Because UPS is scheduled to deliver my Poppy Parker The Bratter Lovers set!
I hope the dolls look as good "in person" as they do in this stock image.
Quick Pics!-New Binky Boos, Pony, and Pillows
New Dress For Victoire Roux
Doll Photography By Sharon Wright gave me some motivation to finally make my Fashion Royalty Victoire Roux doll a new dress. She put out an "all call" for designers to send her a dress that she may be able to use in an upcoming photo shoot she landed for a fashion magazine.
Now, there's definitely no guarantee this will be used by her for that photo shoot, or any she has in mind. But the possibility, and the theme she suggested of "Fantasy Princess" (on the dark side of things!) got the creative juices going.
I have a ton of doll clothes patterns, but typically I purchase them for inspiration and instruction more than actually planning to make those specific clothes. The few fashion doll outfits I've made over the last year or two have been done on a whim. I've had a piece of fabric I liked, started draping it on a doll, and then started hand sewing.
That's definitely the case with this one. I had a red fabric that feels like upholstery weight, with a light pattern. In general I knew I wanted a big, voluminous skirt and a corset style bodice, so I started folding and stitching. It took me roughly four hours by my estimation, over two days. I finished up hand sewing the skirt into shape/place this afternoon.
I had a few props I added for interest, including the sword, funky "belt", and a necklace intended for an American Model or Super Dollfie sized doll. The boots I've had for years.
Sharon Wright is a busy lady, but extremely nice, too. She sounded excited to see the dress and props, and even if she can't use them in her upcoming shoot, she offered to still take a picture of the dress for me to use. Definitely a class act!
I'm excited to see how she photographs the dress, no matter the use. If you're not already following her page on Facebook, if you're a fan of dolls, or photography, you really need to!
So here are my pics, including one using Sharon Wright's nifty doll suspension stand. It was nice to not have to have my doll constantly leaning against the wall for a photo. :D
And now my favorite one of the set I took-where I added some lighting effects in Photoshop:
New Pony Doll!
A quick couple cellphone pics of the latest felt pony doll.
I have changed the blanket just slightly from the pattern now. I cut it out in one piece, instead of two that get sewn together. This was a personal preference on my part.
The pony will be available on eBay a little later this week.
GingerMelon's New Pocket Poppet Doll Pattern!
I recently purchased Ginger Melon's latest doll pattern, the Pocket Poppet doll. This doll is roughly eight inches tall when completed, and has a new "flat foot" design. Once again, the pattern drafting is very well done, and the instructions easy to follow. She has even provided a helpful diagram for placing the facial features (which is something I struggle at on every single doll).
I love the new foot design, and am contemplating fiddling with the pattern slightly to allow me to insert a folded pipe cleaner in the doll's torso and legs, and see if she can stand on her own. The way the head fits onto the body works well, too, with little fuss to get the head to stop wobbling on the neck.
The pattern calls for you to needle felt yarn onto the doll's head. I may use Tussah silk on a future doll, but for this first one I went to an old standby I used to use for doll hair: Lion's Brand Homespun yarn. It's soft, and has little less mess to it when using it for doll hair. The Tussah silk, while lovely, gets everywhere! I cut lengths of the yarn, but before I felt it (or sew it, depending on the doll) to the scalp, I remove the two or three strands of string that hold the ply together. Once those are removed, the yarn fluffs up almost like mohair, and is soft and luxurious to the touch.
I went for the sun dress with scalloped sleeves for this first doll. The pattern calls for a hook and eye closure at the back, which is something that I again struggle with each doll to get right. I typcially end up with the hook part showing. To work around this, I added some felt bows along the back for decoration. The shoe style whips up nice and quick, mimicking a sandal without needing to fiddle and fuss with a tiny strap.
You need to have 7-7.5 mm safety eyes to complete the doll's look. Everything else is hand embroidered/hand sewn detailing.
I like how this first one turned out, and am eager to sew up several more right away. There are lots of outfit choices to try out, too, including a cute Bohemian-inspired outfit, and a giant, floppy hat.
With another day off ahead, I think I can make pretty good use of my time! :D
This new doll is available for purchase on eBay.
