Wearables The Calien Project: Dressing a modern-day elf

I'm sure all of you have noticed by now that dolls have a mind of their own.
I wasn't going to shell the characters from Calien's story, but I had already put her on layaway when she decided to let me know who she really was (not that she doesn't have an alter ego of sorts in my main story, but still). She isn't home yet, but I am starting this project now because I want to have some stuff ready for her when she comes in. I have another EID girl who will be able (and required) to stand in as a sewing model; you'll meet her soon.

This is the culprit (company photo since she's still on layaway):


Iplehouse EID Yur, renew version, an not Robyn. At least not all the time.

Her story is based on an actual dream I had some 10 years ago and just like my main story it's pretty much set in the current world. The general idea is that there are still elves (and half-elves) living among humans, but they're evacuating; Calien and Anáriel, the main characters, are half-elves in their late teens / early twenties and among the last ones being rounded up to be taken to the rediscovered elven homeland.
Did I mention I was not going to shell a bunch of elves? Look how well that went.

Either way, now that she's coming home to be whomever she decides to be, she'll need clothes. And unlike the others, she probably won't be happy with the same everyday fashions as everyone else.


Question is, how would a half-elf unaware of her true heritage dress in today's world? What I'm after with this project is making clothes that don't look like LARP garb but still show their wearer is not quite your normal girl next door - very much unlike my other dolls! There might also be jewelry at some point.

What I found in most elf pics are flowy, soft clothes and a layered look. That sounds feasible with "normal"-ish clothes; soft cottons, some silk for the extra shine, loose fits and belts. Possibly embroidery, which I have never done before in doll scale. Mori elements, yet not pure Mori. This is going to be both fun and terrifying.

I'll take pics of the fabrics I'm considering for her outfits tomorrow - le camera can't pick up colours in artificial light. I can't draw to save my life, nor do I currently own a scanner, but I'll try and post a sketch or two for you guys - who reads a wall of text describing a garment?

Stay tuned - I'm only dressing one doll this time around, but it will probably still take longer than my last project ...

~Jany

 

Thanks, you two! I'll do my best to keep you guys posted

SteamWitch, that sounds good! Calien tends more towards the light side, but I'm planning to incorporate more colour than true Mori usually has. Asymmetrical seams are a fantastic idea!


Right now I'm thinking about the pants she'll get. Not all elves wear dresses all the time, just look at Arwen's riding outfit in The Fellowship of the Ring!

There are two possibilities I'm considering at the moment: An ankle-length version of the genie pants Chris is wearing in this pic




and the long bloomers described in this tutorial on BJDcollectasy, sans lace:



The bloomers aren't drop-crotch. That's pretty much all the difference there is. Both have elastic waistbands, both are loose-fitting. I have a fabric picked out, a soft pale green cotton with a shimmery woven stripe pattern. The genie pants are more likely to be found in a shop today, so I'm leaning slightly towards them.

As always, suggestions and feedback is very welcome!



edit - I tried to take a pic and it came out halfway decent, so here's a three-in-one including the white crincly cotton leftover from my own first LARP elven outfit complete with the chemise pattern I asked about in the sewing thread (tweaked a little, not quite 1:1 tutorial version), and the green shimmery stuff I'm considering for the pants:

 

You've got a point (or several). An outfit with a dress and leggings has been added to the list! (Boots, though ... I'm scared of even attempting those. Maybe if there's something suitable in my leather stash ...)

What gave me the idea of wider pants was the kind Elrond et al. wear under their fancy robes: They're a sort of wraparound cut with the opening / overlap in the front instead of the sides of the leg, and curved seams to make them look like furled leaves. I've made one of those for a LARP ball once, but there's the realism thing again ...

Thanks for your input! I'll raid my leftovers stash and the dolly fabrics boxes today and take a pic of what I have to work with

 

I'd be grateful for that!

Here's what I dug out of the stash. Most that didn't come out of the dolly fabrics boxes are leftovers from LARP costuming projects. I still think most of these look a bit too fantasy ... maybe it's just all of them at once, and one or two would look fine if combined with something a bit more down-to-earth (like a plain tan longsleeve or something).



