I made some more sock sweaters recently: one for the Stylist, two for the dorklets. Continue reading New sock sweaters
Posts tagged handmade clothes
Recent work: Grass and pants
First off, I went to the craft store, bought a mat of fake grass, and cut it into four more naturalistic shapes. They now break up the straight border between sky background and ground cloth. I stuck some plastic ferns in the grass pieces to break up the evenness of the blades. Continue reading Recent work: Grass and pants
Recent projects II: Another hand-sewn apron!
I have always envisioned the Doctor as a person with about five types of eyewear on their head and a work apron filled with all sorts of stuff. Part of my vision came true last week when I made them a work apron full of pockets. It was initially going to be a single layer of that goldenrod felt, but then I decided to reinforce it. Then I decided to be artsy-fartsy. Then I decided to add more pockets…and more…and more. It came out extremely loud, extremely pocket-laden, and therefore perfect for the Doctor!
Continue reading Recent projects II: Another hand-sewn apron!
An apron for the Master!
This evening I drafted a pattern and made an apron for the Master so he can cook without getting his clothes messy. Of course, he wouldn’t usually wear something so colorful, but my story is that the Doctor made it for him. They were so proud of themself, so he couldn’t disappoint them by not wearing it, now could he? One of these days I’ll do a photostory with the Master cooking for the Dork fam!
I based this pattern on a Mattel Barbie apron, reverse-engineering it, adding length and width where I thought appropriate. For a first try, it came out reasonably attractive and functional, though the bib is too long and the waist ties too low. The apron also lacks bilateral symmetry, but that’s less a fault of the pattern and more a fault of me, the sloppy sewer. I’m very satisfied with the initial results.
Bailey’s shit-tacular shirt
Using @dollsahoy’s long-sleeve shirt pattern for female fashion dolls at 100%, I started an overshirt today at fiber arts, finishing this evening. The original pattern does not come with cuffs, but I added them. Messy results as usual, shown below. I think I would do a lot better if the thread was invisible. Bailey is not impressed. Then again, she’s not impressed by anything.Continue reading Bailey’s shit-tacular shirt
Mattel Thirteenth Doctor — final lips, draft shading, new sock tops
Today I finalized the doll’s lips and gave the face more definition with some shading around eyes and nasal bridge, including trademark eye bags [TM]. I also made some better sock tops out of actual 1:1 scale sock tops. They fill in the space between the doll’s ankles and the comparatively large [temporary] Ken hiking boots, adding stability.Continue reading Mattel Thirteenth Doctor — final lips, draft shading, new sock tops
Pants 4 Pammy
Pammy, Bailey’s little sister, will wear the devil outfit that she came with. However it doesn’t go down far enough to cover where I spliced her calves. I made a simple pair of pants to go under the costume. I am aware that the stripes are unaligned. But who wears such loud prints for alignment anyway?!Continue reading Pants 4 Pammy
Alison’s Loud Shirt
I made a collared shirt for Alison from @dollsahoy‘s pattern @ 115% and proved two things. 1) My sewing skills have improved immeasurably since the last time I made a collared shirt a few years ago. 2) My characters, like me, have, at best, dubious taste in clothing.
This was going to be a showcase for Alison’s painfully bright shirt, but it digressed into a commentary on gold eyeliner…Continue reading Alison’s Loud Shirt
Outfits for Jo and Carol — inspired by 1970s paper dolls
I’m making 1:6 scale versions of two of my favorite Doctor Who characters, Jo Grant and Carol Bell. In my universe, they’re a couple who end up flying around time and space, notable for embodying the groovy spirit of the Seventies, whatever that is. They play to people’s expectations by rotating through endless closets of flamboyant period clothes. This is all hilarious because neither of them are fashionable…or they weren’t when they lived in the 1970s. But now they’re totally groovy!!
I went through the paper dolls that I saw at the last VTDL meetup and selected outfits that I thought would work for Jo and Carol.
