Balle gets a new bag (and outfit)

Balle gets a new bag (and outfit), a photo by mom2rays on Flickr.

Zuri got a few fiber art lessons today. Zuri received a Corolle Les Cheries Doll named Chloe Ballerina that she affectionately named Balle for her birthday. She sat with me and knit about 4 rows on a scarf for Balle. I will have to upload the scarf pics later, they are on my phone vs. camera.
Here's the bag and outfit that we made for Balle. Zuri helped with the design of the purse, she centered the design and pushed start (my sewing machine will allow hands free/presser foot free sewing) to sew out the design "Balle ♥♥♥". She did an excellent job!
She got disinterested though when I had to press and sew the tiny binding. It wasn't the type of work suitable for tiny princess fingers. :(
The outfit is made from 2 socks. I bought a TON of socks and made Z legwarmers before she was born. I planned to also sell some, never got around to it and have a ton unsewn and decided to copy an idea I saw on flickr to make them into doll clothes. They work perfectly. Sewing is reduced because they are already tubes so unless you want to, there is no need for side seams. They are stretchy so they are easy on and off for small fingers. No frustration that the clothes are stuck on or off. No complicated closures to manipulate.
For the leggins, I measured and cut the tube leaving the cuff of the sock as the waist band. Then edge stitched with a stretch stitch the entire bottom. Then I straight stitched up and around and down to form the legs. I sewed 1/4" on either side of center and marked which stripe to stop at based on laying Balle on the tube before sewing. Once sewn, I cut between the stitches leaving a 1/4" seam allowance. Voila, leggins!
For the tunic top, I cut out the focal bunny in a tube and sewed the bottom, stretching slightly to allow it to lettuce edge. I set aside the bunny tube.
Then I cut the 2nd sock below the bottom stripe, leaving the cuff in tact to form the neck edging. I edged the bottom with stretch stitch then cut the tube in two. leaving two rectangles (because these were stripes, I aligned the "jog" of the beginning of the stripes up to be where I cut so that it would be in the seam allowance.
Then I carefully pinned the sleeves to the bunny tube and first sewed the front, centering the cuffs on either side of the center of the tube. Then flipped and repeated the back, ensuring that the stripes matched. Then I turned it inside out and sewed the bottom of the sleeve seams, and turned it right side out.
These were WAY faster than any other doll clothes I've attempted in the past. I believe I will go back through some of the leg warmers that Z doesn't wear that much (she actually still wears quite a few of them) and harvest some for doll clothes for Balle.
I can also see a use for older tights that have gotten a hole, both mine and hers, making doll leggins!