My niece is going to be one super happy girl when she opens her birthday presents from me.  She lives far, far away, unfortunately, so I won't get to see that moment of joy, but here's hoping that my sister will take pictures, because I suspect there may be squealing involved...

Katie recently received a hand-me-down gift from my mother, the doll cradle my sister and I shared (okay, fought over) when we were growing up.  I figured it was only appropriate for me to make a doll to go with!  I dug out my drool-covered copy of Wee Wonderfuls: 24 Dolls to Sew and Love and found the perfect doll for Katie, a pattern named Patchwork Penny.  And bonus, it had a pattern for a matching little doll quilt!


I had a Cabbage Patch doll that I adored as a little girl, and one of the things I liked best was that she looked like me.  Not that I liked Barbie any less for her blonde hair and blue eyes, but I liked having a doll with dark hair and dark eyes like me.  So, I chose to make Penny look as much like Katie as I could.



As always, Hillary's pattern was super easy to follow, but it did lead to cursing, as usual.  I am just not a very confident hand stitcher, especially when it comes to ladder stitching.  Oh well.  I did my best.  I really enjoyed making the wig of yarn and stitching it onto the doll, though I dreaded that step of the process and put it off for a good day before trying it.


My husband thought this adorable little doll quilt was a placemat gone awry (he thought it was sized oddly for a placemat).  Seriously.  He redeemed himself slightly, though - he picked out the binding from my stash for this one, though, which I think is a nice touch.  This is indeed the little quilt that I spray basted last week, and FMQ'd with the loopy design, and I really like how it looks, all finished up.


I really love how this birthday gift came together, and I can't wait to hear from Katie and see what she thinks. Happy (almost) birthday, sweet girl!

I'm linking up with {Sew} Modern Mondays over at Canoe Ridge Creations, make sure to check it out!