Continue reading Outfits for Jo and Carol — inspired by 1970s paper dolls
Handmade shirt dress and leggings for Lakis
Here’s Lakis, a Mattel Hawaiian Fun Kira head on a Curvy dancer body, before repaint. I made the T-shirt dress from a pattern by @cosmomoore, but I added sleeve and hem extensions. Lakis’ leggings are from my own reverse-engineered pattern. Continue reading Handmade shirt dress and leggings for Lakis
Ten rocks their socks [sock sweater + sock leggings]!
Here’s Ten in what, for them, is the epitome of fashion: one of my standard sock sweaters [albeit with sleeves and cuffs from jersey knit] and some sock leggings, based on a pattern that I reverse-engineered. Swapping out 4 of 9 sweater pieces for jersey makes it easier and more visually interesting to make, since I can have contrasting sleeves or something. Continue reading Ten rocks their socks [sock sweater + sock leggings]!
Easy T-shirt pattern for 12″ dolls
By Cosmo Moore.
Behold Little Alison!
Little Alison is complete! She’s a representation of my interpretation of Doctor Who extended universe companion Alison Cheney, who appears in The Scream of the Shalka. She is a Jakks Pacific Juku Couture Kana head, repainted and rehaired, on a modified Noix de Rome Ninie body. I would have kept her on her original Juku Couture body, but it was all single-jointed, with an inability to sit realistically with thighs together, so I spent much time and labor splicing her onto a Ninie body for the double-ganged arms and knees, plus the realistic thigh position.
For head mods, I removed all original hair and paint, except for eyelashes. Removed a patch of skull to make hair removal easier. Carved out neck hole to fit Ninie neck. Repainted face. Made hair by gluing to scalp in spiral pattern. Made hair band from waistband of Bratz pantz.
For body mods, I wedged part of a fake plastic grape around neck prong to fit larger head opening. Painted neck and breast to roughly match head. Added upper arm swivel joints made of pins sunk into shoulders and held with Aves Apoxie Sculpt. Hot glue provided tight friction fit. Spliced original Juku Couture forearms onto Ninie forearms with Aves Apoxie Sculpt. Ripped off original squidgy feet and sank ankle stumps into plastic Barbie sneakers filled with Aves Apoxie Sculpt. Glued sneakers on ankle posts.
Also of note is that Little Alison is wearing a pair of pants that I handmade all by myself from a pattern that I reverse-engineered correctly on the first try. She was originally wearing some Bratz pantz that were the right length, but did not cover her butt. I ripped apart the pantz and reverse-engineered a pattern from them, being sure to add enough room to cover the butt, even when Little Alison was sitting down. These pants, sewn from stretchy knit, were the result.
I now know how to make two types of shirts, a collared one and a raglan sleeve one, and one type of pants. With this knowledge, I can make serviceable clothes for any of my dolls, no matter what the size. MUAH HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!
In other words, all my dolls are going to wear novelty sock sweaters, loud printed cotton shirts, and leggings of questionable taste from now on. Continue reading Behold Little Alison!
The Dork fam and sock sweaters
Been making a lot of sock sweaters recently, including a bunch that I cut out last year and only now have gotten around to sewing. Three quarters of the Dork fam shows a few of the results. As for the other quarter, why yes, Alison does steal the Master’s clothes. :p Continue reading The Dork fam and sock sweaters
I made Barrett’s cape! Then the wizard in his own mind stole it…
Over the past two days, I successfully sewed a 1:6 scale semi-circular cape, lined and hooded, without a pattern. Black velvet forms the outer layer and the long, dangling, tapering hood, while small white skulls on black field form the lining. There’s a hook and eye for front clasp. I’m surprised at how well it came out! I originally made it for Barrett, a Zombieville denizen, but the Master got to it first. Here he is talking about it with the Stylist:
Continue reading I made Barrett’s cape! Then the wizard in his own mind stole it…
Araminthe’s crude handmade camisole
Araminthe currently wears a dress made by @dollsahoy that I got about 10 or 11 years ago, around the time when I got my first 1:3 scale BJD. Because this dress not only encompasses my love for bright colors, obnoxious patterns, and short skirts, I have wedged a succession of my BJDs of various sizes into it, all with amazing results.
