Monday, April 25, 2022

Make a pretty dolly quilt...

 



4yo Rafaella loves dolls, bunnies, fluffy toys and pretty much anything she can cuddle. 
For her birthday I made my precious ringlet headed granddaughter a new dolly quilt, but when the idea first evolved I had no real plan, just that this would be a wonderful gift and it should be made in pretty pastel prints.

Just around that time Fiona from 2 Green Zebras asked if I'd like to design with some fabrics which would not be available in quilt shops until April, and after viewing the photos she sent, I was definitely sure they'd be perfect for Rafaella's dolly quilt!



The fabrics are called "Sarah Kay With Love" and are so pretty. The range of tiny florals, checks, spots and tonal prints are perfect for little girl clothes, doll's dresses, bags, and of course - a dolly quilt. 

I chose to make 2" hexagons the main feature for the quilt front, with the addition of tiny flower and bee stitcheries. Adding cotton lace across the top added to the sweetness. 



Today I'm sharing the pattern sheet of those little flower and bee stitcheries so that you can use them in a similar project, or perhaps something else you've got in mind. 

Use the link below to download the pattern sheet.




Blossom had an idea to use some of the fabric to make a doll's dress for Rafaella's 18" doll, and her seamstress skills certainly show in this cute little frock!





As you can see there's many pretty little prints in the Sarah Kay With Love fabrics. I really love the two Blossom chose for the dress!





If you'd like to see something really special, Blossom made the best 'reel' of the dress modelled with Rafaella's doll on Instagram. If you like to watch it just pop over HERE or search for her page, lucyandmay on IG.

These fabrics should be available from quilt shops around Australia this month. Just do a google search for "Sarah Kay With Love" fabric.


We've had five days of rain now and the garden is mostly happy, though some things don't really like being drenched for so long. There's still more rain ahead, and I am not complaining. Our town dam really needs the water and we'd thought 'another failed wet season' just a week or two ago, but here it is very late - but better late than never! 

Hubby is on three weeks holiday and already he's installing new internal doors, whilst I pull everything out of the pantry to reorganise the space. I have a whole kitchen in turmoil at the moment, and as you can imagine there's a lot of mess and wood shavings in each doorway...but these opportunities for him to get some big jobs done in the house are rare, so I'm not at all concerned about mess. We've both got a list of things to get done in the next few weeks and I have to say, it's wonderful to have him home all day and be working side by side to accomplish these tasks together. 

One extra task is to make use of the abundance of huge lemons from the tree. This morning after breakfast I made a lemon meringue pie. I got 3/4 cup of lemon juice from just one lemon.



It will be lovely to enjoy the pie for desserts over the next few days, but I'll need to come up with more lemon recipes, probably to freeze...like lemon drizzle cake. I could make lemon butter/curd...well, I'm sure ideas will come as I'm busy with other things.
Do you find that? You can wrack your brains over a problem and when you put it aside and work on something else, an idea forms with no effort at all. 



Okay, I'd best sign off as I can hear hubby vacuuming the floors around the door mess, which means it's time for a cuppa and the last bits of that apple gingerbread I made a few days ago. Nothing quite like a warm cup of tea and some pudding on a rainy autumn afternoon.

Bless you heaps!


15 comments:

Joanne said...

Good morning Jennifer :)
A beautiful start to the week with those creations you two make !
That's one big lemon !
A lemon meringue pie that can last a few days ? You two are very good :)
Best ideas usually come around 3 am, middle of the night....just pops in to my head :)
hugs, take care,
Joanne

kupton52 said...

Blossom is sooooo much like her mother! I just finished reading the newest email and cannot imagine unsubscibing. I look forward to your heartwarming chats and photos but most of all for the inspiring snippets of faith in His Word and Creation. Your family feels like a part of mine. Blessings from WV, USA!

Lorrie said...

Good morning, Jennifer. Thank you for the dolly quilt pattern. I've saved it to my files. Two little granddaughters would be so pleased with a similar quilt. Blossom's dress is adorable! Ideas often come to me when I'm out walking. Have a wonderful week.

mom2three said...

Have you ever read the Hannah Swensen mystery books? I get them from the library - quick and fun to read, but not something I'd re-read over and over. Each book has loads of recipes, and there's a website with all of them posted on it: https://hannah-swensen-mystery.fandom.com/wiki/Recipes I'd try there for some yummy lemon treats : )

Susan said...

If you can't think of ideas and need to use the lemons before they spoil, you can always squeeze them for the juice and freeze it and also grated the zest and freeze that too to use for later. Such a sweet dolly quilt and the doll dress blossom made is so pretty. Like mother, like daughter--you are both so talented and blessed. Thanks for the stitchery patterns.

Lin said...

Such a pretty quilt Jennifer and oh what an adorable little dolly dress! One very lucky little girl. Glad to hear you are getting the rain you need. We seem to be having a particularly dry spell here and I am using every drop of washing up water to keep all our new planting happy. Enjoy your holiday at home. xx

Tammy said...

Dearest Jennifer good day to you. I love the beautiful doll quilt and Blossoms creations as well. I enjoy your posts and read them all. And sometimes reread them again. I don't ever plan to unsubscribe my friend. Blossom is very talented just like you. Thank you for the beautiful pattern of small stitcheries. I rarely ever get creative moments anymore. I lost my sew jo mojo when I had cancer and sadly it has never really returned to me. Have a blessed day.

Elizabeth said...

Darling dolly quit and dress you and Blossom made!! Something she should enjoy for years to come. My grandma who did not sew much, made me some doll clothes...my own daughters played with them too!! A real heirloom!! The pie looks so delicious!! I imagine the lemons are sweeter than most at that size too!! YUM!!

Anonymous said...

Such pretty fabrics! I may have to make a similar quilt or two for my " just in case" pile. It must be wonderful to grow lemons! I add all my used skins to a jar of white vinegar & then use it for cleaning.

Ondrea said...

Very sweet dolls quilt indeed. Love the added lace. I may make a tablerunner although the dining table is always covered with a protector these days for when my grandsons come. I sometimes freeze lemon juice in ice cube trays for later use. I have also been naughty eating bread lately and make French toast with lemon juice and honey for brekkie. Mature fruit on our tree has finished but there are quite a few green ones growing. Glad you are enjoying time with hubby. Such a handyman. Just like my dad and brother.

Kim said...

What a creative idea of making a library card pocket! And I, too, enjoy keeping a steady supply of mung sprouts going. I like to make a simple omelet with them and a little parmesan cheese. Also, the bread tin is soooo cute!

Kim said...

Oops, I see I commented on an earlier post than intended. Oh, well, such is life.

Christine M said...

Rafaella's dolly quilt is gorgeous Jennifer. How beautiful are those fabrics. They look a little vintage to me which I love. The dolly dress Blossom has made is gorgeous too. Yum, that lemons meringue pie! xx

Anonymous said...

Lovely Jennifer thank you! 😊♥️

Anonymous said...

Mary-Louise Thank you so much ♥️😊