Rag doll progress

Ok so its not really Autumn Wardrobe sewing, but I have made some progress on my first ever rag doll, a gift for my friend's baby daughter (requested).
Poor dolly has a slightly square head, presumably due to me not sewing smoothly around the curve. Fortunately she'll have hair in bunches which will cover this area, and she'll hopefully look OK.
If she comes out scary, she'll be the test dolly and a new one will be made.
She'll also look better when her legs are sewn to her body and she has eyes etc, but Rome wasn't built in a day and I reckon a dolly takes at least a week :-)

Happy Ruth

Corduroy things I like :-)

Ideas of what to do with the cord. Cord shirt, cord shirt dress or cord jacket - various styles.

I think I'd wear a jacket the most and would want a fairly fitted style but that doesn't cut the pretty fabric into too many pieces.

corduroy

As a fabric, corduroy is considered a durable cloth. Socially, the clothes made from corduroy are considered casual, and are usually favored in colder climates during seasonal periods. Corduroy is most commonly found in the construction of pants or trousers. The material is also used in the construction of (sport) jackets and shirts. The width of the cord is commonly referred to as “wale”; the size of the wale. The width of the “wale” makes some uses more common than others. Wide “wale” is more commonly found on pants; medium, narrow and fine “wale” fabrics are usually found in garments used above the waist.

My Timmel Parcel Arrived today

Hey I know its Thanksgiving for the folks in the US, but here in the UK its just a normal day for most people.
Not for me though. DH pointed out I had a parcel when I cam home from work and hurrah! it was my order from Timmel fabrics.
http://www.timmelfabrics.com/
I bought 2 metres of this lovely burnt orange sequinned baby cord, and a package of 1/4" Steam-A-Seam2 to try on knit necklines.

The cord is absolutely gorgeous, exactly the colour in the picture and very soft. I have no real idea what I am going to do with it!!!!
I need to use it in my wardrobe for the Timmel 2008 SWAP Contest which starts in January and has a chocolate, orange, cream theme

SWAP lack of progress :-)

I've not progressed with my SWAP at all. My worry is that if I sew something now it'll be too big and a waste of time. I have lost 20lbs at this point and I'm already having great trouble finding things to wear for work, and I plan to lose another 20lbs by about the end of SWAP in the Spring.

Trying to analyse it a bit more the problems is really with bottoms - pants and skirts fall off the waist and rest on the hips if they are too big. So I suppose I can sew pants and skirts as long as I choose ones with waist facings and centre back zips and construct them so they are easy to alter at the sides going forward.
Tops seem to be restrained by the fact that my shoulders and back are almost as wide as before just more defined, and I need more waist shaping.
So I could make tops which fit OK now and just need the waist area shaping a little bit later.

And of course this needs to fit with the wardrobe pattern too. I am currently looking at Vogue 2939 which would be OK if I put the zips in the centre back.

The doll for baby P

My dear friend asked me to sew a rag doll for her baby P, I have been a bit slow off the mark but finally started this evening, here's the basic body of the doll.

Dark green 'Tiny Happy' Shoulder Bag

Cute shoulder bag made from the instructions at 'Tiny Happy'

http://www.tinyhappy.typepad.com/tiny_happy/2006/06/shoulder_bag_tu.html

Dark green chenille outer, leaf print cotton inner, vintage button.

Pattern Description:
Soft lined Shoulder Bag
Pattern Sizing:
One size, came out approx 14" by 7" but could be resized fairly easily.
Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?
Yes, pretty much
Were the instructions easy to follow?
Yes, the hardest part was making my own pattern from Tiny Happy's drawing, after that the steps were well diagrammed.
What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
Easy to sew, nice result and uses smallish scraps of fabric to good result.
Fabric Used:
Dark green chenille upholstery fabric, with ivory leaf print cotton lining.
Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made:
This version I made as per her instructions, but I am already considering making a bigger bag.
Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
Yes, I want to sew it again, maybe for myself or even for gifts. Imagine it stuffed with tissue paper and wrapped toiletries for a girlfriend.
Conclusion
Thanks Muffet for her review which spurred me to look at the 'Tiny Happy' blog and to 'Tiny Happy' for the instructions.
Muffet's review
Tiny Happy Instructions