SSA 2024: Starting next month!

So, in case you hadn’t noticed, last year was the first year in the history of the blog that there was no summer sew along! I usually start brainstorming ideas around February and work all through March and April to have everything ready some time in May. Last year, the plan was for a 1950s embroidered dress theme inspired by a then-new-to-me repro Effanbee Toni.

That was my busiest Spring in about a decade at work and on top of that, I was dealing with some health issues, so there was just not a lot of extra energy available to be creative. When everything was finally sorted out, we went on our first vacation in about 6 years.

Fast forward to now. I pulled out what had been started last year to consider finally doing that theme and had visions of 50s designs in my head. At the same time, after a lot of trial and error, I managed to get a really well-fitted sloper for my Petitcollin Lisa, and started expanding variations on it to include different collars and sleeves. Then I realized that with a few more collars/necklines/sleeves it could be perfect for a whole mid-century wardrobe! Yes, that’s me, always thinking big. Why do just one dress pattern when you could do a whole wardrobe? In fact, why even do just one decade when you could do several? Or even a century?! Ok, I actually do have a whole century project started, but let’s just focus on this for now. 🙂

For this year’s sew-along, every week we’ll explore how the “basic dress” changed between the 30s-60s, and come up with our own creative interpretations of the basic pattern. Yes, including the 30s really stretches the definition of mid-century, but you know you’re looking for an excuse to buy more cute feedsack prints! 😉

Because these are basic patterns with lots of room for creativity, I’d like a place for everyone to share their creations to inspire others. Many years ago, it was flickr, but since they have changed their ownership/model, I don’t put anything there anymore. My thoughts would be either a specifically designated Facebook group, or something like Google Photos, Dropbox, or Instagram.

Since none of these is ideal, and some are more difficult to use than others, I’m open to suggestions. Ideally, it would be something free, easy enough for your grandma to use, and not require downloading a certain app or creating an account. My other thought is to just let people post pix wherever they’d like and put the link to the photo in the comments on each week’s blog page.

What I’d like to know from those who plan to participate is: What would be your preferred platform to share photos with this group?

Please click here and let me know!

Happy Solstice!

Maplelea Charlsea is wearing a Scandinavian-inspired outfit with a jumper made from this pattern that originally appeared with the Shirley Temple summer sew along and was adapted from an antique McCall pattern. The blouse is from an as-yet unfinished pattern collection, and I’m going to assume you know how to make an apron. 🙂

A very kind person gave me a TON of fabric over the summer, and I had originally earmarked this striped one for a Christmas dress. Even though red and green are considered “Christmas” colors, folk costumes in Scandinavia (and elsewhere) often use them together, especially combined with black and white for a very striking visual impact.

The red part of the design below is a very common one in textiles where a geometric pattern can be used, such as in woven, cross-stitched, and knitted designs. Like this. Depending where you are, though, apparently you see it differently. It was referred to as a rose motif in something I was reading about Scandinavian weaving recently (see lots of examples here), but I had personally always seen it as a star or snowflake.

You can use the pattern above if you’d like to stitch by hand

And here is a link to a .pes version for personal use (not to put on things to sell)

This apron design is not traditional to any specific place. I started with a row of the star/snowflake/rose designs and just doodled around them to fill in space with the colors chosen to match the fabric.

Some other ideas:

• Change the colors to match your doll’s dress and use it on an apron any time of year! 
• Repeat the design all along the bottom of a solid-color skirt
• Use waste canvas and embroider part of the motif to decorate a solid-color bodice with a print skirt. 

Be creative and enjoy!

Can anyone guess exactly what Charlsea is “helping” me with in the photo? Post a comment if you think you know!

Let’s knit with a crochet hook…part 2

This week we have the continuation of last week‘s post about knitting with a crochet hook. This sweater can be easily modified for 18″ slim dolls (the brown unfinished one above) or cloth-bodied dolls (the red one). 

Get the second part of the pattern here

I know not everyone who reads this blog knits/crochets, and if that’s you, you’ll be happy to hear I’ll be back to sewing with a free machine embroidery download next week!

Let’s knit with a crochet hook!

Can you believe I made this with a crochet hook? And then spent hours and hours and hours taking pictures and writing a tutorial? And then more time redoing parts of it after compatibility problems between my two word processing programs?

If you, like me, are stuck inside because of blizzard-like weather, click here and then curl up on the couch with some tea and start a new doll sweater. It’s very long, so part 2 is coming next week. Enjoy!!

