Though the stuffed animals in the book are not dressed and look cute that way, I thought the one I made looked unfinished and well...naked. So, I decided to attempt to sew a dress for it. Surprise, surprise, it actually worked!
I placed the knitted rabbit on a piece of paper and traced around the body with a pencil. Then, I drew a simple dress large enough to cover this shape. Using some left over fabric from the receiving blanket, I cut out the dress and somehow bungled my way through the rest of it. I don't have much experience in sewing clothes, so I know I went about most of the construction the hard way, but it worked and I'm happy with it.
Sewing this dress reminded me of the summer my grandmother made three wardrobes of Barbie Doll clothes for me and my two sisters. She made about six outfits for each of us. Unlike me, she is a very experienced seamstress. She drew out her patterns on brown paper grocery store sacks and constructed dresses, skirts, and blouses much prettier than store bought. My favorite was, of course, the evening gown. It was pale yellow satin, strapless, with a fitted bodice and a full skirt. Underneath was a petticoat of net that held the skirt out just right. Those Barbie clothes brought me many hours of fun and now that I've had a little taste of what it's like to sew something in a similar way, I appreciate them all the more. I doubt I have all them, but if I dig deep enough in the closet, I know I will find my old Barbie still dressed in my favorite yellow gown.
Pattern: Cat, Rabbit, and Teddy Bear from Natural Knits for Babies and Moms by Louisa Harding (dress pattern not included)
Yarn: Lion Brand Cotton-Ease
Colors (discontinued): Sugarplum, Strawberry Cream
Needles: US 6
Knitting and Sewing Time: 3 days
That is the cutest baby gift ever! It's always fun to read about childhood memories.
ReplyDeleteThat is just to cute. Where do you find all the time to do these things?
ReplyDeleteVery cute. You're sure getting a lot out of that book, aren't you! I had to return my copy to the library, but plan to check it out again in the future after seeing all of your great projects.
ReplyDeleteWhatever works! What a sweet toy. That's going to be one lucky little baby!
ReplyDeleteThat little rabbit looks so huggable!! Thanks for the trip down memory lane, too. I've always liked Barbies. I still have my original Barbie that I got in about 1961 or so. I collected the older Barbies for a while...I may do that again some day. That, in fact, is how I got started with knitting - making clothes for Barbie!
ReplyDeleteYour little rabbit and matching receiving blanket are about the cutest gifts ever. What lovely things to give and to receive.
ReplyDeleteMy mom made some Barbie clothes for me once upon a time. Unfortunately, I do not have any of them, but I still have the memories...
Ohhhh....how adorable is that bunny. I need to make something from that book. I just love the animals and baby sweaters. Enjoyed your story of your Gram. It brought me back to my early daying of hand sewing doll clothes for my dolls.
ReplyDeleteTotally adorable bunny!! I love that you color coodinated. What a special gift! I played with Barbies too but the most special Barbies were the one's that my friend Sharon's grandmother made for her that were dressed like the characters from Little House On The Prarie. I once had a lunchbox with "Campus Queen" on it. What great ball gowns they had:D Thanks for sharing your Barbie memories.
ReplyDeleteOh, so adorable!!! I'd love to give that sweet purple bunny a big hug...it's just the cutest! I've been wanting to try a knitted bear for a new family baby arriving this summer...you may have inspired me from "wanting to try" into "actually doing"!!!
ReplyDeleteAnother cute project from the same book?! Okay, I give.... I ordered the book!
ReplyDeleteVery cute. Love the little vent for the bunny tail :-) Nice detail.
ReplyDelete