Audrey.

This is Audrey.

Audrey loves a good book.

She also loves movies. Especially movies starring that girl who has the same name as her.

Sometimes she can be found at her sewing machine. She's very careful with the pins and needles, and she never sticks herself like some other less coordinated people she knows.

By night, Audrey is a world-renowned concert pianist. Sometimes she has a little trouble reaching the foot pedals.

Audrey gets a kick out of listening to Frank Sinatra records. His voice makes her swoon.

{There is something so ridiculously satisfying about sewing a toy. I'm not sure what it is. Maybe it's because it's something 3D and soft and huggable. :)

Okay, here's the technical stuff. I made Audrey using the Retro Mama "Greta" doll pattern. The pattern was great and putting her together was actually a lot less complicated that I expected. The only tough part was sewing everything together while trying to keep the hands and arms in place- one arm ended up slightly higher than the other one and I had to resew a few sections where all of the fabric layers didn't catch. I highly recommend the pattern! By the way, the doll is pretty much the perfect size for kids- big enough to hug and play with, but not too awkward to tote around.}

{I did change the face a little. My mom thought her eyes were too small at first, so I embroidered much larger eyes, left off the freckles (she's supposed to look like me, and I don't have freckles), and added a mouth. I thought that the little mark in the middle of the original pattern was a mouth, but the pattern referred to it as a nose. I can't for the life of me imagine it as anything besides a mouth! :) Her hair is brown wool felt. All other felt (hair bow, collar, shoes) was just regular craft felt. Her face and arms are muslin- she turned out a little pale, because the fabric looked darker in the store. Her tights are red gingham.

Her dress is this adorable Valentine's Day fabric that was on clearance for only $3 a yard back in February. It's printed like vintage valentines! I got at least a yard of it, and her dress only took a little. I originally intended for her to wear yellow, because it's my favorite color, but when I saw this fabric next to the red gingham, it was perfect. I couldn't help but put them together.}

{This pattern has so many possibilities! I'm already thinking of themed dolls to make: Alice in Wonderland, Anne of Green Gables (how cute would she be with red hair and two pigtails?), and the list goes on. I love that you can personalize it to pretty much anyway you want, with hair, bows, dress, tights, applique, etc. I'll be keeping Audrey, but I'm considering making a couple of these for my Etsy shop.}

Until next time,