Last 2 Days for Free Offer

Hi everyone. Just wanted to remind you all that today and tomorrow are the last two days of our Tee Shirt giveaway. Buy a pair of jeans and get a free Maiden Flight Tee. This is a great value -- 2 items for the price of 1.

 Don't miss out -- Head over to our shoppe to scoop up this bargain before it's too late.  Our Fabulous Hobo bag has already been bought. . . I knew that wouldn't hang around for long!

One last thing. . . be sure to be watching for another exciting announcement that we will be sharing with all our great friends here in just a few weeks.

See ya next flight

Fall 2010 - Hobo Purse

Well, we have been very busy getting another item ready for Brambleberry Cottage Gift Shoppe and we always like to give our friends and followers a preview of what's going into the shoppe.  Just to give you a little advantage.

This time it is a great accessory item  for every American Girl's wardrobe -- A wonderful, roomy brushed demin Hobo Bag/Purse in cream with a crimson and cream plaid lining that is perfect for fall.

We're really exited about this piece that Nanci has designed.  It's a Maiden Flight Clothing Original -- Maybe, we should have called it a "Flight" bag.  Nanci has  added a ton of details -- taupe-colored top stitching, pleats, functional button and buttonhole tab closure,  even d-rings for the straps.  It truly is a miniature of a fantastic bag you might carry, yourself. 

So pop on over to Etsy and see it for yourself.  This one just may just "fly" out of the shop.

Be sure to let us know what you think. . .by liking us on the sidebar or leave a comment.  Did we mention that we love comments?

Oh, btw, you get a little sneak peek in the photo of one of the fashions we will be auctioning on ebay in the near future.  Just a little secret between friends.


See ya next Flight!!

First Maiden Flight Item on Etsy

Woohoo!!!  Big excitement brewing around here as we get ready to put our first Maiden Flight item in our etsy  shop (Brambleberry Cottage Gift Shoppe).  So what are we going to list???  A great pair of blue jeans made from the Liberty Jane Pattern.  It should be on etsy by this evening or tomorrow morning at the latest.

In celebration of this momentous occassion (I always wanted to say that heehee), we are going to include a black tee, embellished with our Maiden Flight Logo,as a free gift  to the lucky buyer of this pair of jeans.

Take note of our signature back pocket.  Here's a shot of the jeans and tee paired together.  What d'ya think?


Okay, see you next flight!!

American Girl Doll Skirt - You Can Make It

 This is a good beginning project for a young girl who loves her American Girl doll and would love to have some new clothes for her little friend. This easy project will encourage her because she will quickly see a completed project for her favorite doll. The project is entirely machine stitched and has NO curved seams. It will allow practice in making a casing for elastic.

Supplies you will need for this project:

tissue paper or a piece of newsprint to use to make a pattern

a fat quarter of fabric

11" piece of 1/2" elastic

scissors or rotary cutter

bodkin or safety pin

thread

ruler

iron

sewing machine

sewing pins

PREPARATION:

Before starting the project, cut a 16" x 7 1/2" rectangle from a piece of tissue paper or newsprint. Measure 6" from the short end and draw a straight line and place arrows at the ends. This will be used to measure the straight of the material.

OR

If you are old enough to safely handle a rotary cutter, have her cut a 16" x 7 1/2" rectangle from the fat quarter. If you use the rotary cutter, skip to Step 4.

STEP 1

Lay the pattern on the straight of the fabric measuring from the selvage.

STEP 2
Pin in place.
STEP 3
Cut out the pattern.

STEP 4
Machine stitch 1/4" along both long edges.

STEP 5
Fold over fabric along stitching line and press with iron.

STEP 6
Along one long side, fold over 1/4" again and press.

STEP 7
Edge stitch the double folded edge. (This will be the hem of the skirt).

STEP 8
On long side opposite the hem, measure 1 1/2" from the folded edge and mark with tailor's chalk.

STEP 9
Fold over fabric to align edge of fold and chalk line; then pin in place.


STEP 10
Press fold.

STEP 11
Edge stitch to form the casing for the elastic waist.
A VERY helpful item to enable you to sew straight lines of stitching is the little item in the above picture. Some sewing machines come with this item. If yours didn't, a strong straight magnet will also work as a sewing guide.

STEP 12
Attach a bodkin or safety pin to one end of the elastic and thread the elastic through the casing.

STEP 13
At both ends of the casing, machine stitch the elastic to keep it secure.

STEP 14
The final step is to fold the skirt in half (right sides together) matching short ends and machine stitch 1/4" from the edge.
Turn right side out.

That completes the project.


Here my daughter, Orangeblossom, smiles proudly as she displays Molly in the finished skirt.
If you would like a longer skirt, just increase the width of the skirt.
It can be individualized by embellishing it in any way your creativity leads you.

I hope your little girl will enjoy this sewing project.

NOTE: The 11" length of elastic is just right for an American Girl doll waist, but may have to be adjusted for other 18" dolls such as Gotz, Springfield, etc.

Our Maiden Flight - About Us

Why did we choose the name "Maiden Flight for our clothing.  Well, the reason is really two fold.  First, "maiden" represents the American girl and "flight"  represents the concept of soaring high, girls trying their wings as they endeavor to experience new things & achieve greater heights.  It's all those things that are encompassed in "growing up"!  Pleasant Rowland, founder of American Girl Doll, encouraged young girls to strive to achieve their hopes and dreams. Second, on a personal level it is our own Maiden Flight, as we endeavor to realize our own dream of developing and selling fashionable and well-constructed designs for American Girl Dolls.

A catalyst in that dream is that we have recently entered into a agreement with Liberty Jane Clothing that permits us to sell fashions we have made from Liberty Jane Clothing Patterns.  We believe that LJC's standard of providing quality, handmade fashion from quality materials, with an emphasis on details echoed our own particular attention to those areas.  So we are proud to be a Liberty Jane Premium Partner. Some of what you will see here will be fashions from the wonderful patterns designed by Cinnamon Miles, founder of LJC, and others will be a mixture of her designs coupled with our own Maiden Flight Clothing designs.

So you can see why we are very anxious to begin our flight, and we hope that you will grab our button on the sidebar as well as become a Maiden Flight follower so you can keep up with all the exciting things that are happening around here.  Oh yeah, and don't forget to pass the word about us.

Thanks & see you next flight!   ;)