Mood:  celebratory

Man, where has the year gone ? I keep a list of what I've made and tried, and it's hard to believe I did it all this year, but the time went so quickly !

We're just relaxing at home, with a deli cracker and cheese tray and some of those 'poppers' - Dearest Son loves those. They sort of look like wine bottles, and when the string is pulled, it unleases thin crepe paper streamers in a dozen colors. They're lots of fun.

Got a picture taken of the four 'Velvet' dresses, it's on the "Disney Princesses" page. Man, it's sad how I've neglected the site this month. I hope to get off my rear next year !

I hope your New Year's is as quiet - or exciting ! - as you like it ! 

Posted by dorriebelle at 12:01 AM CST

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Mood:  a-ok

Well, Dress #4 and Panties #2 and #3 seem to be the charms. Dress 4 fits beautifully, just like I wanted it to. Shoulders don't point upwards on the inside neckline, front lies flush, armscryes are good. I could probably use  heavier material, like denim or corduroy, and sew it as a jumper to wear over a blouse. 

Made two adjustments to the panties pattern, one for Mia, the other for the Disney Princesses, and now those fit great, too. I took off about half of the crotch, and added some to the hip. Since there isn't a real front or back - it's the same pattern piece for both - I kind of angle the panties on Mia, so her undies don't resemble a thong. Little higher on the front, little lower in the back. On the DP dolls, it didn't seem to make a difference. So now, everyone has a 'Velvet' style dress with matching panties. I hope to get a photo for the site Sunday.

One good thing about doing this same pattern over and over - I'm darn near an expert on neckline and armhole hems now ! Even used the same method on the hem of #4, and it worked OK, but the lace looks better, and is just as easy. I can whip this dress out in about half an hour, and it takes about 20 minutes for the panties. Beloved Hubby was curious about all the adjustments I was making to the patterns, so I told him a good doll panty pattern was so rare, it was like rainbows and candy when you got one that really worked. And now I have two ! Although really, the only difference between Mia's and DPrincess' is the width of the crotch seam.  

And it's great to have a simple, fast to work pattern. Sometimes ya get a real urge to make something, but after everything's ready to begin, your time is up. With these, the hardest part will be finding the pattern once I file it away ! Of course, no doll needs 20 of the same thing, so I'll probably use it as a base for new techniques and trim trials, too. 

Of course, watching all this 80s anime makes me think of the fun stuff I could make...Oh, and I got to watch some Crissy and Mia and Barbie ads on YouTube today. You know, I had a first-year Crissy as a kid, but I don't remember a single ad for her. So it was really fun to see how she was marketed. Also cleared up a doll memory - it was "Little Miss Echo" I remembered. Never had her, just a small memory. For some reason, the ad showed Echo in the dress I remember, but all the examples of the actual doll that I've seen are wearing something else. 

If you haven't checked out YouTube.com, it's fun, easy, and free ! I just looked up 'doll ads', and got the wealth of merchandising described. Even saw an ad for my Leia doll ! :) Check it out if you haven't already ! 

Posted by dorriebelle at 12:01 AM CST

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Mood:  irritated

Got tired of the 'Velvet' dress tonight, and made the coordinating panties. Same pattern book, two pages over. I completely redid the directions - there's easier ways to sew underwear than what the author described - but otherwise made them just as the pattern says. So if you can imagine Ariel in the photo below with matching green panties, that'd help me out a lot. 

Unfortunately, they're waaay too big, for both Mia and the Disney Princesses. The waist and leg openings are OK, thanks to elastic, but the crotch is at least twice as wide as the doll's. So it bunches up there, and looks bad. On Ariel, they bunch up so bad, it looks like the panties are pleated !

So, it's back to the 'rework the pattern' board. Measured and redid the pattern, but I'm pretty well worn out, so I'm off to bed. I'll sew 'em tomorrow, see if the changes need to be changed further.

