Stash building and Fashion doll hat

Hello again, I just have to tell you about the hat I made for the fashion doll. This hat pattern is part of the Paper Mache doll instructions that I received when I participated in the PM fashion doll online class a few years back. The poor doll isn't finished yet, but I sure like making the hat! Here it is with the hat box from the cloth fashion doll instructions.

 The hat was fun to make and of course the color is a little wild, but I figured this was a practice hat and I will search for a color that matches the fashion doll's outfit.  This hat would be easy to turn into a pincushion too.  Thanks to Barb for the nice ribbon roses. I think that ribbon roses will be the next new thing I try to make myself.



Here's the hat box without the hat, so you can see how cute that is.  This skill - making and covering boxes will be something I try for bigger containers like a container to hold my scrap garbage on the sewing table as I work. We call it a thread heaven box.  Then at the end of the day, our workspace isn't a huge mess of threads and scraps all over the floor and table. 





OK, if I am to make some ribbon roses, I need some good ribbons!  Off to my favorite ribbon store - Peacock Alley in Ada, MI.   http://www.peacockalleyneedlepoint.com/Peacock_Alley_Needlepoint/Home.html
They have some awesome silk ribbons and are willing to special order for me. They also had some really unique gold thread that I was able to use for a necklace chain for my dolls.
And of course I found a few things that weren't ribbons to "speculate" with - especially after seeing a tutorial on how to make a flower gathering basket tutorial.

Here are some nice links to explore; things that I hope to try my hand at soon:
http://miniatures.about.com/od/miniatureprojects/ig/Beginners-Miniature-Projects/Make-a-Mini-Flower-Basket.htm

http://www.cynthiahoweminiatures.com/ribbonroses.htm
http://www.picturetrail.com/sfx/album/view/529627
Thanks to those talented ladies who are willing on post the tutorials for us newbies to try. It's SO MUCH FUN, and such a creative outlet to make dolls.  Have some doll fun today and thanks for visiting!

oh - one more thingie - I finished the outfit - all but the buttons and loops - so here is a picture of the outfit.  I plan on making her a purse and of course a parasol soon. 

The cloth fashion doll outfit.

Somebody likes the sunshine and all the bird activity. It sure is nice to have her over there at the window instead of in my face watching me. I think she must have been a doll maker in one of those other nine lives. She sure enjoys doll making (not as much as birdwatching though!)