Shorts to Complete the Onesie Outfit

First, I have to admit that I only thought of making a cute top when I bought a onesie for $1 at Goodwill. After I cut off the top section, I laid it beside the bottoms and my mind started whirling. As I made the bottoms, I told my husband, "I don't know if this is going to work, but I didn't know if the top would work either. It came out okay."

Once I finished the top, I cut the snap section off of the  bottom, making a straight-across cut (mostly.)

I pinned the two sides together until it formed a pucker in the very middle. Then, I cut straight up the pucker, from the top to the bottom. This was my excess. I pinned it straight up and sewed it straight it, pinned again and sewed a seam across the crotch of the shorts.

It was pretty easy after that. I pulled the shorts onto Kit's body and I folded the top over. I sewed it down, making a little channel for round elastic. After running the elastic through, I tied it and the shorts were done.
I put it on Kit's body and, well, I think it looks really cute on her! What do you think?

American Girl Play Outfit from a Newborn Onesie

When one of my granddaughters received her own American Girl doll, she wanted lots of clothes for her, but her little budget wasn't strong enough to support buying new things from the magazine. I made it my goal that I would show her how well Molly could be dressed without an enormous price tag. I have continued my quest after she went home, and send her ideas over this site. The last thing I made was the dresser found here.

Searching out inexpensive ideas took me to a local resale store. Our Goodwill has a dollar day sale every Thursday. Items that were marked down that week only cost $1.00. While looking around for ideas, I found a onesie with small print that, I thought, would make a great doll top. I spent about an hour turning the little shirt into a cute top for Kit. It was so simple that, even a child who knows how to sew a little can do it. This is what I did!

Step one: I cut the top straight across, about five inches from the top. It looked like this:

Step two: I pinned a hem onto the top piece and set the bottom piece away for another idea.

I sewed around the edge with a zigzag stitch.

Step three: I pinned a wide, scalloped ribbon around the outside of the shirt.

If you look, you can see it was about one-half inch from the bottom. I sewed it with a straight stitch and closed the two ends with another straight stitch. In no time, the little shirt was complete. 

Because the ribbon was some that I had stored away in a box of things I had of my girls' grandmother, and I already had the thread, the total purchase cost of the little top was $1.10. Tomorrow, I will post the rest of the outfit, including a shot of Kit wearing it. The shorts took a little more work, but, with the help of mom or grandma, this outfit can be ready to go in a very short time.

Kit's New Dollar Store Project

My new American doll, Kit, brought a gift with her-imagination. At a visit to the Dollar Tree, I noticed a little plastic two-drawer organizer and my imagination kicked into gear. For my classroom, I had modified three-drawer dressers to match my room and, I thought, why not make one for Kit. I paid my dollar and headed home to raid my scrapbook paper supply. I came up with one that I liked and that matched the purple plastic on the organizer. Then I went to work. The entire project took about ten minutes and I love how it came out!

Remove the plastic, of course! The frame is not rigid, so I pulled it down just a little so the drawer could be removed. Then, the drawer was placed, face down, on the edge of the paper and traced. Use a thin piece of cardboard if you want to make a pattern instead.

Trace around the pattern and cut out the tracing. Repeat this step for the second drawer. The two drawers are exactly the same, so you can use the first one as a pattern or trace the pattern you made twice.

Choose a glue that dries clear. White school or craft glues work well, but when I was making the drawers, I actually used Contact Cement and it worked great. When I put the glue on the plastic drawer, I made sure I got glue in the side sections where there is a little fold. Then I lowered the paper into place and adjusted immediately, before it could dry at all. Don't let it rest or you will be making a new one! Press it into place and rub it down until it stays firmly in place. This is what it looks like:

It works well to hold just about anything an American Girl doll could want. Here is Kit and her dresser.

The total cost was around $1.35. Not bad for a project that even a child could make!

Kit

First, let me say that I have the best big sister in the world. When my granddaughters (all 3) ended up being the owners of at least one American Girl doll each, the Christmas frenzy began. My sister and I encouraged each other as we made countless American Girl items.One granddaughter stayed with for a while. When she went home, she took Molly with her (Molly was the original model for this blog.) I bought an 18-inch doll, Sophia, from Michael's and used her for my model. My sister provided me with the correct measurements for AG dolls-just in case. Then she told me she bought me an AG doll off of eBay-one that needed some repair but that would work as a model after she fixed it. I was happy, but, she must have changed her mind.

Christmas came and so did a package from my sister. Inside was a beautiful, brand-new doll-my favorite of all that I had met by reading stories with my granddaughter. Kit was staring at me when I opened the box. She is now my model, but only because I have the best big sister in the world.