Whiplash December

The December theme for Whiplash is gifts & decorations. Here's my entry..
I wanted to make this sweet girl something special for Christmas.

I was inspired to try a handmade doll by Martha Stewart's Handmade Holiday Gifts magazine but I wasn't wild about the body of the doll they had the pattern for. I did some searching on line & looked at lots of different dolls & patterns & I liked the legs from one, body from another & face embroidery ideas from others. I finally sketched out this pattern.

Then I cut it out of ivory cotton jersey and sewed it up leaving an opening at the top of the head for stuffing which I whipstitched shut after stuffing.

I embroidered on a very simple face and sewed on hair using Nashua Julia yarn.

The hair is styled & tacked down all the way around with matching embroidery floss to prevent it from being pulled off. It also hides the back of the embroidery. One layer of hair is not tacked down so it looks like she has long loose hair.

Little black ballet flats were painted on with fabric paint.

Then the fun part came, making her outfits with sewing and knitting

This is her school outfit. The sweater is knit from Knit Picks Merino dk and the skirt is sewn from a cotton remnant I had. It has an elastic waist to come off easily.

Here is her play outfit. The cardigan is knit from Debbie Bliss Merino dk & has snaps for the closure. The jeans are from scrap denim.

Finally her party outfit. The top is knit from cotton & has a picot edging around the neck & sleeves. The skirt is made from taffeta & has an elastic waist.
Everything was put in a bright pink box that the doll could be stored in along with her wardrobe.
According to mom, doll and baby have already had a chat & are on the way to becoming fast friends.