Prima Ballerina

Looking for a last minute idea for a Halloween costume for your girls? How about a tutu so they can go to their costume party dressed as prima-ballerinas. As you know, I promised to devote an entire tutorial on working with tulle which I will deliver it in due time. This past fashion month had so many ideas, I decided to take my time so I could explore many ways to make the tulle dress of your dreams. But I would like to start off with an easy-to-make, no-sew tutu. This is not my creation, but rather, a technique fashioned after the numerous tutorials floating the internet. I wanted to see if it could work in the context of high fashion. The main problem with tulle skirts is bulk. If you try to make a dress with miles of tulle in the full scale version, you risk creating a garment that is thick and unflattering around the waistline. And while this tutorial is not all inclusive, to my delight offers a simple approach to creating a stunning garment. So, consider this tutorial an appetizer with much more to come.

Black Swan
Normally my girls don't do Halloween. On the contrary, they love Carnival, New Year's Eve masked balls and Mardigras where they can remain beautiful and glamorous. So for them, I created these two looks which can be worn as a costume, (complete with the masks we created last year) and as high fashion.

No matter the length of tutu, this technique for making a tutu is straightforward. No sewing machines or patterns needed!

1. Take a piece of thin ribbon and wrap around the doll's waist.
2. It should be long enough to make a good size bow in the back.
3. Next, decide on the length you want your skirt and double it. (You will be creating two layers of frou frou at a time.)

4. Cut strips about 3 inches (8cm) wide.
5. Fold each strip in half and twist the tulle in the middle.
6. You will now loop the tulle over the ribbon. To better show you how this is done, I've substituted blue ribbon so you can see clearly. Place the wad of tulle under the thin ribbon forming a loop as shown.
7. Take the ends and pull them through the loop.
8. Adjust the position of the strip and pull to tighten.
9. Here is what this looks like with tulle. Add as many strips as you need, being careful to keep them as close as possible. Do this until you have enough to cover the entire doll from front to back.

For this look you can either use whatever you want for the top so long as it covers her bottom with panties or pantyhose. For my "Black Swan" theme, I stitched few black feathers onto a strapless bathing suit. Wrap the tutu around the waist, tie in the back and she's ready to go.

When the party is over, Angelina can still wear the look by changing up the accessories: a marabou feather jacket, a tiara and a pair of thigh high boots!

Swan Lake

Here, Muriel is the ying to Angelina's yang. Same technique, different look. This time we went for a longer tutu.

But first, an underskirt. In many cases, the longer ballerina skirts are more dense. The challenge here is the transparency of the tutu you've just created. You will never be able to add enough layers to get the semi opaque look of the full scale. So, we had to make an underskirt. I made a gathered skirt cut from a sheer fabric so that it blends in better with with the tulle. In this case I cut up an old negligee and made a simple gathered skirt. You can also use organdy, organza, cotton voile, nylon or sheer non-wovens.

1. Super simple, this is a rectangle with a double row of running stitches at the top. Pull the thread to gather the skirt until it fits around the doll's waist. Use a strip of ribbon or lace as your waistband and lay it on top of the gathers. Then topstitch the ribbon onto the skirt. To hide the stitching on the backside, you can cut a tiny bit of sheer or tulle the size of the waistband and topstitch it to the back. (The skirt will be sandwiched in between the two layers of ribbon and tulle strip.)
2. This skirt only has one seam which you can stitch up from the hem to about 1 inch (2cm) of the waist. Press the seam open. Close the waistband with a snap or hook & eye.
3. Here is our finished underskirt. You should not add a hem. In my case, the fabric doesn't ravel which is perfect. But if you are using a material which does, apply "Fray Check" or a bit of craft glue diluted with a couple drops of water and apply to the edge with a toothpick. Tulle, by the way, never needed hemming! Before I show the result. I make the bodice directly on the doll which I'll share with you.

1. Ordinarily, my 1-piece corset pattern is fine. But in this case, Muriel is a older FR doll with the original wasp waist body. Since she is the only doll who didn't want an upgraded body, I don't have separate patterns for her. So I decided to make the corset directly on her. I started out with 2-inch (5 cm) lace trim. (You can use a sheer fabric instead if you'd like.)
2.Wrap around the body and pin in the back, leaving enough margin to fold under and apply a snap.
3. This fits the top of her busline and is loose underneath to the waist.
4. Carefully fold the trim under each bust so that the fold moves toward the side.
5. Pin in place.

