Dressing a Stylish Poodle

I hate throwing away fabric. I can't shake the feeling that fabric has potential, no matter how small. So, as a result I have bags full of bits and pieces of the fabrics I have used in my projects over the years.  I am convinced that one day I am going to come up with a great idea that will use them all.  This is actually one of the things that drew me to quilting in the first place. I love the look of patchwork quilts AND I would have something to do with all my scraps! But, patchwork quilts take a lot of time to piece together and there are several items ahead of that on my current project to do list. So, I am always excited when I find new ideas for ways to use my scraps.

The other day I came across this wonderful tutorial by Carrie at This Mama Makes Stuff on making Fabric Scrap Paper Dolls. She even provides a .pdf of 6 different adorable paper dolls to use as templates (which is fantastic because I can't draw a stick figure to save my life).  Even though the tutorial recommends this activity for kids 6 and up, I thought Miss M could handle it (she is a very mature 4.5 year old :) ) and I couldn't wait to try it out with her. So, today we gathered some of the scraps from the bag hanging on my sewing table, some glue and scissors and got to work.

We managed to make some room for our project on the always crowded playroom table. The dinosaurs and hairy spider looked on curiously as Miss M got her first lesson in using mama's fabric scissors (and learning that we don't cut anything but fabric with those scissors).

We had a couple of near misses, but nobody lost a finger in the process, which is always a good thing.

Once the "stylish" poodle was all dressed in her skirt, shirt, shoes & hat, Miss M decided she needed some tights.

Then, she assured me that "she's not bleeding, she just has a red face".

When she was all done, we added the Stylish Poodle to our Art Gallery. Miss M LOVED this project. She went on to do 3 more dolls after the poodle.

I am not sure what my favorite part of the whole experience was - listening to her make up stories about the people she was creating and why they were wearing the "clothes" she was picking out for them, or watching her create and develop her technique with each doll. By the last one (which I forgot to photograph) she had figured out how to cut out pants, a scarf and mittens. We worked on the first two together, and then I moved over to my sewing table to work on a few things while she kept working on her dolls.  I like giving her time to work things out on her own and seeing what she comes up with. It also makes me really look forward to working on more craft projects with her and teaching her how to sew.

Once something new is ready to replace the Stylish Poodle (the name Miss M gave her creation) on the art wall, I am going to put it away for that day when Miss M designs and makes her first dress.  Then, I can pull the poodle out and show her her very first design project.