I make dolls for kinds with cancer, etc. Since the skirt part of my doll is 16 by 48 (before seams, gathering skirt, etc) I am trying to figure out how I could make a quilt look skirt. (s) I know I could crazy quilt material using up some trims, and cut it to size, but am also thinking of simple blocks. The math is beyond me. The top of the skirt usually ends up with taking 5/8 inch of the seam minimum with the gathering. the one or two side seams can easily consume 1/4 inch. I guess I could just use fabric above and below 12 inch blocks and let that work. The dolls take a while to make but I've been getting help with the bodies so that is a good thing. I just want to try something different. If you want some idea of how they look, go to my topic I HOPE THEY WILL HELP A CHILD WITH CANCER, and maybe you can give me some ideas. Thanks a million.

Vickey S.

say...happened to think...here s group with no face yet. Maybe when I make aprons, as I do sometimes, I could use a quilt square over a plainer skirt, and dress it up that way. See the dolls in the picture I took last night. Just a thought that landed in my tired brain, and thought I would share it. I have ten boy dolls to do later, and a cute little patch pocket on blue jeans might look equally neat. HUMMMMMMMMMMM gotta go rest my head now. giggling

Do the skirts have to be gathered that much? A cheater type fabric might be just the thing too. Another idea is a quilted pinafore over the dresses.

The easiest way to do it might be to plan a row of quilt blocks for the bottom edge of the front of the skirt. You could fuse on the block strip, then zig zag the edges.

I would use a patchwork printed cheater cloth.
or put a simple checkerboard patchwork band around the bottom of the skirt. You could do the patchwork and then sew a wide piece of plain fabric and iron it to the back for the backing, with no batting. Then if you have a serger can serge the border to the rest of the skirt.

that is a good idea. Hadn't thought of the concept of fusing. Pays to ask questions and keep learning, from my point of view.

Thanks for your reply

never heard of a patchwork cheater sheet. Where would I find one.

What a great idea also to serge the skirts together. Here I've been hand sewing the skirts together and that would save lots of edge triming and sewing time. Thanks so much.

was sitting here thinking that in spare moments I could sew cute little patchwork pieces for an apron.

Thanks

The waistline of the skirts are pretty small, so I always put in two rows of gathering, which is what takes up the space, then also because the waist is small, I find it tedious to try and fight the machine to do, so I back stitch twice by hand around the waistline, which takes up even mre space.

Probably a bettr way I could do this, but haven't found it yet. Giggling at my silly self.

Thanks

Trying to think on that pinefore. That would be an apron wit a bib and ruffled arm holes...right?

That would save decorating the top and the bottom to a large extent. Guess the penifore could be cut in one piece and ruffle the side of arm area as well.


What would I do without all of you.

THANKS SO MUCH. (Excuse my lusy spelling....for a writer I do a terrible job of spelling...ggl)