The three in the top left corner are silk: Undyed white, green, and dark grey. The brown next to that is super stretchy faux suede, a leftover from one of my wood-elf dresses from the beginning of my Larp career. It's super comfy to wear but there isn't enough left of it to make another full-size garment so I'll use it for the aforementioned leggings. The white at the very bottom is the crincly faux suede I used for Lauren's pants. It's not supposed to be stretchy, but the crincle effect does make it slightly so - which helps a lot for doll pants! Maybe I'll make a pair for Calien as well.
Underneath the white silk is super shiny pastel green synthetic whatever - another Larp leftover. It doesn't drape well enough for a dress, sadly; if anything I'd use it for decoration (or for her post-evacuation full elven outfits).
The green shimmery cotton you already know. Next to it is its white equivalent. The greyish-white in the middle is linen/cotton blend with metallic threads woven in, making it shimmer slightly. The dark brown is the same; next to that is crincly brown taffeta from the doll costumes box which should probably have stayed put.

For the leggings-and-dress outfit I'm considering the white stripey stuff (like the green shown above) for the dress - it drapes perfectly. After spending so much time sewing for dolls, human-weight fabrics feel weird!

 

... and one more, just because. I looked through my dolly fabric boxes again and found some stuff cleverly hiding ... here it is, together with some from the pic above:


New in the pic: The flowery print that looks a bit too colourful, medium brown faux suede right underneath, slightly stretchy kind of embossed-looking faux suedish stuff with a flowery pattern on the other side of the already-seen off-white crincle faux suede, and two very sheer crincle browns that can only be used for sleeves or undergarments as they're extremely see-through. The lighter shade is just a leftover too, I'd have to check carefully what I can get out of it.

So far I'm definitely making a white cotton crincle chemise, and a stretchy faux suede pair of leggings. Everything else is still open for debate.
I was considering adding a bodice from one of the other faux suedes (hence the pattern pieces at the bottom left), but that would probably just make her look like a human ranger. The dress idea sounds better. (She will get a bodice / vest thingy, but that will be worn over a longer dress/blouse hybrid thing like Arwen is wearing in the aforementioned rescue scene in LotR 1, and it will definitely be one of her full elven outfits, not the hybrid human stuff I'm trying to cobble together.

 

Here's what I have so far, kindly modelled by Maria, my Bibiane:



Leggings from the stretchy faux suede, and the white cotton crincle chemise. I'm darn glad I didn't go for the full width - it's ridiculously wide in the back, and that's with 6cm less than recommended! Calien will need a belt for sure, or she'll look like a barrel in a dress. o.O

 

Well, apparently this lovely lady is coming home a lot earlier than expected - I found an invoice the other day even though I still had several layaway payments left, and according to the Iple experts in the Waiting Room that means she's ready to ship! So I paid her off, and now we wait.

Since I'm a little stuck on her "real life" clothes, I started researching options for her post-evacuation elven homelands outfits. Her yet un-shelled friend Ana's clothes were supposed to be based on Arwen's designs, but Cali? Not a clue ... until recently: Tauriel to the rescue! Much as I'm a hardcore fan and frown on changes to stories that were both long and good enough, for once I'm grateful for a non-Tolkien character in a Tolkien-based movie ... that lady solved my design dilemma. Thanks a lot, Tauriel!


The concept sketch on the left might become a reference for Calien's first 100% fantasy / elven outfit:



Since Ana's colour scheme is mostly browns, Cali's will be more on the green side of things. I have some green faux suede (not stretchy so no-go for the leggings which will just have to remain brown) that could work nicely for that dress Tauriel is wearing. I might add Legolas-style short wrapped sleeves to make it more like a coat.

In the meantime I'll grab some of the silk (mostly because that's what I have most of and thus don't mind taking risks with it) and cobble together a plain white dress. I wish I had embroidered fabric; Mori has lots and lots of lace for decoration, but elven outfits don't ...

 

Have a sketch, even though I can't draw to save my life. You've been warned!



I'm not sure how I want to make the sleeves on the coat (top sketch). It will have a hood, possibly with faux fur trimming. I have some icy blue thin wool that could work for it. It will require a complete new pattern I'm afraid.

The second sketch is the tunic based on the Tauriel concept art I posted earlier; its pattern can be based on a bodice pattern I already have, and the tunic itself will probably the white crincly faux suede from the last fabric pic, trying to hide underneath the brown stuff. The front panel to sides seams are open from the hips down, side seams are closed, back panel probably like the front - that panel will need to be two-part though, or I won't be able to get it on and off. I'm not sure about the length yet, I'll probably make a longer pattern and hold it to the doll to see what looks best, then shorten it if necessary. I'll also make another quasi chemise to go with this, from the green shiney stuff with the woven pattern this time. I fell in love with those colours together.

