Skip to main content

Tablecloth Play Dresses

By
I've always wanted to make dress up clothes for my daughters. I made an Elsa princess dress a few years ago that I enjoyed creating, but not much else since then. A few weeks ago around my youngest daughter's birthday, a lightbulb went off. 
You might remember from my last post that I created birthday table displays using inexpensive party decorations, including plastic tablecloths that cost about $1. As I was picking up the latest display, I got the idea to recycle the tablecloth into a play dress! The first one I made was from the pink tablecloth in the display shown above.

I felt I had to create at least one more so they wouldn't fight over one dress, but it soon escalated to a total of four dresses that I made over the following weeks. I bought more tablecloths, solely for the purpose of making dresses this time. It was fun stocking up on different colors, hehe. I drafted my own patterns to my girls' measurements, and I had fun getting creative with different colo…
Post a Comment

Santa Doll Makeover

By
Well, it's officially the Christmas season, which means sparkling snow, pretty twinkle lights, cookie baking, and holiday crafting.

To kick off this December, I thought I would share this DIY gift that I had fun making for my mom a few years ago. She likes to collect Santa dolls to display in her home at Christmastime, so I came up with the idea to design and make her a custom doll. I ended up buying a Ken doll and modifying it to look like Santa Claus. See below for my work-in-progress pictures and the end results.




BEFORE
This particular doll worked well because I could use the boots in the final Santa outfit.



I used permanent markers to add some wrinkles and rosy cheeks to the face.



I sewed batting scraps around the body of the doll to plump him up a bit. I then designed and knit a miniature winter sweater, and also sewed him a pair of pants and hat from fabric scraps.



I glued strips of white specialty fur yarn to the face to create the eyebrows and hair, and knit a small block with the yarn to create the beard.



AFTER

Happy December!
Niki



RELATED POSTS




And don't forget... My Christmas coloring book is for sale on Amazon!



Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

New Etsy Shop and Free Pattern

By
I opened up a shop on etsy.com today. I've posted some sweaters for 11.5-inch dolls (I hope to post other types of items in the future). You can visit the shop here. These miniature sweaters were very fun to create. They are all designed and handknit by myself.

Most of the sweaters are knit using size 10 crochet thread and sock knitting needles. I like using the crochet thread because it is relatively inexpensive, comes in a wide array of colors, and is readily available from any store that sells craft supplies.

Here is a free pattern for a basic sweater, for those who would like to try making one yourself!





**UPDATE - 2015** The miniature sweater knitting pattern has been revised.  View/Download the new pattern here:
VIEW
DOWNLOAD
A gift tag template for creating a Christmas ornament from this sweater can be found on my Templates and Patterns page. Additional sweater patterns are available for sale in my Etsy shop.


9 comments
Read more

Niki Knits: Baby Vests (with free pattern)

By
As I revealed previously, I am currently pregnant with my first child, a girl. I am due in December, and my husband and I are so excited.

In my return to crafting, I've once again been bitten by the knitting bug. This is in large part due to the fact that now I have a new area to explore: baby clothes. And not just for my own little angel... There has been a small baby boom recently in my circle of friends, so there are a few other little ones on the way that I have been busy making gifts for as well.

Much of the appeal of making baby clothes (besides the obvious adorableness) is similar to why I like making doll clothes. They are fun to design and execute, and the small scale keeps projects relatively quick and easy, which suits my short attention span. (Case in point: my adult-size fisherman cable sweater that I've been working on for probably 5+ years...not to mention all the other projects I've abandoned altogether because I got bored with them.)

I started out my baby…
Post a Comment
Read more

Niki Knits: Doll Accessories (free pattern)

By
Well, it's November already, and that means a very busy month for me. Not only am I preparing for the upcoming holidays and a baby (!), I am also getting ready for the Annual Keene Holiday Craft Show that I attend each year in my hometown on the Saturday following Thanksgiving. It is organized by my mom, Kellie Jones, and this will be its 10th year!




For the past several years, I have been making and selling crafts myself at the show. Each year has been different. I have sold doll clothes, art prints, gift tags, knitting patterns, and Christmas ornaments. This year, I decided to focus on assorted handmade toys for kids. I will be writing a more extensive post later on in the month showcasing some of the products I have made (I am VERY excited about them.), but for now, I am just going to give a small preview, along with a free pattern.

As you may know, I've made miniature knitted sweaters for Barbie dolls in the past. This year, I created some new patterns for some knitted acce…
Post a Comment
Read more