Black Friday and Sweater pattern!

Just two quick notes for today. First, there’s a black Friday sale in my etsy shop through Cyber Monday. You can get 20% off any purchase of $20 or more with no coupon code needed – just click here: jenwrenne.etsy.com

Also, I’ve been working on resizing last week’s sweater for AG/OG/Maplelea -type bodies and that info is here.

Coming over the next two weeks is a REALLY different way to make yet another sweater. See you then!!

It’s sweater weather!

This sweater has all the colors of fall (or a 1970s Tupperware party 😂) and is done in the round in extended single crochet with steeking up the back. Experienced crocheters can get the instructions here:

Enjoy!

Penelope found more pattern pieces!

If there is one look that says “perfect dress for a little girl” it’s this. Penelope used last week’s bodice and added a peter pan collar and short, puffy sleeves. This was the iconic silhouette for girls’ dresses throughout the 1950s, and just about any catalog, paperdoll set, etc. will give you plenty of great ideas to dress this up with different kinds of trim. It was often covered with a pinafore…maybe she can find one of those for next week?

Download the bonus pattern pieces here

Note that it was done a little differently than usual – please check to make sure the inch box measures correctly when you print!!

Penelope’s latest find

I’m giving my new doll a column of her own for a while called “Penelope’s latest find”

Penelope is a doll that loves to imagine herself in all kinds of stories that take place “long ago.” She is happiest when she’s curled up with a book and a freshly-filled teacup. On the weekends you can find her browsing through used book stores, or making the rounds of her favorite antique stores in search of wardrobe additions, or beautiful old bits of lace, embroidery, and buttons.

She likes to see how things were done authentically, and then take inspiration from them to create something new. All the dolls in the house get excited when Penelope pulls out her sketch book or comes home from an adventure with her latest find.

Since she loves antiquing, and wearing things with a vintage vibe, we’re going to pretend that she is sharing her latest antique treasure with you. I’m imagining that being everything from a new dress or bag to an embroidery or crochet pattern. Maybe it was a great set of buttons or a vintage paper doll that inspired her latest creation? I’m eager to see what she comes up with!

Last weekend, Penelope found the perfect dress for the end of summer. The colors give a nod to autumn, but the sleeveless bodice is perfect for weather that’s still so hot. She thinks it’s from the 1950s, with its extra-full skirt and rickrack-trimmed bib, but it seems to be missing a sash or belt that certainly would have come with it originally.

When she makes the next version, she’s going to use a vintage cotton print, and then a solid contrast fabric. The contrast fabric is going to make a narrow belt, a thin line of fabric at the hem, and piping to go around the bib to pull everything together. This fabric was from the “Granny Chic” collection here

Here is her pattern so you can make one for your doll too:

As an aside, in the past I’ve done very complete patterns with construction pictures and sometimes written instructions too. It got to be a lot, and took away from the fun of sewing things to blog about when I have to keep stopping to take pictures and spend hours writing instructions.

In order to keep things manageable for me, I’m assuming you have the necessary sewing skills to figure out the construction, and will only provide the pattern pieces for the free patterns from now on.

Who is this doll and who else will the pattern fit?

Penelope is a 19” Tonner doll. I found her online while actually searching for Betsy McCall because she had been tagged as such. Although she’s not technically a Betsy, you can definitely see similarities to the Tonner 14” Betsy sculpt, and I think they would be perfect displayed together as big/little sisters. The name “Penny” is engraved on parts of her body, so I wondered if that was actually her name and decided on the Penelope variation.

A little research found this site, [link to more info] which says she has the same body as Tonner’s 19” Ann Estelle and another line that was called “Penny and Friends.” The Penny dolls all came with names, as does Ann Estelle, obviously. The others in the same line as my doll were Alice in Wonderland and another called Baking Gingerbread; mine came dressed as Red Riding Hood without any other name.

Those are all out of production, but she has a chest measurement of about 10” and shares clothes quite easily with some other slim 18”-19” dolls. So far all the dresses I’ve made for my Götz Happy Kidz fits perfectly on her, and vice versa.

Dress above pictured on Götz Happy Kidz Lea

I have not tried yet, but would imagine the 9.5” chest Kidz n Cats and Magic Attic could share clothes with her as well. That also means that the patterns are likely to reduce easily with just a percentage for 14” dolls like Hearts for Hearts. I’d suggest experimenting with muslin with a reduction around 77% for them, and maybe a little bigger for Wellies.

Happy sewing!