On the Real Life Outfits front, I found leg warmers with a nice lacey pattern which will become a sweater - once I grit my teeth and cut them up, I'm afraid the knit will dissolve. It probably won't, but I'm a chicken.

 

Oh! Well, in that case Mori is back on the menu
Glad you like it!


Progress: The pieces of the crop chemise that will be worn with the Tauriel tunic, together with the fabric for the tunic itself.

 

Aaaand voilà the tunic pattern!



Yep, that's white on white. I am not a smart woman.

This thing will need a test run, I don't trust the hemline, even though I tied the pattern around my patient Bibiane and tried to re-trace it on the doll - it's supposed to be an even(ish) curve from the front slits down to the "tail" in the back (after examining the bodice pattern I changed my original plan a little). As for the test run itself, I've got my trusty cotton muslin, but I also have way more cheapish Ikea silk from way back when, and a silk tunic can be trimmed and re-used even if the hem doesn't work out. A muslin one ... not so much. So there'll be a silk test. How decadent does it even get?

 

Sorry for the spam, couldn't resist - it's not hemmed yet, but the "silk" (no way is this pure silk, there's some polywhatsit in there for sure hence the quotation marks) test run went better than expected! I'm definitely going to finish this for someone, maybe not Cali, but someone will get to wear this. It's too nice to waste.



It's hard to see but I added a decorative stitch to the sleeves of the crop chemise. Mara looks like a gypsy lady in it Oh well, I guess that means it can be used for one of the "real life" outfits too, it's got a bit of a new-agey vibe to it by itself.
All in all I'm pleasantly surprised at how well this went. I'll tweak the pattern a bit, but just small changes, no big issues:
- shorten the front or lengthen the back; the same length approach isn't working out that nicely. (Guess I'll shorten the front on this one and lengthen the back on the final one.)
- fiddle with the angles - I'd prefer the front panel a bit wider, and the sides less so. The hem is too wide all around; I'll try to take it in a little.
- maybe add a decorative closure to the front - maybe even a collar like on this tunic of Elrond's.

 

Thank you, glad you like it! (And thanks too for supplying me with technical terms - I don't know half of them even in my native language, the downside of being mostly self-taught! )

 

Sketchery! It's less detailed than Elrond's (well, it's a lot smaller too), but here's what I'm considering for embroidery:



Not sure about the colours. On the white silk silver would probably look best, but I'm afraid that's a bit too special ... maybe if I had the right shade of green (which, of course, I don't).

I don't think I'd embroider the front panel on the faux suede tunic, just the collar part. Arwen's leather coat has an embossed (is that what it's called?) kind of decoration ... embroidering with off-white thread might have a similar effect.


On another note - sorry for the lack of modern-day outfits, everyone. I feel like I just don't have the right fabrics (yet), and a hunting trip to the store the other day yielded nothing. I'm having a bit of trouble staying focused / motivated at the moment anyway, so I'm just trying to keep going with the easy stuff before I tackle the true challenge(s).

 

And the design in action, along with the cut-out and serged pieces for the faux suede tunic:



I'm not 100% happy with the collar appliqué thingy so I didn't cut that out yet. It will definitely happen, I'm just not quite sure how; the one on the silk test came out a bit on the small side, even though it's too close to the armholes (those have been changed in the "Tunic 1.1" pattern, and it will also get short sleeves). I'll add fake closures to the front (like on Elrond's tunic I linked above) that wouldn't be enough to get it on a doll, and I don't want it open all down the front because the coat will be laced in the front too. So the tunic's real closures - thin velcro or mini snap fasteners - will be in the back.

 

So I got impatient and started on the embroidery, even though my thread doesn't match the bodice's green. Oh well. I've decided this will be a summer outfit and worn either with something else or nothing at all underneath.

It's just a WIP, but have a pic:


I had quite forgotten how much I enjoy embroidery! My grandmother taught me the basics, but that was 25 years ago ... this is fun, I should do more. I'm smelling more fantasy outfits coming up!

I'm not sure whether or not I should fill in the "leaves". I was planning to, but I sort of like the "outline only" look. Decisions, decisions ...

 

Good point, that!


Here's what it looks like with the complete pattern:





Horrible artificial light pic, just trying to show the changed hemline and finished embroidery. Model is my SID Stella this time; she's normal skin like Calien, and the large bust SID and medium bust EID have similar measurements so it sort of fits her. The waist is a little big on her, but that was to be expected.



