2009 Sewing Project: May, June, July, and August

Yes, believe it or not: I have actually been working on my 2009 sewing project, although I haven't posted in a while.

It was a frustrating setback to have my sewing machine die on me near the end of May, just as I was completing the Emerald project - really so close to finishing it, it was heartbreaking. By the time I got the machine fixed and back in my possession, it was almost the end of June, and my original plans had to be rearranged. Dreams of a pearl-colored Victorian wedding gown for Andrea had to be shelved for another time.

Between working crazy overtime, lots of weekend visits from my boyfriend (the weekends being when I do the majority of my sewing), and a week and-a-half of camping, I worked as diligently as I could through July and August. In a much-abbreviated sewing schedule I not only finished the May dress, but completed items for June, July, and August in an effort to stay true to the spirit of the task I had set out for myself in January of this year.

It would have been easy to throw something together quickly and call it done, but that's never been my style. Although some of the items here are simple, they are all made with care and attention to detail. I just can't do it any other way. It would bother me too much, every time I looked at the piece of clothing, if I knew it had not been well-made and nicely finished inside and out.

To begin, here is May's Emerald outfit:

As Queen of the Leprechauns (after a lengthy and bloody battle), Lady HIsui is stunning in her green satin oriental brocade princess dress. This is perfect attire for visiting her recently-acquired realm.

It's a dropped-waist, scoop-neck dress with a full skirt. I adapted the Patchwork Pansy pattern I'm so fond of to make the pattern, since it fits the Volks body so well. The fine cotton lace is from my stash. I've had it for years. It's bridal lace I got for a song from a local fabric store that was going out of business. I was saving it for just the right project. The lace sleeves and lace-covered bodice insert are lined with sheer white organza and the bodice itself is fully lined with beige batiste to keep down the bulk.

The skirt is gathered and edged with a gold trim also from my stash, and I hand-stitched the wheat-gold braid around the neckline and waist, and the ribbon at the side seams to be tied in a bow at the back. She also got a matching hair bow, and a petticoat with lace that matches the lace on her dress.

This heavy acetate brocade was an absolute bitch to work with. It slipped and frayed worse than just about any other fabric I've ever worked with - and that's saying a lot.


June - Pearl

Since I knew I wasn't going to have time to make a Victorian wedding gown for June's project, I opted to honor Pearl by making some long-awaited undergarments and a pinafore - all in pearly white, of course.


The lovely and precocious April models her new bra and panties, made from stretch lace and nylon fabric scavenged from a pair of beige-colored Hanes Her Way headed for the trash. Although my camera ate the picture of the back, I can tell you the bra is fastened with three hooks-and-eyes.

You can also see the bracelet I made for April, made of iridescent swarovski crystals, silver spacers, and pearl and frosted beads.



The top petticoat is the one I made for Hisui, as shown in the top picture, peeking out from under her green satin May dress. It is made of white cotton/poly batiste. It has a yoke, so it can be worn with drop-waisted dresses, and has two rows of tucks to give it some body and add some detail. I'm not sure if you can see it in the picture, but the lace at the hem is actually two layers - or more accurately, it is wide double-sided lace that has been folded and stitched on at the fold.

The other petticoat (shown in the first June picture) is a yoke-waisted, white batiste confection edged with white cotton Cluny lace. I made this one for April, since she was not about to be outdone by her devilish half-sister.

The bloomers at the bottom are April's, as well. I adapted a pattern from the book, The Dolls' Dressmaker by Venus A. Dodge, adding the yoke - again to allow for drop-waisted dresses and to keep the bulk at the waistline to a minimum. These are also made of white batiste, and the lace is another that's been in my stash for about 20 years, bought from the same place I got the lace for Hisui's dress.



I'm especially pleased with the way this pinafore came out. I made it for Miss Hisui entirely out of two different broderie anglaise (otherwise known as eyelet) laces and 1/2" white seam-binding tape. I didn't use a pattern, just cobbling it together by eye and a measuring tape. I have another, identical one in the works for April. One of these days I'll post pics of one or both of them, dressed to the nines in their pinafores.


July - Ruby

Angelic April insisted she needed this ruby-red printed cotton dress dripping with black Venice lace, for when she visits her half-sister Hisui in her demonic realm. The pattern is an adaptation of Gracefaerie's #20 Lilac Afternoon for MSD, in which I brought the neckline up, shortened the waistline, and enlarged the sleeve. I added a placket to the front of the bodice, simulating a shirtfront and stitching on 4mm buttons. The bodice is fully lined with white batiste.

The pin is an antique, borrowed for the picture from one of my Civil War china dolls because of its ruby-red stone.


