Snowfall and Doll Tights

On Tuesday night we braced for a snowstorm. The weathermen were predicting inches, if not at least a foot of the stuff. So we got excited. The closet where we keep our winter clothes had it's doors thrown open and contents emptied. There was a flurry of activity as people claimed their snow pants, jackets, and hats. Small arguments ensued over whose mittens were whose. The snow began falling steadily after dark. Progress reports were made every few minutes until bedtime by eager faces pressed up against windows. It felt like torture having to go to bed and wait until morning, but that's what had to happen. (I'm such a mean mom, you know, not letting my kids go sledding after 11 pm!)

And then, morning. Yes, there was snow. But there was also rain. A lot of it. Somewhere in the wee hours of the morning, the much anticipated, fluffy, white stuff transitioned over to the liquid sunshine we get on a regular basis. At least in our area. So the few inches of snow we got didn't last very long. But snowsuits were put on and a snowman was made. We listened with jealousy about people living in our same county who got hammered with snow. My father lives only 28 miles away and he got almost two feet. Snow envy, that's what we had. Sigh. Maybe next time.

The rain didn't deter anyone from building a snowman or throwing snowballs, though. That's the great thing about kids...they focused on the positive (the snow), ignored the negative (the rain), and just had fun, regardless. Perhaps there's a lesson here to be learned.

So while people were occupied with the rain/snow situation, I tackled a project I've been wanting to try for awhile. Doll tights. Yeah, I know, what's so interesting about doll tights? Well, not that much, I suppose, except I got it into my head how cute it would be to make tights to go along with the doll outfits I make. And I got this idea one day as I was browsing the thrift store and noticing all the knit shirts in pretty patterns. So I bought a few shirts (okay, more like 10, but they were half-off, so that's a deal, right?) and set to work trying to figure out a pattern. I scoured the internet for patterns, but couldn't find any. What??? You mean nobody has made a pattern for American Girl sized doll tights? So I was on my own. After about three tries, this is what I came up with.

I used a 100% cotton knit shirt which stretched horizontally only. I tried to get the tights as form-fitting as possible. I added an elastic into the waistband. For the most part, I'm pretty happy with how they turned out. The bottom of the foot still kind of bugs me, because I want them to lay perfectly flat. I will try these again, next time with a two-way stretch fabric. Maybe that will make a difference in how they fit.

Many thanks to Nellie, my American Girl doll, for modeling. She was not too happy about the lack of clothing, but bravely put on a smile anyway!