The collar appliqué is definitely too small. I tried avoiding losing more width by adding bias strips around the armholes, but I don't much fancy the look of them ... the faux suede one will definitely get sleeves. I hope I didn't cut it too narrow, but I added some width already ... or I'll have to add those leaf thingies Legolas has to cover it up.

 

And back to the "modern day" aspect of this project!




The top fabric will become a skirt; the pattern piece on top of it is for that one. Sorry for the barely-visible sketches, I don't have a scanner at the moment :-/
The fabric on the right will become her elven coat and maybe a human jacket as well, I'm not sure. I just included it in the pic because I don't think I've shown it yet - now that I've stopped actively searching my stash for stuff, more and more of it just turns up. o.O

The knits on the left are my first choices for her first human winter outfit. I might re-use the pattern I made for the pink one Chrissie is wearing in this ancient pic, or at least use that pattern as a starting point and work my way from there. I think I'd like Cali's to have sleeves ... or a front pocket like a hoodie. A cream-coloured, oversized, sleeveless sweater with a blue front pocket and hood? We shall see ...

I also remembered I made a pair of lacey denims ages ago that came out too wide for SIDs but fitted EIDs pretty nicely. She might like those. I love the combination of light blue denim and white lace, I don't know why ... but I think it might suit her.

And as I checked Iple's page I noticed I really like the look of that fuzzy vest she's wearing in one of the clothes promo pics, maybe I'll base something on that, too.

 

Yeah ... I'm really glad I made a test version! I think I'll pluck the collar piece off again and just go for a wider neckline with bias strip (probably showing that aforementioned cleavage too). I tend to forget it, but it doesn't need to be 100% LotR compatible Maybe some picot beading around the neckline instead of embroidery ... ? I think I have some spring green beads that match the embroidery thread.

 

I'm back to working on the Real Life outfits. The skirt pieces (post #24) have been cut out, and a surprise trip to the fabric store added some stretchy lace fabric and some white jersey with a funny blue pattern to the stash. I'm tea-dyeing some of my cotton muslin for another attempt at a Mori skirt; in the meantime I'm making a plain white long-sleeved jersey shirt to go under a grey lace something - I'm thinking either a vest or a loose-fitting blouse thing with this kind of sleeves only shorter, I'm not sure what they're called in English. (In German it's "Fledermaus-Ärmel" = "bat-sleeves" Sounds cute!)

The pattern on the lace is huge, but it's super soft and drapes really well. I would have preferred a warmer shade, but there wasn't any ... and since I didn't have any lace fabric at all, I didn't even try to resist

 

Thank you! I'm learning so much, I should post more of these. (German has all these funny descriptive words - gloves are called "hand-shoes", fridges are "cool closets" and so on. XD)


Update: I finished a pair of leggings, a plain white pullover and a skirt last night. The Mori skirt is in progress, but the muslin is pretty stiff - not sure I like it. I'll also give it another tea bath, the first round of dyeing came out beautifully but I'd like more of a difference between the actual fabric and the decorations. The lace blouse has so far defeated me, I've just never worked with that stuff. Going to ask for help in the sewing threads and try again.

 

Well, I was distracted from my sewing by Calien's actual arrival. I did finish the silk test piece - decided to leave the too-small appliqué on after all. (I'll make a larger one for the faux suede version.)

Here's a sneak preview of my girl, still awaiting her faceup and in a borrowed wig (her own is currently in progress):

 

Here's a WIP of the faux suede tunic. Somehow I'm just that much more inspired for fantasy outfits ... I also modded her ears, a second Project Journal for her mods and aesthetics is up now, too.



I decided against sleeves - they would have been half-length to still show the chemise and this tunic will need to go under her coat, sleeves would only complicate that. I tried out a design or two, but neither really clicked, so - no sleeves on this one either.

Her wig is nearly done (not pictured), I only need to tweak the front a bit to make her planned hairstyle work, her elf ear mods are done and I'm working on her second outfit - and yet she feels so darn unfinished due to the lack of faceup! Bad timing, there was no sign of winter till a day before she arrived, and it's been wet and snowy and below freezing point ever since. Patience, young padawan ... patience.

 

Look who got another outfit!




I ran into a problem with the closures in front (fake ones in her case): The LotR elves have really fancy ones, Elrond has gemstone buttons, Legolas has fancy hooks and eyes. These are the fanciest I could find (human-sized, I got them for a LARP project) and I would have liked to use similar ones for Cali but couldn't find any in doll scale:


(Sewing wiz's, what are these called in English?)

