Sewing For Josefina (again)

There are two new listings in my shop:

I love sewing these dress and shawl sets--they have been popular items in my shop. I love both of these sets, but the special thing about the yellow one is that each motif is lined with shimmery silver. I've had that fabric for a long time and just now decided to make it into something Josefina can wear. Once it's gone, it's gone!

I have a lot of the striped fabric though--I might make a few more dresses out of it. It's really pretty and very Josefina!

Simple Shifts by the Seashore

There are four new dresses in my shop:

It's a series I call "Simple Shifts by the Seashore" . . . because they are shift dresses made out of ocean-themed prints ;-) I needed a simple pattern because all four of these fabrics were fat quarters. So I came up with a shift dress pattern that saves on cutting and showcases the cute print. So there you go: "Simple Shifts by the Seashore" are now available in my shop.

Also, if you buy any one dress in my shop, the second dress ships at no additional cost in the same order. Ahoy!

Happy Valentine's Day!

In honor of Valentine's Day, there is a new pretty pink party dress in my shop:

Also,  use the coupon code HEART for 15% your entire order now through Monday. Happy Valentine's Day!

It's a Go-Go: Six New Dresses in My Etsy Shop!

Even though it is freezing cold (and sad and dreary) where I live, I've just listed six new summer dresses in my shop:

I decided to use up some of my fun summery retro prints, and since I just finished a halter/go-go dress custom order, I thought I may as well sew up a few more before stashing the pattern away. I also threw in a turtle dress for Lea, the 2016 GOTY.

I guess I really am wishing for summertime, because I have a whole stack of fun tropical--summery prints to sew up as Lea-inspired dresses coming up next . . .

Three New Dress and Shawl Sets . . . finally

After a long hiatus, there are new items in my shop! The last few months I was busy sewing five Viking costumes (six, if you include the mini Viking costume I made for Julie) for Halloween, some holiday skirts for real people, several Liberty Jane pattern experiments, and a set of Nativity costumes for the grandkids that I gave to my mom and dad on Christmas Eve--phew! While it was all super fun, I didn't have too much time to sew anything for my shop until now. But now my sewing room is organized and I have fun plans for this year.

But first, here are three dress and shawl sets:

I had a lot of fun making dress and shawl sets--and several requests for them--last year. So why not keep a good thing rolling, and let Josefina stay busy?

Up next is a big stack of warm, bright, and tropical--looking prints. Perfect for a girl with a heart for adventure . . . hint, hint ;-)

Sock Hop Halloween

The final Halloween costumes are listed in my shop:

Yep, it's a Sock Hop Halloween! I am super excited about these two sets. I used a MyAngieGirl pattern (found at Pixie Faire) called "The 4-Way Wardrobe" and I am so impressed with it. If I didn't have real-people Halloween sewing to do, I would spend my whole month making poodle skirt sets and trying out all the cute little animal silhouette options! 

Remember to check out my Instagram feed for upcoming listings and projects. My user name is sewedhermind. Here's to a fun month of Halloween sewing!

Maryellen . . . and a Ghostbride!

There are two new listings in my shop:

I'm excited to share my first Maryellen offering: a 1950's blouse and gingham skirt. The blouse has working buttons and a cute ribbon sash. Also listed is an awesome costume: the Ghostbride! I've been wanting make something like this for awhile. I love zombie bride costumes or a good corpse's bride. But those are kind of scary. And how does one make an American Girl doll look scary? So I came up with a Ghostbride costume--it's flowy and eerie and spooky. It comes with a veil, bouquet, and trick-or-treating bucket. Halloween here we come!

Also, I am now on Instagram. Check out my projects and upcoming listings--my username is sewedhermind :)

Meet Rhonda

There's a new listing in my shop:

It's a "meet" dress for Rhonda, Caroline's friend. It's made out of burgundy kona cotton and is just the type of style Rhonda would wear, at least it is in our re-creating of Caroline's world :)

Summer-style dresses are also on sale in my shop--both the knit dresses and halter dresses are discounted. Next up, clothes for Maryellen and Halloween!

Meet Lydia

There's a new listing in my shop! It's a "meet" dress inspired by the portrait of Caroline's cousin Lydia. With Caroline's archival this year, my daughter and I thought it would be fun to recreate some dresses and accessories from the illustrated version of Caroline's book series and paper doll set--we're just not ready to see Caroline go! And why not make two of almost everything so I can share in my shop?

