Wearables Sewing Project: Pick a Decade [ Round 124 ]

I think I am going to be dropping out. I just don't have the heart for it right now.
Have fun everyone

 

Poop!

But it's beter to bow out than make yourself carry on when your heart isn't in it.

I hope things improve soon

Teddy

 

Your health is very important. Please take care!

 

Take care of yourself AV, rest and take it easy!

I took some time off myself, did some crochet projects while I mulled over what to do. I decided to try and make a full outfit out of the skater dress I did earlier in the round, so I picked up some ribbon for that belt I had in mind and started on a bag. I did end up "cheating" it, and just cut it out of the pocket rather than trace my own pattern, but it's gonna end up being a good size I think! One of those chonky messenger bags all the Cool Kids were lugging around back then, slapping them in the side everywhere they went lmao. I think I even have some small buttons I can dig up to pin on it for some extra 00s energy Here's all the pieces cut out and laid together! The O-ring is one of many, many hair pieces from a Mila Berrymore Rainbow High doll, whose body I used for an OT project but saved all the little rings because of what a good, versatile size they were! I can't wait to have her all done up, this has been a really fun round for me! I had been dressing this doll more like a serene high fashion lover, and I think I'm enjoying this more fun, funky version of herself she's becoming with these projects.
Round 124 bag and belt! by Jules B, on Flickr

 

Well the bag is done! The pocket got majorly askew somehow as I was sewing it, so to help conceal that operator error I very stealthily put a button over the wonk side lmao. I'm very happy with how it turned out! I had the idea to add a little shoulder strap pad and I think it really makes it look like a messenger bag. I'm glad I included a bit of extra room at the bottom though, it folds in nicely but will be a good way to keep it from looking misshapen if I put stuff in it! At the moment, I've got some cardstock inside helping it keep its shape.

Round 124 messenger bag done! by Jules B, on Flickr

Spoiler: And a mandatory button detail shot

Round 124 messenger bag done! by Jules B, on Flickr

 

Yay!

I really fall down on making (or buying) my gang the accessories. I think the few bags any of my dolls have either came with boght outfit, or were made by friends as gifts,

Teddy

 

So, I finished my dress. I'm very satisfied by the main dress. But not by the sleeves. :/ I miscalculated so it's not what I wanted. But well, it's not very ugly so let's say that it's ok.

 

Yay! It looks cute. Sorry the sleeves didn't come out as you envisioned.

Teddy

 

@PoeticSoul Thanks. Torrie is not a girl lol, they are genderfluid. But this summer they like to wear girl's outfits. ^^ I'm not fan of the tears of their make-up but well, the rest is pretty so I didn't erase it (it was there when I received the fp).

@Teddy Thanks. I hope I will do better for the next dress. =)

 

@PoeticSoul Your patchwork bunny outfit looks so soft and cozy! It's like snuggling up in Grandma's bed; all good, sweet, comforting, nostalgic, simple things.

@Mamo The messenger bag with it's "flair" just makes your fun skater outfit even more fun! The shoulder pad detail is also such a nice little unexpected addition.

@Moonycat31 Your coordinating mod fabrics and scarf work really well together. I think they look great on Torrie, and it does create a very nice, cohesive look with the pendant and hair scarf, and then the whole image is marvelously complicated by their expression. It makes me think of having gotten dressed up in anticipation for something, and then coming home after having had it go horribly wrong. It's very compelling. I love it.

Well, I've been having a difficult month as well. I've had some health issues, and I had to learn how to restring Norah Mae's arms, Yay.

But I did finish her dress the other day. I think it turned out well, overall. I'm planning to start a second one with different fabric soon to hopefully improve how the pattern fits.

The pattern was in Japanese, so I had to take photos of all the text with Google Translate and copy down the words on all the pattern pieces, photos, and pages of instructions, which took a lot of time. Some things didn't translate well, so I had to try to figure out what those things meant and it was confusing. It wouldn't have been too bad, but this pattern had some very specific instructions, like to do things in ways I wouldn't normally do them, and I would wonder why it said to do it that way, if it was wrong, etc, but I would note it, keep going, and then I would see why it said to do it the way it said. Anyway, the result was that you ended up with a very finished looking garment. It provided generous seam allowances, the sleeves are lined, there are darts in the back, it said which way to press seams, and many other things. I'm glad I took the time to translate everything, because if I hadn't, there are definitely things I would have missed and done wrong.

