Santa Finish #1: Doll Clothing Racks

I'm so excited about how this first finished Santa project of mine turned out! In the search for a way to better organize the doll clothes making an appearance under the tree next week, I found this handy doll clothing rack designed by Doug Heacock and decided it met my criteria: 1. cute, but also simple enough to construct by myself, and 2. small, but functional enough for storing and toting everything, including shoes and accessories. Doug was nice enough to send me his SketchUp file with all the numbers so it was easy to create my own pattern using his as a guide. My dad was a huge help in gathering the wood so the DH and I could quickly get it all cut and assembled in the singlee day we had to use my dad's workshop while we were visiting a few weeks ago. (We also cut everything for the Ana White Farmhouse Doll Beds that my parents are gifting, but you and I both have to wait till they arrive next weekend to see the finished product... I can't wait! The bedding is started and now I just need beds to put it on!)

Anyway, two cans of spray paint and four glass knobs later, voila! Look how nicely the clothes fit, and the knobs I added will be perfect for hanging necklaces and other small accessories. Not a particularly challenging brag, but now my girls will finally have one woodworking project I completed for them start to finish (since I only did the paint job on last year's beds and dress up storage), and I'm proud of that. As much as I love sewing and quilting, boy do I miss the good old days of middle school shop class : )

The dolls had a great time at our photo shoot showing off their new clothes! A quick shout out again for my friend, Crystal, of Oh, Juniper! who handcrafted the gorgeous Waldorf-inspired dolls that will be under the tree come Christmas morning. Four of the outfits in the picture leading the post came with the dolls, and the middle floral outfit is from The Dolly Trunk.

Above are shoes and camisoles/panties (which are standing in for a leotard with the tutus I made : ) from Dollys Favorite 1. The felt shoes are for the girls' 10" dolls (who have been fighting over the one pair of pink they already have - hence matching sets of knit pink shoes right out of the gate for the bigger dolls!); this is my second custom order from the shop and both times I've been very impressed with the quality and very fast delivery. 

All three of these gorgeous dresses are from Molly's Playground - absolutely adorable and beautifully made! The shop has a huge selection of outfits and costumes, all with great details. (The doll clothes' hangers are from here.)

I have a few more Santa finishes to share over the next week, but in the meantime, back to the sewing machine. Hope you're all planning a great weekend of quilting and crafting! We're getting more precipitation (it's snowed three times already this week! yippee!) so I'm looking forward to staying warm and cozy in my studio. What are you planning? A little last minute holiday prep or fun festivities?