Our Generation Tea Set Review

February 19, 2015 // 5 Comments

Oh, Hello…

It’s so nice to see you! Do you have time to join us for a cup of tea?
Please, please, sit!

Help yourself to a scone and some jam.
Our Generation 18

We have a selection of teas to choose from. There is Orange (um.. orange?) or Yellow (lemon, maybe?). Don’t forget to add cream and a cube of sugar. Perhaps a macaron? Don’t be silly, of course they’re not stuck together. If you’d like something a little more substantial to nibble, help yourself to a finger sandwich, a chocolate cookie, or a fruit tart.

Have you had enough eat? Yes, we agree, the shade-of-green-not-found-in-nature filling in the finger sandwiches is.. interesting. And the raisin scones are quite tasty.

Thank you so much for having tea with us today! We’re so glad you found a moment to stop by, we so enjoy your company.

If you’d like to have your own tea party, you can find the Our Generation “Tea for Two” set at Target stores or at Amazon.com (as of this writing, the Amazon price is at retail.. save yourself the hunt!).

We made a video review of the OG tea set if you’d like a few more details about what’s included and to hear my impressions of the materials used (hint:plastic) in this set.

Thanks again for stopping by.. we’ll see you soon!

The Mod Shift Dress Pattern is on Etsy

February 13, 2015 // 3 Comments

The Mod Shift Dress pattern is ready and available on Etsy! I’m really excited about this pattern and I hope you’ll love it too. I designed it after finding lots of pretty sheer knits, stretchy lace, and open weave knit fabrics that were just begging to be sewn into dolly dresses.

Of course using see-through fabrics requires a lined dress, so this pattern includes instructions for sewing a full, attached lining.

Because the lines are so simple, this is the perfect little dress to accessorize. For our photo shoot, we switched up jewelry, hats, shoes, glasses.. it was great fun!

I love how changing only the color of the lining under the lace completely changes the personality of the dress.

This is a simple and versatile pattern that comes together very quickly. You don’t even have to set sleeves! If you use an opaque knit fabric rather then a sheer or a lace, you can omit the lining altogether and go from cutting table to finished dress in under an hour.

We upcycled one of my daughter’s outgrown t-shirts to make this Kitty dress for our doll Avery. I cut the pattern aligning the hem of the dress on the pre-finished hem of the tee, so this entire project took about 20 minutes.

Avery would like you to know that, although she is a fan of her new dress, .. SPARKLY SHOES!

I drafted the pattern using American Girl dolls, but the dress will fit most 18 inch dolls with a similar body type. As always when sewing a new pattern, it’s best to do a “test run” with scrap fabrics the first time through. I designed the hemline above the knee (because dolly knees are the cutest thing in the whole wide world. And boots, y’all.), but you can easily lengthen the dress if you prefer a little more coverage or are sewing a more formal style dress.

I’ll leave with one final pic from our photo shoot. If you’re inspired to sew a Mod Shift Dress for your doll, you can find the pattern in our Etsy store!

Mod Shift Dress pattern from MSF

DIY Lighted Bakery Case for Dolls

February 2, 2015 // 39 Comments

Still feeling inspired by American Girl’s 2015 bakery theme? My small friends and I sure are. We made this lighted Bakery Case in just a few hours (not counting the bazillion hours spent trolling every.single.aisle in Hobby Lobby) and for about $30. If you already have paint and other common craft supplies on hand, you can make your own lighted Bakery Case for even less!

Materials List

Pre-made wood cabinet from Hobby Lobby ($11.99 before 40% off coupon) Please note that the doors in this cabinet are glass paned and probably not appropriate for play by younger children.
Wood plaque from Hobby Lobby (or elsewhere – I paid about $2 for the one I chose)
Primer [optional] and Paint – I used Krylon Paint+Primer and Imaginisce Milk Paint (but I would suggest using acrylic paint instead. If you use acrylic paint, you probably don’t need to prime before painting).
Glue – I used Aileen’s Tacky Glue
Glaze – I used Delta Sparkle Glaze
Krylon Webbing Spray [optional]
Paint Brush
Drill and Marquee Lights [optional – Lights $7.99 at Hobby Lobby]

Assemble

Glue the wood plaque (the “counter”) to the top of the cabinet. This is an optional add-on. You could use the cabinet as-is, but I think it adds a lot to the finished Bakery Case. I also glued 4 small blocks to the bottom of the cabinet at each corner to give the case a little additional height. Allow the glue to dry before proceeding.

