Projects for My Nieces


My little niece turns one this month, and I wanted to make her something special and, of course, feminine. I have two boys, and there are no plans for more children, so I need to grab all the girly experiences I can.
I saw some dolls in a fashion magazine this past week that were based on traditional Japanese kokeshi dolls, which are sort of a tourist favourite. They are made of wood, depict little girls, but have no arms or legs. The dolls I saw in the magazine were a more colourful update on the original. I liked the look, so I decided to try to replicate the look in a combination of knitting and crochet, and I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.
Now, I am simply not able to send my niece a homemade gift without sending her big sister one as well. And, lucky for me, this four year-old is finally old enough to like Barbie! So, I decided to make her a kicky new outfit for winter! I currently have my old Sindy doll modelling the outfit. For those of you not familiar, Sindy is the British version of Barbie. I like to think of her as Barbie's slightly brainier cousin.
The problem here is that I think my Sindy doll looks pretty good in Barbie's new outfit, and I'm contemplating making Sindy her very own updated wardrobe. Would that be weird? I think it might. But dressing her up in the beautiful wedding dresses my Mum and Nanny made her twenty-some years ago would also be weird...in a Miss Havisham kind of way.
So, while the Captain is away this week, I may find myself knitting and crocheting Sindy her very own 21st-century wardrobe, then dressing her up and taking pictures.
It may be time to get a job...

Comments

Janine said…
Fabulous!! My Mom used to knit and sew clothes for all my Barbies when I was a kid. But I really like playing with those green army men much better!!
February 5, 2009 at 4:04 AM
Anonymous said…
Amazing! The girls will LOVE these gifts :)
February 17, 2009 at 6:16 PM
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