So now that Lydia has a basic dress, Rhonda is next. We plan on making quite few fun things over the next months. Also stay tuned for some Maryellen items and of course the annual Halloween costume…or two!

"Halter Ego"

I have two more halter dresses listed in my shop:

Perfect for hot summer days! Also, I've had some inquiries about custom work, so just a reminder: yes! I love to make custom orders :)

"Saturday in the park . . ."

". . . I think it was the Fourth of July.
People dancing.
People laughing.
A man selling ice cream .  . ."

Oh boy, this Chicago song gets stuck in my mind all the time! Not because I'm a Chicago fan, but because this song plays on one of the mini records that comes with Julie's sound accessory set--my daughter's all-time favorite Julie item. And out of all the mini records that come with the set, my daughter plays this Chicago song over and over and over . . . So naturally when thinking about something Fourth-of-July-ish to put in my shop, I thought of this song--and sewing a few 1970's dresses seemed the obvious thing to do :)

So here they are--new listings in my shop:

For the brown dress I tried a new pattern--the awesome Flossie Potter "Halter Ego" pattern found at Pixie Faire. I love this pattern! I can't wait to make more. The second dress is another of my go-to dance dresses, but this time with a little belt variation. Both dresses come with a cheerful orange ribbon. I really love these two prints--a lot of orange going on, but perfect for a hot summer day in 1974!

Another Outfit for Josefina

I've just listed another dress and shawl in my shop:

These outfits for Josefina have been fun to make--I like pulling threads out of the linen to make the shawl's fringe, and trying different stitches on my sewing machine to make the embroidery. Next up are some fun 70's fabrics! Perfect for summer . . .

Sewing for Josefina

There's a new listing in my shop:

It's a dress and shawl made for Josefina. I sometimes forget how much fun it is to sew for Josefina. In fact, I already have another dress and shawl in completely different colors cut out and ready to sew . . .

Stay tuned!

Miss Molly

There's a new listing my shop:

Good golly it's Miss Molly! I've been wanting to make a version of Molly's school jumper and blouse from her "Pretty Clothes" patterns forever. So I finally did. And I borrowed my mom's Molly doll to model--she's pretty cute! This pattern was really fun--I love the pleats in the skirt.

Also, several older listings in my shop have reduced prices. And I'm offering FREE SHIPPING to my 100th customer just for fun! I recently noticed that my shop has made 99 sales--wow! So why not celebrate? Shipping will be refunded after the order is made.

I have a few more things on my cutting table--something for Josefina, maybe Kirsten, some 1970s fabrics, and one thing more for Caroline. Then I'm off to buy patterns and fabric for the rumored upcoming 1950s Americal Girl. Oh my gosh, sewing 1950s--style dresses and clothes? Yes, please!

Inspired by Grace

I've listed four new items in my shop--knit dresses inspired by Grace, the Girl of the Year 2015:

I used a Liberty Jane pattern found at Pixie Faire--the "Taylor Regatta Dress" by Bonjour Teaspoon. I also made the matching girl-sized dress for my daughter and it turned really cute. It's a great pattern!

Since this is our Grace doll's debut in my shop, I wanted to use colors inspired by her French theme. So Bonjour Grace! Welcome to the shop :)

Caroline in Blue

I have a new listing in my shop:

It's a blue dress for Caroline--which really is such a good color on her. I used the last of the fabric I had saved from one of my daughter's pioneer dress-ups. But instead of making a little pioneer dress out of it, I thought it should be a dress for Caroline. So there you have it--Caroline in blue! It's the perfect dress to wear while standing at the water's edge watching the ships sail by. 

Pink or Blue?

I have two listings in my shop:

They are both mid-1800s-style dresses modeled by Marie-Grace. I found just the right size cameo charms to sew at the necklines. I love cameos . . . I also felt inspired by Beforever Addy's new color palette to sew something blue and black. And since the cameo charms came two to a package, I made a pink dress too!

I still have this cute set and this Regency outfit available. More listings are coming soon :)

Comfy and Cute

I have a new listing in my shop:

It's another Liberty Jane "Piccadilly Sweater" in a cute white jersey that is sprinkled with bright sparkly stars. Also included is the pair of gray leggings. Doesn't Charlotte look comfy and cute? This time I finished the back according to the pattern with a button and loop closure. And those leggings are so easy to make, they might just become my new go-to pattern when little girls I know need doll clothes.