Rosie's Doll Clothes Patterns Bundle Giveaway!

It's time for our last giveaway of Sewing Pattern Month here at Sew Can Do and this one's extra special because it's a....

Winner's choice of pattern bundle from:

Rosie's Doll Clothes Patterns offers patterns to make your own American Girl, Cabbage Patch Kid or other similar size doll clothing.  It's a great money saver (have you seen some of those outrageous prices for manufactured American Girl outfits?!?), it's a great way to use up scraps and gives you the chance to make great custom outfits for the children's favorite dolls.  

But Rosie provides more than just printable patterns - all Rosie's pdf doll clothes patterns come with written instructions and 12 months online access to video tutorials where Rosie shows you, step-by-step, how to make the doll clothes outfit - which means there is no way you can go wrong!

And Rosie also has an Online Doll Clothes Sewing Course.  

This is great too because:

- It's set up in themed sections with easy-to-watch segments that are just a few minutes long, to watch at your convenience.  

- Even if you don't know a thing about sewing, you'll find the knowledge you need in the videos - including setting up a sewing room, fabric selecting, etc.

- There's valuable info for experienced sewists too, like assembling in a different order, ways to get around the tiny size challenges & embellishing techniques.

- There are special segments called Cool Tips that share shortcuts & extra info.

- It comes with 8 free doll clothing patterns that had both printable instructions AND videos for making them.

Last August I shared my experience trying out Rosie's online sewing course for making doll clothes and using her patterns.  Here's some of what I made using them:

Not only was it fun, but it was a lot easier and faster than I'd expected.  This year I think my oldest is ready to learn how to make some with me, so it'll be a nice shared experience too. I enjoyed using them so much I decided to become an affiliate because I really think this is a worthwhile sewing source.  

           

Now Rosie has included Bundle Offers in each of her pattern categories. This gives the customer a 10% discount when they purchases all patterns under the same category. There are lots of choices for all seasons and styles:

And like all Rosie's patterns, every one comes with full video tutorials and printable instructions.

Now here's your chance to win some!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I was not financially compensated for this post.  I reviewed products from Rosie's Doll Clothes Patterns previously and am now an affiliate because I enjoy using those items.  The opinions are completely my own based on my experience.  For my complete disclosure policy, click here. 

Making A Waldorf Style Doll: A Review of Adirondack Patterns

A few weeks ago I shared some info on one of my newest sponsors, Adirondack Patterns and Handmade Babies.  Today I'm going to show my results with using one of their pattern sets and share how the process went. 

I'd never made a doll with a sculpted head or sewn on hair before, so this was a new experience for me.  I'm not a sewing novice, but I am self-taught with making toys, so I was curious to see what this would teach me.

I tried out their Large Waldorf Doll Discount Package. This included a pattern to make the body, face, dress and two ways to do the hair (crochet and non-crochet): 

I'd always wanted to make a Waldorf Doll, since buying them can be pretty expensive - most large ones like this can cost over $100!  Using this pattern bundle and some basic materials is a lot more affordable and there's the added bonus of picking your own skin tone, hair color, etc. to make it look exactly how you want.

The doll pattern & instructions made it quick to put the doll body together.  There were some handy tips for stitching & cutting to make things flow well.  I liked that the body is jointed so the doll will sit and had some nice details like the shaped ankles:



I was a little nervous before I started the head sculpting, but this was broken into simple steps, with really clear photos of each step so it went surprisingly fast.  The tricks to sculpt the face were really clever.  The nose, cheeks, head got nice definition as a result. 




I don't crochet, so I used the non-crochet hair method.  Again, the method used to attach the hair was one of those "Ohhhh, that's so much better than I'd have done it" techniques and can be styled into ponytails or with barrettes or hairbands.



The dress was super quick to make & I could see making slight modifications to it to make a bunch of outfits for the doll.  I especially like that the style has an elastic neck opening so my 3 yr old can dress & undress her without getting frustrated.



Since this was my first attempt, I went the cheap route and used materials I had on hand. So instead of a fancier organic interlock cotton, wool roving and wool yarn, I used a premium soft peach anti-pill fleece, cluster fiberfill and acrylic yarn.  On my next one I plan to upgrade to the nicer materials to make a more high end version, but I was really pleased with the end result of this one. Now the next one will be even better!  

Adirondack Patterns and Handmade Babies sells patterns for several Waldorf style dolls besides this one. I really like these styles too:

They also have patterns for knit & crochet wearables, cloth diapers, children's accessories and offer completed Waldorf Inspired Dolls for those who don't sew.  I'd definitely use their patterns again and look forward to making more lovely dolls with them:)



I was not financially compensated for this post. I received a free pattern to review and use with materials I purchased myself. The opinions are completely my own, based on my experience.

Easy Waldorf Doll & Toy Making: Adirondack Patterns and Handmade Babies

Today I want to share some info on one of my lovely new blog sponsors, Adirondack Patterns and Handmade Babies:

Adirondack Patterns is a collaboration between twin sisters Laura and Julia, who’s love of sewing and crafting for their children expanded into the creation of a store on Etsy, three years ago.  

Adirondack Patterns and Handmade Babies sells not only Waldorf Inspired Dolls, but simple sewing, crochet, and knitting patterns that inspire creativity. Over 80 patterns -including those on cloth diaper sewing, complete instructions for making several Waldorf style dolls and accessories, clothing tutorials, and accessories for little ones.