On the plus side, I'm getting better at altering patterns. On the negative, I don't trust a pattern to fit anymore, at least not without alterations. It's a darn good thing I have all this fabric to experiment with ! 

Posted by dorriebelle at 12:01 AM CST

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Mood:  lazy

Took a day off from sewing. Kind of weird, because it was a great doll sewing day - Beloved Hubby was at work, Dearest Son was visiting his much-loved and appreciated grandparents. Although I just wasn't into it earlier today, I'll probably go for #4 on the 'Velvet Dress', for kicks. Maybe try a knit one...

Had to do the put-off-since-Monday grocery shopping today. We were running out of things ! You'd think the crowds would have dissipated by now, but the parking lot looked just like that on Christmas Eve. Took me a half-hour longer than it usually does. But it's done, and supplies willing, I may not have to go next week ! And I remembered the batteries the 'Radiator Springs Challenge' needs !! I'm kinda curious as to what that thing actually does. Sucessfully steered away from the fabric counter. So far, my first goal for 2007 is to empty one of these milk crates ! 

Did some housework - place looks like a bomb hit it, I haven't cleaned a thing since before Monday. Even then, I didn't do much, the kitchen's still wrecked. But there's clean clothes drying and you can now walk from room to room, so I call it progress.

Our kitchen table has the world's hardest coordinating seats. I've put random pillows on 'em, but Son doesn't seem to care for that. I'm always picking the pillows off the floor, putting 'em back on the chairs...and next day, there's four semi-ugly pillows back under the table. Been meaning to do something about that, so I did today. Sewed old bias tape on 'em, and tied them to the chairs. We'll see how Son reacts to that  Next time I pick one up, the bows become knots ! 

That's about it for handicrafts today. Here's hoping I'll have time tonight ! 

Posted by dorriebelle at 5:34 PM CST

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Mood:  caffeinated

I've now sewn the Dolls' Clothes Pattern Book 'Velvet' dress three times. First wasn't good, second altered the sleeves, and it looks great. But it didn't fit the similarly-sized Disney Princess dolls. So I scanned the altered pattern and prepared to alter it again. 

Measured to see what I'd need. Ariel was the test - her neck is 3/8" larger than Mia's, and her arm circumference was a full inch bigger. Measured the paper pattern and cut what I thought it'd need. To think, I believed learning how to multiply, divide, add fractions was a waste of time, back in the day. I'm quite good at it now ! Unfortunately, even with the right measurements, I got a little scissor happy with the armholes, so those have to be adjusted back, but I got the neck mostly right. It stands up a little on the inside neck, so I've adjusted that again. It'll get scanned once more and I might get to sew it later today.  

Mia's wearing the second attempt. Adjusting the armholes fixed the 'not flat across her chest' billowing. I also took in a bit more on the back closure. Believe it or not, this is a darn good clone of the first-isssue Velvet doll dress. It's the right length and everything. I still think it's too short for a dress. The fabric was in a thrift store scrap fabric bag. It's great fabric, but I use it for muslin. The 'wreath' is actually embroidered, not printed, and the fabric itself is nice. It'd be perfect if the design wasn't too big or too scattered for most other dolls. 

Ariel's got the third attempt. I made the armholes bigger (actually too big, back to the drawing board !) and deepened the neck. It's standing up a big on the corners, so I'll tweak that, too. But overall, I'm pleased with both. I just have to make sure they have shorts or something to match !  

But anyway. It's often fun to sew the same thing several times. I've gotten to refine a few skills that I always neglected in the past. As you can probably see in the photo, the sleeves and neckline are simply folded over and hemmed. No facings or collar/sleeves. I'd read a long time ago that it was easier and better if you sewed a sort of 'marking line' where the hem would go. In this instance, a simple line of stitching went 1/4" from the edge. Then, a few snips with the scissors at the curves, right to the hem line of thread, and the hem then lay down flat, much easier to sew. No widening or tearing, and it looked so much nicer !

