Addy and Cecile Deck the Halls: 2013

I have yet to see snow around here but, man, is it sure cold out! We are already into the month of December so its time to break out the decorations. This year I decided to kick back and let the dolls take care of things.

I mean, what could go wrong with that?

Addy & Cecile

I take that back. They have no idea what they are doing. Plus Cecile has been rather irritable and bossy lately. Probably because I keep changing up her name.  

Don't worry, Cecile! I'll come up with something I like that sticks.

Cecile: "Come on, Addy! We NEED to get closer."

Cecile: "Just a liiiiiiiiiittle bit closer."
Addy: "Cecile,…. I c-can't… heavy!…."

*ACK!*

***no dolls were harmed in the taking of these photographs***

Bonus Pictures: Just click on a picture to see it bigger.

What my dolls are wearing: 

Addy has on the purple sweater from GOTY 2012 Mckenna's School outfit, Elizabeth's Meet Outfit socks, Josefina's Riding Boots, and a skirt I made.

Cece has on the necklace from Cecile's meet accessories, the sweater from the 1999 Plaid Skirt and Sweater outfit, the legging's from GOTY 2013 Saige's Sweater Outfit, socks from Addy's Shoes and Socks set, and hair ribbons from Cecile's Special Dress.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Blue Birds in Flight Dress

Hello, hello! Unfortunately, I will be taking a break from sewing for a while. I will not have a a sewing machine at my disposal for a while but before that happens here is my latest dress design. The design is based off of a dress I took apart for the fabric.  It features 100% cotton fabric, a smocked back, sweetheart neckline, and adjustable straps.

I found the original dress at Kohl's and fell in love with the fabric. While creating the pattern for the smaller dress, I referenced American Girl's Molly's Birthday dress to figure out the paneling on the bodice, the hair ribbon was borrowed from Samantha's Cranberry Holiday dress, and the necklace and boots came from Saige's Sparkle dress. 

SO Chambray Sleeveless Dress

GOTY 2013: Saige's Sparkle Dress (mini review)

Today's post is about Girl of the Year 2013 Saige's Sparkle Dress.  It was one I couldn't decided if it belonged in my collection. Generally I go after outfit with multiple pieces like Saige's Sweater Outfit when I make purchases.  What really sold me on this was the necklace and gold boots.

Well the outfit arrived and wow was I surprised how much I loved it!  

I LOVE love love these boots.

AG also decided to add a layer with some tulle under the main dress and it was a very good choice.  the under layer helps give the overall look of the dress a better fullness and helps it hold its intended shape.

• The fabric is a very rich hot pink with deeper pink ribbons criss-crossing over the waist and around to the back closure and shiny gold dots spread across the front that look like iron-on appliqués.  The main color of the dress reminds me of AG's main color they use on packaging and such. 

• The boots are nice, shiny gold color that matches the dots with mini heels and velcro closures in the back. They feel well made and sturdy. Also, they have Saige's signature flower design embossed/ tooled/ engraved into the outer facing sides of the boots.

• The necklace is very cute.  I'm surprised AG made the necklace silver vs gold since the rest of the outfit has gold accents but I don't care. I think it looks good together, is a nice simple design featuring an oval with Saige's signature flower design engraved on it.

I am also please by the fact this dress was designed with an asymmetrical top. AG has released so many with the same looking neckline. Its like they are re-using similar patterns every year but with varying fabrics. Take the 2010 Petal Pink Outfit orlast year's GOTY Mckenna's Fancy Dress for examples.

I can't say that the neckline and overall design of Saige's Sparkle dress is 100% original from AG but its a nice variation they tend to use now and then. I guess it fits in with the phrase "if its not broken, don't fix it".

I don't know whether to laugh or cry

 Have you ever had one of those moments where you suddenly figure something out you should have ages ago?  

Well I did while taking pictures yesterday. I could not get my pictures to have the lighting, depth, and balance so many others achieve but I couldn't figure out what was missing. Turns out I had "white balance" left on automatic when working in manual mode..... it made a difference  -_-.

I could't decided whether to be ecstatic or to cry it was so simple yet effective.

Anyways, my favorite season is here and Addy has been mixing and matching some new wardrobe options to suit the weather.

Magic Mirror....

Addy might not be your traditional Snow White but she looks good none the less.  Playing around with this image in photoshop put me into the mood to make more fairytale/Disney style outfits. 

Cinderella is next on the list.

Suggestions are welcome!

Fall Fashion Jump Start

With the fall coming up, I decided to get a head start on some wardrobe pieces for the fall season when cooler weather sets in.  The fall is my favorite season by far. I love the clothes that go with it, the temperature change, and the rich colors of the season.