The biggest issue was that the pattern was designed for a large bust doll and didn't have any other bodice sizes with it, but it did have a smaller sized skirt. Fortunately, I had bought another pattern that's very similar, so I compared the front skirt of that one with the smaller sized skirt of this one and they were exactly the same. That pattern had two bust sizes, and the back was also the same for both patterns. I was able to use the medium bust size to fit my doll, but I still feel like the dress is too big through the waist and hips (the other doll is bigger there too), so on the next one I will try to make that better.

Anyway, I'm happy with how it turned out. I think the print worked well, and the dress has the look I was going for. I had ordered some new shoes, but they haven't come yet. I also wish I'd been able to find some matte white buttons for the belt to match the cuffs and collar better, but I couldn't.

Cinnamon Tart Dress 1 with Bonnet by Prairie Night, on Flickr

Here you can see the dress a little better and the detail of what the top of the bonnet looks like

Cinnamon Tart Dress 1 by Prairie Night, on Flickr

I really enjoyed the challenge of translating this pattern and making this dress. I'm excited to make the next one, and I'm also looking forward to making that other pattern that's similar!

Thanks!

 

@Gaiagrrrl Thanks ! I know what health problems are, I have some too. :/ Keep courage ! Anyway, your outfit is really pretty, I love it !

 

@Moonycat31 I like how it turned out! I like how the sleeves and their necklace bring in the colors from their headwrap, it makes a very cohesive outfit!
@Gaiagrrrl Thank you! I feel like it really fits the era. And Norah Mae is looking lovely in her new outfit, that little bow on the top of the bonnet is just so cute! Do you think pressing/ironing the torso an extra time might make it hold the shape you wanted better?

 

So sorry to hear that - I hope things are improving now

It looks great

It's meant to be loose at the waist anyway as it doesn't really have a waist, having the belt at the lower position. And it doesn't look too loose at the waist or hip in the pictures. Have fun with the next version of it.

Teddy

 

Thanks! I have ironed that SO MANY times, but it's no use. When she's sitting down, those sides just sort of balloon out. I don't know what to do about it.

Cinnamon Tart Dress Sitting by Prairie Night, on Flickr

I soaked the dress in hot water, blow dried it a little, and then put it on her while it was damp. That really helped give the dress more dimension and helped it to hang more naturally. The pleats were REALLY off before that. They were hanging awkwardly contrary to her body. After that, I was sort of able to realign the pleats according to her shape, rather than what the pattern had explicitly instructed. I also turned the steam off and lowered the heat on my iron so I wouldn't totally eliminate all the little wrinkles to give it a bit of a worn in look. I figure this would be an "everyday" sort of dress for a girl who was fairly active, maybe sitting at school all day, then running around afterwards, not just sitting in a fancy parlor chair having tea for an hour. I'll get to something like that later on. Honestly, I think the only thing I can do about the pleats is to start the next dress with these issues in mind, and focus on making the angles better. I feel like picking apart something this small is a waste of time, especially when it's 'good enough'. I think it's almost better to cut out a whole new piece, otherwise the original ones become too mangled to reuse.

@Moonycat31 Thanks!

 

My suggestion would be to do little french-tacks in a matching colour thread holding the back of the pleat to the layer of fabric undeneath it, like a shorter version of the ones they do to hold a separate lining in position at the hem of coats.

Teddy

 

Thank you! I love the dress, and the pattern is so cute! It's definitely my favorite outfit for her so far!

@Teddy Thanks! I am doing a little better now.

I did think about tacking the pleats down and in place, but part of me still wonders if there's a way to fix them yet. The first thing you do in this pattern is make the pleats and attach the skirt front to the bodice and bodice lining. I spent so much time trying to get the pleats just right because they're the most prominent feature of the dress, I marked all the pleat lines from the pattern with a fabric pencil and a ruler, etc, but once I attached the front to the back sides, it was like the front was way too big. I tried to make the pleats deeper to use up more of the fabric, but it seems like no matter what I did, they just didn't hang quite right.

So, here are pictures of the back and sides of the dress. You can see that the side seams are too far back. I THINK the skirt front should pull the side seams further forward, rather than the back being too small. I got it to look okay from the front, and I don't usually care much about what the backs look like, so I wouldn't normally share this messiness, but hopefully you can see what I mean.


