Blythe Dress - Free Pattern

If you cut and paste the below addy, it should take you to the original flickr upload, on the top of the pic, click on "all sizes" then download original size (largest). http://www.flickr.com/photos/fran_e/3156869743/

Instructions:
1. Cut out pieces carefully, and be careful about the 5mm seam allowance to ensure a good fit.
2. Put 2 rows of gather stitches along the top of the skirt piece, the skirt ruffle and the top and the bottom of the sleeve pieces.
3. Sew the shoulder pieces together and press seams open. With right sides facing, sew around the neck seam, clip and trim the seam, then turn in the right way and press.
4. Press cuffs along fold line and then pull up gathering stitches at lower part of sleeve to match cuff, sew right sides together, remove gathering stitches and press seam towards seam.
5. Gather up top of sleeve stitches and sew right sides together along armhole in bodice. Remove gathering stitches and finger press seam towards bodice.
6. With right sides together sew up sides of bodice, sleeve edge and cuff edge all in one seam. Clip seam at underarm. Turn in the right way and press.
7. Sew a narrow hem along ruffle piece. Pull up the gathering stitches of the other edge of ruffle piece and sew right sides together to skirt bottom. Remove gathering stitches and press towards skirt piece.
8. Pull up gathering sitches on top of skirt and pin to bottom of bodice right sides together , making sure to make a 5mm fold along edge of skirt, matching the edge of the bodice, to ensure no raw edges show when finished. Sew and remove gathering stitches and press towards skirt.
9. If you wish now is the time to sew a ribbon or trim around bottom of bodice.
10. Sew up back seam, from bottom of ruffle to about half way up skirt piece.
11. Sew two snaps on back of bodice, one at neck and one at waist.
Note: I always finish each seam as I go with a narrow zig zag stitch and trim any lose threads.

New Year Day

Introducing our new family member, a cockatiel named Bilbo Baggins. My mother got given 6 cockatiels from her brother which she put in her outside avery. One of the birds had all his feathers and looked great, but all the others appear to have been getting their feathers plucked by this one bossy bird. So I have taken him to live in our loungeroom in a nice big cage, and it will be interesting to see how the 5 left in her avery now get on. He seems a little unsure, but seems to be settling in quite nicely.

I spent New Years Day knitting a new pair of socks, well only 1 sock and the cuff of the 2nd of the pair. I think I will have the pattern sorted enough to write out in the next few days.
While knitting I watched the entire Season 2 of Dexter. I love this show! I hadn't managed to see any of the episodes since it started airing, but I can't wait until Series 3 starts next thursday night :D

New Years Eve

I have been enjoying the quiet house with the kidlets on holidays and have been working on my latest customised Blythe. I have finished the face, but have decided she needs sleep eyes, and the eyelids rub on the eye holes, so I have to carve the hole slightly and sand the eyelid's profile down. As I am out of sandpaper - I have to wait until the hardware store opens, grr - patience is a virtue Fran.
I have also started a pretty spectacular dress for the yet un-named girl. I am using an old sequined black swede handbag, which I cut up, it's going well so far, but need a good search through my stash to find fabric for the bodice to lift it. I thought I would have the girl together today and would need the dress, but I guess I get another day. Oh and I do need eyelashes for her as well :)
I did some art work yesterday with my inkintense dewent pencils, it's amazing how their colour changes with a touch of water. I really like them, but find them a little hard for fine work occasionally. My inspiration was using embroidery as inspiration for art, as apposed to using art as inspiration for my embroidery. I finished up the afternoon by making a card for a friend who has been feeling a little down, which I posted off with some little Blythe size books I had made.

It's only the second work done in my little Molskine diary, I really should do it more regularily.

As you can see, inspired by Sashiko embroidery.

My tip for today - Peppermint tea! Yes it is good for the gut (esp bloating) but tastes ergh hot. I made some up yesterday, put it in the fridge and had it later with ice - actually Yummy and refreshing! Make sure you get pure peppermint, not tea mixed with peppermint.

Nearly New Years Eve

One more day to New Years Eve. We don't usually go out on NYE you can get a much better view of the fireworks at home, and Sydney that full of people is not my idea of fun. Hey it's not because I'm getting old - I've always been a bit freaky around crowds.
Spent yesterday organising my wardrobe, will finish the bedroom today. Wayne doesn't understand why I spring clean on holidays, but to me it's the time to do it.
Found a cute weight loss ticker with a motorbike! cool hehe. I figured I would go the whole hog and put the maximum kg loss up there (still in healthy range) but in reality once 15kg is gone I'll be to my lowest weight and in the top of healthy weight range, so anything after that is a bonus.
Oh and started my next pair of cotton socks, in a pink colour way this time. Should put up pic tomorrow.

New Year.... Nearly

Hmmm well as it's nearly New Year's Day, I've been thinking about resolutions for 2009. This is what I have come up with:

1. Lose Weight
wow completely un-original I know, but I actually am 'officially' overweight so after years of yoyo dieting want to get this under control. As I seem to have developed over the last couple of weeks a complete allergy to all milk products (grr at my gut) that shouldn't be too hard, as most fattening things I eat contain dairy.

2. Save money
a friend just read a book about a man spending a year with spending money on nothing other than food or medical supplies. I think I would like to spend a year spending nothing except for food, medical supplies and anything else only completely necessary ie kid's school uniforms etc. I have such a stock pile of yarn and fabric etc, that should be good on the craft side too. I do have a beautiful necklace and earring set by Edge of Sweden on layby - so that doesn't count ;)

Hey I think that's it - that I can handle - but I think I will add one more thing:

3. Be a better housekeeper!
I've never been particularily inspired to keep a picture perfect home, but would love to! Watch out Martha!

To finish off I thought I'd better put in a pic of my dolly obsession - wow and will be a whole year without adding to their family. I do have 2 more Blythe dolls that are in the process of being cutomised, so I do have a lot of dolls, not to mention the 6 dals I have and the 4 petites with one more in transit.

Summer Motorcycle Socks

Well as the weather is heating up (and I was bored at work and needed to plan a project) I figured it would be a good idea to knit up some cotton socks that will still be comfortable but definately cooler under my Dr Martin boots.
As I ride my Motorcycle everyday, this is definately a neccessity. The first sock only took from Thursday to make, so I hope to have the other finished by the Girl's Ride Out ride on Sunday.
I'm not 100% pleased with the pattern, so when I tweak it slightly for the next pair of socks, I'll type up the pattern here for anyone that also finds the need for cotton summer motorcycle socks (... actually for the northern hemisphere the pattern would also work well for dk wool, but would I imagine be slightly bulky under boots...).