In the side view you can see the black satin bow tied at the back of her waist, as well as the black ribbon-and-lace hairbow. The shoes are from Dale Rae as are the white thigh-high stockings.


Since April needed a pin of her own, I made this one from an old earring, adding the dangling black swarovski crystal teardrop and bicones, and silver-lined seed beads. I think its shape complements the points of lace going around the collar quite nicely.


August - Peridot

And of course, it isn't a fashion update if Andrea's not involved. For August, Andrea informed me that she needed some casual summer clothes, and reminded me how wonderfully the bright olive green of peridot would set off her complexion and eyes. Complicit as usual when it comes to spoiling my girl, I immediately started designing her outfit and looking for just the right fabrics.

First, though, I had to make her a peridot-colored necklace. It's made of fine silver chain - a bitch to work with since it's just a tiny bit too small for the jump rings I had - and a 4mm swarovski crystal bicone bead. Simple and light - just right for a casual summer look.


Her top is made from... a top. It was a thrift store find from about a year ago that I got for a dollar or two. The front of the shirt was covered with silver flowers, and near the lettuce-edged bottom was a band of silver designs as well. Using the decorated bottom edge of the original shirt, I cut out the front of Andrea's. I used the plain green lettuce-edged sleeves for the back and sleeves of the doll's top. The t-shirt pattern itself is one that kind of developed over time, through trial and error.

Although I'm still exploring it a bit, I find I really enjoy working with t-shirt fabric.


The skirt is made from Gracefaerie's Ambassador pattern, with a few slight adjustments. I added a waistband, cargo pockets in the front, patch pockets in the back, and belt loops. It worked up very quickly. Notice the miniscule stitches so close to the edge of the pockets and belt loops? It's amazing what cleaning, oiling, and a new needle can do for an old machine.


Here's the back. You can just see the bottom edges of the patch pockets. The stockings are from a wonderful woman I found on Ebay, whose name escapes me. I'm pretty sure I mentioned her in an earlier post. The sandals are from Mimi Woo, also of Ebay.

So - I'm caught up through August. It was a challenge, but I'm glad I stuck it out and pushed myself to get through all the projects. It was so satisfying to put the finishing touches on the last piece of clothing and realize that I'd made it through. It feels like a real accomplishment and I'm proud of myself.

Now let's see if I can finish the year a month at a time, instead of in a lump.

It's the beginning of September, and September's stone is sapphire. I already have some ideas of what I want to do and a small pile of lovely blue fabrics to work with. I'll probably put up my fabric teaser later in the week.

 

Thanks, jennil! Now that I've caught up, I should be able to post updates on a monthly basis.

I'm glad you were inspired, Munchkin. If you do any sewing at all, you know that the right pattern makes all the difference. I've had a lot of luck with Gracefaerie's Designs and Patchwork Pansy's patterns. They're both pretty specific about what kind of dolls their patterns fit, and they fit well.

patbrom: The spritely redhead in the emerald green dress is a Volks MSD Hisui. She's about 16" tall. The white-haired cutey is a Customhouse Yeondu. She's also MSD-sized, but she has a shapely, more mature body than the Volks. And last, my raven-tressed SD is an Elfdoll Ryung. She's about 22" tall.

The red-dress girl, Sweetiemi, is a Customhouse Yeondu. I bought her during their 50% off sale last November - and got her in time for my birthday (April 29) - hence her name. ^_^

Thank you for the words of encouragement, ndavid812. After working so hard on the first four months, I wasn't about to let a little thing like a broken sewing machine keep me from completing my project.

 

Thank you, Jethyl! The pinafore came out surprisingly well, and it was pretty easy to make. I'm considering taking pics of the other one while it's still unassembled and posting a tutorial.

 

Thank you, delbelcoure. I agree about the red dress. I think it's one of the most well-realized outfits I've done, so far.

I'm amused to hear that you have a top made of the same green fabric as Andrea's. This poor shirt must be destined to become doll clothes. I'm fortunate in that I still have enough fabric left to make a few more pieces!



Thanks, aiko882! It's pretty fabric, isn't it. I've had it in my stash for a couple of years, waiting for the right project.

 

Thank you, starpunzel - and you're welcome! I'm always looking at my potential cast-off clothing with an eye toward how it can be used for doll clothes. In fact, I often go shopping with the same intention. Target's clearance racks, for example, offer clothes at up to 75% off at times, and the fabric is often just what I'm looking for, for a particular outfit. Thrift stores are a treasure trove of clothing just begging for re-purposing.

I find that the search for just the right fabric is half the fun of it.