Well, I never did this. It seemed like an unnecessary step to me. Waste of time, and thread, too. Nope. I'd rather sit here and curse at how hard this *&^$ hem is, it won't lie flat and folds up and rolls the wrong way.

(sigh) I guess the things you learn the hard way are the things you don't have to learn twice. So on these two, because it's a dirt simple pattern, I got to refine a few techiniques. Did Velcro on the back, and I'm better with that now, too. Also curved hems - but it's still easier to 'hem' those with lace !  

So, by the time I'm done with this pattern, I should have several techniques mastered...that I should have been doing three years ago ! I may be a slow learner, but once it's in there, it's in there good !  

The girls are resting against two of nine 'milk crates' that store material in my studio. There's more -  a box and two zipper bags that used to hold bedding are now fulla fabric. They're standing on a hamper Beloved Hubby made me - it now holds my pattern folders and doubles as a cutting table. Guess it's tripling as a photo staging area ! I've managed to make it through December without buying any new material (I don't count the Cars stuff I bought for Dearest Son's pillowcase) or doll stuff at all, so we'll see how long I can keep that up. This year, we spent about $600. on my little hobby - whooo ! What did I do with all that cash ?! 

Well, we'll see if I can enjoy more and spend less in '07 ! 

Posted by dorriebelle at 12:43 PM CST

Updated: Monday, 2 May 2011 9:52 AM CDT

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Mood:  incredulous

Well, as reported yesterday, I traced a pattern from Roselyn Gadia-Smitley's Dolls' Clothes Pattern Book - yeah, I didn't wanna waste time or printer ink on scanning it, I just took a sheet of notebook paper and a pencil and went for it - that turned out OK, but had problems. It doesn't look that bad, but the armholes were much too tight, and the front didn't lie flat across Mia's chest. 

Looked up the original dress. It came on the first-year same-body Velvet doll back in the 70s. It wasn't as 'billowy' as this copy, but as the day progressed, I found I kinda liked it. As a blouse, though. It's too short to be a dress, in my opinion. And those armscryes were still too tight, which might be what's throwing off the chest fit. So I altered 'em, traced 'em again with a Sharpie, and scanned those. We'll see how that fits in a few minutes. Honestly, scanning the alteration is as far as I've gotten today. 

And I think I inadvertently figured something out. I was ranting a bit yesterday on having to fix patterns with errors. It's a pattern. It should have been worked on enough by the original author to have most clumsy problems worked out before it sees the light of publishing. That goes for any pattern, from a freebie in Doll World to a couture costume from Vogue. 

Still, there's often problems. And here's the deal. I think I like that. I've never questioned why I enjoy sewing, or why it seems to calm me down no matter how f'ed up the pattern/finished item is. It never bothered me much even if I had to throw the finished item (read : all that time and whatever materials) away. Part of the process, I thought. Oh, sure, I'd try to salvage it, but if it was trashward bound, so be it.

I was happily humming away at altering the DCPB pattern when it hit me. Sewing gives me something to truly be frustrated and even angry at. I can curse and rant and rail about a bad pattern, crap fabric, chintzy thread, microscopic hems that shift, doll manufacturers who release only-one-outfit-ever dolls, on and on. It doesn't hurt anyone's feelings if I'm cheesed at something doll or sewing related, gives me a safe vent. And it's an actual bonus when I end up with something I can keep - double that if I'm proud of it. Pattern doesn't fit the doll ? Challenge !! And I love it !

So, go figure. I was sort of wondering why I keep making doll clothes when each of my dolls have more outfits and shoes than I do. But it's an idle sort of rumination that normally only makes an appearance to my oft-vacant head when I'm in the middle of another outfit. Now I know. And that's probably why I was so dicey yesterday - I had a semi-frustrating day, and it'd been over a week since I made something to truly vent, sweat, and groan over. Once I made a semi-crappy dress-blouse, I felt a lot better. 