6. Using a backstitch, carefully stitch down the darts. Don't worry about these showing because you can cover them with lace medallions later.
7. I had an old lace shirt which I cut away medallions. (Old lingerie is a good source as well.) Place them against the bodice and pin in place. Play around with the placement. When you're happy, sew them down using tiny stitches. You can also place these to hide seams or to create a top or bottom border. I added a rose medallion at the back (in the photo just below) which I used to hide the stitches from the snap.

8. Here is my corset on top of the underskirt. Originally I planned for the bottom border to drape over the tulle skirt, but I later discovered the skirt was way too full and the flaps wouldn't lay down. So I tied the tutu over the corset. The good thing is that this dress is in three parts: corset, underskirt and tulle skirt. This allows me to use any of the elements to form other looks!

And when this party is over, Muriel plans to toss sweep over her shoulders and head to the prom next spring!

We are in Paris for the next few weeks where the girls are excited about reporting on the Christian Dior exhibition at the Musee des Arts Decoratifs, the new Yves Saint Laurent Museum and the Irving Penn (photography) exhibition at the Grand Palais. 

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Applied Arts: Faux (Beaded) Embroidery

I'm sorry. This post was supposed to be about how to sew beaded fabric. But after MUCH thought and even more preparation, I ended up reverting to an exercise I did four years ago in a post entitled, "Applied Arts: Faux Embroidery."

Sadly, one of my favorite fabric stores is closing. So I ceased the opportunity to buy something special. For me, edge to edge beads aren't all that interesting. The fabric with the beaded/sequined motif is what you want to buy. But then, I started doing a lot of soul searching. I figured that few are really going to go out and purchase such expensive beaded fabric (which costs upwards of $75 USD and more) unless you're making a dress for someone else, in which case, you probably already know what you're doing. It is a pretty straight forward. 1) Trace the pattern in chalk on the fabric. 2) Make an interlining out of sheer fabric. (All markings go on this, a second layer. 3) Trace the seam allowance with painter's tape. 4) Smash the beads with a hammer to flatten the seam allowance. 5) Remove the painter's tape. (It keeps the broken beads together for disposal.) 6) Sew as usual. And while I had another sheath dress pattern ready to go, I stopped and thought..... If you do have the opportunity to get a bit of such a precious piece of fabric, what is the most efficient way to use it so there is no waste?

When Haute Couture houses create these red carpet dresses, they don't use beaded fabric. The atelier cuts out the pattern pieces in silk, marks all seam lines in thread and sends that to the embroiderer who mounts it on a loom and hand embroiders a pre-approved pattern. With that thought in mind, I decided not to cut my pattern pieces out of the beaded fabric, but rather, make an under dress and "embroider" it with pieces of my luxury material.

I wanted a "typical" red carpet dress, so I started out with a strapless sheath cut from 2 layers of tulle. You can use the standard strapless sheath pattern or make a tube dress. Above, I have stretched a double layer of (diamond cut) tulle around the doll's body, forming a single seam in the back.Tulle has a good horizontal stretch. But there was a bulge around the midriff, so I pinched out the excess on both sides of the body by forming diagonal bust darts. At the back, I left the area above the waist free and stitched the rest down the back. Check to see to where the doll can come out of the dress and that's where the back seam will start.

1. After you have your foundation, pick up the beaded fabric and stretch it over the body, pinning at the back.
2. Note the pattern of the beads as it relates to the foundation. I used pins to mark the areas where I want to attach the fabric to the foundation and where it will be joined in the back. The idea is that you will cut around the areas you want for the dress using the pins to help guide you.
3. With a small pair of scissors, very carefully cut close to the motifs without cutting the beads and be careful not to cut the foundation beneath.

4. Cut a few of the motifs from the main piece of fabric. You are going to use these motifs as well as the loose beads to fill in "empty" spots or hide "discreet" areas of dolly's body as well as to camouflage seam or darts.
5. Here, I've cut away a small motif which I then add to the top of the dress. If there is excess netting, cut it away, again, without clipping the stitches holding the beads.

6. Turn the dress to the back and continue until you are happy with the look.
7. I used a single hook and eye to close the back of the dress at the top. Go on and sew it on without worrying about it showing through because..... On the outside of the dress, sew a small cluster of beads or another motif to cover the hook.
8. The idea is for it to look like it is part of the design while disguising the closure!