Unfortunately, however, the dress is sagging around the shoulders, making it real easy to take a look at Araminthe’s pointy grey cleavage. To obviate this, I constructed a crude camisole out of a stretchy wristlet from @natalunasans, with straps of ribbon in my favorite colors: magenta, slightly darker magenta, and more magenta. I then pinned Araminthe’s dress to the back straps of the cami.
I have now achieved a twofold result. 1) No more sagging dress. 2) Araminthe’s outfit is now even MORE meretricious!!
Leia has pants!
I made palazzo pants for my HT Princess Leia, following Nadira037’s guidelines. Of course, since Nadira037 is very polished and glamorous and I am not, the pants came out looking mediocre. However, I am proud to have successfully sewn my first pair of pants, thus proving that I can make bottoms as well as tops. Other wardrobe elements include default boots, tank top from unknown commercial source, and hoodie by Glissando on Etsy.Continue reading Leia has pants!
Palazzo pants pattern
To modify for Leia.
New sock sweater design, modeled by Julian
I’m testing out a new sock sweater design. Mainly the front comes from the sock, while the grey parts are T-shirt material. This design makes the front graphic stand out more boldly. The result also looks more like an actual real live shirt [that I cut up and crudely sewed together], as opposed to a sock that I cut up and crudely sewed together. Continue reading New sock sweater design, modeled by Julian
Miscellaneous: new camera, sweater fronts, and Fiendish Device 2.0 pieces
I picked up a Canon PowerShot SX1001IS digicam yesterday so that I can take quick photos of my projects without having to set up my umbrella lights, tripod, white backdrop, and all my photostory shooting supplies. Apparently this camera was pretty sweet about a decade ago, and it works perfectly well for my purposes a decade later. Pictures below were taken with this new device, which I acquired off Craigslist for $10.00.Continue reading Miscellaneous: new camera, sweater fronts, and Fiendish Device 2.0 pieces
More sweaters, no fashion sense, and a repaint
My dolls follow mainstream fashion insofar as the clothes they wear are recognizable as modern, culturally acceptable wardrobe elements such as shirts, pants, and shoes. Beyond that, though, they merrily deviate from the norm with their own definitions of what’s cool. Latest crop of sweaters made from novelty socks illustrates this well. Pictures below. Continue reading More sweaters, no fashion sense, and a repaint
Carter, Novella, and Barrett show this week’s sweaters
I made four more doll sweaters this week. The one with hamburgers and fries on it does not, sadly, appear in this photo because I somehow fucked up the armscyes. Anyway, from left to right, here’s Carter [in snowflakes on black field], Novella [in forest critters on blue field], and Barrett [in vampire fangs on black field]. Barrett is not particularly subtle, but, then again, no one in Zville is. :p Carter is an Elfdoll Doona Ryung head on a 5StarDoll toddler body — basically the same as Isabel, though she has longer arms. Novella is a Soom Mini Gem Uyoo, so she basically has fashion doll proportions. Barrett is an Integrity Fashion Royalty Homme that I hacked at least 1″ out of height wise.
Continue reading Carter, Novella, and Barrett show this week’s sweaters
1:6 scale sock sweaters!
I have been on a sewing kick recently, ever since I started working with DollsAhoy’s raglan sleeve sweatshirt pattern last weekend. I have made 4 sweaters so far. My small populations show them off below in chronological order from left to right. Continue reading 1:6 scale sock sweaters!
Isabel’s shitty sock sweater and in-progress office
I’ve been focusing on digital for so long that I don’t even recall the last time I posted about doll-related creative projects! I’m shifting, though, away from an all-consuming obsession with digital to my first love, actual dolls. Right now I’m working on Zombieville stuff, but [eventually!] I’ll get to those BJDs who have languished, unfinished, for a year or more. [I’m sorry, Delmar and Fritillaria!] In the meantime, see below for details on Isabel’s wardrobe and workplace. Continue reading Isabel’s shitty sock sweater and in-progress office
I have a sewing machine! I can do this!
