"The Misfits" Cherry Dress

A couple of months ago on the doll board The Studio Commissary, there was a discussion about how some people were interested in Marilyn's Monroe's cherry dress from the 1961 film "The Misfits". I was instantly intrigued. I googled, and found some photos of Marilyn in the dress. It then became an challenge/obsession to find some cherry printed fabric.







I was pleasantly surprised to find this fabric at my local JoAnn Fabrics store.

This is what I came up with.

The biggest challenge was getting the bodice to fit right. I wanted to use self fabric ties on the shoulders, like on the real dress, but they looked too bulky. I ended up using ribbon to get the look I wanted.

This dress also fits the Tonner dolls well.



This dress will be for sale on my Blog Store.

Sharing a Commission

I have been working on a few commissions lately. I don't accept commissions much anymore unless it is something that I planned on making in the future. Then I move it up to the top of my massive list of "things to make".

This is is a faux "Obsidian Society" that I made to fit the Tonner dolls.

Though I don't own any Fashion Royalty dolls, I really like this outfit.

Image Property of Integrity Toys




Here is my Antionette in her auburn wig. It is my favorite of the three. I need to fuss with the wig a little more I think.


The Suit is made of black silk dupioni, lined in cream, with cream and black tulle ruffles. I even tried to replicate the ribbon trim on the side of the skirt.






Here is Brenda Starr modeling the suit. I prefer it on Antionette though.

Red, White, and YOU!

When I first saw this outfit, I knew it was a "Must Have".

I would have preferred to buy the outfit alone, but now that she is here, I love the doll too.

High Seas Daphne likes the outfit too, though her hair is a little high on top for the hat.

I can't wait to put this outfit on a Gene doll.

The Return of the Tonners

They're Baaaack! After spending 10 months in their boxes, they are finally out again. When I came home from the last Gene Convention with a trainload of new Gene dolls, I decided to put the Tonners away for a while. Gene is still my first love, but I have always loved the Brenda Starr line too and was so sad when they discontinued it. I am finding myself drawn to the Ann Harper line and have bought a few dolls and outfits so far. Somehow Marilyn Monroe snuck into the group picture. She is new too.

To Catch a Thief

Grace Kelly wore this stunning outfit in the 1954 film "To Catch a Thief". Edith Head is one of my favorite designers, I love her classic style and have recreated several of her costumes in miniature.

I made this outfit several years ago, but I wanted my own copy. I had the genius idea to cut out as many jumpsuits as I could out of the piece of black knit that I had. Lesson learned- just because you have enough fabric to make 14 outfits, doesn't mean you should. It felt like it took forever to finish all these outfits.

"Pool Pose" Madra loves her new resort wear.

Because the jumpsuit is made of knit, this ensemble fits the Tonner/Tyler dolls too.

I think Daphne Dimples makes a lovely Grace. I use to have a lot of problems photographing the early Tonner dolls. Their skin is rather dark and would always look really dark in my pictures. I shined a light on Daphne while I was taking her picture and am really happy with the results.

She is still a little dark in the full body shots though.

Antionette can also wear this outfit. She claimed that she wanted to jazz it up a little by wearing her red sandals, but the truth is she doesn't have any other shoes.

Outfits are for sale in my blog store.

Antionette

I expanded my doll collection a few months ago when I bought my first Antionette. She is a Glowing Muse Antionette Cameo. I still can't spell her name right without looking it up, but she is a beauty.

Image Property of Tonner Doll Company

I have tried the brunette wig on her and she is lovely in it. I need to take some pictures of her in it and try the red wig on her too.



Her figure is different than both the Gene and Tyler sized dolls. Her bust is smaller, and her waist and hips are a little larger. I decided that I better buy her at least one dress that fits her because I don't know when I will get around to sewing for her.

I bought "Precocious" She is adorable in it.

Here is Antionette wearing Ann Harper's outfit "A Sensible Notion". The dress fits her very well, though her hands were hard to fit through the sleeves. The wig is perfect, but it is a good thing you can't see the red shoes she is wearing.



I was inspired by another doll collector to work on making my photos more interesting. I bought a couple of posters at Michael's the other day. I love the garden backdrop, it looks great in the close-ups. I still need to figure out how to make the backdrop work in the full body shots.

I love this photo, she looks so sweet, but I wished I had straightened her sash before I took the picture.

I hope to have another photo session will Antionette soon.