Prepare and Prime

1) Cover both sides of the cabinet windows with paper and masking tape to avoid getting paint on the the glass.

2) Lightly sand the cabinet and then wipe away the dust with a damp cloth.

3) Spray white primer over the entire exterior and interior of the Bakery Case. I used two coats. Allow to dry before proceeding.

DIY Lighted Bakery Case for American Girl Dolls

Paint

1) Lightly sand the primed Bakery Case to remove the “bumps” and rough patches that spray primer often leaves behind.

2) Paint the case in any way you find pleasing. I was hoping to achieve a marbled look, so I chose a pink and grey color scheme. I used milk paint because I found it on clearance at Joann and I was intrigued! If you use milk paint, mix it to a thicker consistency then suggested on the packaging. If I were to do this project again, I would probably choose to use inexpensive acrylic paint instead. I painted the interior of the case as well, but I didn’t bother adding much detail.

DIY Lighted Bakery Case

Marble

After I painted my case and allowed it to dry, I used Krylon’s Webbing Spray to get a marbled look. I found the webbing spray at every craft store I visited (Joann, Michael’s, and Hobby Lobby) . It is priced at about $7 and I used a coupon to make it more affordable.

This webbing spray is odd stuff! It’s paint, but it shoots out of the can like “silly string” or like spider webbing. Essentially, you shoot it into the air and allow it to fall lightly onto your project. You don’t have a lot of control with the outcome, which is both exciting and alarming at the same time.

I have to tell you, at this point in the project, I wasn’t sure I liked where it was going. It has a bit of a 1988 vibe, don’t you think? 😀 I had a good laugh because once I’d seen the 80’s in this project, I couldn’t un-see the 80’s. You guys, it’s totally rad.

I did not marble the inside of the Bakery Case, which I think was the salvation of this paint job. When displayed with the doors open, the marble effect is only visible on the counter top, which I am very pleased with. With the doors closed, it’s a little… much.

If I had this to do over, I might only marble the counter top and then glue it to the body of the cabinet, which I would leave solid white. I have toyed with the idea of sanding and re-painting the lower part of the cabinet, but that sounds like a lot of work.

Glaze

Finally, I used Delta Sparkle Glaze to add a shiny finish. I thought the glitter in the glaze added to the marble look as well. In addition, I used grey acrylic paint to paint over the hardware on the doors.

DIY Lighted Bakery Case

Here’s how it looks with the doors closed. What do you think? Do you suddenly feel like breaking out your stonewashed jeans and listening to Bobby Brown? <snicker>

DIY Lighted Bakery Case

Add Lighting

This step is obviously optional, and I think the case is adorable even without the lights. However, I think the lighting really makes this a WOW piece! I found these lights at Hobby Lobby and they are exactly what I was looking for and perfect for this project. That said, I cannot find them for sale online anywhere, even HobbyLobby.com. Here is a picture of the packaging:

I found this set near the paper mache items at Hobby Lobby. They are intended to be used as marquee lights in a craft project.

The lights require 2 AAA batteries. I love that this lightening doesn’t need to be plugged in, since this makes the Bakery Case very portable and without wire clutter. Currently I’ve got the extra wiring and battery pack sitting behind the Bakery Case, but I will eventually duct tape it to the back.

DIY Lighted Bakery Case

I didn’t take photos of the drilling and lighting process, but it was simple and hopefully self-explanatory. I drilled holes in the back of the case that were the same size as the bases of the clear marquee bulbs. Then I pressed the marquee bulbs into the holes, and inserted the lights from behind the case, into the bulbs.

If you can’t find marquee lights, I think this could also be accomplished with a small holiday lights set, which seem to be available year round at most hobby stores. You’d simply drill the holes and press the lights through holes. You might need some craft putty to hold the lights in place. If you guys have other ideas how to achieve a similar effect, please add in the comments below!

