2009 sewing project: April - Diamond Girl... Sure do shine...

Designing and sewing April's project was a fun challenge. Although April's birthstone is diamond, I didn't want to just go with a white outfit, since I'll be working with ecru- and ivory-colored fabric in June, anyway. Instead I decided to go with a soft silver and grey ensemble, more resembling a diamond's sparkle than it's apparent color.

I already had all the fabric I needed in my stash. It was just a matter of pulling it together into an outfit. The ah-ha moment came when Andrea informed me that if she was going to be sporting diamonds, then she was going to need furs as well.

Of course!

Here's my diamond girl:

Andrea is wearing a below-the-knee sheath dress made of a lovely grey and silver cotton imported from Korea. I bought a yard of it from the clearance shelf of my local fabric store, and wish I'd bought more.

The dress is an adapted version of the one I made for my daughter's doll in March. I lengthened the bottom the pattern a bit and added side vents. I also lowered the neckline a little so it would not show above the fur. I wanted to show off her diamond pendant to good effect. The dress has an oriental feel to it, which goes very well with the fabric choice.

As a side note, she is being photographed in her 'new' digs. I did some furniture moving over the weekend, and her apartment is now larger and has a dining room set - and an actual dining room!



Her silver purse is still in the works. It is made of a soft, stretchy knit and lined in black polished cotton to give it stability. It has a 'diamond' button and will eventually have a silver chain that can either be used to carry the bag over her shoulder, or tucked in so the purse can be used as a clutch.



The bolero and pillbox hat are made of grey faux fur that I channel-stitched to look like pieced mink. Both the hat and jacket are lined with the grey and silver cotton. I even sewed hooks and eyes on the inside of the jacket, so it closes just like a real fur coat would.

I hadn't worked with fake fur before, other than the collar and cuffs on Hisui's 'Overlord of the Underworld' dress, so this was something new. I actually enjoyed the whole process, since working with fur has its own set of rules to follow, and I'll definitely be playing around with it again.


For those who are interested - here's the back. I'm really pleased with the way the whole ensemble turned out. It fits her like it was made for her. Oh wait - it was! ^_^

The wig is a Nearly Black Roxy wig in 8-9 I got from Jpopdolls. The shoes are Dale Rae shoes I got from Denver Doll Emporium, and the shimmery, silver stockings are from Wendy at Dollsecrets.com.


Like the ubiquitous cat-in-a-box picture, here is the monthly close-up of my gorgeous diamond girl, Andrea. I haven't gotten up the courage to pierce her ears yet, but even without earrings she still shines with a rhinestone scatter pin I've had for ages pinned to her hat, and a cubic zirconium pendant.

I thoroughly enjoyed creating the April outfit. Andrea's loving it as well - and why not? She's gotten not only a new dress, but diamonds, furs, a new purse and shoes, and new stockings.

She is so spoiled! But doll slave that I am, I don't care - as long as she's happy.

Now - on to May and emerald green.

 

Thank you all!

Jethyl and coleen: Right on! That is exactly the era and the style I was going for. It was an elegant time for women's clothing - and about the last time that everything had to be 'just so' to make the outfit complete. They only thing missing is gloves, but they'd be hard to come by and even harder to make...

$avage, Marysam and Aisling Rune: It's nice to get feedback. I'm glad you like it.

Gwyndion: I enjoy the challenge. I don't know if every month is going to be haute couture - sometimes someone might just need a pair of jeans and a t-shirt - but having the idea of the birthstones in the back of my mind helps with the inspiration. Once I'm inspired, the design kind of develops on its own.

I've also found that because I'm making myself work on the monthly birthstone projects, I'm getting more sewing done, in general. This is a good thing. I have lots of barely-begun and half-finished projects that I'm starting to complete.

 

rosettastone, Krissy, and Sojourner: Thank you so much, everyone! I really enjoyed this month's project. I think it's because I started earlier in the month, so I had enough time to pay attention to the details.

DominiqueB and ashbury: Yeah - I love the dress fabric, too. The silver is surprisingly sturdy. When I first started pressing it, I had the iron turned way down for fear of melting the design. That, apparently, wasn't an issue - which is a good thing, since the grey is 100% cotton. I was able to have the iron turned up - with steam. I still have a few remnants of it left after making Andrea's dress, so I'm sure you'll see it turn up from time-to-time in other projects. ^_^

Meldandy: Me too! On both counts. ^_^

d.ark: I was actually pleasantly suprised with how well the bolero and hat came out.

delbelcoure: THANK YOU for the compliment - and the link! You know I'm crazy enough to try it, too. ^_^ My June project (which is a month away - I know) is going to be wedding attire, so if I have time, she'll probably be getting gloves for that.

As for additional pics:


Here is Andrea without her jacket, showing off the rest of the dress. The neckline is bit squarish without having sharp corners. I also made the armholes a bit smaller, mimicking the styles from the early 60's.


Here is the jacket and hat on their own.


...and the lining. Both the hat and the jacket are fully lined. The dress is as well, in a soft taupe woven polyester.

 

Thank you, $avage! That's what happens when I don't feel rushed on a project.

I'm already planning my May project and hoping to start cutting it out this weekend.

 

Thanks, Absynthe! I can't wait either. I have about three projects I'm trying to decide between, so May's final outfit will be a surprise to me as well. ^_^

 

Vitasoy, marycocoa, nanonette, and embeeThank you! It's nice to know that people are enjoying my projects as much as I am. ^_^

I found a couple of yards of green polyester satin with an oriental design in my stash, and I think Miss Hisui is speaking up for a new dress this month. Now that I have the fabric and the doll, I'll be working out the design...

 

Thank you, Softtnite and Sarafinn!

To answer your question, Softtnite, she does not have high heel feet. The shoes are Dale Rae shoes, made to fit Elfdoll feet. Dale Rae has her own website, but you can also get her shoes through Denver Doll Emporium - which is where I got them.