Composition doll, Dress

I'm almost done with the composition doll #1 that Kathleen passed onto me, I really love the little dress she was wearing and at a attempt to save it, I hand washed it with Woolite in cold water. But my efforts could not mend the little holes on the bib ruffle.

The slip/pantaloons washed up really good, seems I would have to replace the little yellow party dress though.

Which looked awful after I hung it up to dry, Maine weather....if you don't like it wait 5 minutes and it will change, true on this day, not a cloud in the sky until I hung out the dollies laundry to dry!

So down at the machine I sat. No bother, I have the perfect fabric to make another dress for doll #1 (I need a name), it's the same fabric, rayon, and pale pink. It's so pale it can almost look white.

If you enlarge the close-up photo of the yellow dress you'll see part of the reason why I'd hope this little thing would be good, it has a scallop edging on the bib ruffle. I was pretty sure my machine could do a better, much thicker, scalloping. Trouble was, I'd never used it before, especially on a tender fabric as rayon.

My husband likes to tell people that I didn't, or wouldn't use this brand new machine for a couple of years after he bought it for me. He was so proud of the purchase and being very informed and knew it would do many more things that I would enjoy. But for years I used my old machine, I was very intimated but all the electronic and worried I'd break it.

This was the day of truth, see that my machine was clicked over to scallop stitch? There are a few more things that need switching, size of the stitch, both length and width. I had done the swan stitch and the tulip stitch this way and didn't have a issue. Simple.

No, not so easy, all the machine would do is zig-zag, *sigh*, I resorted to reading the instructions. Which seemed to be of no help. The stitch I wanted was classified as a decorative stitch (letters C to I), falling within the satin stitch program, "Place dial on F". Well "F" is the shell stitch and that was zigging and zagging all over the place. The beautiful lighting stitch didn't work either, that's the drop down box looking shape you see on Indian blankets. Anyway, "decorative stitches" weren't computing. I got so frustrated with it and I tuliped stitched the hem of the dress, I chose a contrasting color thread.

I felt pretty silly when I took the time to really review the directions in the manual, I was not going to not do the scallop edging! The "F" dial was on the stitch length, well! That would make sense since satin stitch is a side by side stitch and has no length!

Finally.

I used hem tape on the bib ruffle, I did so because with rayon, it is harder than heck to get a even hem let alone on something as small as a ruffle. Hem tape is ironed on then the paper is removed leaving a small rubber like line holding the hem down.

(I guess my thumbnail is still jaundice from dyeing the wig!)

I was quite happy with the bib,

and even happier with the dress.

The flower stems....

and the done dress! It's cute, it's so cute....

I decided, after I made the repairs to the shoe, they needed alittle juicing too! C&G Design.