So I decided to ... improvise. (By the way, did you know how to tell the difference between "cheating" and "improvising"? If no one can tell, it's not cheating ) I still had this awesome trim stuff kicking around that just happened to match the colour scheme:



Two of the swirls cut off with the ends stitched under and they look just like a fancy closure.



Life = hacked.

 

Frogs? Seriously? That totally makes up for the lack of bats in Dolman sleeves XD

Thank you on both accounts!
As for the wig, I'll still have to tweak it a bit but I'm pretty happy with how it turned out so far. Guess I should start thinking about fancy hair ornaments

 

*dusts off the thread*

Long time, no sew! I went on an unplanned hiatus and all doll projects were put on hold until fairly recently.
Cali did get a dress last week, but I didn't post pics here because it's not remotely elvish. (I mostly had to make her one because she modelled a Little Black Dress in one of Iple's promos and I really liked the look on her - only Iple put a massive bow on its back so just buying it was out of the question. -.-°)

Now that I'm back at the sewing table, I am planning an elven winter coat next. I've changed quite a few things since my first draft ... the sleeves will be tied to the body of the coat, not sewn in, and they'll probably be open at the bottom like Arwen's (maybe lacing up, if it gets really cold? I'm not sure), and the hemline won't be pointy like my first sketch but a half-circle. No collar, so she can wear a short hooded cape with it. What I didn't change is the plan to use the icy blue wool for it, and I'm still hunting for white fur trim that looks good in doll scale.

 

That's a great page, thank you!
Which costumes did you make, if I may ask?

 

The Epic Fabric Haul Of Epic yielded some surprise pants for Cali, completing the outfit shown above! Pics tomorrow (le camera + nonexistant photography skill + artificial light = not something I'd want to make you guys look at) The coat is in progress, I got the pattern done-ish and am working on the muslin mockup.

If she's lucky I'll get around to making some white leather boots for her soon-ish, too. Way back in the day my Dad got hold of a box full of upholstery leather scraps, there should be something in there to make boots from.

 

Here goes ...



Quality is still crap. I'm sorry. But at least the poor girl has pants in her own colour scheme now

 

Thanks!
Yes, she'll probably get a belt, if I find fabric that looks good with the tunic - or maybe even from the tunic fabric itself. The whole ensemble looks a bit bunched because she's currently on her default EID body and there is a lot of chemise under the top layer

 

While looking for something else entirely, I stumbled across this tutorial and somehow it kicked off some ideas ... the next Sewing Project will be "Dark Mori", I guess I might enter Cali. She's not exactly Dark, but she's not pure Mori either. The outfit I have in mind might just fit in, though, and she really needs some everyday clothes.

What I'm thinking of is:
- long-sleeved shirt (either pure lace or with lace sleeves / a layer of non-lace in front so it's not see-through), probably cropped
- maybe a longer, sleeveless top just for the layered look
- ankle-length loose "genie" pants
- jacket thing from the tutorial

 

What was supposed to be a quick dive into the stash resulted in sorting through nearly all my doll fabrics. So obviously I ended up not with one, but two possible colour combos for outfits:

#1, working title "teal ocean":

Stretchy blue not-quite-lace (was intended for something else, but there's so much of it that I can "borrow" what I need for a long-sleeved BJD crop top), dark blue jersey, dark-ish teal shirt (yay for recycling!), lighter teal jersey. The patterned fabric on the left is just a bit too short for pants, sadly - I might make shorter ones, or add a wide elastic channel at the top and bottom respectively. It drapes beautifully and I really really want to make the harem pants from it. On the right (white and blue) is a pair of leggings I made ages ago, which looks nice with the bunch and could be worn with the top(s).
The teal shirt is likely to become the "coat". I might either add a long, sleeveless top from the lighter teal, or line the front of the lacey blue long-sleeved crop top with the dark blue (the lighter teal looks nice with it too, but if I keep it all blue it's easier to mix-and-match with other stuff).

#2, working title "rose grey":

Dark violet/plum(?) jersey, thin but stiff cotton print, and something I have no idea what to call that followed me home on one of my last visits to the fabric store.
This combo needs different patterns. The cotton print is thin but woven very tightly, so I was thinking of a bodice. The jersey drapes beautifully, so it could become pants too ... genie pants or leggings. The greyish ruffly stuff is supposed to become a skirt, but it would probably look just as cool as pants or a long, loose-fitting, sleeveless shirt ... but that wouldn't work with a bodice.

