2009 sewing project: March - Aquamarine

March didn't turn out quite the way I'd planned.

I never even started the floral dress for my truant Customhouse Yeondu. I was having doubts about the fit of the pattern, even with my adjustments. I figured that since the fabric itself is in extremely limited quantities, this project would just have to wait until my girl shows up so I can actually fit the dress to her.

As for the oriental brocade dress for my daughter's Sooah: I got the dress finished Tuesday night and it turned out beautifully. The only fly in the ointment is that my daughter fell in love with the backside of the fabric, which is a little darker blue than my original 'sky blue' aquamarine vision. However, I am pleased with it - and my daughter loves it - so, without further ado, I present:

Sooah - or Faye, as she informed my daughter, in her March finery.

Like Andrea, Faye is an old-style large-bust girl, so I used Gracefaerie's well-traveled patterns yet again, as a starting point for my sheath dress. After some drafting and tweaking, I think I came up with a nice retro design. In fact, I like the way it came out so much, I'll be using this pattern again for my April project...



Sooah is a gorgeous doll, and if I wasn't so completely owned by my Ryung, Andrea, I'd want one for myself. The only thing my daughter and I found wanting was Faye's default eyelashes. They were thin, skimpy, and kind of scraggly, so I replaced them with a pair of thick, lovely ones I got from Audrey's Dolls.



The necklace was a combination of a beautiful oriental floral finding, an aquamarine-blue Swarovski crystal bicone bead, and one of the gold leaf findings I had left over from Andrea's February necklace. The bracelet (which can be seen in some of the other pictures) was made of more of the Swarovski beads interspersed with small gold ones.



Here is another shot of Faye in her dress, which is looking aquamarine-y enough, and a better shot of the jewelry.
The brocade was, indeed, a challenge to work with, but only in that it tended to slip a bit when I was sewing it. The dress itself is completely lined. In fact, it's put together just like a real dress, with the lining tacked in place in a few spots to keep it from twisting up. The dress and the lining also have separate hems.

I also found a way to construct the dress so I wouldn't have to destroy the brocade, trying to turn it. It consisted of lining the front and back pieces separately. Next, I turned the pieces and pressed them, then hand-sewed the shoulder seams and the lining. It was a bit tricky, but I managed. The finished piece looks and feels finished - like real clothing.


Here are our two Elfdoll girls together, scoping out the cute guys at the party. What I find interesting is the difference in their skintone.

I've had Andrea for a little over a year now, and I've had her out the whole time she's been in my possession. Granted, I keep her in my cave-like bedroom, so she sees very little sunlight at all, but you can see that she has become a bit more tan in color, compared to the peachy complexion of Michelle's newly-released-from-the-box Faye.

It's nice to know that they age gracefully.

 

Thank you! She's getting a matching jacket as well. I just didn't have time to finish it...

 

stephwayne - thank you. The Ryung is mine and the Sooah is a new addition. She's my daughter's. I love Elfdolls!

Avea, thanks! I've had the brocade in my stash of fabrics for about 10 years, just waiting for the right project. I think it works well for an SD-sized doll like Faye. The design is bold but not overwhelmingly large.

 

Thanks, DomniqueB.

I started with a Gracefaerie pattern that was specially-made for the large-busted old-style Elfdoll body. I don't know if there are any patterns out there for the new Elfdoll body, but Gracefaerie's designs might be a good starting point.

I can't tell you how many doll bodices I've ruined over the years, trying to turn them through tiny little shoulder straps. I was just too lazy to try and figure out another way until faced with fabric that I knew I just couldn't do that kind of pulling and tugging to. I like the results from doing it this way so much, I think I'll be doing a lot more of it.

And - yes, brocade can be tricky. I've sewn with it before. I find that if I pink the edges of the pieces, the fraying is present, but minimal. I found the slipping to be more of an aggravation.

As for the old-style Elfdoll body compared to the new: I don't find Ryung to be particularly short-waisted, but she does have a big, bodacious butt that I have to sometimes adjust patterns for.

 

Thank you, softnite! I love working on them. It's actually a lot of fun to figure out what I'm going to make next, and then pull it together in a month's time.

To answer your question, I put together Andrea's bubble-skirted party dress myself, using Gracefaerie's patterns as a starting point. She has several patterns that were specifically designed for the large-busted old-style Elfdoll body.

Here's a link: http://www.gracefaerie.com/.

Pattern #'s 3, 8, and 10 are the ones that were designed for the LB Elfdoll.

I used the #3 Star Princess pattern for the bodice Andrea's dress, redrawing the neckline a little lower and lengthening the bodice and the darts a little bit before laying it out on the fabric.

DominiqueB - Gracefaerie Designs does have at least one pattern for the new Elfdoll body. It's a Japanese school girl outfit - but it's something!

gillidoll: Thank you! We fall in love with them all over again whenever we gaze upon them. I think Elfdolls not only inspire, but require that kind of slavish devotion.