Sweat Shop, the Sequel

Hannah has a nice warm jacket to wear. 

Here's a look at the jacket without the scarf in the way, so you can see the hood and pockets.

Hannah's boots are from Home Sew. Since I gave the hat and scarf I had made for her to the second Habitat doll, I made her a new set. My pattern is based on this tutorial, but much simpler. I cut three rectangles: 1.5" X 21" for the scarf, with 2" fringe cut into the ends at 1/2" intervals. For the hat, I cut 7" X 14", then cut fringe on one of the long sides, same size as for the scarf. Then I sew the two short ends together and stick it on the doll's head. The third rectangle is a strip 1/2" X 7" or more (it will be trimmed). I gather up the fringe on the top of the doll's head and tie the 1/2" strip around it, then trim to the same length as the fringe. If the doll's head is small, like Hannah here, I can turn up the bottom of the hat.

Hannah's jacket pattern is from McCall's Crafts 2506. I adapted the pattern for the boys, replacing the hood with a stand-up collar and adding a band around the bottom. I also slimmed it down around the waist. I slimmed down the pants from the same pattern. The waist is the same size, but I found the pants too baggy for the boys. The skirt is from this pattern. It used to be called the "Girly Tank Top Set" but the designer is going through and renaming her patterns, taking out references to American Girl Dolls and any photos of the dolls. I'm not sure if she named it after me when she changed the name, but I noticed that several other people in the doll groups I participate in now have their names on this designer's patterns. I've made this skirt several times, so maybe.

Because I'm working from my stash, I found some corduroy left over from a previous project and a woven stripe for Buddy.

Dude's jacket is a quilting flannel, like Hannah's, and his pants are homespun.

Both jackets are lined. The zippers came from Pixie Faire.

I'm trying to finish up the sewing, so I can start cleaning up for Holiday visitors. I've been sewing in the dining room because my fiber studio looks as if a tornado went through it. I'd like to straighten up the dining room and then start on my fiber studio.

Because I've been focusing on sewing, I haven't finished Dude's sweater vest yet, but it's coming along.

I did finally catch DH's cold, so I skipped Vintage Stitchers this week. Joanie hosted. She's not in the best health and uses oxygen, so I really didn't want to risk giving it to her.

However, the weather was nice for a few days, and we both felt well enough to go on some long walks and short hikes. (Dusty looks almost like Sunny here, but he's rapidly turning silver.)

The pups cherish their off-leash time. It's nice to run and play. This shot gives you a good idea of their relative sizes. Dusty's growth seems to have slowed down. He's almost at the upper range for height for miniature poodles, but he still weighs a lot less than Rocky. We expect him to fill out a bit.

Both of them have recovered well from their respective...uh...medical conditions. Rocky's hip is pretty much back to normal, and Dusty's "reconstructive surgery" only slowed him down for the few days he wore the "Cone of Shame." 

Happy Halloween!

What's on my needles: Dude's sweater vest. Still. The “So-not-my-palette Cardigan” second sleeve is still on hold. 

What's on my Featherweight: Done for now.

What's on my wheel: Still put away for now.

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Still listening to music for Park City Singers. On my Kindle app, I still haven't picked out something new to read.

What's in my wine glass: Nathanson Creek Merlot, the one with the froggy on the label.

What's my tip of the week: Inserting elastic in the waistband of a doll skirt or pair of pants, If you press the seam(s) to one side (the same side, if your waistband is a continuation of the pants or skirt), you can insert the elastic from the side with the seam allowance, or in the same direction as the seam allowance, and your elastic won't get hung up on the seam(s) as it goes through. I use a large safety pin, and I try to pay attention to which part of the clasp is up, so when it comes out the other end, I can tell easily if it is twisted.

Note: This blog post was produced on the iPad and the MacBook, using the iPhone for some photos and some photo processing. No other computer was used in any stage of composition or posting, and no Windows were opened, waited for, cleaned or broken. No animals were harmed during the production of this blog post.