Monday, July 8, 2019

"Funny Face" Yellow Dress Part 2

not my photo

I have searched literally years for the perfect fabric to miniaturize this costume from Audrey Hepburn's 1957 film "Funny Face".  

It was impossible for me to find a yellow/orange floral without pink in it.  A good doll friend and customer advise me to not to be so obsessed about finding a floral without pink in it.

So I gave up being so picky and found a beautiful floral cotton lawn fabric.


This is my second attempt at this dress.  You can see my first try here.  The biggest improvement this time around was the hat.

This dress was only on the screen for a moment during the photo shoot montage.

Here are a few photos I found on the internet of the dress.

not my photo

not my photo


not my photo


not my photo


not my photo


not my photo


not my photo




Tuesday, April 2, 2019

Jacques Fath 1951 Navy Ensemble



It was love at first sight when I first saw this picture, I wanted to make this outfit for Gene! 

The first challenge was finding pleated navy fabric.  When I saw a bolt of navy pleated georgette in my favorite fabric store I snatched it up.  I knew exactly what I was going to do with it.  

The second challenge was finding non-pleated navy georgette that would be a good color match to the pleated fabric.  

The third challenge was figuring out how to construct the outfit.  Is it a dress?  Does it open in the front or back?  I couldn't really tell from the picture.  I didn't want the dress to open in the back because I didn't want to mess with the collar.  I also didn't want the dress to open in the front because I didn't want a seam in the front of the skirt.  I decided to make a petticoat, blouse, and skirt.

I love how it turned out.



The forth challenge was the white contrast fabric.  I originally decided to use white organza for the collar, lower sleeves, and petticoat trim.  The organza ended up being too sheer and wasn't giving me the look I wanted.  I though about using white georgette, but decided it wouldn't be crisp enough.  I was walking around JoAnns Fabrics trying to find the right fabric with no luck.  I ended up in the home dec department looking a white batiste curtain fabric. It was perfect!  It was sheer and crisp, and was exactly what I needed. 




This outfit is the perfect example of why fashion dolls need to have small waists.  If  Gene had a more natural waist, she would look very thick in this outfit.  There are a lot of layers at her waist!







Hat veils are still a challenge for me.




Remember a few posts ago when I said I was going to make smaller batches?  Well, maybe next time.  Five people had been interested in this outfit when I had sold it at a convention back in August, I wanted one for myself, and I also wanted to see what the dress would look like with a full skirt made out of the non-pleated fabric.



It looks fabulous in the regular fabric, which is great for anyone who wants to make this with my pattern but can't find pleated fabric.


I also accidentally discovered that the dress looks great without the blouse.  She could wear it to a cocktail party.




But I'm not done!

While I was cutting out the navy outfits, I started to wonder what this design would look like in a floral fabric without the sleeves.


I love it!


Gene is ready to go to a garden party.







Pattern coming soon!





Friday, February 1, 2019

A Sneak Peek

Here are some photos of my future fashions and patterns.  I hope to start sewing again next week.

I loved all the new fashions I made last summer, and was very pleased how they turned out.  I will be blogging about each fashion separately as I finish them.


Jacques Fath 1951






Pierre Balmain 1953






"Funny Face"




"Somethings Got to Give"







Tuesday, January 29, 2019

TDLM Jacques Fath Part II


We have been here before with this outfit, but I am finally finishing up my second attempt and pattern for this outfit.

This outfit was inspired by a 1945 Jacques Fath design form the Theatre de la Mode collection.



My first attempt way back in 2005.  To see my first blog post about this outfit click here.





Attempting the previous pose.


Image by denisebrain



Image by Gwen Lanning






Theatre de la Mode:Fashion Dolls: The Survival of Haute Couture

                                           





To purchase the pattern click here.

Friday, January 25, 2019

I Think I Will Try to Make Some Purses

I just realized that I had forgotten to blog about my last pattern.  I made this pattern for a convention last summer.  I had dabbled in making purses in the past and was itching to try making more.



It was so much fun!  I want to do it again! 



The doll purse making queen in my opinion is Matisse's Brenda Visaya.  I have been literally stalking her blog for years.  She takes miniature fashion sewing to another level.

I'm the proud owner of one incredible Matisse suit and two purses. 







I was also inspired by my huge collection of purses on Pinterest.  I had to limit the number of purses to six for this pattern.


View A





View B







View C





View D





View E







View F



I even included instructions for some straw hats.


To purchase this pattern, click here.