DIY Lighted Bakery Case

To make the signs, I used a variety of pre-made chalkboard papers and products which are ubiquitous in craft stores at the moment. I used a Bistro chalk marker to write on the signs. You could also use a regular white or silver marker, but I was happy with my choice to use something erasable, since each sign took me about twelve tries to get “right”. I’m still tempted to redo some of them! Repeat after me: Perfection is the enemy of good.

DIY Lighted Bakery Case

The mini chalkboard signs are made by the Paper Studio. The cupcakes on the signs are actually metal brads (also by the Paper Studio) that I clipped to the back of the chalkboard signs.

DIY Lighted Bakery Case

The doll food in our Bakery Case is a mix of American Girl, Our Generation (from the new Tea for Two Set), and The Queen’s Treasures. Ada is wearing her Patisserie Apron, of course!

Please let me know if you have any questions about this project. If you make your own Bakery Case, I hope you will link pictures in the comments below!

American Girl Grace’s Baking Set Review

January 21, 2015 // 14 Comments

I had to have it. Because, you guys.. the mixer.

American Girl has apparently found open access to my bank account via my obsession with dolly-size replicas of all the stuff I love, in all the colors I love.

In honor of the 2015 Girl of the Year Paris theme: Le Sigh.

Dear AG, if you want the rest of my money: Pyrex.

Where was I? Oh yes, the Girl of the Year 2015 Grace Thomas and her Baking Set. Grace is sweet doll, but she’s not coming to live with me and the small friends, unless AG loses their everlovin’ minds again next fall and sells her for $68.

(Was that crazy, or what? That was CRAZY! In case you missed it, AG sold Isabelle with her accessories and her cat Tutu for $68 for a few very short and frenzied hours in December.)

Even though I’m not getting Grace, I’m certainly not above pilfering her collection. Grace’s storyline revolves around a trip to Paris and a love of baking, so American Girl has pulled out all the stops to load her down with seriously overpriced and yet irresistibly cute clothing and accessories. Bistros, bon bons, and berets.. oh my!

I succumbed immediately (defined as: 12:01 a.m. CST on January 1) to the Baking Set. Thanks to early leaks, I was fully prepared to succumb, with debit card in hand, as the clock struck midnight.

And then I waited patiently, as usual, for the mailman to deliver.

An lo, it came to pass, that the items were delivered, and the human people and the small vinyl people were satisfied. Mostly.

American Girl Doll Girl of the Year GOTY 2015 Grace Thomas Baking Set Review

American Girl Grace's Baking Set

The set, as a whole, is undeniably adorable. Because wee, working stand mixer! But it’s very, very, very.. plastic. And most of it isn’t the good, heavy weight, substantial feeling plastic. It’s the cheap, thin, lots of visible mold markings, clinks-instead-of-clunks-when-you-tap-it plastic. Again… Le Sigh.

The mixer is good plastic and the spoon is made of wood, but did I mention the retail price of this set is $68? It bears repeating at this point that in December, American Girl sold the Isabelle doll, her meet accessories, and her pet cat for the very same price: $68. Obviously that was a moment of corporate insanity, but still! A decent plastic mixer + a wooden spoon + a lot of cheap plastic stuffs and some additional paper stuffs probably isn’t worth $68 unless you REALLY love the mixer. Which I do, and which is why I succumbed.

I made a review video if you’d like to see the mixer in action and get a few more details about each of the individual pieces included in the Baking Set.

Overall, I’m not sorry I purchased this set. I received some gift cards for Christmas and I used a $10 off code so I’m telling myself I really only spent $58 on a plastic-yet-adorable stand mixer, tiny wooden spoon, and accompanying cheap plastic and paper accessories.

If I had to guess, the mixer will be one of those classic, highly sought after American Girl pieces after it retires, and a complete Baking Set with easily misplaced, tiny pieces, like the measuring cups and stylus will be nearly impossible to find. I wouldn’t want to be the poor soul trying to track the set down for a reasonable price on the secondary market in years to come.

