December 17, 2018

Watch their eyes light up this Christmas!

All this week, we'll help you amaze and delight the doll lovers in your life with beautiful and unique last-minute gifts — made with Lee & Pearl™ patterns and tutorials, of course.

Today, we're showcasing one of our favorite patterns, released earlier this year — Lee & Pearl Pattern 1075: Ballet Slippers for 18 Inch, 16 Inch and 14 1/2 Inch Dolls.

Just like real ballet shoes, our slippers feature cartridge-pleated construction that molds softly around the toes, a curved center back seam that hugs the heel, a bias-bound edge with an encased elastic cord that can be pulled up for a snug fit, and a slender natural suede sole.

All you need is a tiny rosin box, and your dolls will be ready to cross the floor in style!

But don't let that perfect appearance and all those adorable details keep you from giving these shoes a try.

Anyone can make these shoes.

If you've ever looked at the flawless, no-glue-residue-anywhere pictures on shoe pattern covers and thought, "Yeah, mine will not look like that," we know how you feel, because we have always felt the same way.

In fact, pattern maker Pearl's first attempt to create doll shoes was laughably awful. Somehow, when the glue came out, everything went sideways. That's not something we want to put our friends through. Ever.

So Pearl took a step back, thought long and hard about the process, and came up with a series of easy-to-sew preparatory steps that take the free-handing anguish out of that moment when the glue comes out and the flat pieces turn into a shoe.

Don't take our word for it. Here's what our pattern testers had to say about our unique process:

"I made ballet slippers!!!! I honestly am so proud of myself and amazed at how well they turned out." — Rhonda A.

"These are the easiest ballet slippers I have ever made." — Jozel W.

"I really am pleased with how my shoes turned out. I have made shoes before, and these were really fun and easy to make!!" — Lesley T.

"They were so much easier than they look." — Amy S.

"The slippers were actually easy to construct." — Melangell

These shoes look adorable in pink satin and black faux suede — but why not give them a try in less traditional fabrics and colors as well?

We know how hard it can be to find good doll shoes, especially for the 16" A Girl for All Time and 14 1/2" Wellie Wisher dolls. So why not make fabric slippers for your girls to wear with their dresses and shorts? Ballet flats are great for modern wear — and they're great for 18th and 19th century historical outfits, too.

Amy S. of DenimRose on Etsy made these gorgeous red/orange brocade slippers using Pattern 1075. Who wouldn't love to coordinate these pretty shoes with a smart doll outfit?

Lesley T. made this cute pair of polka-dot slippers for her 14 1/2 inch Wellie Wisher doll. Flexible fabric shoes like these must feel awfully nice on wee toesies, after spending all that time in hard, rubber boots!

You still have plenty of time to give doll shoemaking a try, with all the ease and reliability of a Lee & Pearl pattern behind you!

Click the links below for this pattern as a three-size bundle (for the price of two sizes) or in the individual 18 inch, 16 inch and 14 1/2 inch sizes:

Pattern 1075: Ballet Slippers for 18 Inch, 16 Inch and 14 1/2 Inch Dolls

Pattern 1075: Ballet Slippers for 18 Inch (American Girl® and similar) Dolls

Pattern 1075: Ballet Slippers for 16 Inch A Girl for All Time® Dolls

Pattern 1075: Ballet Slippers for 14 1/2 Inch (Wellie Wisher® and similar) Dolls

And then check out the whole range of gorgeous Lee & Pearl ballet and dance patterns for dolls...

Perhaps your doll-and-dance lovers would like classic leotards and unitards made using our Pattern 1051: Ballet Basics Leotard, Unitard and One Piece Swimsuit for 18 Inch, 16 Inch and 14 1/2 Inch Dolls?

Or bring their Nutcracker dreams to life with Snowflake Waltzers and a Sugar Plum Fairy, made using our Ballet Performance range of patterns.

Try Pattern 1072: Corps de Ballet Fitted Bodice and Romantic Tutu with Basque and Panty for 18 Inch Dolls to make pretty scoop-neck tops and a fluffy Romantic tutu in two lengths.

Or go all-out with an amazing pancake tutu from our Pattern 1073: Prima Ballerina Strapless Bodice and Classical Tutu with Basque and Panty for 18 Inch Dolls.

You can find these patterns separately, or as part of the Ballet Performance Bundle for 18 Inch Dolls, which includes BOTH remarkable patterns at a single, discounted price.

CLICK HERE to see the Ballet Performance Bundle in the Lee & Pearl Etsy store.

You'll love the just-like-the-real-thing details in our tutu patterns, and the fully-illustrated, step-by-step directions that make each of those details as easy to sew as possible.

You won't find directions like these anywhere else — not even in the expensive full-size patterns available only on professional ballet sites. (We know, because we've tried them.)

Finally, here's a special ballet slipper construction secret just for our newsletter readers!

Notice how perfectly our elastics match the pale ballet pink of our slippers? We looked all over to find round elastic in that same dainty pink, but most of the colored elastics we found were either too dark or too bright.

So we used ordinary WHITE elastic, and colored it to match the fabric using the same technique we were taught in beginner ballet class, many years ago. Here's that special technique for our newsletter friends...

We dusted our white elastics with pale pink powder blush, and then rolled them in a clean paper towel until the color was right, and no more makeup came off on the towel.

We used the same technique with these pale aqua elastics — using blue eyeshadow instead of pink powder blush. Neat, huh?

Here's another great idea...

Our new FREE PATTERN for mailing list subscribers — Pattern 1038: The Gift Bow Front Dress for 18 Inch, 16 Inch and 14 1/2 Inch Dolls — makes a perfect Nutcracker Clara nightgown, to go with all those lovely shoes and tutus!

If you aren't a member of our mailing list yet, what are you waiting for? Sign up today to get this lovely pattern as our FREE GIFT!

CLICK HERE to sign up for the Lee & Pearl mailing list to get your own FREE copy of this lovely new pattern!

Remember — you can JOIN US on January 1, 2019 as we welcome the 2019 American Girl® Girl of the Year™ Blaire Wilson™ in person.

Both "Lee" and "Pearl" will be at the American Girl store at the Dallas Galleria on January 1, 2019 — and we'd love to meet you!

We'll be on line outside the store from 9:15 AM CST. If you'd like to swing by and join us as we explore the new collection, click on "Contact Us" above and send us a message — or just look for us on line or in the store. The store opens at 10:00 AM and the Girl of the Year festivities last until 1 PM.

NOTE: The American Girl store is in the parking lot of the Dallas Galleria, at 13464 Dallas Pkwy.

See you next time!

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