All of the patterns and tutorials are very simple to follow and almost all of them have detailed photos for every step of the process.  Laura and Julia also give away Waldorf Inspired Dolls to desiring families who may not be able to afford a doll on their blog, Windfall Dolls.

“Our sole purpose in sharing our tutorials at reasonable prices is to inspire and make it possible for other Mama’s to create handmade goods and toys for their little ones.  Because every wee one deserves to have something handmade with love.“

  

Julia and Laura also write about crafting and parenting in their spaces Happiness Comes and Mountain Mama.

Here are just a handful of examples of the patterns that Laura and Julia offer in their shop:

Easy 40 minute Pattern for Crochet Button Side Newsboy Hat:

Newborn Crochet Multi Color Cocoon/Pod:

Wee Ones Waldorf Inspired Baby Doll Pattern:

Easy sewing tutorial for our ORIGINAL Waldorf swaddled baby doll:

Upcycled sweater baby soaker pants sewing tutorial:

Complete Diapering System Tutorial Package:

Adorable Baby Bootie Sewing Pattern:

I'm currently trying out their Large Waldorf Doll Discount Package and will be sharing my experience using the patterns and revealing my doll in a few weeks.  I've always wanted to make one, so I'm excited to see how it turns out.

So many cute patterns to choose from and all designed to be easy to use.  They are also on Facebook so you can keep up with all their news & special offers (including a special 20% off discount code you can use this week).  Be sure to stop by & check out Adirondack Patterns soon and fall in love with some pretty patterns:)

Rosie's How To Make Doll Clothes Course Review & Giveaway!

Today I've got a really special review & giveaway to share: Rosie's How To Make Doll Clothes Course & Patterns.  Rosie has created a complete online video course to teach all the ins and outs of sewing doll clothes in addition to a range of cute doll clothing patterns.  

Rosie asked if I'd like to review her program and the timing was great.  My daughter is getting really interested in dolls.  She loves the Kirsten American Girl doll from my childhood days.  It's one of the very first ones made (numbered and hand signed by the original founder Pleasant T. Rowland), so it's special to us both.   I remember pouring through the catalogs as a kid and, even back then, recognizing that those outfits were expensive!  I loved the idea of making some myself and adding my own personal touch, so I gave it a try.

The Online Sewing Course is set up in themed sections with easy-to-watch segments that are just a few minutes long, so you can watch at your convenience.  Even if you don't know a thing about sewing, you'll find the knowledge you need in the videos.  Setting up a sewing room, supplies, even fabric info - it's all in there.  Plus lots of visuals and explanations, so it's like having a friend showing you as you go.

                      

And if you're experienced at sewing, this course still has a lot of great info.  I learned that the approach to sewing doll clothes is a lot different than sewing normal clothes.  If I'd just tried to make some doll clothes based on what I knew beforehand, I'm pretty sure it would have been a lot trickier and less fun.  Rosie shows how to assemble things in a different order, plus ways to get around the tiny size challenges to keep it frustration-free.  I had a number of "Oh I never thought of that!" moments.  There are special segments called Cool Tips that share some great shortcuts & extra info that are really handy too.

The course also came with 8 free doll clothing patterns that had both printable instructions AND videos for making them.  Totally goof-proof.

I made a complete outfit with 3 of the patterns that were included - a ruffled sun hat, tank top and shorts.  Here's how they turned out:

Never having made doll clothes before I was kind of amazed at how little fabric it took to make so much.  I just used bits of scraps I had from other projects.  This sun hat was incredibly fast to make and super cute:

The tank top is fully lined and has a practical velcro closure to make it easy for little hands to put on/take off, which I really like.

I added some special bias tape to the hem for some detailing.  Another nice thing about Rosie's course is it gives tips and ideas for using all sorts of trims and add-ons to make lots of different looks with all of the basic patterns.  I really like being able to get creative with the details to personalize it myself.

After seeing how nice these turned out,  I've definitely gotten the bug to make more doll clothes and with the online course being accessible for 12 months, there's plenty of time. Rosie also offers the option to buy the whole course on DVD for anyone who prefers that too. There's a huge savings to making them yourself and being so easy & fun it's definitely worth it!

Want a chance to win Rosie's 
How To Make Doll Clothes Online Course 
+ 8 Doll Clothing Patterns?

One winner will receive:

• How To Make Doll Clothes Online Course (12 months unlimited access)
• 8 printable doll clothes patterns + instructions: sun hat, summer nightie, sport shorts, underpants, halter & crop tops, sarong & pumpkin costume
• Individual video tutorials for doll clothing patterns 

To Enter:

Like Rosie's Doll Clothes Patterns on Facebook and come back to leave me a comment saying you "Liked" it.  Be sure to include an email address if it's not on your profile.

For Additional Entries (leave a separate comment for each one):

- Stop by Rosie's Doll Clothes Patterns, then leave me comment saying your favorite pattern
- Follow Rosie's blog

- Follow Rosie's Doll Clothes Patterns on Twitter

- Follow Rosie on Pinterest

- Subscribe to Rosie's Doll Clothes on YouTube

- Follow Sew Can Do

- Like Sew Can Do on Facebook

- Follow Sew Can Do on Twitter

- Follow Sew Can Do on Pinterest

- Link to this giveaway on your blog, Facebook or Twitter

Giveaway will be open until 11:59PM EST August 9th, 2012.  GIVEAWAY CLOSED.  Open to entires worldwide. Void where prohibited.  The winner will be chosen at random and announced later that week.  Good Luck Everyone!