When I saw this paper pieced paper doll dress, I knew I had to make it! So the fun began!
The first thing I did was enlarged the pattern to 125%. I wanted a little more to work with for my soon to be mini!
I really think any fabric would work, but as always I struggled with deciding what I wanted to use. Too much to choose from perhaps! In the end, I went with Heather Ross' Briar Rose. I'll be making two dresses and think these look great together.
Naturally I started with the easiest section...just to get warmed up. I had to include the little bee in the honeycomb dress. It's just so darn cute!
Piece by piece I pieced...and pieced. One mess up during both dresses isn't bad! Considering all the sections.
The moment of truth is when each section goes together. Did I get it right? Will they all fit together? Fingers crossed, it has to work!
One thing I love about the patterns is there are little vertical lines to match up each section. It helped a lot and made it easier to put each section together.
The moment of truth.
There are a couple of spots that are slightly off. Not perfect. I am not going to complain about that...I am thrilled with them!
I started with a white border only to realize I didn't have a plan what to do next. I called it an evening after this step! Surely something will come to me in a dream!
That didn't happen. I still was at a loss the next morning! My first thought was adding 3/4" Hexies around the edge ~ somewhere. I wasn't feeling that at all. Thinking, swearing and a lot of talking to myself (irritating my daughter to no end!), an idea finally came to me.
After cutting the first border down, I pieced together 3/4" strips of the prints with white and came up with tiny little 1/4" squares. Adorable!! They were haphazardly placed around the the edges and finished off with the final border.
I decided to use my latest fabric purchase, Pearl Bracelets for the backing and yellow for the binding. Those little fingers...my daughters! Nothing makes her happier than jumping into a photo just as I snap the picture. Jokes on her though...I liked it!
My free motion quilting is still an on going practice session and most likely always will be. These little Mini's are a good way to keep practicing and maybe one day I will be more confident at it.
I like it though. I didn't want to do too much in the dresses. By too much you can see I did nothing except a little outline.
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| 15" x 14" |
So, do they still make paper dolls? Did you play with them? I remember how the little tabs would rip off I would use bobby pins to hold the paper clothing on. Or the flimsy cardboard stands no longer would hold up the beautiful paper dolls and I would make not much better stands to replace them. Carefree days!
I remember having my sister's cut them out for me when I was little. My memory says they loved doing it. However I'm sure they hated it and only reluctantly did so!
LINKING:
what a lovely mini! A great way to practice-- I think I will do this too! I love to hear about people's childhoods.... I never played with paper dolls but loved dolls of any kind!
ReplyDeleteThese paper doll dresses were so fun to make…a little tedious, but well worth it!
DeleteThat is a darling little quilt Jayne! Isn't it funny how some things just take us back to the past and we can re-experience those happy emotions with only one glance?
ReplyDeleteThe older I get the more those little memories come back. Even things I hadn't thought about in many years!
DeleteI loved paper dolls. I have over half a dozen Pinterest boards of (mostly) vintage paper dolls. These are adorable! The little 1/4 inch dots are a genius idea. So cute. I found your blog by way of Cynthia Brunz and her One Lovely Blog Award post. I think I like it here!
ReplyDeletePaper dolls have a special place in my heart. I had hours and hours of fun playing with them back in the day!
DeleteJayne, I really love your PP mini. I, too, loved and ADORED paper dolls until I was about 13, I think!! That cutting was so great. My mom also drew dolls and clothes, so I have those originals, which is a real treasure.
ReplyDeleteI have the Paper-Pieced Home book and have made the beach chair so far. I am completely enamored of the designs in it - ALL of them! Maybe we should take a week to just do pp patterns from it!!
Thanks for sharing!
Liz
boltonia55@yahoo.com
The designs in the Paper Piece Home book are amazing! I feel like I cheated a little bit by enlarging the pattern! I would be fun to do nothing but piece each and every one in the book. I wonder how long that would take?!
DeleteThat looks like fun and yes, it does bring back memories. Love your color choices, too.
ReplyDeleteThis has really taken me back - I used to love paper dolls. Your dresses look so fiddly to make, but the finished quilt is lovely. The tiny squares were a brainwave.
ReplyDeleteThe moment I saw this pattern it took me back too! And I knew I had to make it.
DeleteI love this mini. It's great. I also loved paper dolls as a child. I loved cutting out all the pieces and putting the different outfits on the dolls. Your borders really make this quilt shine.
ReplyDeleteIt had been years and years since I thought about paper dolls. It wasn't until I saw the pattern that I was taken way, way back and got to relive (happily) the memory!
DeleteLove how these turned out... especially that crazy little border of yours. I would never have thought of finding a way to make a mini pieced border! That Paper Pieced Home has lots of treasures in it. I can hardly decide what to make first!
ReplyDeleteThere are too many great projects in The Paper Pieced Home book! Luckily as soon as I saw the paper doll dress, I knew it was the one I HAD to make.
DeleteYour mini is lovely! The dresses look great - i think you were right to just outline them rather than quilting them. I love the border, that is such a great idea and looks fab!
ReplyDeleteIt was a new experience making something from a childhood memory.
DeleteSo cute!!! Beautiful. My granddaughters play with paper dolls!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI know they brought lots of joy to me as a child and I'm sure your granddaughters love them too!
DeleteThis is really a lovely little quilt, and I think your quilting is beautiful--I really like how the dresses stand out on the back. How neat that the pattern has registration marks to line up the sections. I loved paper dolls as a kid. My granddaughter has a wooden version, which isn't quite the same, but they are easier for her to handle and to have LOTS of outfits and accessories.
ReplyDeleteI almost forgot about paper dolls until I saw this pattern. I knew right then and there that I had to make it! The registration lines made piecing the sections together so much easier, great idea!
Deleteomgosh I loved paper dolls. This is soooo adorable...the teensy little squares....squeeeee! Great now I have to make these... let me go find that book to buy! LeeAnna at not afraid of color
ReplyDeleteps I would like the backing pearls to be a border too, pearls and dresses, the women must be vacuuming or cleaning the kitchen!
Now why didn't I think of that…pearl bracelets for the border…mini pearl bracelets!
DeleteThis is one sweet finish, Jayne. You chose just the right fabrics to make those cute dresses. And I love that pieced border you went with. This turned out so adorably beautiful!
ReplyDeleteIt brought back so many memories from way, way, way (LOL) back in the day!
DeleteSo sweet. I loved paper dolls. Where have they all gone?
ReplyDelete