Bonus: The patterned teal-and-things cotton on the left (first pic) has a shade of purple that works with the jersey from the second combo. Depending on what I make, there can be mixing and matching between outfits.

 

One reality check later, the ruffly stuff has been disqualified. It's beautiful, but doesn't drape right for anything I had in mind ... and while I'm 100% sure it's my fault, not the fabric's, I can't do anything useful with it right now, so back in the stash it goes. Buh-bye ruffly stuff.

The "teal ocean" outfit's plan had some changes, too: The old shirt was too thick to drape right in doll scale, so the coat will be made from the lighter jersey. The patterned cotton will become a plain sleeveless tunic-dress with a belt, it's too short for pants (*SNIFF*) but drapes so beautifully it had to become something fluttery-flattering. Crop top plan is still intact. This still counts as somewhat darkish, I guess.

"Rose grey" will consist of: Patterned cotton pants (3/4 length - draped it around her waist and it looked adorable); dark plum/whatever sleeveless crop top; "3 minute 'Mori' bolero" from a pink jersey formerly-scarf (not pictured). This will be her designated summer outfit and is officially Not Dark.

 

aaand have a WIP.


It looks like PJs with the lacey sleeves and the white shirt ... hopefully once I find a nice crop top pattern and add the actual top, it'll look more like an actual outfit.
The trousers' legs are sewn up but they're just pinned together for this pic.

The blue wave-patterned dolman shirt for the teal ocean outfit is done, too (no light left for pics though) - came out less cropped than I planned, but fits the Dark Mori bill nicely.
Nothing seems to quite come out the way I want at the moment. I'm so rusty it's not even funny.

 

The other in progress:


No teal yet, just ocean. The pink scarf is actually part of the leftovers from the bolero and not part of the outfit

 

Thank you!

 

Collecting patterns and tutorials ... was pointed towards this page from the Sewing Project
drape top thingy - this is what I had in mind for the dress part of the "teal" outfit.
wrap top - this is the solution for my "rose grey" crop top problem.

 

Wrap top! I'm in love.

 

Another idea with a tutorial ... might use this instead of the drape top pattern for the "dress" thingy.

 

Oopsie, looks like I never updated here! I did use the tutorial for a teal-patterned dress and it worked nicely, but somehow even though she was wearing it nearly all summer I don't have a pic of her wearing it ...

Look indeed. Here's Anáriel, who is currently borrowing an elven outfit but would quite like her own stuff:


As these two are from the same story, the challenge remains the same. I can imagine human-world Ana being a bit more of a denims kind of girl than Cali, but still ... I'd like some elvish accents in her clothes as well.
Right now she's getting her proper wig. Sewing time is notoriously short, but at least she has something appropriate to borrow ... she might "inherit" the silk tunic, as her shoulders are a bit narrower than the Iple SID's they might fit her better.

 

Ana's new hair!



Unlike Cali's, Ana's wig isn't styled yet. But I'm pretty happy with how it came out.

 

Tried some stuff on Ana today (and realized that human clothes make her look like a tomboy girl next door ). Holy crow she's skinny! The good thing is that her slim yet busty upper body means she can share Iple nYID tops ... trousers need to be taken in 1cm per pattern piece to stop them falling off of her. Oh well. Length is fine on both, so her modern world outfit(s) won't be much of a problem.

 

cross-posted from the Sewing Project because technically it belongs in both ... Ana's first own elven outfit, WIP:

 

Thank you, @rosalynmouse! You may borrow any trick, that's why I share them. Anything to make our dolls look even more awesome!

I hope to start work on Ana's tunic/coat today. The pattern is done, and the tunic served as a sort of test run which I'm rather happy with, but I found myself looking at other fabrics last night because Cali will get a winter coat and the outfit I'm modelling Ana's off of is more like a coat than a tunic. Then again Cali is wearing a (fake) leather tunic and the coat won't really be part of the set, so Ana's doesn't have to be, either. (Did that even make sense?)

tl;dr: Sticking with the faux suede, found something to line the collar with (tea-dyed cotton muslin), expect updates later.

 

Can't remember where I posted this (not here, apparently, might have been her BO) - have a pic of Ana in her first "human world" outfit while I'm working on her tunic/coat:



She'll get pale blue denims, too, and maybe something white to go with them. I'd like to get a "lacy but still tomboyish" kind of look for her: Slim-fit tops with pretty prints and ruffles, pale colours, denims with lace appliques, but all cut in a way that would allow her to climb a tree without messing up her clothes.