Yet, given the recent history of Girl of the Year megasales, I wouldn’t be shocked to see this set marked down next fall or early 2016. OR, it might just be popular enough to sell out by December and never go on sale.

What do you think? Are you buying Girl of the Year merch at full price or waiting for sales? Is any of Grace’s collection a “Must Have” for you, or are you willing to take a chance on mark downs?

Patisserie Apron Pattern for 18 inch Dolls

January 14, 2015 // 33 Comments

If you’re an American Girl fan, you’ve no doubt been introduced to the new “Girl of the Year” Grace Thomas and her marvelous 2015 collection. Collectors that visited an American Girl store on the first few days of new year may have been lucky enough to get Grace’s Apron as a free giveaway. Alas, the nearest AG store is a seven-plus hour drive from our home, so no free apron for us!

Fortunately, aprons are very easy to make. So may I present, the MSF version of Grace’s Patisserie Apron!

Want to make your own Patisserie Apron? Here’s what you’ll need:

Patisserie Apron Pattern for 18″ Dolls
1/4 yard Woven Fabric – Twill or Denim is ideal.
30 inches of (approximately) 1 inch wide Twill Tape or Bias Tape (packaged -or- make your own)
Snaps or Velcro
Sewing Machine and Coordinating Thread
{Optional} Home Printer to print designs on your apron
{Optional} Polka dot ribbon and/or other embellishments

IMPORTANT – Be sure to download and save the pattern to your hard drive and print at “Actual Size” from a PDF reader like Adobe Reader. If you print directly from your browser, the pattern may not print at the correct scale.

General Instructions

All seams have 1/4″ seam allowance unless otherwise noted.
If your fabric frays, finish seam allowances with a serger or a short narrow zig zag stich.
Read completely through instructions before beginning. Let me know if you have questions. I’d be happy to help!

Cutting the Pattern

1. Using the pattern pieces as a guide, cut your fabric. Cut three pieces of twill tape (or bias tape): Two pieces each 11 inches long, and a third piece is the length of the apron pocket (just a little over 7 1/2 inches long).

Patisserie Apron Tutorial

2. [Optional] Add a printed design to your Patisserie Apron. Did you know you can print a design using a regular ink jet home printer right onto fabric? You totally can! I used my 15 year old Hewlett Packard Desk Jet for this project with one of my usual generic eBay ink cartridges. No special equipment required.

I did this two ways. The first time, I wasn’t sure if it was going to work, so I printed my design onto a small rectangle of fabric. When it came out just how I wanted, I sewed the printed rectangle directly onto my apron like an applique.

The second time, a little more confident that the printing would come out as planned, I printed directly onto my apron fabric.

I like how both look, so you can choose!

**It would be a good idea to test your print settings on some scrap fabric before attempting to print on your apron** I found that I got best printing results setting my printer for “Best” quality on the Plain Paper setting.

Printing on Fabric

To begin, choose the design you’d like to print. If you are somewhat tech savvy, you can find a million clip art designs online to choose from. You will need to download the design to your hard drive and resize in a graphics program to fit your apron. I found that designs approximately 2″ high x 3″ wide work well for the apron. I chose this design from a wonderful site called The Graphics Fairy.

I made two variations with this graphic. If you’d like to use one for your Patisserie Apron, click on the image below and save the pdf file to your hard drive. When you are ready to print, open your pdf viewer (I use Adobe Acrobat), open the file, and proceed with the instructions below.

Design #1

Design #2

When your design is ready or you’ve downloaded one of the above, test print it on a regular piece of printer paper.

Patisserie Apron Tutorial

Next, lay your fabric, right side up, on the paper you’ve just printed on, aligning the fabric over the printed design. My printer, being the old finicky biddy that she is, isn’t a big fan of any “edges”. Edges = Terrible Paper Jam . So I carefully taped down all the edges of the fabric, making it as flat as possible.

Patisserie Apron Tutorial

Next, run your fabric-on-paper combo through the printer again and.. voila! You’ve printed on fabric! [I sincerely doubt this would survive the washing machine, so consider yourself forewarned.]

