfortable.  A couple more bows and it was done.

The hair clip and the broach was made pretty much just like the lace applique broaches I made several weeks ago.  Here’s the tutorial if you missed it.  Again all it took to finish them was a few chocolate ribbon bows.

On another note, I’m going on a short hiatus from blogging here.  Just for the week, I’ll be back in time for the blog hop this Saturday.  I just wanted to mention it so no one thinks I’ve “gone quiet” again.  It’s just for the week and not several months.  I’ll be working on a few projects, including ones for this blog.  Look forward to it.

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