The very fabulous and somber Slumber Cat

Sometimes I am happily driving in my lane making shoes and clothes and suddenly, I take a hard right and drive deep into totally new and absorbing territory. What might motivate this departure from the everyday? My gorgeous and amazing one-year-old niece, of course. Babies make people crazy, I tell you! Good crazy, of course. Please meet the result of this lovely and sparkling adventure…the very fabulous and somber Slumber Cat! 

Slumber Cat was intended to be a simple gift to my gorgeous niece but once I started, I could not stop.  The pattern for the doll is from Bon Patterns and I also bought this dress pattern , which I was able to adapt and re-work into all kinds of outfits. I hand-embroidered her very serious (and wonky) face. 

Once I got started, I couldn’t stop making little outfits. I had to acknowledge that I was creating for my own joy and satisfaction. Doll clothes are just so easy to pull together. Every little scrap of precious fabric I have saved over the years transformed into the perfect outfit. Plus, Slumber Cat needed a lot of different looks for her many different cat lives. 

She obviously needs a fabulous dress and the cutest Japanese print overalls. 

In addition to those dress up looks, she needs a few tops and shorts in a mix and match selection of African print, flour sack fabric and chambray (so classic!). 

Of course, no Slumber Cat wardrobe is complete without a cool skateboarding outfit of ice-dyed pants and a hat designed to accommodate your ears. As well as a little backpack (squee!!). 

In my mind, Slumber Cat’s back story grew and so did her needs, obviously.  It became urgent and essential to create a quilted sleeping bag in Nani Iro double weave goodness.  As a nod to the sewing community, I had to create a Wiksten-style jacket and skirt for the classic art teacher look we all know and love. Had to!

Finally, a pair of pink pants and bowtie. She also owns a pajama nightgown that I neglected to photograph. (So.Hard.To.Stop.)

Clearly, Slumber Cat had a lot of accessories so I threw everything in an ice-dyed rope bowl for easy storage. 

Funnily enough, my niece is most interested in pulling things out of the rope bowl and then putting them back in. She doesn’t care too much about Slumber Cat. My sister and I, on the other hand, had a fabulous time dressing up Slumber Cat. 

When I was little, my step-aunt handmade me a Holly Hobby doll, which came with loads of outfits and a fabric-covered carrier. So, I suppose I’m carrying on a tradition of sorts. Welcome to the world Slumber Cat!