All of the pieces for this outfit were created from Liberty Jane patterns (minus the shoes and necklace).  With a few alterations here and there. I made a few sewing hiccups but now i know what to look out for in the future such as making sure the jean vest panels are going the right direction!

When sewing it is always a good idea to double check things before you officially sew it together. 

I have had numerous occasions where I had to pull out the seam ripper and pull apart something I

 just did.  -_-

 The shirt Addy is wearing was up-cyled from an old, gently used, plain, white tank top. After sewing it together i added iron-on gem stones for a final touch.

Although the vest was left open for these pictures, it does have functioning buttons that do hook closed.

I love, love, love the jean patterns from Liberty Jane.  Tiny working pockets were even included in the pattern.  The pattern does not include a working fly but is held on the doll with a elastic waistband.  All you have to do is stretch the band and scooch it up over the doll's bottom. 

The fabric of the pants came from an up-cycled jacket.

Note: The shirt, vest and pants were made from or based off of Liberty Jane patterns.  The shoes are from American Girl Julie's Calico dress. The necklace was made by me from my own design.
Also, all images can be viewed larger by clicking on them.

My "Chobits" inspired dress for The Doll Wardrobe 2013 Fashion Design Challenge!

Hey everyone!  I'm excited to say that the blog The Doll Wardrobe is holding a sewing and design contest and I decided to enter.  So far 9 of the entries are posted but there may be more to come. Many of them look fantastic and I love looking through them all to see what others have created. I look forwards to seeing what else is in store for round 1.

Please check out and vote for mine (entry #6) and other entries here:  http://2013dwfashiondesignchallenge.blogspot.com/2013/07/entry-6.html

This is my entry for round. I created an empire waist line gown, inspired by regency era gowns and by a dress worn by the character Chi from the manga series "Chobits"

Chi's dress from "Chobits".

Regency era gown.

To achieve the floral decoration on the dress, I decided hand embroidery would be the best option.  I spent many hours with 5 different embroidery floss colors, an embroidery hoop, my fabric, and needles for this step but the end result was well worth the effort.

Below are a few more pictures of my final dress. I minimized them to conserve space but you can easily view them full sized to see details by clicking on an image.

                       

 You can also see more samples of this dress by viewing my entry on the contest page here (entry #6): http://2013dwfashiondesignchallenge.blogspot.com/2013/07/entry-6.html 

Also check out The Doll Wardrobe which is the blog hosting the contest.  It is a great source to read about clothes and fashion for 18 inch dolls.

So please. Take a moment to vote.  It will be greatly appreciated.  Thanks!

Up-cycling Shirts

Making doll shirts is the perfect way to reuse favorite old t-shirts that no longer fit and to add variety to your collection. It is also a great source of fabric when experimenting with new patterns. I first started learning to make doll shirts through a free Liberty Jane Pattern. Once I felt confident which how the pattern pieces worked, I began sketching out my own patterns.  I tried out different necklines, sleeves, hems and more.  There is a lot of freedom when it comes to making a t-shirt truly unique.

My doll wardrobe was so full of little t-shirts all made from the same base pattern I was getting tired of it. So who says you should be limited keeping the front panel of a shirt 1 piece? I was inspired by the curved seam in the new "Tropical Bloom Outfit" by American Girl when I created the Tank top Samantha is wearing.

Tropical Bloom Shirt From AG

Up-cycling shirts is also a great way to give your dolls something name brand.  For the t-shirt Addy is wearing I made certain to include the little "Aeropostale"printed on the shirt.

Yellow Dog Shirt Project

I sometimes like to look back through photo albums of past family vacations.  One album I looked at, from the summer I was 12 years old, had an outfit that caught my attention. A yellow shirt I fondly remember wearing on hot days.  It had an oddly proportioned dog embroidered on with dark brown thread.

I lack a "mini-me" so Addy is my stand in.

Anyways, I had a similar color of knit fabric in my stash so it seemed like the perfect opportunity to try some hand embroidery and sewing with stretchy fabrics.

The embroidery part was easy enough once i sketched out the little dog and had it in my embroidery hoop. It was the sewing with knit material that proved difficult.  I quickly learned thin and stretchy is a frustrating combo with fabric.  -_-   But after some work it turned out pretty well overall.  I picked up a few little tricks and am ready to tackle stretchy, knit materials again!

Note: The shorts are from a Liberty Jane pattern. The shirt also started from a free Liberty Jane pattern but I ended up fussing around with it.