A Late Black Friday Craft Haul

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

Like many people around the country, I felt enticed by the ads for all the Black Friday deals.  But instead of electronics, toys and clothes, I bought craft supplies (and dolls)!

Joann had sales from Thursday through Sunday, so I decided to shop for all the craft supplies for my Christmas craft projects.

First up is my online order.  The first day for the black “Friday” sale was Thursday, but it was online only because the stores were closed for Thanksgiving. 

It’s a good thing.  Let the employees spend the time with their loved ones and the customers shop from the comfort of their home while eating plenty of pie.

Anyway, the package came less than a week later.

I only bought a few items, I was holding out a little.

I got a pack of fabric markers.  I plan on using them for one of my Christmas projects, but I can think of a number of other uses.  Great way to justify them. :)

However, these charms were an impulse buy.  The are cute little keys and heart locks, and I think they would make adorable little doll necklaces.

Here some sparkly holiday yarn I got for another project.  Several different yarns were on sale, so I grabbed some white baby yarn too.  It always comes in handy for small crafts.

This one is also for one of my Christmas projects, and it’s a little unusual.  A posable doll made from white muslin.  He is 14 inches tall, but obviously most of the height is in those long, long legs.  He will be fun to play with when I’m done.

Now for the stuff I bought in store, with the doll relaxing on top.  I went on Saturday because the best deals were actually on Saturday and Sunday.

First I picked up some acrylic paint.  They weren’t actually on sale, but there was a coupon in the ad that worked for them.  Yay for coupons!  I got pink parfait, white, blue bonnet and leaf green. 

The doll dragged over the markers, I think he knows I’m going to use them on him.

I picked up some soft Velcro, because I had another coupon and you can’t have enough of it around.

I also got this pack of cardstock.  Most of the scrapbook papers were 75% off including this cardstock.  Good time to stock up.

While I was there, I took a peek at some of the clearance items and found these two broaches, a floral one and a cameo.  They will go perfectly with my wardrobe.

I also went through the patterns.  The Simplicity patterns were on sale for $1 each!  This is a dress pattern I’ve been eyeing, number 8444.  It’s for a blouse and dress inspired by a certain Japanese street fashion.  Sadly, you find it with the “costume” patterns.  Sigh.

I got a few sheets of felt, they were 5 for $1.  Sadly, I accidently got one of the premium non-sale pieces.  My coupon still worked on it.

Now the best part about the sale, the remnants.  They were all on sale for half their normal price, plus they took an extra 75% off. 

I got these two plaids, the larger red plaid will be great for my Christmas sewing and the small blue plaid is good for doll clothes.

I could not resist this cute cat print.

And I got this huge hunk of red felt.  I needed some for a couple of projects and this will be more than enough for my needs.  I will have plenty leftover for next year too.

Last but not least, I grabbed this small pink polka dot fabric.  I’m not sure what to do with it, but at the very least I can make a tiny doll dress with it.

And over all, I spent less than $45, and have enough supplies to keeping me crafting for at least a couple months.  Maybe.

Give it a try:

• Bernat Happy Holidays Yarn
• Tulip Fabric Markers 12/Pkg Fine Tip
• Vintaj Heart and Keys Charms
• Long Leg Muslin Doll w/Wire 14"
• Apple Barrel® Colors 2 oz.
• VELCRO® Brand 0.63'' x 30'' Soft &Flexible Sew-On Tape

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My Christmas Project List, A Little Late This Year

One craft list finished yesterday, another holiday one started today.  As mentioned before, it will be a light one this year. 

Christmas Craft List 2017:

• Snowmen
• Elf
• pouches
• Coats

Four projects to complete in a little over two weeks?  Holiday challenge accepted, wish me luck!

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School Uniform for Fall? or Sewing a Blue Dress

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

The final project on my list is one I had intended to make over two months ago, but it just kept getting put off.  A crisp navy blue dress.

A while ago, I made a sailor uniform to wear to Phoenix Comicon.  I used some blue poly poplin material for the the collar and skirt, but I bought a much, much larger amount more than I needed.  I thought it would be useful for other projects.

For  awhile, I was thinking it would look great for a dress.  Something for Fall, though in my mind it kind of started looking like a school jumper.  Pair it with a polo and it works as a school uniform, right?

So let’s see.

Do you think my new navy blue dress looks like a school uniform?  Maybe a little cuter than some of the pieces I’ve seen.

I used the bodice from this pattern by Simplicity, but I made the straps a little more narrow both because the style of the pattern is too wide for my taste and because I’m a bit more on the narrow side compared to most store bought patterns anyway.

For the skirt though, I opted to make a rectangle skirt instead with a gathered waistline.  In retrospect though, I think it would have worked better for this fabric to use an a-line skirt.  Live and learn.

I trimmed the neckline with some nice white crocheted lace I bought at SAS (see A Spooky Black Craft Haul).  I wanted to add a bow or two as well, but I couldn’t make up my mind on where to stick it and what size.  It just leaves more room for broaches and other accessories (speaking of which, check out my button broach tutorial and lace applique broach tutorial).

I added the same lace along the skirt.  The perfect way to complete this “school girl” look.

Here’s the updated list:

• Baby
• Blue dress
• Tiny outfits
• T-shirts
• Halloween
• Pink dress
• More T-shirts

Seven projects down and out, but there’s no time to celebrate.  It’s time to start with the holiday crafting!  It will be a light list this year since it’s so close to Christmas, and I’ll have it up tomorrow.

For now, maybe a little bit of celebrating?

Give it a try:

• Simplicity Patterns Us1061D5-Simplicity Misses' Sew Chic Dress And Lined Jacket-4-6-8-10-12
• American & Efrid Ziplon Coil Zipper 18"

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Quick T-shirt Makeover: Cute Shrug, a Simple Cardigan, Plus Doll Tees

As promised, here’s my next craft projects.  Just a few things I whipped up with some t-shirts.

