Creating Historic Style Doll Quilts for Beforever Dolls

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 This past week was school vacation week here and Steve took the week off as well. We spent a long weekend with my parents and had some family time including a trip to the American Girl Store. My parents gave Hazel the retired American Girl Doll, Kirsten, for Christmas and gave her Kirsten's bed (well a homemade version my mother found on-line) for her birthday. My mother told her she would make a quilt for the bed with Hazel. My mother and I picked out a set of farm style precut fabrics for Kirsten's quilt. Her bed is blue with a heart cut out off the ends and berries and leaves painted on it. Her story is from the 1850's and she was an immigrant from Sweden and her family moved to the prairie. Her quilt was a patchwork quilt. (Something like this charm pack would also work.) Hazel has been making 9-square quilts for awhile, so she was excited to make a patchwork quilt for Kirsten. My mother took the big precut squares and cut them into quarters. Then Hazel and Kirsten began to arrange them on batting.

Once she got them arranged how she wanted them, Hazel began to hand sew the rows. She has gotten four rows sewn so far this week!

My mother told her once it is all sewn together to bring it back and she will teach Hazel how to quilt. Hazel is so excited!!

Now Hazel's first American Girl doll was Kit. Hazel saved her own money to buy her last year. Last year we bought some 1930s reproduction fabrics and I made her a doll dress in the 1930s style. We also planned to make a quilt for Kit. Looking on line and at the American Girl Store I see that Kit has had at least three different kinds of bed coverings--two of which are quilts. Yet when I did some research on popular quilt blocks in the 1930s, I found that two of the popular blocks were the dresden plate and the sunbonnet Sue (which neither of her quilts were). You can see both in this quilt pattern. 

Lil' Bloomer Girl Pattern at Keepsake Quilts

I decided to see about getting the two patterns resized to be doll size. I wanted about 4-inch squares. I took a pattern for sunbonnet Sue from on-line like these and shrunk them down so they would fit in a 4-inch square. I cut 4.5-inch squares to allow for seam allowances. I did a similar thing with the dresden plate pattern. I love how the sunbonnet Sue block is working.

To do this applique I copy the pattern onto freezer paper and iron it on to the back of the fabric. I cut around the shape leaving some seam allowance. I fold the edge down around the paper and sew it to the backing. I did go buy some more fabric locally. It was similar to this collection. Here is another block we started. Hazel wanted to try to help, but she had too much trouble with the applique stitch. I was working on the dresden plates so it didn't get done yet. Hazel picked this cute duck fabric for the quilt back as well. If you want my resized pattern you can download it here. 

My dresden plate blocks are failures thus far. I think I need to do some more research on this type of block since I haven't made one previously and the resizing may have thrown off the pattern. 

Now I have more sunbonnet Sues to sew. I'm not a fast hand sewer, but it is fun to make it this way. I'll share a picture once both quilts are finished!

Be sure to check out some of other doll quilting projects and our other quilts. And we would love it if you would check out Keepsake Quilting and shop to support us!

It is time to see what you have been creating! Thank you to everyone who shared with us last week. Below are a few of the features from our party. Please remember for your child-oriented crafts, activities, lessons, etc. Sharing Saturday is going on!!  Also don't forget to link up all your diverse and cultural posts at Creative Kids Culture Blog Hop !

Features

1) From Flamingo Toes: Woven or Wagon Wheel Rose Embroidery Stitch Tutorial

2) From Create & Babble: Creative Frames to Make

3) From Busy Being Jennifer: DIY Felt Heart Rainbow Tote

4) From Life Sew Savory: Bath Toy Storage Bag Tutorial

5) From The Scrap Shoppe Blog: DIY Shamrock Socks

6) From Bombshell Bling: Lucky Charm Hair Bow

7) From Duct Tape & Denim: LUCKY Vintage Playing Card Garland


Thank you to everyone who shared the last week!! I hope you will share again!! If you are featured here, please feel free to grab a featured button to display proudly on your blog. I would love the help spreading the word about Crafty Weekends!!

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