|
Here's View A, overalls and a shirt. Don't adjust your monitor, those pieces really are that bright. Luckily, these outfits
used most of this ! The shirt under the overalls is from a Doll Shop Deluxe pattern, and the black slacks under the blouse
is a yard sale find.
As you can see, there's quite a difference in neck sizes between my dolls and the CPKs. Still, it doesn't look bad at
all, and that was my first attempt at sewing a collar stand.
The overalls feature an elastic back waist, and I had to take two inches off the elastic before they fit. Also had to
shorten the straps a bit. Other than that, the length is about right, crotch hits where it should. Pant legs are a rather
wide, but with this fabric, it's hard to tell !
View B took the longest. The dress features a sweet Peter Pan collar - I do well with two-piece collars ! - and a fluffy skirt.
Since CPKs also seem to be larger in the torso, this fits a bit loose, and the skirt is very full on Dottie. Still, it closes
easy, and the pattern calls for a full open back. With Timey's limited movement in her watch arm, this is actually good for
us.
There's pantaloons beneath, just barely visible on the pattern envelope. These take little to no time. I omitted the lace
that was part of the pattern, but I'll probably use it next go-round. It just didn't look good with this dress' fabric.
The dress and panties didn't take that much time, maybe two hours for both. The simple-looking pinafore, however...that
thing took about two and a half hours by itself. It's fully lined, and sewing, turning, and ironing sharp corners on two inches
of fabric is a challenge ! Still, it looks very nice, and is a nice addition to any doll wardrobe. I'm just glad I used white,
as it'll be a while before I sew it again !
View C, the sailor dress, is why I bought this pattern, and it came out great ! About two hours. Goes together easily. I had
some trouble getting the ribbon on the collar the way I wanted, but that's just my 'everything's gotta parallel' mindset.
Still, Butterick seems to forget that ribbon is straight. They have it curving somewhat, which would be a pain to sew. I ditched
the stripes on the sleeves, and used a single ribbon on the front 'V' insert and collar. Also didn't add the buttons. This
fabric pattern is busy enough without buttons !
However, once it was done, it didn't hang on Timey very well. It seemed to have too much fabric, making it billow out
in the back. After playing with several options, I simply folded the right front button placket in once, and sewed it down.
Perfection ! Now it hangs well, and looks great !
Had a little trouble with the scarf. I couldn't get it to knot well. So I sewed a simple loop to slide over it. I like
it this way much better !
View D, the bunny-suit pajamas, came out so well, I did it twice ! I forgot to write down how much fleece it'd take for the
contrast pieces, so I got a half yard of each color, hoping for leftovers. That was more than enough. I still have some mint
and cream left, so you'll probably see other dolls sport it soon !
Butterick sometimes seemed to be 'on the ball' with sewing fleece, other times, completely clueless. I had some problems
getting the thick fabric to gather, and there's three gather parts here. Also, a 1/4" hem is about impossible in fleece.
It rolls as you sew, frequently. Even if you iron it.
I also had some problems with the hood. I should have had maybe two inches at the ends to hem into a casing for the ribbon.
Instead, I had closer to four. This could be related to the gathering issues I had, but heck, it worked out. I just turned
it until it matched the front closure, and hemmed it that way. So while my adaptation probably wouldn't fit a CPK, the finished
items fit Timey and Dottie adorably !
The ears were easier than I expected, but I wish they'd been more at the top of the head instead of to the sides. At first,
I thought it due to the different doll heads, but no, the one on the envelope has the same ear angle.
I omitted the 'bunny toes' that I was supposed to add to the feet. I thought they were cuter as-is. I also skipped the
yarn pom-pom tail. Instead, I cut an extra sole pattern and gathered it into a circle, and sewed it to the back. Just personal
preference.
So there ya go ! I sewed a complete pattern, and everything looks great. I highly recommend this one, just be sure to
set aside about three hours for each view - more for B ! That pinafore was a killer ! While height doesn't always mean clothes
will fit - after all, Elphie's sixteen inches tall, and there's no way this'd fit her ! - sometimes it's worth a chance !
Happy sewing !
|
