Hardy Amies' 1956 Suit

This suit is one of the first designs I fell in love with when I became obsessed with sewing for Gene.

I found this picture in a library book years ago.  I believe this is from John Peacock's  20th Century Fashion:  The Complete Sourcebook.

(Picture By John Peacock)

Hardy Amies was a British designer who designed for Queen Elizabeth.  I searched the internet high and low to find a photograph of this suit, but I have not found one yet.

This was my first attempt back in 2006.

It fits the Tonner dolls much better than Gene.

Last year I redesigned the pattern to fit Gene better.  I made it out of silk noil.  Noil is one of my favorite suit fabrics to work with.  It gives the look of wool without the bulk.

I also made it in navy noil.

While I was working on the red and navy suits, it occurred to me that this is a great basic suit pattern.  I wanted to see what it would look like without the front straps, so I made the pattern up in a green noil without the straps.

I was honestly surprised how much I loved it. 

The color is perfect with "Cocoa Crisp's" green eyes. 

 My original suit on Brenda Starr. 

Just for fun, the hat is a pin from JoAnn Fabrics.

To purchase the pattern, click here.

The Studio Commissary Exclusive- "Pour Vous"

When I was asked again this year to make an exclusive outfit for the Studio Commissary I was thrilled.  Of course I was flooded with ideas.  I finally decided to make a blue version of an outfit that I had made back in early 2012.  I hadn't made the pattern for it yet, so I decided to kill two birds with one stone.

I present to you "Pour Vous".

I didn't come up with this fancy French name myself.  Mike, the owner of the the Studio Commissary did.  I never name my outfits, though I wish I had the creativity to do it.  The original name for this ensemble was "Suit with 2 Collars".  Isn't that romantic?

Usually I am inspired by designers and films.  This time I was inspired by a vintage paper doll suit.

 I added the turban instead of trying to replicate the original paper doll hat.

 I rounded the collar to make it easier to sew.

This is the first version I made of this design back in 2012.  I love this leopard velour fabric.  It was perfect for this outfit, but sadly I used it up.

I also wasn't happy with the fit of this version.  It was on the big side for Gene.  I ended up making the jacket more fitted.

I was also inspired by this 1954 Jaques Fath design.  So I added a fur hat and collar to get this look.

 

The only thing missing is the buttons.

 I wasn't sure I would like this suit without the belt, but I really do.

 I added fur cuffs for the heck of it.

 Tornado is one of my favoirte models since I painted her lips.

 This is the 2012 version.

The next several pictures are different looks than can be made with all the accessories.

 

There are a few more combinations I thought of after I did this photo session.  Which look do you like the best?

Ten pieces!

To purchase the pattern click here.

Modes Royale Inspired Four Piece Cocktail Ensemble

I have been planning on making this outfit since 2008 when I discovered the Modes Royale patterns.  Of course other projects kept jumping in front of this one, and another designer made this before me, but I still was obsessed with making this design myself.

I really like the idea of the lace sheath under an overdress or redingote.  I started thinking about other possibilities and I ended up adding a sash, and a straight skirt to create four different outfit options.

I wanted to make this outfit for last year's "Every Day a Holiday" convention, but I didn't like my first attempts.

I originally designed the redingote with a full gathered skirt.  I like the way it looks with the straight skirt under it, but I hated the way it looked over the lace sheath.  I will be selling this outfit as a 2-piece cocktail dress.

This is my original lace sheath, I loved how it turned out with this lace, but I felt like the pink underlining didn't show through enough.  I ended up selling the sheath and sash as an outfit without the redingote and skirt.

I decided to start over on the redingote.  After really inspecting the original picture I realized that the skirt is not gathered at the hips.  It is more of a flared skirt.  Why had I missed that detail the first time around?

Here is my 7th attempt.  It took a lot of tries to get the skirt to look the way I wanted it to.

I changed the lace on the sheath, and I like the way the pink underlining shows more.

I think the sheath looks beautiful with the matching sash.

I added the straight black skirt to be worn under the redingote.  This is my favorite look!  I think it is so elegant.

 As an afterthought, I realized that the skirt could be worn over the sheath for another look.

Here are all four pieces combined into two great outfits.

To purchase this pattern click here.