How to Sew a Few Little Monsters

One of my favorite charities is looking for people to make stuffed monsters for the children's ward.  Working toward my goal of using up the fabric stash I've accumulated, I found some scraps of yellow fleece. So why not use this fleece to make monsters for them? It worked perfectly. 

If you want to make some little monsters of your own, here are the details: 

1.  Download the free pattern here. Then cut out the pieces as follows:  2 each of the body, 4 each of the horn, 2 each of the eye, 2 each of the pupil and how ever many teeth you want your monster to have.
2. Place your eyes, pupils and teeth onto the head of your monster.  I use temporary spray adhesive to hold my pieces in place.
3. Machine embroider the white eyes.
4. Machine embroider the teeth in place.

5.   Machine embroider the black pupils and then the smile.
6.  To make the hair, wrap yarn around four of your fingers four times.  Cut the yarn and hold the ends together.
7.  Machine stitch the four strands of yarn together.
8.  Baste the stitched end of the yarn hair onto the top center of the head.

9.    Using 1/4" seams, right sides facing, stitch the horns together.

10.  Clip the curves and turn right side out.

11.  Stuff the horns with fiber fill.

12.  Baste the horn's openings closed.

13.  Pin and then baste the horns onto the head as shown.

14.  For the tail, cut 8 pieces of yarn 8" long.  Sew or knot the top of the yarn together.

15.  Braid the yarn and knot the end.

16.  For the end of the tail, wrap yarn around four fingers 10 times.  Tie the braid around the center of the yarn.  

17.  Tie the end with a knot and trim the ends so your tail looks nice and fluffy.

18.  Cut a tiny hole on the center of the back at the tail marking.

19.  Thread the tale's braid through the opening.  On the wrong side of the fabric, sew the fabric back together and sew over the tail's end several times, because little children will pull the soft fluffy tail.

20.  Now, pin the front to the back, right sides facing.  Stitch around your monster making sure the horns, hair and tail are inside the monster. Leave an opening at the bottom of the monster between his legs.  Clip the monster's curves. Turn your monster right side out and stuff.  To finish your monster, hand sew the opening closed.

Monster-making is a lot of fun because not all monsters need to look exactly the same.  You can tweak my pattern to create your own unique monster. Not having to make the exact same creature over and over again is just so much fun....don't you think?  

For more variations on monster making, go to this post.  xoxo Grandma 

Shared at:  Threading My Way
Featured at: Threading My Way

Best Dressed Doll

For the past five months I've faced several challenges, resulting in very little blogging.  It all started out in January with two broken bones in my arm, which left me with major nerve damage that needed months of physical therapy. The same injury threw out my back and needed the help of a chiropractor to get it back into it's proper place.  Then a neighbor's dog bit my leg  (I now have a huge fear of dogs which means I plan my morning jogs by the trails without dogs.)! Next, cancer showed up on my arm and nose, resulting in a skin graft. The final trial (knock on wood) was when my computer died and I had to figure out what to purchase to take it's place (sure, that's not really a challenge, but I am technologically challenged, so it was a big one for me).

To get through my challenges, I've turned to my kind of therapy - sewing a slew of outfits for 18" dolls.  My husband jokes with me and says that my doll is the best dressed doll in town.  He's right of course!

So, sit back and relax while I share some of the outfits I've made, and patterns used, to create this doll's wardrobe.

Photo 1

-Five Layers of Ruffles dress:  added 2-3" onto my favorite shirt pattern and then evenly added layers of lace trim.

-Sandal Pattern:  Pixie Faire, Gladiator Sandals

Changed pattern as follows: created one wide strap each and made a simplified oval center strap.

Photo 2

-Tutu and Leotard: Tutu made up pattern using tulle, trimmed and topped with lace.

-Leotard pattern:  Lee and Pearl, Tweak the Pattern 1051a One Piece Swimsuits for 18" Dolls (free download).

-Ballet Bag Pattern: free pattern xoxo Grandma.

Photo 3

-Pink Ballet Dress:  Extend your favorite doll tee-shirt 2-3" longer.  Using 7 pieces of tulle 3" x 29" gather and sew to the bottom of the tee shirt.   

-Ballet Bag Pattern: free pattern xoxo Grandma.

Photo 4 

Red, white back to school playwear:  

-Shorts pattern & tutorial: xoxo Grandma.

-Backpack Pattern:  McCall's #3469

-Clipboard Pattern:  free pattern & tutorial xoxo Grandma.

Photo 5

-White Ruffle shirt:  take any tee-shirt pattern and add lace/tulle trim to the bottom of the shirt. 

-Blue pants:  Simplicity #3551, view D.