As is the case of our velvet and sequined dresses, the important thing is to KEEP IT SIMPLE! The drama of the look lies in the beauty of the beads.

Think beads on the bodice of a dress. 

And, you don't have to do an all over dress (unless, of course dolly is planning on crashing the Oscars). You can confine it to one area of the dress or as an accent.

Add a beaded motif to an existing dress for a touch of added glamour.

If you can't afford to buy the fabric, take a look at beaded trim. This can also be taken apart and used as "embroidery."

You can buy beaded trim. Applied around the neckline and around the sleeve hems, it gives a touch of class and elegance to Richard's wedding suit.

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In Sequins

Sequins (n) A small, disk-shaped spangle used to ornament garments. In this the second of three tutorials on handling luxury fabrics, we examine sequined fabric. The first thing we must examine is the fabric itself. By now you know how important scale is in terms of doll fashions. This means there is really only one type of sequined fabric suitable for the doll which is the mesh fabric dotted with tiny, 1/8" (3mm) plastic circles. In this, part two of our dealing with luxury fabrics series, we examine how to work with sequined fabrics as they pertain to doll fashions.

Am I sure you can't use any other kind? Judge for yourself.

I had these two sequined fabrics already on hand when I decided to reinterpret the St. Laurent jumpsuit on the left and the Amish dress on the right. And while I am more or less happy with the result, I did notice how out of scale the sequins were when I placed them next to the full scale counterparts. Notice the human models to the left of each doll and notice the difference in the sequins of the corresponding garments. The fabric I used is essentially the same as used in the human version. Imagine a regular sized sequin and then multiply that by 6. Then imagine a dress scaled for you covered with  1-1/2" (4cm) disks! It's not to say it would be impossible. Your dress would be covered with, what we call...paillettes. Paillettes (n) Over-sized spangles used in ornamenting garments.

Now, take a look at the dresses in this image. The sequins both read as nearly the same scale in relation to the models wearing them. Here's another way of looking at scale. I've covered the doll body with three different scales of sequined fabric. Note the difference. 

If you don't yet have fabric, look for the one on the left. You could still use the one in the middle which is 1/16" (1mm) bigger. But ideally, you should avoid the one on the right unless you have something special in mind. And even then, it is best used for anything except for tops, dress bodices, pants and leggings

For this project, I chose the basic sheath dress with sleeves. Her "boots" by the way, are actually spats. Cover your work space with paper because while not as messy as glitter, cut sequins have a way of scattering over a large area. Again, choose a very simple pattern with few pieces. The mini sequin fabric has a mesh backing with a bit of stretch, which means you should be able to use a dart-less pattern (one suitable for jersey, for example). Pin your pattern in one layer (do not cut on fold) against the wrong side of the fabric all facing the same direction. To make it easy, you could trace the pattern using chalk first, then cut. For sequined fabric do not use your good fabric scissors, as this fabric will dull them quickly. I my paper shears. Cut slowly to keep cut sequins from flying. And, once again, it is best to hand sew this fabric. Sewing over sequins is murder on the sewing machine!

 Note: If you have using this blog for making full size adult garments, you should NOT heed the the following tutorial as I have modified the usual techniques to best suit 1/6 fashions.

1. Line the front to back of the pattern at the shoulders as usual EXCEPT..lay the dress right side facing up. Fold the ends of the front under and lay them over the shoulder of the dress back. We are doing this because, a good part of the dress is plastic and you cannot iron the seams flat (otherwise the sequins will melt!)

2. Use a fine needle and thread (be sure to knot the end) sew the front to the back with a back stitch. Take your time and work around the sequins.

3. The dress is assembled as usual.

4. Hem the sleeves by sewing a strip of tulle the same width as the sleeve by about 3/4" (2cm).

5. Tip: If you don't have any tulle on hand, you can always cut a strip from the selvage of the sequined fabric.

6. Stitch the tulle to the edge on the right side of the fabric. Turn and tack to the inside of the sleeve. Now pin the sleeve to the dress. Starting at the sleeve's hem, sew up to about one inch (2.5cm) down from armhole on the side.

7. If you are going to line your dress, now is the time to attach it to the neckline. Otherwise, use another strip of tulle to the neckline. Stitch, turn under and tack in place.