Patisserie Apron Tutorial

Un-tape your fabric from your printer paper and proceed.

Sewing the Patisserie Apron

3. Fold the twill tape in half over one long edge of your apron pocket piece, encasing the raw edge. Pin in place.

Patisserie Apron Tutorial

Top stitch near the edge of the tape, taking care to catch the tape on both the front and the back of the apron.

Note: The twill tape I bought had some plasticy polyester content and began to melt when I attempted to press it. So if you are using the same type of twill tape, don’t press it. 😉 If you are using cotton twill tape or bias tape, pressing it will obviously not cause meltage.

Patisserie Apron Tutorial

4. Lay your apron piece right side DOWN. Lay your pocket piece on top of the apron piece, also right side DOWN. Sew across the bottom.

Press open the seam and flip your pocket piece around to the right side of the apron and press in place. Top stitch along the bottom seam.

Stitch a dividing line up the center of your pocket piece, back stitching several times at the pocket opening to strengthen the stitching.

Patisserie Apron Tutorial

5. Serge or zigzag the apron sides and neck to prevent unraveling.
Patisserie Apron Tutorial

6. Press serged / zigzagged sides and neck to the wrong side to create an approximate 1/4″ hem. Top stitch the hems.

Patisserie Apron Tutorial

7. As you did for the pocket above, encase the arm opening with an 11 inch length of twill tape. Allow 4 inches of tape above the top of the apron for the neck strap. Beginning at one end, sew along the entire length of the twill tape to secure it to the apron and to close the neck and waist strap. Repeat on the other side of the apron with the remaining 11 inch length of tape.

Sew velcro or snaps onto the ends of the neck and waist straps.

Patisserie Apron Tutorial

8. {Optional} Embellish your apron with ribbons and/or other notions. I really like the pop of turquoise color in American Girl Grace’s apron, so I added a turquoise flower to my second Patisserie Apron.

Patisserie Apron Tutorial

You’re finished! I hope you enjoy this pattern and tutorial. I’d LOVE to see your Patisserie Aprons. Put a link to pictures of your creations in the comments or, better yet, post to our Facebook page.

A note to artisans who sell: You are welcome to use the Patisserie Apron pattern to sew handmade aprons to sell in your online or “real world” boutiques. It is important to know that most graphics that you find online are copyright protected and cannot be used on items for sale. However, The Graphics Fairy does allow limited use of her published clip art for sale items. You can read her terms along with a good “plain English” explanation of fair use of images in the public domain on her site.

New year, new toys, new patterns!

January 8, 2015 // 9 Comments

Happy 2015, friends! I hope that all who celebrated the holidays had many joyful and memorable moments. We had a terrific Christmas filled with family, fun, and delicious food. As usual, my dolly habit was indulged by my wonderful family and I have lots of fun new stuff to show you in the coming weeks.

My daughter is enchanted by the revamped American Girl Pets Collection and asked for Coconut and “any of the pet beds” for Christmas. I made a top secret video review of both items before gifting and, fortunately for me, she didn’t peruse the MSF YouTube channel before the big day.

American Girl Coconut Puppy

AG Pets and the Princess Pet Bed

You can check out the video here, but the bottom line is that I was more impressed with Coconut then I expected and much less impressed with the Princess Pet Bed.

She loved both, and that’s really all that matters. 🙂

One of my favorite new toys is a 5th generation iPod Touch! I have enjoyed a much older version for years, but it has been sporting a cracked screen for a few months and it didn’t come equipped with a camera. I’m also the last human on earth to not have a smart phone, so although I’ve been very intrigued by the doll communities on Instagram, I haven’t been able to join the fun with no device compatible with the Instagram app. My new iPod now allows me to snap quick pics and upload them to Instagram or Facebook for instant sharing. Hello 21st century, it’s so nice to finally meet you!

I’m definitely a “newb” (as I’m oft labeled by my teenage sons), but I have found lots of great doll-centered Instagram accounts to follow. My account can be found here: @many_small_friends

(Sons, did I do that right??!!??)

I’m also posting the Instagram pictures on Facebook if you are uncool like me and still hang out on Facebook*.