A super easy black shrug and an even easier white t-shirt cardigan.  I was inspired by a few tutorials I found on Pinterest to make them. 

For the shrug, I used this tutorial for a t-shirt shrug.  It’s a classic, but I didn’t follow it exactly.

I cut off a few inches from the bottom of the shirt.  Just enough to reduce some of the bulk from gathering the shirt at the end of the tutorial.

And while re-hemming the bottom, I added some lace along the edge.  This adds a somewhat dressier touch.

After that, I just followed the rest of the tutorial as is.  Sadly, my photo doesn’t do it justice.  It’s still pretty though.

And versatile too.  I think it still looks cute when worn in-gathered.

Now for the white “cardigan”.  I used this tutorial for a t-shirt cardigan.

All you have to do is cut the t-shirt open and zig-zag stitch along the edge.  I decided to cut and stitch along the sleeves too for mine.  I kind of want to try it with a long sleeve shirt like in the tutorial.

Now with all this t-shirt cutting there comes plenty of scraps, and what do you make with t-shirt scraps?

Make doll t-shirts!

I made three little doll-sized t-shirts, two white and one black. 

They were made specially for this fine boy.  He is the only male ball jointed doll I have, so he is in desperate need of clothes.  Clothes that are not girly looking.

They fit him nicely, and thanks to the Velcro closure in back, are super easy to go on and off.  If you want to whip up a few of your own for similar sized dolls, I have posted the pattern and tutorial on my doll blog.  Enjoy!

Here’s the updated list:

• Baby
• Blue dress
• Tiny outfits
• T-shirts
• Halloween
• Pink dress
• More T-shirts

Six down,  just one more to go!

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Sewing for Dolls: Pink Love, a Pretty New Dress

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

After far too much time, here is my next project.  Finally!

And it’s more doll clothes, getting tired of them yet? 

Anyway, I whipped up this cute pink doll dress and accessories for my newest ball jointed doll.  It was actually really quick to make, once I managed to find the time to make it. 

I used the pattern for the bodice of this blue doll dress I made before, but substituted the skirt for a circle skirt using this tutorial.

Following the same directions as the blue dress, I pieced them together, added some ribbon…

…And got this cute pink dress.

And it looks so adorable on my doll (check out the doll blog for what they have to say about it).  The circle skirt gives it a sort of vintage or retro look.

The ribbon around the waist ties in back making it extra adorable.

To add to the vintage feel, I made simple necklace from small pearls.

And to complete the outfit, I made this simple headband using leftover ribbon (check out my doll headband tutorial to make your own).

Here’s the updated list:

• Baby
• Blue dress
• Tiny outfits
• T-shirts
• Halloween
• Pink dress
• More T-shirts

Four down,  just three more to go.  And the next two will be up really soon for sure this time. :)

Give it a try:

• Craft Medley Pearl Beads Value Pack 3mm
• Dritz® Sew-On Snaps Nickel-Asst Size 1/0 2/0 4/0
• Offray Single Face Satin 3/8''-18 Feet

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Sewing for Dolls: Two Super Cute Doll Outfits

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

The next project on my list is…

Doll clothes!

Yeah, you kind of saw that coming right?

I’ve had these two cute little ball jointed dolls for over a year now, so I wanted to make special little outfits for them.

The main pieces are a pink skirt and puffy shorts, both with suspender style straps.  There is a tutorial for them here on my doll blog, so check it out if you have a 1/6 scale ball jointed doll to sew for.

The skirt is for this doll (Yuna).  It was fairly simple to make, just gathered with a waistband and trimmed with lace on the hem.  The pink color and the straps make it all so adorable.

The shorts (for Sakura) were a little trickier.  Pants and shorts in general tend to be tricky for me in general.  Add on the fact that I had to draft the pattern myself and that these are teeny tiny, and you can imagine how it went.

Anyway, like the skirt, these short have the same suspender straps making them super cute.  As if the “puffiness” didn’t already make them cute enough.

Now for the shirts, I made them out of a vintage handkerchief.  The scalloped hem at the bottom is actually the scallop edge of the handkerchief.  It made them quicker to sew and pretty too.

For ease of use, I added a Velcro closure to the back.  So much easier to put a shirt on any doll if you don’t have to try to yank it over their head.

The neckline is trimmed with lace with ribbon threaded through.  The ribbon nicely gathers the neckline both to look pretty and to adjust the fit.  It’s actually something I’ve seen in some of the store-bought shirts I own.

And since the straps on the skirt and shorts are removable (thanks to the power of snaps), we can easily show off these pretty doll shirts. 

By the way, there is a tutorial for these shirts too.  Feel free to check it out and make some cute tops.

In addition to the clothes, I whipped up a couple of accessories.

For Yuna, it this pretty bow headband made with lace.  It matches the outfit nicely.  Feel free to check out my video tutorial for doll headbands to make your own.  That tutorial is for any size doll by the way.

For Sakura, I made this simple cute felt bag.  I just used a scrap of pink felt and a small bit of ribbon for the bow.  It’s made the same way as the bags in my easy felt doll bag tutorial.

That’s it for the doll clothes, at least for today.

Here’s the updated list:

• Baby
• Blue dress
• Tiny outfits
• T-shirts
• Halloween
• Pink dress
• More T-shirts

Three down,  four more to go.  The next one should hopefully be ready in a week.  Look forward to it!

Give it a try:

• Dritz® Sew-On Snaps Nickel-Asst Size 1/0 2/0 4/0
• VELCRO® Brand 0.63'' x 30'' Soft &Flexible Sew-On Tape
• 9" x 12" Basic Felt by Creatology™

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