Instructables instructions on how to make a clip-on tie.
These do not seem to take much fabric, so they would be a perfect use of some of those meretricious pieces of fabric that I got for Isabel’s shirts and have not yet used.
Obviously I need to make clip-on ties with all my skull fabric [especially the flowery skulls!], my spiderweb fabric, and possibly my graveyard fabric. Those will definitely look business professional. :p
Thalia’s shirt!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I feel quite proud of myself. I used my new [to me — found it by the side of the road a few years back] sewing machine today, successfully threading the thread and the bobbin, then hemming Thalia’s shirt. As previously mentioned, I used a pattern Lyrajean told me about — one she has used for her own BJDs. I modified it by leaving off the neck ruff and tying off the cuffs with raw fabric instead of ribbon. I also used a long piece of raw fabric as a belt, with the tails pinned like a sash over Thalia’s left shoulder.
Hooray! I have completed my first piece of 1:3 scale clothing!!!!
Continue reading Thalia’s shirt!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Monster High Megabloks as dolls for dolls
Mattel gave the Monster High license to Megabloks, the building brick company that is not Lego, and the Megablok playsets have recently made it up to the northern reaches of the US. At Toys R Us yesterday I picked up Ghoulia Yelps and her Creepariffic Lab, as well as Ghoulia and Clawdeen figures sold separately. Here’s my sold-separately Ghoulia hanging out in her little lab.Continue reading Monster High Megabloks as dolls for dolls
Polly has been helped: new hair and dress
Recent creative efforts this weekend included a new wig for Polly and a new dress, made from Andrea’s Barbie Angel Wing Trapeze Dress pattern. In this case, it’s more properly called Angel OF DEATH Trapeze Dress, since there are skulls all over it. :p Apparently I have a rather morbid little mermaid… ^_^Continue reading Polly has been helped: new hair and dress
Polly needs help.
I’ve decided that I did a rushed and messy job on Polly’s first iteration, so she needs improvements.
- Cut off original ears. Replace with finny ears supplied with default Asleep Eidolon head.
- Remove old faceup; clean head aggressively before resealing.
- Redo faceup in same two colors [slate blue and cerulean], but incorporating bubbles somehow.
- Make Andrea’s Angel Sleeve Trapeze Barbie Dress for her new outfit.
Just for future reference, here is the text of Andrea’s instructions for the dress pattern:
Cut out pieces following solid black lines, including the line between body and sleeves. Dotted lines indicate where stitching will be.
Sew shoulder seams back to front, right sides together.
Sew facing to neckline opening, right sides together, matching center fronts. [Back openings will NOT line up.] Clip seam allowances. Turn facing to inside; top stitch.
Hem sleeves. If attaching trim to sleeves, do so now.
Sew body side seam and sleeve side seam front to back, right sides together. Clip seam under arm where direction changes. Turn right side out and press seam open. Finger pressing should be fine. Repeat for other side.
Hem bottom of dress. Attach trim now if desired.
If dress will be closed with Velcro, attach it before sewing center back seam. If dress will be closed with snaps or hooks, sew center back seam to dot first. Then attach fasteners. Press center back seam to one side [to top side, folded over for fasteners].
Done!
Fritillaria concept
Mocked up my idea for Fritillaria just now. I left out eyes because I’m not sure what to do for them, but I purposely left off eyebrows, which I’m not seeing a need for. Black lines down from the corners of the mouth indicate where her jaw joint would be, assuming I decide to have it cut, rather than painted. That black thing on her head is a skull cap, as I am not a noted fan of wigs on my BJDs.Continue reading Fritillaria concept
Update on creative endeavors #2: Isabel’s shitty shirt
In the past few days, I finished off another shirt for Isabel based on Andrea’s pattern. I have concluded that all the shirts I am making from this pattern will of necessity look disappointing, not as a function of the pattern, but because the pattern is not made exactly for Isabel’s measurement. For example, the pattern features shoulders that are too high and armscyes that are too big.
