Small Finishes

With our youngest granddaughter's birthday coming up in less than a week, it was time to finish up her special gifts. She received an 18 inch doll for Christmas and we figured that dolly needed her own bedroom ensemble.  And so, here is what we have as of today:

The quilt was the first item started and finished - of course! Featuring a vintage bear fabric in the Bear Paw block.

A closer look

The back is a piece of vintage 1980s Strawberry Shortcake fabric that has been in the stash for a long, long time, barely large enough to fit the size of the quilt.

My husband spent a few  days in the shop constructing a Mission style bed which we then finished with a natural stain and several coats of polyurethane. As always, he built it sturdy enough to withstand its probable occasional use as a step-stool by either birthday girl or her little brother. While he was reorganizing the shop he also found a prototype stand built probably 10 or 15 years ago, voila a night stand!

Next, we needed some accessories! Can you tell I'm having fun with this?! Since our Abby is a dog lover, of course dolly needs a little dog with his own basket bed complete with cushion. And, the bed needed a mattress, sheets, a pillow and pillowcase.

I've spent the last day rummaging around the house for other miniature accessories and some vintage linens are being pressed into action as well.

Love that tiny picture frame!

How about a bedside throw rug?

Lastly, the result of my sad attempt at making pajamas. The fabric is soft and pretty, but extremely slippery. Pinning the seams was an absolute nightmare since the pins kept falling out and the fabric slid around as it was being stitched. After seeing that the pattern I had for the bottoms was not going to fit the doll well, I ended up throwing away the last of that fabric, and adding a wide eyelet flounce to the top and we're calling it a nightgown.

The ensemble as of today

Since taking these photos I finally found a tiny Golden Book from the 1980s in an unpacked box from our move two years ago, perfect for the nightstand for dolly's bedtime story. Still working on how to construct a bedside lamp. I have some large wooden spools that can be used for the base but have yet to figure out what to use for the lampshade foundation that I could then cover with ruffled fabric. There's still time ...

One more small finish - an anticlimax really - the two Dresden plate Christmas placemats are done and now put away along with the runner, awaiting their turn to shine next next holiday season. Hurray for small finishes!