A Thank You Gift

My Mother-in-law helped us out a lot this last school year.  She loves vintage finds.  I found this cute little red chair and made the fun, chair size pillow.  I used four 5 x 5 squares for each side.  I used American Jane Punctuation Fabric.  I am working with the charm pack for an upcoming project and really didn't want to, couldn't use the floral fabric, so these were a few extras that worked out great.   

 Now... what to do for my mother????

Pillows

Allison at Cluck Cluck Sew - one of my favorite sites - posted a tutorial on how to make these Sprocket Pillows.  I really liked them and thought I would give them a go.

I have to say that I am so in love with the way that these pillows turned out.  I used part of a Giddy layer cake by Sandy Gervais.  I liked the fabric before hand, but as I sewed it together I was pleased with how well all the pieces, patterns, and colors blend together.  For the sides and back I used a basic polka dot from a local fabric store.

It seems like mine turned out a little fatter than Allison's did, but I think they will make great floor cushions.  With a kid that is always begging for us to" come on the floor with me," it makes for a nice place to rest the bottom.  I can always make the middle band less wide and it would create a thinner pillow.

My kiddo loves them, and who would have guessed, so does the dog:)  I looked over and there she was, lounging like it was the best thing that had ever happened to her.  Poor, normally uncomfortable Nala.

New Dollies

I have done A LOT of modification from my first dolly that I posted awhile back.  I have two new ones done and have plans for a few more with some other skin tones.

My biggest changes were that I made the dolls a little more petite especially in the face and head.  I've worked on the dress quite a bit to make it removable and reversible.  I especially like that it is two sided so that a little girl can change her clothes without having to keep track of a ton of different items.  I added an apron that I think finished it all off nicely.

The blond doll I was really struggling with.  I first had her hair in pigtails.  I'm not sure if it was the hair color - which is pretty yellow - or what, but I was really unhappy with her hair.  So today I did an overhaul of her hair by giving her some Princess Leia buns.  It lifted her whole look up and I was excited by the end result.

I also think I had her clothes wrong.  She had on a blue and red dress which seemed to dark for her complexion.  I went pastel and it helped so, so much.  End of story is that sometimes a little adjustment goes a long, long way.