Photo 6

Pioneer Outfit Pattern:  McCall's #3627, view A/G

-Apron pattern: free pattern xoxo Grandma.

Photo 7

Red, white and blue dress pattern:  

-Pixie Faire, Yacht dress 

-Sandal Pattern: Pixie Faire, Gladiator Sandals, used sticky red felt for the material and changed pattern as follows: created one wide strap each, made a simplified, oval center strap and no sewing around all the small pieces.  

Photo 8

-Japanese Kimono Pattern:  xoxo Grandma

Photo 9
-Jacket Pattern: xoxo Grandma, Lace Hankie Into a Doll Top
-Skirt:  Left over scraps of fabric and trim sewn together, no pattern used.

-Top:  Camisole, self created pattern.


Photo 10
-Fishing Set Pattern:  xoxo Grandma

Photo 11
-Camo Cargo pants set: Pants added 2 side pockets to a basic pant pattern. Used a scarf for the fabric.
-Sandals:  same as in photo 7, the fabric was from an old purse.

Photos 12 & 14

-Party dresses: The fabric came from a fancy baby dress which none of my daughters liked. 
-The baby dress was cut up and turned into two party dresses.  
-The skirt pattern is McCall's #3627, view H.

Photo 13
-Lace sleeves and lace added to a basic tee-shirt pattern.
-Short skirt pattern, lace sewn underneath the hem.

Photo 15

-Peach tunic was made from a linen tea towel with crocheted edges. 

-Capri's: Simplicity #3551 view B, cut shorter to make capris.

-Sandals: simplified version of the gladiator sandals see photo 7.

Photo 16

Brown and Turquoise outfit:  
-Basic tee-shirt pattern, sewing leftover pieces of lace down the center of the top beads used as accent buttons.  

- Brown Leggings:  Simplicity #3551, view D.

Photo 17

-Poodle skirt:  Free Pattern xoxo Grandma.

My goal, besides diverting my attention from my injuries, was to use up all the little pieces of fabric I've saved without purchasing any more.  But I often get ideas for accessories to accompany an article of clothing I've just finished.  All these creative ideas occasionally result in purchasing a little "new" fabric. I'm beginning to think there needs to be a help group for fabrics addicts. Fabrics Anonymous, right? Ah well, at least I have the best dressed doll in town!  xoxo Grandma 

1958 Poodle Skirt for an American Girl Doll - Free Pattern

When I saw this 1958 McCall's pattern #2252 for an original poodle skirt, I just knew it would be fun to scale down the pattern to fit an 18" American Girl Doll. 

After sketching and playing with fabric, beads and a little ribbon, this is how my version of this classic 1958 skirt turned out.

Add white socks and some saddle shoes and this doll will be set to party like it's 1958.

If you'd like to make one of these skirts, keep reading because the directions and poodle applique pattern are below.

Materials needed:

• Good quality felt
• faux fur (I trimmed my faux fur to about 1/4" long)
• beads and or sequins
• 1/8" wide ribbon
• black felt or fleece for the poodle about 5" square

Directions:

1.  Cut out a 17" circle from good quality red felt for the skirt.  In the center of the circle, cut out a circle 3 1/4".

2.  Machine applique the poodle in place onto the felt skirt.

3.  With black thread, hand stitch black beads or sequins onto the felt in a curved line to form the leash.

4.  Make the dog collar, by hand sewing a sequin around the dog's neck then add a clear bead which will hold the sequin in place.

5.  Tie a tiny bow using the 1/8" piece of ribbon.  Hand stitch the bow onto the top of the dog's furry head.

6.  Hand sew a white bead in place for the eye.

7.  Cut a 1 1/4" slit down the center back of the skirt.

8.  Cut 1" x 11 3/4" red felt for the waistband.

9.  Sew using 1/8" seam, sew the waistband onto the top of the circular skirt, leaving 1" of the waistband extending beyond the skirt's top.

10.  Sew Velcro hook onto the 1" extended waistband edge.

11.  Sew the Velcro loop onto the wrong side of the other end of the waistband.  Your 1958 poodle skirt is finished.

Download the poodle applique' pattern here and enjoy making your own 1958 original looking poodle skirt.  xoxo Grandma

Make Easter Bunny Ears for Your Doll

You might think it's too early to think about Easter but this year it happens to fall on March 27th which is exactly two months from today. This is another easy project that even someone with a broken arm (like me) can do. 

First, purchase a bunny headband designed to fit a child. I found mine at Target on sale last year for 25 cents each.  They actually fit adults but the only time this adult put them on was to be silly with my grandchildren.  Then, after a little destructive action, turn it into Easter bunny ears for you doll. Here we go...