 8. Lay the uncut edge of the front over the dress back. Pin.

9. Carefully slip stitch the front over the back.

10. Repeat on the other side.

11. Hold the fabric in place as you sew and make small stitches as close to the edge as possible. The idea here is to get the fabric absolutely flat so as not to show the seam line.

 12. Take your time then pin the dress down the back. I prefer to do this on the doll to ensure a good fit. Again I lay one (raw) edge directly over the other. Stitch to within 1-1/2" from the neckline and secure your stitch.

13. Spread open the neckline and stitch another strip of tulle from the top of one edge to the top of the other. Fold the strip inward and tack in place.

14. Use hook and eyes to close the dress. From front to back here is my finished dress.

For her "boots," I used the pattern for Spats. As with the dress, lay one edge over the other down the back of the leg and stitch directly on the doll. The fabric has enough stretch to allow for removal of the leg afterwards.

The Tube

Of course, you can always make tube dresses or tops. After all, it only involves one seam. But the fact they are so simple doesn't mean they have to be boring. The above dress was my interpretation of an Armani Prive gown. Here's how I made it:

1. Take the fabric and stretch it directly over the doll's body. Smooth it over her curves.
2. Catch the fabric along the back and pin.
3. Cut, allowing for about an 3/8" seam.
4. Again, lay one edge over the other and stitch in place. This is something I like to build directly on the doll. When you are finished you should not be able to see the back seam.

 Of course the top and bottom of the dress has raw edges. I had a bit of embroidered tulle. I cut out a few of the motifs and stitched it on the top of the dress. This gives the illusion of a bra top. Even though the dress doesn't require any closure (Grace simply slips in her dress), I added straps to keep it from slipping down.

I also added bits of black lace near the hem of the dress to which I sewed on a few beads. The rest of the embroidered tulle is used for a stole.

OR....you can just make a simple tube skirt but pair it with a sweater, tunic or jacket! Nothing like sequins to add spark to an otherwise casual look.

Okay, so now what do you do with that OTHER sequined fabric I said was too big to use? If you MUST use it, choose a super simple pattern with as few pieces as possible like this kimono that Morgan is wearing. Allow for slightly bigger seams than usual (maybe 1/4" (7mm) than 1/8 so that you have wiggle room.

This particular fabric has 1/4" sequins sewn on a sheer (woven) fabric. Using exactly the technique we used for the sheath dress, fold the front seam allowance and lay over the back piece. Pin and slip stitch. Take your time and work your stitches around the sequins.

Sew the kimono up from the hem of the sleeve to about 1" (2.5cm) down from the underarm. Fold the front side edge of the kimono over the back kimono edge and stitch. You can either line this with a layer of tulle or turn down the edges with tulle and tack in place.

Have fun with sequins and don't hesitate to pair it with other fabrics. Inspired by an ad I saw for Juicy Couture's Viva La Juicy Perfume, I made this little dress for Kimora from a sequined collar.

1. Again, stick to simple patterns. Here I've made an A-line skirt (with the darts folded out in the draft of the pattern).

2. The top is a one piece corset that closes on the same side as Kimora's skirt. I admit, I did have to keep the side bust darts in order to fit it over the bust.

The dress is worn over a petticoat of ruffled tulle. To balance the look, I stitched another layer of ruffled tulle to the top of this dress.

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Sock It To Me

With all of the numerous tutorials on the internet showing how to make doll clothes out of socks, I have been hesitant about doing one myself. That is...until now after the recent collections of Missoni began to resonate with me. This Italian high fashion house has been known for their eclectic mixtures of patterned knitwear for decades. It is the kind of look that comes and goes, but right now it all looks just right.

Though Missoni's jerseys are silky, fine and quite expensive, we can have fun by substituting socks as our principle source of material. You can either lay out patterns suited for stretch fabrics on the sock or opt to make the garment directly on the doll. Because this is such a simple and easy process, this post is not so much a tutorial (unless you're just picking up a needle and thread for the first time), but rather...a series of suggestions and tips.

Today, many socks are sold in color coordinated packs. This is helpful in that you can make separate items from all the patterns then comfortably mix and match them to create a wide variety of looks. But you can also plan to make a "set" out of a single pair of socks for a classic coordinated look. Most socks today are pretty thick, so you should select very simple patterns to avoid bulk.

Most socks have cuffs which allows you to decide whether you want the knitted band on the hem or at the waist. However, if it's not too thick, you can always cut the knitted edge off and sew it on wherever you desire.