And I'm gonna do it again. Might get back to Fashion Doll Clothes sometime this week. Right now, though, I'm gonna do simple stuff that won't take a lot of time. As you could guess, the holiday weekend trashed our place, and I've been neglectful of cleaning up much besides wrapping paper. I think we're out of clean spoons again, too. 

But who knows ? Maybe now that I know this, I'll try more complicated projects. I mean, if I'm gonna get bent outta shape over a sleeve, it might as well be a really hard sleeve, right ?  :)

Posted by dorriebelle at 2:54 PM CST

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Mood:  celebratory

Man, I hate it when I disappear for a few days. Each day makes it harder to come back, and I feel like I'm abandoning friends !

But I'm sure you know how it is around Christmas. Beloved Hubby's been home all week, which limits my computer time, and with all of Dearest Son's parties and such, I just got m'self exhausted. No doll time, or even me time, in days, so I'm tense and touchy. 

So forgive me when I say, with relief and real joy, 'It's all over !!". Got the tree up (on a file cabinet, floor space is limited of late) on the 22nd. Found a huge haul of misc. Lego at GoodWill on the 23rd, and bought it up, plus a plastic storage box. It was a great deal, but I have a whole dollar left ! :) Was up 'til 2 am wrapping presents, and that's mostly because Son couldn't sleep until after midnight. Each time I'd start, he'd pop up awake !

But he loved everything, and true to form, the 'Most Beloved' is a Herbie Beetle I bought at a flea marketer's 'Collector Cars' booth for $6. back in September. He managed to sleep with darn near everything in bed with him tonight, except the Lego box and the 'Radiator Springs Mountain Challenge Race Set', which silly me forgot to get batteries for. And I knew it needed 'em, too. Lego and the racetrack were a few feet away on the floor. He even liked the Cars pillow and pillowcase I made him. 

Dinner with family was nice, but it got political, and, well, it happens. I pled animal allergies and we scooted. I have a head fulla cotton right now, but decided to sew something simple anyway. Just to relax. 

Long time ago, I bought this doll clothes pattern book, simply titled Dolls' Clothes Pattern Book, by Roselyn Gadia-Smitley. I'm glad I only paid $2. to the used bookstore for it, because it's not good. You can kinda tell how I feel about a doll pattern if I never scanned it, and this book has never known the touch of our overworked Lexmark PrinTrio. Poorly organized, kludgy directions, and most of the patterns are for gowns that have a seam right down the middle front of the skirt. This is easily avoided, but I guess Ms. G-S was trying to keep it simple.

Several pages of mine are missing, not that it'd make much of a difference. As mentioned, the organization is non-existant, and there's not much of an index. Out of a weird kind of cotton-headed boredom, I created a cross-reference for it, and got a closer look at the contents. Not that I was suddenly amazed by the patterns, if anything, I was even less impressed, but what the heck. Ya do weird things when the cotton is thick. 

The bulk of the book is Barbie patterns, and while there's color photos of her dolls wearing her creations, she coyly states that the patterns are for '12 inch Lady type doll'. Umm...I'm not sure if she's trying to side-step copyright law, but it seems to me that 'Famous 11.5" Fashion Doll' would be more accurate. Especially since those are actual Barbie dolls, not clones or knockoffs, in the photos. To me, '12 inch Lady doll' is one of those 50s-era Revlon girls.

Whole book is like that. A good chunk of the book's remaining patterns are for Cabbage Patch Kids, which get renamed '15 inch baby-type cloth-body doll'. Or just '15 inch baby-type doll', guess she got tired of typing all that about six patterns in. Of course, real trademarked CPKs are wearing the evening gowns and track suits in the photos.

The rest are '16 inch girl doll', '16 inch lady doll', '16 inch baby doll'. And since there's only a few pages of photos, you'll have no idea who these fit. Ya gotta take the time to sew 'em to know. (sigh) It would have at least been a bit easier to use the book if all the Barbie patterns were in one section, the CPKs in another, etc, but again, no organization. While they are lumped together, they're in several sections of the book instead of all together. 

