Blue Roses for Francie

I know I’ve been on a roll with blue and white dresses recently; that color combo just makes me think summer. I promise I’ll pull out more colors soon!

A while ago, I found a set of a dozen hankies on eBay. All had identical machine embroidered roses—4 in blue, 4 in pink, and 4 in yellow. I used 3 of the blue hankies to make the gored skirt of this dress so that I could take full advantage of the roses. A scrap of Dupioni silk was all it took to make the bodice. And a little rhinestone brooch coordinates beautifully. Available now in my Etsy shop.

Alice Blue for Francie

Francie needed a new dress, so I chose a vintage hand embroidered wedding hankie in blue and white for the skirt and lined it in blue. I used coordinating blue silk tissue taffeta for the bodice and waistband. Now she’s ready for that afternoon tea party.

Polka Dot Part II for Francie

When Francie saw Barbie’s new party dress from the David Tutera fabrics, she requested a coordinating dress for their holiday party. Both dresses are now available in my Etsy shop.

1:6 scale throw blankets for fashion dolls

I sew. My sister knits. We work in the same building, so we usually grab a quick lunch and then head to one of our favorite craft stores to get some exercise. Ok … shop. I look for beads, lace, fabric, etc., and she looks at yarn.

For the last couple of years, she has volunteered to go with me to the GAW Barbie Convention. So this past year, I told her she should make something for Barbie to sell out of our room. She started knitting these adorable throw blankets. One happened to end up in my box after convention and I just love how it drapes on the furniture and adds that something extra to my dioramas.

Now, we’re making them available in my Etsy shop. There are a variety of colors, sizes, and patterns to choose from. Check them out!

 

New sewing pattern for Francie

If you love to sew and you love Francie dolls, I have a treat for you. I’ve created a new sewing pattern for Francie. Poor Francie Fairchild only got one official sewing pattern, whereas her cousin Barbie got hundreds. I can’t even the score, but here’s my first attempt to help out. This pattern is now available in my Etsy shop.

Signature Yellow for Francie

This is a custom order for a friend. We’ve decided that if Barbie’s signature color is pink, Francie’s color is yellow. And I just so happen to have yards of yellow dupioni silk left over from another project. So it was serendipitous.

 

Roses are Periwinkle for Francie

I’m discovering that Francie doesn’t have a lot of sewing pattern options. So I drafted my own pattern for this season-spanning dress. With 3/4 sleeves and a modest wrap v-neckline, the waistband of the dress sits above the natural waist and flows into a full skirt. It can be dressed up for a dinner out with a nice pair of pumps, but also works well with tennis shoes for a walk in the park.

I am planning to publish the sewing pattern for this dress, but it may be a week or so before I can get the instructions written up and ready for downloading. In the meantime, this dress is now available in my Etsy shop.

Pop of Pink for Francie

A new girl has joined my collection: Nighty Brights Silkstone Francie. It’s rather difficult to find sewing patterns for Francie. Mattel only authorized McCalls to publish one official Francie sewing pattern. I’ve found a few more unofficial patterns on Etsy. The bodice of this dress is from Mari Dewitt’s book, Vintage Clothing for the Fashion Doll. The skirt is simply a rectangle to which I’ve added an inverted pleat and gathers. And of course, it’s fully lined. Fashion includes dress, belt, hat, and magnetic brooch.

Available now in my Etsy shop.