1. Open up the seams of your bunny headband and remove the bunny ears from the headband.  Throw away the headband, unless you think you'll use it for something else.  Rewrap the wires to form a doll sized headband.  You may need to use an additional wire for this step. 
2. Wrap the fur around the new wire, pinning as you go.  Cut off the excess bunny fur from both ends.
3. Wrap the fur ends up toward the bottom wires.
4. Pin any additional places and with a needle and coordinating thread, sew the fur back together (I must mention, that with a broken arm this step took twice as long as it normally would have taken).

Here's a close-up photo of step number 4 - sewing the headband back together.

Pretty simple, right? And oh so cute!  Happy Easter preparation everyone! xoxo Grandma

Make a Doll Size Travel Case

Excuse the long absence, it has been quite the winter! We were on the road for the holidays and then had I had a little mishap on the ice while shoveling snow. It concluded with my left arm in a cast and a minor surgery to hold the bones together. Not exactly how I envisioned starting 2016. What I had envisioned, though, was more cute, easy projects like this... so let's get this fun started and pretend that ice doesn't exist. At least for a few minutes. 

I found these two cute little tins at a thrift store and knew they'd make the perfect doll accessory. So, let me show you how I turned them into vintage looking travel cases.  You're going to love this project because it's super easy to make!  

Supplies Needed:

• Tin
• Sticky backed felt
• Vintage travel fabric (I found this fabric at Hobby Lobby.)
• Embroidery thread
• Needle
• Scissors

Directions:

1. Lay the sticky felt on top of the tin.  With a pen or marker, trace the edge of the tin onto the paper side of the felt.  Cut out the felt along the inside of the traced line.  You'll need two pieces of felt, one for each side of the tin.
2. Cut out images from the vintage travel fabric leaving a little edge and pin them onto the felt.
3. Hand sew the fabric cut outs onto the felt using embroidery floss.
4. Pull off the paper from the felt and press the felt onto one side of the tin.  Now press the other piece of felt onto the opposite side of the tin.

That's it!  Your doll sized travel case is ready for traveling.

Where will your doll go with her new travel case? Hopefully no where snowy or icy. Happy travels! xoxo Grandma

Available on Etsy

Felt Christmas Stockings for your Doll

Since getting ready for the holidays means getting your doll ready too... I mean, if you're a little girl... we had to whip out some mini Christmas stockings.

I discovered that all my doll loving friends thought they were too cute. Since most of these friends don't sew, I made a bunch of these cute little felt stockings for their dolls.

If you sew, you'll want to download this Free Pattern to make your own doll sized Christmas stockings for all your doll loving friends.  Remember to download this pattern "full size" then have fun creating these little stockings for a doll or even to decorate a Christmas tree.  Don't want to make one?  You can find this cute stocking here.

Materials needed:

• Red felt
• White felt
• Star buttons (for the tree stocking)
• White, orange and brown thread

Directions:

1. Cut out felt using the pattern.
2. Machine stitch the top to the stocking.  Machine stitch the mini snowman or tree to the stocking using an embroidery stitch.
3. Sew rick rack along the bottom of the white stocking top.
4. Add 2 1/2" of ribbon by folding the ribbon in half and tucking under the raw edges before sewing next to the top left corner of the stocking. 
5. Hand embroider the details onto the snowman. (Nose, Eyes and stick hands.) If you embroidered the tree, just sew a star button onto the top of the tree and with brown thread add a trunk about 1/4" wide.
6. Pin the stockings together and sew 1/4" from the edge with a contrasting thread color.

When you're finished with step #6, your stocking should look like this: 

or this if you added a tree to the stocking:

Now, even if you're not, your doll should be ready for Christmas morning. 

xoxo Grandma

Emma the Fish Toy & the 5 Cent Rattle

This darling toy fish pattern, called Emma, was released this week by Nittens and Patches. I tested the pattern for the designer/owner and once done, sent it across the ocean to one of my darling grandchildren. Emma the fish is an easy and a fun sewing project. It took around 2 hours from start to finish to make this fish. Isn't she so cute?

This fish is the first stuffed animal I've ever turned into a rattle.  To get a rattle for a great price, I went to a local thrift store and found an ugly toy with a rattle in it. It cost a whopping 25 cents - SCORE!  The even better part, this ugly little rattle toy I found actually had five rattles in it!  So that makes the total cost per rattle five cents each, what a deal!

The finished size of this fish is 7 1/2" x 9 1/2".  If making this for a baby, I'd likely shrink the pattern down by about 50% so it will fit into a baby's hand. But look at how cute this fish fits in a toddler's hand!

