Christmas is all about giving, loving and sharing.

‘Sew’ I’m thrilled to be able to give you a massive 20% discount off my How to Sew Doll Clothes Video course. 

This means that you can learn all the tips and tricks that take the frustration out of sewing small doll clothes so that you will love sewing doll clothes for your children or grandchildren and you can share the joy of watching them play with their gorgeous new doll clothes this Christmas!

My course will also make a wonderful gift for someone special in your life who would love to learn how to sew.  As well as learning the basics of sewing, they get to make some really cute doll clothes they can play with.  Just imagine the pride they’ll feel when their friends see what they made themselves!

As you all know, I love receiving photos of the doll clothes you make from my doll clothes patterns and seeing the wonderful fabric choices that are made.

The first to share photos this month is Noelene who has been very busy making an enormous wardrobe for Belle, one of our Australian Girl dolls and the fabrics she used are really gorgeous, in most cases it has turned a simple summer dress into a stunning dress.  I really love the simplicity of the halter dress that she has made from my halter top pattern, it is understated elegance!

I received the following email from Gail and I’m sure that it’s something a lot of people have thought about so I’m sharing my reply to Gail in this blog and perhaps others would like to add their experiences and advice in the comments below.

‘Now that I am retired, I have been sewing a lot more. I have a 7 year old granddaughter that I have been making doll clothes for.  I want to make extra income, is there money in making doll clothes and how and where do I sell them? Is there money in doll quilts? Thank you for your time.’

I started selling my doll clothes at local markets and on Ebay (Etsy wasn’t really big in Australia 14 years ago when I started).  I loved going to the markets and meeting all my customers, especially the little ones as it was wonderful watching them excitedly picking out the outfits they wanted.  The early mornings and all day tied up at markets on the weekends wasn’t ideal because I couldn’t watch my son play sport, however when my daughter was a little older she enjoyed coming with me and helped set up and man the stall.   You may find that your 7 year old granddaughter would love to help you at the markets – what a terrific bonding time that would be.

 Different markets worked better than others and different times of the year were better than others e.g. Leading up to Easter and Christmas markets were always a huge success.  As to what sells better, well that depends on the customers a great deal.  Some weekends I would sell all the stuff that had been sitting around for 6 months or so and other weekends, it would be all the newer things.  I do know that parents tend to be season conscious so would select summer things in summer and winter things in winter but the kids, if left to choose their own outfit, would choose whatever they liked.  Another tip I have is that ……..

We all love to dress up at Halloween, ‘sew’ why not take advantage of my Spooktacular Sale and whip up a cool costume for your doll so she can join in the fun too!

Buy one of my Halloween Doll Clothes Patterns for 18 Inch and American Girl or Cabbage Patch Kids dolls and get ANY Pattern FREE!  Yes, purchase a Halloween Doll Clothes Pattern before October 31 and you get to choose any pattern from my whole range of doll clothes patterns to receive FREE.  If you purchase two Halloween patterns, choose two free patterns…you get the idea.

That’s a saving of up to 50%.  And if you choose the wedding dress pattern as your free pattern, you save more than 50%.

I promised to show you Sharon’s gorgeous 18 Inch American Girl Doll Clothes Wedding Dress and here it is!

This is the first wedding dress that Sharon has ever made and she certainly made it a dress to remember.  Sharon used my 18 inch and American Girl Wedding Dress pattern with lace sleeves and lace overlay on the bodice.  She then designed and made a detachable train and then spent many hours embellishing it all with beads and lace.

This was Sharon’s first attempt at beading and you certainly would never know.  Even the veil is adorned with pearl beads!

It’s time to twist and shout!  Yes, the 50’s Vintage Dress doll clothes pattern for 18 ½ inch Cabbage Patch dolls is now available.

I want to thank all my wonderful Cabbage Patch doll clothes patterns customers for being soooo patient as I’ve taken a little longer to release this 50’s Vintage Dress pattern but I know you’re going to love it.

Just like the 18 inch pattern, I’ve included all the variations so you can make lots of different dresses that will all look absolutely gorgeous!   You can make a pretty party dress with puff sleeves or a sweet sun dress without sleeves.  Make it with a collar for a little style or without a collar for a more casual look.  And I’ve also included the pattern variation so that you can make it long as well as short.

One of my wonderful customers and now friend, Sharon, purchased my 50’s Vintage Dress pattern and wondered if it would look nice with a petticoat under the long dress version.  So she set about making this pattern and sent it to me as a special thank you for some help and encouragement that I had offered.  

What can I say?  I was truly touched by her kindness and enthusiasm and asked if I could share it with you all.  Being the generous sole that she is, Sharon gave me her blessing as she would love to share her creativity.

This pattern will also fit the 18 ½ inch (46cm) Cabbage Patch dolls.

So let’s get started ………

Because Christmas is during summer here in Australia, us Aussies love to celebrate Christmas in July when at least some of the country has snow J  And the best way to celebrate is with a Jolly 20% discount off everything in store!

If you want to learn how to sew or want to learn some awesome tips that take the frustration out of sewing small doll clothes, then now’s the perfect time to get started! 

Until the end of July I’m offering a massive 20% off the retail price of my How to Sew Doll Clothes video course which also includes 8 bonus doll clothes sewing patterns with step-by-step video instructions.  Yes, that’s right, you can join me online, purchase the DVD set or get the ‘Best of Both Worlds’ from as little as $37.60 and you’ll be sewing beautiful doll clothes in no time at all.

And the celebrations continue…….until the end of July you also get 20% discount off the retail price of ALL my doll clothes patterns which include PDF pattern pieces, PDF written instructions and 12months access to step-by-step video instructions where I show you how to make the outfit – so I’m right there with you every step of the way.

To take advantage of this jolly deal, simply enter the coupon code JollyJuly during checkout. 

Offer expires July 31, 2015.

Yes, it’s finally here, my 50’s inspired Vintage Dress doll clothes pattern for 18 inch and American Girl dolls!

Now I wasn’t around in the 50’s, but I have always loved the soft, feminine and stylish elegance of the fashion of this time.   Needless to say, I had so much fun designing this 50’s Vintage Dress and making all the variations.

The best part about this pattern is that there are soooo many variations and they all look absolutely gorgeous!   Firstly, you can make a sweet dress with puff sleeves, use shiny satin, overlay lace or fancy tulle on the bodice and add some sparkly ribbon for a beautiful party dress that any birthday girl would be honoured to wear.

Well there seems to be lots of Cabbage Patch Kids featured in my Share and Tell blog this month, and they’re a pretty cute looking bunch too!

 Jennifer has been super busy making lots of new outfits for her sister’s Cabbage Patch doll.  Seems like the Pinafore dress has been a bit of a favorite!

‘Here Rosie is my lasted Cabbage Patch Clothes finally dressed on the appropriate child as my sister would say. Just wanted to share and say thanks for all you do. I just picked up sewing at first just as a hobby but it’s turning into something more and I enjoy every minute of it. Looking forward to future patterns.’