*Facebook uncoolness insight also provided by aforementioned teenage sons. Apparently parents ruined it.

Dolly Instagram

One of my favorite things about a fresh new year is all the fresh new ideas that flood my imagination. I can hardly sleep with all the patterns and projects floating around in my head. Sadly, daylight hours have not expanded to match my renewed energy, so progress is slow. But bear with me, I have so many fun things to share with you in 2015!

Here is a peek at some of the patterns I’m working on.

Julie and Saige American Girl Dolls

Have you sewn with loose knit sweater fabrics and stretch lace? They are too sheer to be used alone, but I’m developing a pattern for a fully lined dress that looks fantastic with these knits and lace as an overlay. It’s almost finished and will be available at Etsy when it’s ready.

Doll bums are difficult to fit.

I’m also expanding the jeggings pattern to fit better with less stretchy fabrics. I’ve found a bunch of printed sateens (~3% Spandex content) that have a little too much gap in the back without some additional paneling in the rear. You guys.. doll bums are difficult to fit! But I’m soooo close. It’s only taken about 2,403,649 prototypes, give or take. Julie has been a (relatively) good sport, what with all the leg yanking required to get a million pairs on tight fitting pants on and off. She did, however, threaten to stick chewing gum in my sewing machine if I didn’t finish up soon.

When this pattern is finished, it will be sent as a freebie to my MSF Newsletter subscribers and then listed for sale in the Etsy store.

Lots of prototypes

I hope you had a nice holiday season as well and I’m so grateful to have found such a wonderful group of fellow doll enthusiasts to share ideas and inspiration. If you have an Instagram account, I’d love to follow you! Post your account address (?? Is that what it’s called on IG? Sons, stop at laughing at your mother) in the comment section below. 🙂

Make Jeggings! Sewing Pattern for American Girl

December 18, 2014 // 20 Comments

Make Jeggings for your American Girl Doll

This pattern was developed for a modern Mattel manufactured American Girl doll. Jeggings may also fit other brands of 18″ dolls that share the American Girl body style. For best fit, make a test pair of jeggings first and adjust pattern as necessary for your doll before using your best fabric.

Materials

Jeggings Pattern Sheets
1/3 yard fabric suitable for jeggings (see fabric note below)
Coordinating polyester thread
Velcro (or snap or button) for fly closure
Sewing machine
Iron for pressing hems and setting seams.

IMPORTANT – Be sure to download and save the patterns to your hard drive and print at “Actual Size” from a PDF reader like Adobe Reader. If you print directly from your browser, the pattern may not print at the correct scale.

A Note about Fabrics – I tested several types of fabric for my jeggings. The best fabric I found was in the denim section at my local Joann store. It is a very stretchy, medium weight fabric that acts more like a knit then a tradition “jeans” denim. I also tested the pattern with a stretch sateen (97% cotton, 3% spandex) that worked well. However, because the sateen has less stretch and behaves more like a woven then a knit, the jeggings pull down over the doll’s cloth behind when she is in a seated position. Looks great for standing, a little less great when sitting! Another great source of fabric for doll jeggings are outgrown or thrift store people jeggings.

General Instructions

All seams have 1/4″ seam allowance unless otherwise noted.
Press seams as you sew for more polished and better fitting jeggings.
If your fabric frays, finish seam allowances with a serger or short zig zag stich.
Read completely through instructions before beginning. Let me know if you have questions! I’d be happy to help!

Assemble the Pattern

1. Download the free jeggings pattern, print, and cut pattern pieces. The pieces were a little too long to fit on one page, so you’ll find the bottom portion of each leg piece printed separately. To assemble your pattern pieces, tape the bottom portion of each leg piece to the corresponding top piece, overlapping as indicated by the dotted lines on the pattern.

Cut Jeggings Pieces

2. Using your paper patterns as a guide, cut your fabric. You should have four pieces in total.

Free AG Jeggings Pants Pattern and Tutorial

Sewing

3. Right sides together, sew the crotch seams for both the front and back pant pieces. Be sure NOT to sew the fly closed on the front! Clip curves as indicated.