You can find the pattern for Emma the Fish at any of these links: Etsy, Craftys, Madeit, Nittens and Patches.  xoxo Grandma

A Summer of Fairy Magic

This post was originally shared over at Nap Time Creations but if you missed it there, I'm going to highlight a few of the things I shared. This summer I've planned a little extra special magic for my grandchildren when they come to visit us. Since I have some pretty girly little granddaughters, I've planned several activities around fairies, including stories, treats, crafts and fun outdoor activities. Take note of these ideas and join us in the fun!

FAIRY STORIES

To start out that fun, I plan on reading to my three and five year old grandchildren, "The Night Fairy" by Laura Amy Schlitz.  This is a chapter book with beautiful illustrations. The story is about a night fairy named Flory. When she was three months old, her wings were injured by a bat. She falls into a human's garden and because of her injury, she can't fly away. It's a darling book I know they will enjoy.    

Reading chapter books with younger children can also be entertaining. Another fun chapter book to read to older children is "The Fairy Rebel" by Lynne Reid Banks.  This is a fun chapter book about a woman who is sad. When she goes to her garden, she meets a fairy and then confesses to that fairy that she really wants a baby.  Let's just say this fairy livens up this women's life.

If you have younger children, a really enchanting fairy book is "The Faerie's Gift" by Yanya Robyn Batt. The illustrations are beautiful. In the story, a kind woodcutter helps a faerie that's in trouble.  In return, that faerie gives the woodcutter a very special gift. I loved this story and how the woodcutter uses his gift to help his family. 

When you're done reading this book, ask your child what wish they would ask for if they were given just one wish.  My grandson said he would wish for all the bad guys to go away and then all the jails could be taken down.  I told him that sounded wonderful.

FAIRY TREATS

When stories are through, doesn't everyone like a good treat? My grandkids do! We'll be making fairy dust. My grandchildren helped by stirring the ingredients together.  This magical treat is so easy to make and the best part is there is no hot summer baking. Here's how to make it:

Fairy Dust Recipe

•  1/4 c. powdered sugar
•  1/4 c. granulated sugar 
•  Red or pink food dye. 
•  Strawberries, raspberries, grapes or bananas
•  Colored toothpicks

With a spoon, mix together the sugars and stir in two to five drop of food gel or food dye until the sugars have speckles of color.  Cut up fruit as desired and add colored toothpicks to each piece of fruit. Dip the fruit into the fairy dust.  

We'll fill a very small container (I'm talking really small, like a toothpaste cap) with this mixture and then I'll have the children take it to our garden and leave it for the fairies to enjoy.  Make sure you don't put it where ants frequent...that could bring unwanted guests to your party!

ACTIVITIES

Online at Flower Fairies Fun and Games there are free computer games, printable activity sheets, and coloring pages which are always fun for children.

Please join me tomorrow for more fairy ideas.  I'm enjoying my son's family this week.  I hope you get to enjoy family too! -xoxo Grandma

Other posts about fairy crafts:

How to Make a Fairy Cottage go HERE or house go HERE.

Gone Fishing Outfit & Accessories - American Girl Doll Style

It's been a while since I've made anything for this cute doll and she was feeling quite neglected. So today, I'm debuting her "Gone Fishing" outfit with the perfect accessories for a child to have a little summer fun with her doll.  

It took me a while to create a fishing rod I was completely happy with. Several of my attempts were literally thrown away until I finally created the fishing pole shown in these photos. I'm quite pleased how it turned out. The best part about this fishing pole is that it can actually catch fish! How cool is that? See those cute little felt fish? You can actually catch them with the super small magnet on the end of the hook. Talk about giving this little toy a few extra bonus points with your kids! 

To complete the summer look, I made a doll-sized reversible fishing hat and a "Gone Fishing" sleeveless shirt.  Now this girl is all decked out and ready for some summer fun down by a fishing hole.

This pattern is an instant downloadable pdf and can be purchased HERE.  The set includes the Gone Fishing sleeveless shirt, fishing pole, felt fish and instructions on how to convert an ornamental creel into a child's toy.  The instructions and patterns are a bargain for only $3.00.  If you'd like a chance to win this pattern for free, go to my Etsy shop HERE, like my shop and leave a comment below telling me who will be the lucky recipient of your Gone Fishing creation. Two winners will be announced on the last day of spring, June 20th at 9 p.m., Mountain Standard time.

UPDATE:  Thank you to everyone that left comments and visited my Etsy shop. Two winners were contacted Friday night via my Etsy shop.  The winners were Betsy and Marilyn.  

If you don't want to make a "Gone Fishing" outfit, you can purchase this Gone Fishing set HERE or a fishing pole & creel HERE. Good luck!  - xoxo Grandma

30 Things to Make for an American Girl Doll

Linked to: Nap Time Creations, Crafty Allie