Sewing: Waldorf Doll Wardrobes (Part I)

One of the best things I did for this past Christmas was sew a wardrobe of clothes for each my girls' Waldorf dolls. By "best," I mean most fun and most satisfying! Thank goodness I ended up with a couple days right at the end to squeeze it in. I tried to get everything else out of the way so I could sew until the 24th and see how much I could finish.

As it turned out I finished quite a bit! Five outfits for each doll. Sewing for dolls is really quite quick, but it's multiplying by three dolls that creates the challenge. I also thought of things to try as quickly as I sewed so I've got a big mental list for more. Stay tuned!

You might remember the Waldorf dolls I sewed and gave to my girls for Christmas the year before last. Well they have had nothing to wear but the doll cardigan sweaters I had knit the year before that. The girls had teased me about this fact this past year. There were a few items of clothing from the doll I made Audrey years ago, but not enough to go around. Then Scarlett had been asking if I planned to sew for them again this Christmas so I thought doll clothes would be the perfect thing.

I started with a doll-sized version of one of my favorite girls' patterns: The Summer Set.  Each doll has a Flutter Dress (actually minus the flutter on the arm) with matching Bloomers. I love the button detail at the back and found the tiniest buttons at Hobby Lobby to coordinate.

They also received a Flutter Top and Bloomers Set. I had such fun digging through my stash of fabric and scraps to find the right patterns for each doll (daughter, really).

Some of the dolls have "flutters" on theirs, and others don't. 

I packaged everything in some chipboard nesting suitcases (affiliate links). Red suitcases for Audrey, green suitcases for Scarlett and yellow suitcases for Tess. I loved the bear wardrobe Dana sewed for Sprinkles a couple years ago. She'd found a gold toiletries case to package it. So darling! So I took inspiration from her and looked for some small suitcases. I love these nesting set of three--lots of room for clothing and accessories. And they'll look so cute stacked in their rooms.

I made digital sewing patterns for all these clothes so stay tuned as I share those, and more of the doll clothes I sewed for Christmas.

Sewing: Circa 52 Game Day Jersey Tee (Fabric Giveaway)

Birch Fabrics asked me to participate in the blog hop for Circa 52 fabric collection from Monaluna and I was immediately on board. But when I received these organic knits in the mail I was in love. (You can get some too--enter the giveaway below.)

The color palette is as soft as the organic cotton. And I love the faux bois trees and little birds in the "Tree Stripes" print.  

Tess always picks yellow, grey and white knits out of her drawer so I thought sewing a Game Day Jersey Tee and matching skirt with Circa 52 would win her over. As soon as the calendar turns over I want to wear colors that lean more towards Spring but are still cozy. Add leggings and boots or a cardigan and this outfit is just the thing to get her to Spring. 

Plus it matches the landscape so nicely.

 You'll have to check out the other great projects that are part of the Circa 52 blog hop:

Monday 1/26: Caroline from Sew Can She

Tuesday 1/27: Heidi from Fabric Mutt

Wednesday 1/28: Anneliese from Aesthetic Nest

Thursday 1/29: Melissa from Lunden Designs

Friday 1/30: Melissa from Brindille &Twig

Monday 2/2: Marte from Companie M.

And enter to win a yard of each of the cute Circa 52 fabrics!

Circa 52 Blog Hop Giveaway!

Good luck!

Cooking: Green Chile Breakfast Casserole

I'm a big fan of recipes that work for any meal. Such as my mother's "Puffy Oven Pancake" (good for breakfast, lunch or dinner!). It's great to have something in the repertoire to serve the family when you need a sure thing. Or when you are too tired, or busy, to think of something more appropriate for dinner but have a bunch of eggs on hand!

That is not to say this Green Chile Breakfast Casserole is just for times when you are in a pinch. It's definitely guests-for-brunch caliber. It's full of green chiles, and cheese and has a tiny kick to it. It's great with salsa. My husband also likes it rolled in a fresh tortilla. It rewarms nicely too (if you have any leftover) so you can serve it for an after-school snack. I love it!

I love it especially because of it's origin. One of our dear family friends, Sally, made this for us a couple years ago when we were visiting her for brunch. She is one of those women whose creativity and great style is equaled by her generous heart. I'm so grateful to have her in our lives. 

So now when enjoy this dish she calls "Chile Cheese" I can also enjoy warm memories of her.

She prepares this and lets it stand in the refrigerator overnight but I was pressed for dinner so I made it, set it in the refrigerator while I took my girls to swimming lessons, and then baked it when I got home and it was great. So this can be prepared the night before a brunch, or an hour before everyone in your home is asking for dinner. It would even work baked immediately--it just may bake a bit faster as it wouldn't be chilled to start. You can't go wrong!

Click through for this recipe.

Sewing: The Game Day Jersey Tester Roundup

I'm so grateful to my team of fabulous sewing testers! (If you are interested in testing a future sewing pattern send me an email with the subject line "pattern testing.") They ensured that The Game Day Jersey pattern is easy to read and use and helped me put on that final polish. Thank goodness for multiple sets of eyes! Testing a pattern in this way adds time to the schedule (I'm always so anxious to finish a pattern and get it out there!) and takes a bit of work to coordinate but it's so worth it.

And it was a lot of fun to see what they sewed. So many combinations. And lots of sewing Game Day Jersey Tees for boys! I need a lot of help in that department with my houseful of girls. Take a look!

Crochet: Triple Strand Earflap Hats for Sledding

With a just-in-time white Christmas my family and I had a great time enjoying Winter sports over our holiday break. Skiing with the cousins is becoming a tradition for my girls, which is so much fun. And so is sledding! 

Especially with the right gear! I made an armful of Triple Strand Earflap Hats in various colors and sizes to share with my extended family. I love the gree-and-green version I made (three different strands of green yarns) with big pom-poms embellishing the flaps.

Scarlett requested a version that reminds me of cotton candy ice cream. A bit too sweet! But she loves it.

And I pulled out one of my original hats--a fuchsia with white tassels.

Looks like I need to get working on some for the men.

You can find out more about my Triple Strand Earflap Hat Crochet pattern here.