sleepover pals- new and improved

Before we jump into the photos- I wanted to explain a little bit about the making of Sleepover Pals.

The pattern calls for pre-quilted fabric. But the photo looks like an old quilt. So when I went out to find pre-quilted fabric, and saw how ugly it was- I set out for a better option. I went looking for vintage quilts to cut up. Did I find any? No. But one day while I was at T.J. Maxx- I found a stash of quilted pillow shams. They are the perfect size, and definitely the perfect substitute for cutting up vintage quilts.

The first problem lies with finding cute shams at a discounted price. The first set I made was easy, I found a cute sham, I took it to the fabric store, and immediately found fabric to match it. But the sets after that have been more challenging, as I haven't found an abundance of really cute shams anywhere. I can find plenty of cute ones for full price- $50, and that dosen't quite work. Also, I no longer live in a city with a million amazing fabric stores. I now shop on etsy to find fabric, so it's a lot harder to match stuff.

The second problem was the way the hair and the arms were made. They took forever, they had two sides of raw seams. One is fine, I can attach that side to the body. But the other side is very visible, and I don't like raw seams on the outside of any project. Maybe I'm just a moron and was making them wrong- but after making 3 sets any not getting any better results, I decided that I didn't like they way the pattern was written. So in the end I didn't feel that they were sturdy enough to stand up to little girls tucking them in repeatedly for years and years. Although being round is very cute- it's kinda hard to sew a round ball to another surface in a way that hides the stitches and is sturdy. The first few sets I ended up having to hot glue them on, which I feel is embarrassing and not at all professional. Sorry guys!

So after making that last set of Sleepover Pals for Laura, I gave up. I said that I would never make them again. It was too hard to find shams, the arms and buns are hell to sew. Then I had an idea. In the middle of the night when I couldn't sleep- on how to make the arms and buns better.

I went to T.J. Maxx and found a few more shams. I couldn't believe it- I can't tell you how many times I have been and found nothing. Actually, I can. 6 months. I pulled out a few that I had already gotten, but had not found any fabric to go with. I dug into my stash and found stuff that worked. Again- I couldn't believe it.

And my magical arm/bun trick worked! One seam, still round. And yes, I did glue them on- but with much better glue than hot glue. I want these dolls to last through everything. I want the little girls to save them for their own children. Realistic, probably not. But they need to last until they grow out of them at least, right?

So, there is my story. I will make Sleepover Pals for my shop. But it will depend on whether or not I can get shams. I went through a 6 month period of not finding anything! Also, they really can't be custom. I find what I find, then I base the fabric choices off the shams. They are also one of a kind, unless I find multiple shams, I can't make the same set twice. I have tried to put everything I have into making these ladies worth the effort of making them, and worth the cost to you, so that they last a long time.

Ready for the photos now?

The little cinnamon girl is my fav in this set.

This set is similar to the first set I made. I used the same fabrics for the clothes. I got lucky that they matched!

Yeah- the cinnamon girl is my fav in this set as well!

I had. THE. Hardest time finding fabric for this set. It seems easy, right?

I was trying to find fabric that had the black in it too- with absolutely NO luck!

I got some fat quarters of this fabric- called Sunkissed last winter for a project, but the client didn't like what I had picked, so in the bin it went! But each color matches perfectly- the pink, the orange, the green, the yellow. I was so happy when I matched this set. SO SO HAPPY!!

Now for sale in the shop!