Dinosaur Applique

My nephew turned 6 this week. How did that happen?? I will always remember the call that woke me up to announce his arrival in the world.

He happens to be an expert on dinosaurs, and a big fan of the color yellow, so this is what I made him for his birthday.

I was worried that he might be concerned about the lack of scientific accuracy--this is a guy who can sketch the evolutionary tree of all such prehistoric creatures--but I hear he was pleased. He even noted that it was sewn, rather than silkscreened. He appreciates the craftiness!

I bought the organic shirt from American Apparel and used my stash for the applique. I thought the polka dot scrap had dinosaur written all over it.

My Summer Un-Challenge

I don't like the commitment part of all the sewing challenges I see on my favorite blogs. I suppose I fear the commitment part. Or I dread recognizing that I have failed in my commitment....

So this is not a challenge. Or a commitment. More like a nebulous optimistic concept.

I would like to reach the end of the summer feeling proud that I have sewn one project each week. Can you see me visualizing success?

This is my first project. I used cotton knit from my stash to make a pair of soft shorts for H. This modification of the Oliver & S Sandbox Pants has become her favorite pattern.

Upcycled Surf Tee

Of course I forgot to take a photo of the ratty tshirt first. It was one of my husband's favorites, and I didn't ask him. I found a hole in the shoulder, so I consider myself justified.

The doll clearly needs board shorts.

American Kid doll

Surely I'm not the only one whose son who wants an American Boy doll for his 9th birthday? "It will be my last doll, Mommy."

But there are no American Boy dolls. There are scary dolls out there (http://www.carpatina.com/boydolls.html). And there are great customized dolls on Etsy. But American Girl does not sell 18" boy dolls. "Why don't they call it American Kid?" my son asked me.

I called the company. "We have boy Bitty Twins," the lady assured me. My son already has a boy Bitty Twin. They are marketed to kindergarteners. Santa brought the Bitty Twin in kindergarten. Now he is turning 9. He wants an American Boy doll. "Which dolls are the most masculine?" I asked her. "Excuse me?" she replied.

So I went to the store in Los Angeles. It was overwhelming, like Disneyland. I found Christian, an enthusiastic guy who was happy to stare at various noses and chins and lips with me. The historical-character dolls go by name, but the "Just Like Me" dolls go by number. Christian explained that 29 is the same as 32, only with longer hair, but 30 is very different (I've forgotten actual numbers). The dolls come with various hair colors, different parts, three skin tones, and so forth. You don't customize; you just choose the best match. We settled on 28 and 29, both with medium brown hair, brown eyes, and "medium" skin. I bought two dolls and a hair brush and headed out to my own stylist. Christian wished me luck.

I have known Victor since long before my husband. I would drive anywhere to see Victor. He decided on 29, which had a slightly rounder face. There was a more delicate chin on 28, which looked more feminine. "We're going to do a proper hair cut," he said, and sat the doll down.

 

At the American Kid store, they have miniature salon chairs. I didn't buy one, so it took two of us to hold the doll steady while he started to cut.

  

He cut a lot. Number 29 had long layers.

 Here is the talented and generous Victor:

Here is the boy, after Victor finished with him:

And here he is wearing his new clothes, which I made for him.

Handsome, no? I think B will be happy with his Last Doll.

Suitable Shorts

Shorts, not pants. Soft. No pinching. No rubbing. No scrunching. No buttons. No zippers.

Right.

Here they are:

I used the Class Picnic shorts pattern from Oliver +S. With tan corduroy and a floral print, both from my stash, they made her happy. That makes me happy.

B makes an apron

B decided he wanted to make an apron for H for Christmas. So he did.

He chose the fabric. I helped him a bit, mostly with guidance, but he did almost everything.

I found the free pattern on Sew Liberated. It was super simple and it fits H perfectly.

Invisibility Cloak

Obviously you can't see it here, but you get the idea.

B wanted an invisibility cloak, so while we were in MN we went to Hancock Fabrics and found the perfect solution: silver Liquid Foil. He can see out just perfectly, while the rest of the world can't see a thing. And it feels fantastic: it's slippery and metallic and heavy in a cool way. I cut the yardage into three rectangles, and then just sewed the pieces together with a curved seam at the top. The raw edges definitely needed to be finished, as the fabric starts to run almost immediately.

It's even big enough for Harry, Ron, and Hermione. When they were first-years, anyhow.

Princess Gown

Somebody wanted a real gown for her "princess" doll, so I tried my hand with an honest-to-goodness Barbie pattern (McCalls 8552). I won't say it was easy, but it wasn't as difficult as I feared. I'm glad I chose the sparkly gold fabric: after all that fiddling, I wouldn't have wanted it to be just so-so.

Only now do I understand all the time and energy my grandmother put into making clothes for my Barbie. If only she had done it for a girl with a bit more foresight. I can perfectly picture the garage sale thirty years ago, when I sold them all.

Happy Valentine's Day

B found cardboard discs at the Long Beach Depot for Creative ReUse, and took it from there.

Kung hei fat choi

He invented and implemented it. I love the scales.

Happy Chinese New Year!