The Basic Knit Dress
I've done a basic knit dress sloper on a previous post. You can find it by clicking HERE. As you see, it fits perfectly on the sock. Just be careful to line up the pattern against the vertical movement of knit.

This in itself can yield lots of dresses. I've simply turned down the raw edges and stitched them in place.

You can also alter the basic knit dress like I've done with this Patrick Kelly inspired dress. It's made from my knit sloper but elongated (orange line). After you've sewn the dress together, make a running stitch on both sides of the dress. Draw up the thread then make a few secure stitches to hold the gathers in place.

Dolly can wear as is, or with gloves. These are simple little tubes that slip over her arms.

The lovely thing about sockware is that you don't have to work with patterns. Simple shapes become serious fashions. Take this top for example.
1. First, I placed the sock against the doll to figure out how long I wanted my top. I've decided the cuff will fall at the hemline. Cut the sock (red dotted line). You now have a rectangle, raw side up, knitted side down.
2. On each side down from the top from this rectangle, measure 1" (2.5cm) from the top and cut.
3. Determine what will be the front and the back. Fold in half and make a slit at least 1" (2.5cm) down from the center of one layer of this rectangle (the back). And on the other layer (the front) scoop the neck out with a semi circle about 1" (2.5cm) wide. This is so that the doll can get in and out of the garment. Fold down the edges around the neck and back slit. Sew the top edges together along the shoulders. You can close the back with a single hook & eye.

I've 1-pc pants cut from a contrasting pattern.

Here's the result.We can also make a knit jacket. Here, Naomi wears a very pretty "set" made from a single pair of floral socks.

You can use a basic jacket pattern or the kimono (though you'll have to piece on the sleeves because socks aren't wide enough to accommodate the built in sleeve).

Again, my knit band is at the hem. So I need to think about how to finish the neckline.

1. You can cut off the toe of the sock. Since it stretches, we can make our own band from it to finish off the neckline.
2. Pin this to the neckline o the jacket and sew.
3. Fold over and stitch this down.
4. You will need to tuck in the edges and sew them closed.
5. This is a jacket to be worn open so I've not added any closures. You can, if you want, add a hook & eye on the front edge.

When the jacket is added to the pants suit, Aria has an eclectic look of three different patterns that all work together. Tip: If you are mixing prints on your own, make sure they all share at least one common color in common!

In this case, I've concocted my own mix. What all of these elements have in color is the metallic patterns.
The basic cape is super simple and easy to make out of a pair of socks. Even better...no sleeves! You can find the tutorial HERE.

After I finished the cape, I still had enough to make a basic knit dress. This made for stunning ensemble!

For simple pieces like straight skirts, tube tops and strapless dresses, you can make the garment right onto the doll. Here's how I do it.

1. Decide on the length of the skirt. Turn the sock inside out and put it on the doll. Stretch the sock over the doll's form and pin in place.
2. Cut away the access.
3. Press.
4. You can create a waistband out of the toe of the sock to finish off the top of the skirt.

I decided to play with texture by turning the sock inside out. I though it would make an interesting tube top, so I measured it over the top and cut off a piece of the sock. I stretched it over the doll and sewed it down the back.

I cheated a little here by making a gold and black patterned kimono out of a micro pleated fabric. Note how the three textures compliment each other.

The cape also provide an unexpected layer of interest over the black/white/gold chevron patterned dress which I made below.

Here again, I made this evening length, strapless sweater dress directly on the doll. Tip: You don't always have to work with the sock the way it is folded. To work around the heel, I slid the front of the sock against the center from of the doll.

1. Again, I stretch the sock over her form and pin along her contours. Stitch just in front of your line of pins.
2. Cut away the excess.
3. If you find the dress is not fitting flush against the doll in the front, pinch out the excess on both sides and pin. Adjust so that both sides at equal, making sure the center back seam is straight.
4. Cut away the excess and turn the dress, right side out.

The result is a pretty straight forward knit dress that can be dressed up with a wide variety of different accessories. Here I've added "gloves" (two small tubes over the arms).

I borrowed the kimono to dress up this look.

In a variation inspired by Missoni, instead of pinching out the excess on either side, I pinched the fabric at the bust line which gives an added sexy detail to the front of the dress.

If you're lacking time or money, you can buy a few pairs of socks, make some simple items then mix and match them into endless possibilities!

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