Patterns for Unders

The little Googly doll is being fitted for her underclothing...  I tried a pattern from "The Dolls Dressmaker" by Venus Dodge. 

Since I had never used this book before, I cut the pattern out first using striped scrap fabric.  Batiste intimidates me somewhat.... I have a hoard of it, because I put off using it.  

Anyway the pattern worked well for the knickers as it turned out.  I had her hair on, to show a friend, but have to take it off again as it's something you put on last.  But she looked cute here so I had to take a picture.

I have been making patterns by tracing on artist's palette paper, finding that is a good paper to use for a pattern piece... coated on one side and writeable on both sides....

Garden Grows (with some effort every day)

The echinaceas are starting to bloom.  I had never grown them before, the blooms last for weeks.

The roses are on their second surge.   This year, we discovered grape vines.  They have a nice "aura."  

 

The hydrangeas are starting to bloom.  The one in the middle is an oak leaf and the one on the right is lace cap. 

Finishing the Garden Hat

Here is how I finished making the larger doll's "garden hat."  I had made the framework using floral wire, and it seemed to work, so I continued from there.  I cut a piece of stretchy, thin cotton larger than the "crown."  Then, I pinned the edges of it around the crown circle, so there would be looseness in the middle.  I figured, it has to be loose in the middle for the head to go there, right?

 

 

 I sewed a piece of cotton seam binding tape around the pinned edges to bind them neatly, and tried it on the doll.  It sat okay on her head. 

Then I covered the whole thing in old lace netting, simply putting the frame on the netting and then wrapping the netting around to the top -- pinned it in many places.  Then did a lot of hand-sewing to tack it together at the crown and around the rim, and secure down all the lace embroidery. 

Simple.   Ribbons flowers made it cute, I think. 

and it makes a doll hat that Esmeralda will enjoy when she is done.