The book's previous owner - I think I'm the third to own this, there's two pencilled prices on the flyleaf, neither of which I paid, and the notes are in two different hands - tried to organize it, too, but stuff marked 'Barbie' is instead for '12 inch Girl doll'. Can tell by the lack of darts and other markings that it'd fit Babs like a bag. Hence my cross-reference. I hope it helps the next owner...'cause I may be ditching it. 

You also kinda know the book's possibly not terribly good when the photos show that the clothes don't fit. Collars that float a half inch above the doll's neck, sleeves that would pinch if the doll wasn't soft-bodied, etc. There's a gown for Crissy - main reason I bought the book - that is photographed as hanging loosely with the sleeve about a half inch above her arm (sigh). Ironically, the pattern would put a seam in the front center of the skirt, but in the photo, that little problem's fixed. 

During the indexing, I found a simple dress for a Velvet-size doll, like the Mia I bought a few months ago. Two pattern pieces, simple, makes a replica of the dress the first issue Velvet wore. So, what the heck. I sewed it...and the armscryes are very tight, and the front doesn't lay flat along the doll's chest. Probably if I were to take out about a quarter to a half inch from the front and back, widen the armholes a bit...

Heck, why do I have to make all these adjustments to a pattern that should already fit ? It's not like I'm sewing for a person whose body naturally changes from day to day. It's a doll that hasn't changed since 1974 ! So, yeah, I'll probably ditch this one. It's kind of a shame, because I just got it organized !

Yet oddly, I'm more relaxed than I was a few hours ago... 

Posted by dorriebelle at 12:01 AM CST

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Mood:  lazy

Really, that's about all I can say about today that isn't Mommy-gushing about Dearest Son's musical debut this afternoon. And I wanna spare you that - although his gramma would probably gush more than me !

So, if ya'll don't mind, I'm just gonna relax and go to bed early. Son's school party is tomorrow, and I'm helping. Wheee ! Hope your social calendar is more full (and more fun !) than mine !

But truly, I'm looking forward to Winter Break Thursday !I doubt I'll get to sew anything, but it'll be nice to not have to rush around so much in the morning. Sheesh, we haven't even put the darn tree up yet !  

Posted by dorriebelle at 9:27 PM CST

Updated: Tuesday, 19 December 2006 9:29 PM CST

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Mood:  crushed out

Mondays have to be my worst days to do anything doll-related. There's just no time. House is trashed from the weekend, there's groceries to buy and errands to run, and by the time Dearest Son and I are back from speech therapy, it's dinnertime.

Add Christmas to that, and it's amazing I get to sleep ! But while I didn't get to do anything fun with the dolls, I got a lot done. Made his therapist a candy jar with her name cross-stitched on it - an old craft of mine, cheap and easy - filled with holiday M&Ms. She loved it.

Wrestled with what to do for Son's teacher and aides. We'd already contributed to the class gift, and just today, I bought little holiday-themed prisms for the whole class, part of the party Wednesday. So with low funds and little imagination, I pondered. I honestly don't know the names of either of the aides, nor his teacher's first name, so the candy jars were out. Cutest sayings just aren't something I enjoy doing, so I don't. I thought to make those shoe pincushions - a tube of salt or sand inside a Lucite wedding favor shaped like a shoe, but that also seemed cheesy.

Then it hit me. Great-gramma gave us lots of this old porcelain dinnerware. We didn't use it much - it breaks easily - but a cup and saucer, with some cider packets and a few candies, wrapped up in a bow, would be cute. Even kept up with the rather mundane 'apple' theme teachers always have to suffer under every year. Heck, I remember one year, I actually gave my teacher dainty little lace-trimmed handkerchiefs. My folks' idea.

Anyway. We already have everything, too ! Even the cider, I'd stocked up when it went on sale. So that was done - all I had to do was wash 'em and wrap 'em up. It was like having a free evening, because I didn't have to craft anything.  Only problem is, I'm beat tired !