Cinnamon Tart Dress 1 Back by Prairie Night, on Flickr

Cinnamon Tart Dress 1 Left Side by Prairie Night, on Flickr

Cinnamon Tart Dress 1 Right Side by Prairie Night, on Flickr

Can this be fixed without taking it apart? How do I make sure this doesn't happen again with the next one? Any thoughts or advice?

Thanks!

 

If it wouldn't make it more difficult to work with, maybe try making the next set of bodice pleats themselves slightly smaller? You'd definitely have to fiddle with the placement since that would alter where they'd fall on the dress, but maybe having less room behind the fold would get them set up with less give to bow outward.

 

I decided I cba to do the belt, lol, I'm calling this month good with the dress and the bag. It was a draining July, with heat waves and job hunting and getting ready to move again I might take next round off, or join later on because hoo boy I'm ready for a break! As usual, everybody did great work and we should all be proud of our projects

 

Thanks! Yeah, I can see how that might work. And you do deserve a break after everything you've been going through! Good luck and take care!

I think that I'm just being too particular, and overly critical, which I naturally tend toward. I can be a little obsessive and have issues with perfectionism. Sorry if I've been annoying everyone with my whining. I'll stop it now.

 

Gaiagrrrl,
Would it work to make more pleats but smaller? Could keep the central pleats design. That way maybe the sides of the dress will be where it should be. Personally I think she looks cute in the dress.

 

Cute outfit.

 

I'd be tempted to make a mock up with the backs made a bit wider, to see if it helped at all.

And I had another throught about the buckiling front pleats -erhaps theyr'e too long along the folded edge (the edge that's buckling)...? If you too that side of each pleat up a bit where it goes into the yoke (or possibly a bit there and a bit where it joins the skirt at the waist, it might lay latter when standing and not buckle out wehen sittin...?

Teddy

 

Yes, I see what you're saying. Because it's like those side pleats want to point down at the bottom of the dress, so I could try moving some of that excess up into the bust area. That's a really good idea!

@chrystal Thanks! That's something to consider, as well!

You know, I might actually try a mock up. The next one I want to make is a vertical stripe. If the pleats are off on it, it will be super obvious because the stripes will be pointing in the wrong directions.

I still have a lot to learn with miniature sewing, but it's so rewarding and I'm really enjoying it! Thank you all so much for your patience and advice!

 

Well my schedule for the upcoming week got a lot less hectic, which made working on fun stuff less stressful! So instead of an accent belt I did some other quick projects to go with this outfit, accessorizing but not any additional sewing, lol. Here's her finished look!

Round 124 finished by Jules B, on Flickr
This picture reminded me very specifically of simple but polished-looking outfits I used to see here on DoA back when I was a teen still new to the hobby, and how green with envy I used to be over having Cool Clothes For Your Doll. So in a way this became wish fulfillment, lol? Added bonus, and it was really fun to get to enjoy this style.

Spoiler: Detail shots and another easy project inside!

The first thing I did was make her some little notebooks to tote around inside the messenger bag! A composition book, a journal, and a day planner. The covers are just basic cardstock, and all the pages were cut out of a DenverDoll receipt - that perfectly in-scale DDE logo is my favorite!
Round 124 accessories by Jules B, on Flickr

Round 124 accessories by Jules B, on Flickr
To add a little more color I cut up a banking flier and made her a mini grocery list on some "stationery" (that I doodled on, lol) for visual interest.

And by far the easiest thing I've ever done, the octopus keychain on her bag also had a little star charm on it originally - it came from a pair meant to be split between friends, one star saying BEST and the other FRIENDS. The back is blank, so it can be worn two ways! I removed the star's o-ring from the keychain, closed it back up, and strung it on a bit of black embroidery floss to give it that cord necklace look! The floss itself I cut very long, so it can be worn as a long statement necklace or doubled up for the layered effect, like this!
Round 124 accessories by Jules B, on Flickr

I really had such a good time with this round, thanks again everybody!

 

Here's a rough sketch.

I might be running a bit behind; still trying to get motivated to make something for Cindy.

 

@greg_kagawa It looks great! I like how the belt divides the top and bottom halves and still accentuates her shape! Are you thinking separates or a single piece plus the belt for construction?

 

Single piece plus belt.


Pattern pieces (updated).

 

I have no new progress to share unfortunately. Life issues and priorities getting in the way. My buttons arrived though, so that's nice!



So tiiiinyyy~!

 

Cool.

Teddy