I tried to fit this shirt better to Isabel by lowering the tops of the shoulders. This tactic successfully reduced the amount of loose fabric around the upper chest. However, because I did not lower the back of the neck as well, the collar remains high up, looking silly. Next time I’ll just modify the pattern, rather than hacking at a partly sewn shirt. Oh well, at least the fit around the lower torso is okay…Continue reading Update on creative endeavors #2: Isabel’s shitty shirt
Recent projects #3: another LOUD shirt for Isabel
I finished my second handmade shirt for Isabel last weekend. It’s still an obvious mess, but, compared to my first finished shirt, it went much easier. Everything went more quickly because I understood how the pieces fit together; therefore the steps of construction flowed logically into one another. I was also more comfortable with hand sewing in general, so I made smaller and more even stitches and fewer mistakes. I guess my skills really were developing during those six months that I was avoiding my sewing kit! Continue reading Recent projects #3: another LOUD shirt for Isabel
Third time’s the charm! I made a shirt for Isabel!
I have been moving very slowly toward sewing my own doll clothes. I have hemmed and altered existing clothes. I have also crudely constructed simple raw-edged skirts and capes, fastened with hot glue and/or a running stitch. I have not sewn an entire garment, using a pattern, from beginning to end. Taking on such a project seemed to be the logical extension of the modifications that I had already done.
I acquired a pattern for a Tyler doll from Andrea [DollsAhoy] for a collared shirt in October, 2014. I also took advantage of the Halloween season to buy three cotton prints — dancing skeletons, bats and spiderwebs — appropriate for Isabel’s tastes. Then all of the supplies just sat on my desk for about two months.
Earlier this month, the hiatus between Zombieville chapters gave me more time for other projects. My interest in sewing reawakened. I hit Joanne Fabrics for some quilter’s packs of REALLY LOUD fabrics to supplement my Halloween prints. Armed with a high level of enthusiasm and approximately 0.5 of a clue, I set to work.
My first two attempts will not be exhibited here. They were too large and/or sloppy and/or filled with mistakes, which tends to happen when you only have 0.5 of a clue. However, I learned enough about what NOT to do from failures #1 and #2 so that I could apply my new skills to failure #3.
Behold now the glory that is failure #3! Modeled by Isabel [here and in chapter 5 of Zombieville], it’s a snugly fitting collared shirt with long sleeves, intentionally constructed with contrasting prints, fastened with snaps.
Continue reading Third time’s the charm! I made a shirt for Isabel!
Dead version of Isabel’s improved skirt
I made two changes to the dead version of Isabel this weekend. I lengthened her neck prong so that her head stays on more firmly. I also made her an overskirt out of the sparkly purple fabric I got from Georgia Landau.
Originally I wanted the overskirt to be a subdued addition of color to the dead version’s flat black velvet skirt. So I made the skirt wrong way out, showing a predominantly black field with occasional pieces of purple glitter. I liked the effect, but thought that the hems were too even. I then cut strips into both her underskirt and overskirt to suggest shredding after years in the ground. She now has voluminous rags with regular black velvet nap, slightly shiny black velvet "wrong side," sparkly purple and only slightly sparkly "wrong side," all of which are showing, as the rags twist in various directions. I really like the effect!
Kinda freaky looking
I have finished the dead version of Isabel tonight. Last night I broke lots of her fingers and repositioned them in less tense, claw-shaped configurations. I also made her a skirt by hacking out a circle of black velvet with a 9-inch radius, snipping a hole in the center, pulling it over her pelvis, then sewing it closed around her spine with embroidery thread. That’s as far as my tailoring skills go.
Today her shirt came, so I lettered it first with watercolor pencil, then with white paint. The blotchiness of the paint and the smears from the watercolor pencil both worked in my favor, creating the effect of worn screenprinting. I also hacked out the hems on the sleeves and neckline.
Finally I gave the exposed portions of her body [neck, arms, hands, lower legs, feet] a wash and dry brush of light grey to a) disguise the fact that I had reshaped her hands and filled in gaps with hot glue and b) make her body match her head better. I am aware that her left hand especially looks like shit. I may improve her hands later; I’m not sure.
Here she is. She looks sad.