McCalls 2123: View G, bias-trimmed robe

Francie Repro in View G,  Robe

This robe was a good learning experience in applying bias binding. I have applied miles it before--but only on quilts, blind stitching it down by hand. This application is different and more difficult, I feel.

But because my mother was so good at it, I really wanted to learn too. She made diapers for our baby dolls from flannel with bias tape binding--six tricky curves for each one!

You can't see all the mistakes in this picture! There are places where the topstitching didn't catch the edge on the other side, so I will have to be doing some hand-sewing after all, to fix that up.

If I made another version of it, I would probably get better... but I think for now I will go on to the next view.

This pattern would be quite fast and easy to make, if it weren't for the binding. You could use fleece for it and skip the binding, or do some decorative serging around it.  I thought of lining it too, as a way to finish the edges, but that hood would make it difficult. It was tricky enough with a single layer--it has to be gathered up a little.

TNT Barbie in View G, Robe

Being so loose, this robe fits all my dolls pretty well. Even Barbie's tiny waist doesn't cause any problems with the fit!

If the doll has much hair, though, it won't be easy to get the hood up. Tammy isn't going to be wearing it any time soon!

Both the fabric and the bias tape came from my stash. I remember buying that fabric to make some little outfit for my niece when she was a baby... about 22 years ago. Obviously I didn't. Sorry about that Jean! Sorry carry! If you have a Barbie, I'll give you the robe for it to wear!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

Francie out of the box!

I opened one of my birthday presents today. That is, I finally took her out of the box! This is the 30th anniversary Francie doll from 1996.

Back in 1966 when she was new, I definitely wanted a Francie doll. She was so pretty and feminine and her mod clothes were so lovely. In Barbie world her age was younger than Barbie but older than Skipper--probably 16, I felt, and since I was only nine, 16 seemed like a very fine age indeed.

For a while it was fun to keep her in that magical "Never Removed From Box" state, but my plan was always to bring her out and, yes, play with her--more or less the same way I would have in 1966, since I liked making dolls clothes then too, but now I'm better at it.

I put this dress together quickly, just to see if the pattern was going to fit. And it does, quite nicely. I can see that she will be easier to dress than Barbie because she doesn't have the thick rib cage and the tiny waist that required some engineering to accommodate.



This is what her packaging was like. I had to borrow this picture from the Internet, since the one I took turned out to be very blurry. So thank you to "Texas Doll Designs" for uploading such a nice one.

.
It's nice to have the pretty outfit too, but my girl is probably not ever going to wear it. It looks like the sweater would have to go on over her head and I don't want to mess her hair up. It was surprising to find out that I actually owned a vintage Francie dress: last year I bought a Pepper doll who was wedged into "Side Kick," a little number of navy gingham and eyelet. After I freshen it up a little and reproduce a matching hat she can have her picture taken in it.

Meanwhile, I still have two more birthday presents to take out of their boxes!