18th Century Neckwear

So, a while back I had a request for a custom pattern. It was for a Wellie-size boy outfit so Felicity could have a little brother. I threw myself wholeheartedly into the project, to the point where, on the big loom right now there is enough warp for three colonial coverlets to fit Felicity’s bed! Yeah, priorities. I had amazing plans for shoes and hats, craft projects for accessories, a whole girl collection, resizing of everything for different dolls, and, and, and…

Just a shot of one partially finished coverlet:

You don’t know it, but this happens ALL the time. Whenever you see a collection here or on etsy, the final project shows at most 50% of all the actual things I managed to finish, and maybe 10% of the grandiose initial plans. Another piece of this puzzle is engagement with you, the blog readers. AG Claudie had a plan that spanned MONTHS, yet the comments after the last ~2 things I published did not seem to say that people really wanted any more 1920s stuff for her. So she’s got a coat and apron and Halloween costume and a really nice dress collection that never appeared, because it takes a REALLY long time to get out even one blog post. From designing the outfit, to making and revising muslins, making the final things, digitizing the pattern pieces, taking construction pictures, final portraits, writing instructions, editing everything, fighting with the horribleness of wordpress, etc.

I could go on and on with the Tudor collection I did for AGAT Elinor, the Georgian/Colonial collection for my Gotz Happy Kid, the Victorian project that followed the Regency collection for AGAT Helena… OK, you get it. What’s amazing, though, is that even though I’ve published hundreds of patterns, I’m often more upset at myself for what I haven’t finished than proud of what I have done. Crazy, right?

Anyway, for the “10%” from this project:

At its minimum, a boy’s outfit from the 18^th century would have comprised breeches, shirt, and waistcoat, and that’s what is included. You can get the new pattern here

If there’s interest, I have lots more partially-finished things like a coat and some girl items and…

Free for you today (and easily adaptable to any size doll) is a stock/faux cravat:

Get the pattern pieces here and instructions here

Just like a well-dressed 1950s man needed a necktie, a well-dressed 18^th Century man needed…something around the neck. A cravat was just a long rectangle that could be tied to suit the wearer’s fancy, but the stock simplified things greatly. All the pleating was done during construction, and the man just buckled it on. This pattern is for a stock that you can also adapt to a faux cravat.

Here are some links for you to see authentic cravats and stocks:

Here is a cravat with decorative ends:https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/122610

See a stock here: https://emuseum.history.org/view/objects/asitem/items$0040:89190

And a stock buckle here: http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O112609/stock-buckle-unknown/

I have not seen any stocks from the time with attached ruffled bits in the front, which leads me to believe that when you see a painting with something that looks like that, it was probably a cravat. There is a stock with an attached “frilly bit” here: https://emuseum.history.org/objects/9977/stock?ctx=7d1b4d8d283ef339577503fb47883449e218c9e1&idx=12 but note that it is labeled 19^th century.

There was something called “falling bands” see here: https://emuseum.history.org/objects/9975/falling-bands but they didn’t give the same look. For example, here: https://collections.dar.org/mResults.aspx?pS=cravat&db=objects&dir=DARCOLL# are engravings tagged with the label “cravat”

Skeleton Costume Template

My Nancys got ready a little early this year for el Día de los Muertos. I was so happy with how the skeleton one turned out, I decided to post templates in case your dolls want a quick skeleton costume too. As someone who is usually a stickler for details, it was hard to compromise on the shapes of the bones, but eventually I convinced myself “cute and easy” was better than “realistic but too complicated to actually make.”

The adorable Coco fabric on the other Nancy is from Joann, in case you’d like a dress like that too.

Suggestions for using this skeleton template with your favorite T-shirt and leggings pattern:

• Cut the bones out of fabric/felt (fusible web is very helpful – just follow package instructions) and sew on
• Use freezer paper to make stencils

Human clothes can usually be decorated even after they’re sewed, but at this tiny scale, I’d recommend decorating while still in the flat stages of sewing. In this case, I did the pants appliques after sewing the center front seam and waistband casing, and all the pieces of the shirt were done separately before sewing them together.

The file below has a green marking which is the 15” size shown on my Nancy. This should also work for dolls around Wellie Wisher size, possibly with leg bones needing shortening, and I’d probably use that size for Sasha.

There is also an 18” size marked in blue which I have not tried yet. It is just the original scaled up 120%, so you may need to adjust the lengths of the arm/leg bones to fit your pattern pieces

Skeleton template here