Sewing Project: Hand Embroidered Doll Bedding Set

The subtitle for this post is "How I Spent Presidents' Day Weekend".   I made a pillow and blanket set sized for an 18" doll like American Girl or Pottery Barn's soft dolls. This is the largest embroidery project I've finished in decades.  I think the last time I finished something this large I was in sixth grade, easy.  I used about six different stitches, but they were all pretty easy so the stitching isn't that accomplished a feat.  It was more remembering how to do it all that was the challenge.

This is a gift for my goddaughter/niece who turned one a couple of weeks ago.  Yeah, it's late.  And needs to be ironed!  The design I drew myself based on the motifs in Doodle Stitching.  Just pencil on cotton.  Doodle Stitching is a great book, by the way, for people like me who know how to embroider, but aren't so interested in the cross-stitched samplers we did when we were ten.  No teddy bears and alphabets.  I've already bought her second book of motifs to inspire more embroidery! 

Notes on the project:
-while the embroidery is done the sewing actually isn't.  I still have to layer the batting and sew on the back of the blanket this afternoon with my machine.

-this was fun and I could do it while watching tv and talking to others which I can't do with machine sewing.

- cost was zero.  I had everything on hand for this project.  Some of the floss I've actually had for 15 years.  But if I'd had to pay for it, I'd guess this cost no more then $10.  In time this took probably 10 hours.  Maybe longer. 

Verdict:  Success!  My daughter wants one for her dolls too.  Rainbows and hearts were her request!