Little Lynn Prepares to Sew

In December there was a new challenge in the hobby - barn raising! Called the Bridle Tree Barn Raising Challenge,  people worked on building a barn or a part of a barn. It was so much fun to watch and see what people could do. Many shared tips and suggestions that I filed away for when I make my own barn.

Since I had been wanting to make a mini barn for Little Lynn and Circus Girl, I ordered the 1:144 scale barn from Sinny's Mini Art that had been used by several people doing the barn raising challenge. (Recognize it? It's a copy of Breyer's traditional scale barn.) I knew I would not have time to build a barn in December, but I do plan to tackle it later this winter.

Going to Sinny's online was going down a rabbit hole. There were so many neat things to buy! I poked around a bit at the premade items, and then I began looking at kits. Those are much like the barn - you put the things together yourself.

This was a must-have and went into my cart along with the barn. After all, Little Lynn is supposed to be me at 17, and I was sewing my own clothes at that age. My doll NEEDED some sewing supplies. (This is called rationalization. Haha!)

Unlike the barn, I did not set this kit aside but began working on it shortly after it arrived.

I began by preparing the labels for the bolts - cutting them out and carefully gluing them to the ends of each wooden piece.

Next, I ironed each piece of fabric (I was delighted that the print on two of them was in scale and would look realistic.)

Using the wooden bolt to measure, I  practice wrapped the fabric around the bolt to make sure there would be no loose ends or that the fabric would not be hanging over the ends.

When I was satisfied that I'd gotten the fit right, I unrolled them and then rerolled them onto the bolts, gluing each layer to be sure that the fabric did not shift.

I am so happy with how the bolts of fabric turned out - they are in scale and look like what you really do find when shopping for fabrics.

Next I tackled the teeny, tiny tape measure. I wanted it to look like my real tape measure, but the directions said to cut it out, cut in half, and glue the sides together, then fold it or roll it up.

Mine is made of cloth and is usually in a pile on the table like this when I am sewing. Could I make that happen with the paper tape measure?

I decided to try curling the paper just as I would some curling ribbon when making a bow - by gently sliding the paper across the blade of my scissors. I practiced on the edges of the tape measure that I had cut off before trying it on the real deal.

Success! Little Lynn's tape measure looks very much like my own.

The last step in the directions was to paint the scissors handles black. I looked back at the photo on the package and didn't like how that looked.

Besides, all my scissors, rotary cutter, and shears are Fiskars, and they have orange handles. 

I decided to leave the scissors as is and, if I change my mind and decide to paint them, then they will be orange to match what I really use.

Now, if only Little Lynn had a sewing machine, she could make a new costume for Circus Girl!