Bunk Bed Birthday

February 27, 2012 by mymateriallife

I get sentimental when Samantha’s birthday comes around; there are traditions I’ve created that I just have to follow – even if I’m the only one who appreciates them!  One important tradition is not to make things too easy.  This year, even though we got out of hosting a party at home, I made things more difficult by deciding we should make the birthday gift.  I couldn’t really find a doll bunk bed that I wanted to buy, so I […]

Categories: Celebrations, Kid Stuff, Sewing • Tags: 18" doll bunk bed, doll accessories, doll bunk bed plans

Toilet Paper Roll Knitting Nancy Idea #5: Chic Winter Doll Accessories

January 24, 2012 by mymateriallife

Dolly loves to pull her hair back, but she doesn’t like her ears to get cold, so this combination headband/ear warmer is perfect for her.  She thinks the pom-poms add just the right touch.  Dolly embraces her youthful, somewhat old-fashioned style and appreciates how it sets her apart from some of the newer dolls in the household (many from faraway lands – yet oddly, almost all blondes). Piper is from Australia.  She’s a beach girl who hates to cover up, […]

Categories: Kid Stuff, Knitting • Tags: doll accessories, french knitting, knit doll accessories, spool knit doll accessories, spool knitting, toilet paper roll knitting nancy

Knit Drawstring Backpack Prototype

August 11, 2011 by mymateriallife

I made this backpack as a prototype to figure out a project pattern I’m putting together for a beginning knitting class for kids.  A few years ago I got a plastic bag at an Apple store that I saved because I thought the construction of it was so cool. It was one of those drawstring bags that can be used as a backpack by using the drawstrings as shoulder straps as well.  I’ve been thinking about a canvas version in […]

Categories: Kid Stuff, Knitting • Tags: doll accessories, drawstring backpack, knit backpack, knit doll accessories

Scintillating Stripes

March 31, 2011 by mymateriallife

What do you see when you look at these photos?  I asked Samantha and she said rugs.  I see knit blankets, probably garter stitch, but rugs are an interesting idea too.  These are actually photos of tulip fields in the Netherlands taken during the month of May.  They were forwarded to me by my neighbor.  She thought I might like to see them when we were talking about beautiful things during a trip we made earlier this month to the […]

Categories: Kid Stuff, Knitting, Other Textiles, Reading Material • Tags: doll accessories, eva kohlmark, karin jerstorp, the textile design book

Fun Felt Valentine Projects

February 11, 2011 by mymateriallife

Aren’t these great?  They come from two favorite craft blogs, Living Crafts (from the magazine by the same name) and The Purl Bee (from the Purl Soho shop in New York).  The heart that’s hanging on top is actually a little pocket that I’ll use to hold the hair clips and maybe a couple of white chocolate hearts for Samantha. Then she can wear it as a necklace.  It was fun to practice a little beading which adds so much […]

Categories: Embroidery, Kid Stuff, Other Holidays, Sewing • Tags: doll accessories, felt heart hair clip, felt heart pocket, felt valentines, living crafts, the purl bee

Todd Oldham’s Duct Tape Stage

February 6, 2011 by mymateriallife

I mentioned this project in my Duct Tape Blow Dryer post from last summer.  It’s not from Todd Oldham’s Kid Made Modern book, but it was published in the magazine, Cookie (now extinct) about the time the book came out.  It’s pretty easy and pretty fun, especially with all the different colors of duct tape you can find these days.  The floral tape we used is from the Japanese bookstore on Saratoga Avenue, Kinokuniya. The flashlight as stage light is […]

Categories: Kid Stuff • Tags: cookie magazine, doll accessories, duct tape stage, todd oldham

House of Zhu Zhu

January 26, 2011 by mymateriallife

I was going to show you this with a sweater I’m knitting for Barbie, but that sweater is taking a little longer than expected, so here you go.  I have to say, there is something very satisfying  about pairing a mass-market product like the zhu zhu pet with a handcrafted accessory knit from a wool that is milled on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides off Scotland’s northwest coast.  This project comes from the book, Pet Projects – […]

Categories: Kid Stuff, Knitting • Tags: doll accessories, pet projects-the animal knits bible, rowan scottish tweed aran, selvedge magazine, zhu-zhu house

Bedroom in a Box

September 11, 2010 by mymateriallife

I didn’t come up with this idea of setting up a room in one of those paperboard suitcases; my daughter did, but I did get this one started with the idea of shooting a photo to show you here because it is such a brilliant scheme.  And she did improve on my original set-up by changing the accessories on the dresser and adding the piano and the floor lamp (which I moved next to the piano).  A piano in the […]

Categories: Kid Stuff, Miniatures • Tags: calico critters, doll accessories, doll house furniture, fancy nancy, paper suitcase

Bedrolls for Barbies

July 24, 2010 by mymateriallife

A pretend sleepover with a friend prompted this project for Barbie and her pal Midge.  These are made from fleece that I found at Natural Expressions in Los Gatos.  They generally don’t carry fleece, but they did have two bolts and this fabric came from one of them.  Nice quality.  The beauty of sewing with fleece of course, is that you do not need to finish any edges. And that’s not all – no pressing, no iron, no board!  For […]

Categories: Kid Stuff, Sewing • Tags: barbie, bedroll, doll accessories, fleece, sleeping bag