Little girls and dolls belong together!    

Sadly, not every little girl has that privilege of a fun, safe childhood with dolls and doll clothes.  This summer, at My Grandma Knows, I want to give you an opportunity to partner with me to help young girls in Managua, Nicaragua.

La Chureca is a village within a garbage dump in Managua, Nicaragua.  The residents of this village suffer from extreme filth, poverty, and hopelessness.  The air is so contaminated that it slowly poisons the people who live there.  Girls are especially vulnerable to drug abuse and sex trading as they are sometimes given in exchange for first access to new loads of garbage.

 Forward Edge International has built Villa Esperanza, a “Village of Hope” in Managua and has rescued some of these vulnerable ones from their life amid the garbage.  Natalie Goss, one of my former students and now my friend, serves at the Villa Esperanza as their Child Sponsorship Representative and Field Staff.  (That’s Natalie on the right in the picture below.)

What does any of this have to do with you?

How can you help?

It’s simple, really.  All you have to do is purchase doll clothes for your 18 inch dolls (like the American Girl dolls) from My Grandma Sews Facebook page or Etsy shop.  For the next three months, I will be donating all of the money from doll clothes sales (after shipping and Etsy fees) to the girls at the Villa Esperanza.  The money will be used to help the girls buy Christmas presents for their family members who still reside in La Chureca.

The Villa Esperanza is helping to restore these young ones by meeting their physical, emotional, educational, and spiritual needs.  The girls who now live at the Villa maintain contact with their families and visit them regularly, but they no longer have to fight to survive.  They can be children again. 

Check my Facebook page and Etsy shop often for new items!  Your girls can help other girls by shopping at My Grandma Knows!

Recently, one of my alterations customers brought me a doll that belonged to her mom and asked me to dress the doll.  I have been sewing doll clothes since December 2013, but only for 18 inch dolls like the American Girl dolls.

The doll that my customer brought to me was quite small and old and fragile looking.  I decided to accept the challenge.

First I rummaged through my patterns and found a vintage pattern that I had recently bought at a thrift store for $.25.  The pattern included clothes for 13-15 inch dolls, but the doll that I was dressing was barely ten inches in height.  I would have to improvise.

I started with a basic pattern and made it quite a bit smaller and shorter.  I chose a peasant style top and bloomer style pants in coordinating calico prints that have an old-fashioned look to them.

The tiny bloomers are made from a very tiny floral print in peaches and cream colors.  I made the top from a coordinating print in blue, tan, peach, and green.  I added a strip of the peaches and cream fabric down the front of the top to make the two pieces look like an outfit.  The tiny tan button at the neckline was my finishing touch.

I love the way this little outfit turned out, and I hope that my customer likes it, too.  At least her little doll isn’t naked any longer!

Last month, a customer asked me to make her a cross body messenger bag and a matching Two Zip Wristlet.  No problem.  Then she asked me to make it from black and beige fabric.  Just black and beige.  She prefers paisley and polka dots.  Yikes!  I spend a fair amount of time looking for and at fabrics, and I wasn’t able to recall a vast selection of paisley and polka dots in black and beige.

Surely there had to be something available at my local quilt shop.  But there wasn’t.  I found black and beige polka dots, but how boring!  I left the shop with two yards of the same black and white fabric that I had used to make my niece’s diaper bag.  I reasoned with myself that the white wasn’t really all that white, and the print included paisley and dots.  Three out of four isn’t so bad!  

As I was driving home, an idea flashed in my mind.  I’m sure the idea was from God.  It was certainly the answer to my prayers for just the right fabric for these projects.  The idea was this:  tea dye.  I just knew it would work!

Here’s a travel bag that I made with the fabric in black and white:

And here’s the black and beige wristlet:

Isn’t it pretty?  I have to admit that I wasn’t all that enthused about black and beige since I love bright colors and cheery prints, but I really like this tea-dyed fabric!  It has a classic look, and it’s perfect for the lady who ordered it.   The tea dying was fairly simple, and it’s a process I wouldn’t hesitate to use again to achieve just the right color of fabric.

In addition to the wristlet, she wanted a cross body messenger bag.  This particular messenger bag is made from a pattern that I designed myself for my friend Ann who described to me exactly what she wanted.

It’s a smaller bag measuring approximately 8″ x 9″ x 1.5″, but it has plenty of room, too.  This particular messenger bag has a zippered pocket in the front under the quilted flap.

Four pockets line the inside of the bag.  These interior pockets are large enough for a checkbook or sunglasses.

I added a pocket to the back of the bag, too.  This pocket that is free from any kind of closure is so convenient for keys, coupons, or a shopping list.

These bags are on their way to Florida, and I sure hope the recipient likes them as much as I do!

What do you think of this black and beige fabric?