Sewing: Stella's skirt and doll dress.

Sunday was my niece Stella's birthday...she's three years old, can you believe it? Like almost every other little girl in America, she's obsessed with Frozen, so I knew that should be a theme with my gift. I usually try to sew her something for her birthday, since I always knit her a sweater for Christmas.

Stella was getting one of those 18" dolls from Target from her parents, so I decided to sew her new doll a dress. And my sister-in-law mentioned how cute it was that they sell little girls' clothing to match with the doll's clothing....obviously my niece needed something to match. :)

Stella's skirt is just a simple skirt: a hemmed rectangle with elastic at the waist. The doll dress is Simplicity 8039 (view a). The fabric is a light blue cotton print from Hobby Lobby, and the Anna and Elsa grosgrain ribbon is also from Hobby Lobby. The skirt was incredibly easy to sew, but the doll dress took hours longer than I expected! Whoever wrote this pattern obviously didn't sew the pattern, or some things would have definitely been different. For example, it's physically impossible to sew a tiny armhole on the sewing machine, unless you're way more coordinated than I am. I tried and tried, and ended up just sewing the sleeves in by hand. Also, what's the point in the dress bodice being lined when the raw armhole seams aren't hidden at all? I do think the end result is pretty adorable, but wow...sewing doll clothes was so much more tedious that I anticipated.

Yarn Along

Reading: The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls, by Claire Legrand. I'm trying to read some fall and Halloween-ish books this month, and this is one I've had on my shelves for a while. I was originally drawn in by the cover, but it sounds intriguing...it's a creepy middle grade mystery. I'm enjoying it so far! (Obviously I'm a scaredy-cat because my list mostly includes children's books.)

Knitting: I've officially started knitting Christmas gifts! So I won't say what this is or who it's for, in case they were to see. But I do really appreciate it when my knitting happens to match my book. :)

{Yarn Along is a weekly link up hosted by Ginny where you can share what you've been knitting and reading.}

Spooky reads (sort of).

I rarely, if ever, plan out exactly what I'm going to read next. I just pick up whatever I'm in the mood for. But I thought it might be fun to read some creepy, atmospheric books in the month of October.

I'm a complete chicken, so what I consider "spooky" or creepy books would probably make most people laugh. But that's okay. :) I'm starting off with The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches, which is the next book in my favorite cozy mystery series (the Flavia de Luce series by Alan Bradley). Here are some more books I'll try to get to this month:

Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen. The only of Austen's novels that I've only read once so far. It's long overdue a reread, and the way she spoofs and references Gothic novels is perfect for Halloween.

Bed-Knob and Broomstick, by Mary Norton. This book is probably the one that's been on my shelves the longest without being read. It's from a Scholastic Book Fair, which means that I got it in elementary school and I still haven't read it. That's ridiculous.

The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls, by Claire Legrand. The cover of this one is really nice. It's supposed to be a creepy middle grade mystery.

The Kneebone Boy, by Ellen Potter. I can't remember what this one is about, other than I've heard comparisons to A Series of Unfortunate Events. I've read her book The Humming Room, which is a close retelling of The Secret Garden, and I enjoyed it.

Halloween Party, by Agatha Christie. No October would be complete without a Halloween-themed Agatha Christie mystery, right? I found this old edition at a book sale and had to get it when I realized that the edges of the pages are orange.