So I'm off to bed. Maybe there'll be some sewing done tomorrow... 

Posted by dorriebelle at 9:00 PM CST

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Mood:  a-ok

Today's is also kinda early, but a lot's gone on - and if there's one thing I learned during the snowstorm, it's "do it now !". Because once you miss one day, it's much easier to miss more - often a week or so.

So. Last night, I sewed the 'long pants' from Fashion Doll Clothes. They went together well, no problems at all. Fit is great ! This is probably the best pants pattern I have - although McCall's 4860 also fits beautifully, it's a lot more work. I did, however, take less of a hem at the cuffs. It should have been a half-inch, I took about 3/8ths. Minor, to be sure, but I hate it when dolls have 'floodwaters are rising !!' pants. And actually, it's about where I want 'em, but given my druthers, I'd like 'em just a twitch longer. So next time, I'll probably go with a quarter inch hem. Couldn't this time, as the fabric was not lending itself well to such a small fold.

I used a silver fabric I picked up at a yard sale, and it's more of a 'raw silk / matte' finish than the tinfoil-lookin' appearance it has here. It has tiny black 'nubs' in it, which is why I always use black thread. Wish the 'nubs' showed up better, it actually looks quite sophisticated 'in person' ! Fabric itself frays like mad, and if I don't liberally apply Fray-Check before I sew with it, I won't have anything left of the garment by the time the last seam is sewn. Wish I knew what it was, but for all I know, it's furnature lining. Dearest Son spilled red Kool-Ade on it, and it washed right off. Good stuff, if ya ask me !

The crotch-curve is about as good as it gets. They do slide quite far up her ankles when she sits, but they don't bunch up at her hips, or pull at the seams.  The fit would probably be smoother with a softer fabric, but I'm quite happy. These went together quickly - about a half hour, once I let the Fray-Check dry - and I didn't change a thing but the aforementioned hem. 

Her blouse is made from a carefully cut hair scrunchie from a three-pack at Dollar Tree. She also has a burgundy and a black one.  I used the 'sock' or 'peasant blouse' method presented on the main site to sew it. Basically, if I can sew a tube out of it, I'll probably end up making a doll a blouse from there ! 

And I'm slowly making my peace with 'Room With A View'. Elphie's shown next to her bed in it there. It's hard to enjoy something when you feel ripped off about it, but you don't wanna make trouble for a small company...i.e., yer ticked, but not ticked enough to start something. And I've had it for six months already, I might as well use and enjoy the thing, the money's spent ! :) Maybe I was expecting too much...but seeing pieces held together with snipped-short straight pins was not a reassurance of quality ! Anyway, I need to quit my sniping and use what I have, right ? Right !

I also made the 'basic corsage' from Fashion Doll Clothes last night. Now, to me, a corsage is a flower worn near one shoulder or the other, but Mrs. Ionker means 'strapless bodice'. Why she suddenly lapses into Old French by way of Middle English, I have no idea, but there it is. I should have known it was too small for her to have added seam allowances. And the pattern had no markings (like the 'cut one on fold' that should have been there ), and no indications of seam allowances...just a dotted line for a shorter-waisted doll fit. So I had to draw those myself - not a pain, really, but when she says she's already done that to the clothes...well, I guess her corsages don't count as clothes, or something, I don't bloody know. 

In any case, I did it, but I hate having to. There's a good chance something was lost in my translation, some curve I went too shallow or too high on. It's scanned, and ready for another trial, but I just don't want to mess with it right now.  

I think I'm gonna curl up with my DVD of MSTK's Santa Claus Conquers the Martians and this bag of Goldfish crackers. I deserve a lazy break ! 

Hope your day went well - and that your shopping's done ! Me, I still got stuff to make...(sigh) 

Posted by dorriebelle at 1:49 PM CST

Updated: Monday, 2 May 2011 9:50 AM CDT

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