After all, I can't just sit and do nothing - have to keep those hands busy!
Tillie and Cinnamon enjoy an ice-cream cone out on the deck. And like all younger siblings, Cinnamon wonders why her big sister was the lucky one and got the chocolate ice-cream. I made their sample sundresses on the weekend while I had a house full of guests.
After all, I can't just sit and do nothing - have to keep those hands busy! I found some old envelopes with patterns I'd designed for Victorian gowns for my early dolls years ago, and with just a little modification (making shorter) the skirt seems a perfect fit. I made up a test slip with a draw-string in the back, to check the fit, and am now ready to cut the patterns out of good fabric, and go find some nice lace for ruffles along the bottoms. I've also managed to narrow down the fabric choices to two colour combinations - a pale silver turquoise/gray, which will most likely be embellished with white lace and pink roses, and an old rose with wine, and maybe pink. I'm not sure what colours of lace that one will get - I have to go see what I have in my supply closet. *The colours in the photo are not necessarily true to life.
I've hit a creative block. I've spent two whole days going through boxes of fabrics - silks, satins, brocades - and have found nothing that "speaks to me" as a good choice for a Victorian ball-gown. And even though I have hundreds of spools of ribbon, nothing matches any of the fabrics. Unfortunately there's really not much available at fabric stores either - assuming you can even find a fabric store. The only places to look for fabrics these days is Fabricland - there's still one left in Ajax - and quilt shops - we have one of those left too, open at really odd hours I can never make, but cotton quilt fabrics are not what I need for this project either. I went to Fabricland last night where they were in the middle of yet another big sale. I went looking for something suitable in a pale pink, blue, green, or lavender - or white or cream. Silks were too thick and totally the wrong colours. The bridal section had nothing useable either. I did find a nice soft silver gray in the discount section and decided to get some just in case. Of course, they didn't have any matching ribbon. My search for Victorian ball-gown fabrics may not have been very fruitful, but I did come home with quite some selection of sale fabrics for other costume projects. With nothing new available, it looks like I'm going to have to go through my boxes of fabric yet another time. Desperation sometimes makes for some interesting combinations
Well, the wedding is over and all my family has gone back home, so we have the house to ourselves again. It was a lovely wedding, and I think everyone had a great time. The bride was just beaming, and so happy. Just two years ago Melissa was on life support in Mount Sinai with the worst case of Guillian Barré they had ever seen, totally paralyzed not even able to blink or breathe on her own. She had a miraculous recovery, and last year became a Mom. The wedding was a celebration on so many levels. I didn't take any photos myself, as I was "photographer's assistant", so these are a few of my favourites from the ones my sister Marianne took. So now I have mountains of laundry, and need to get back to my doll costuming. I need to get back the momentum for the Victorian evening gown I started last week. I've pulled out all the boxes of fabrics and ribbons again, so today I have to make some choices, and get going.
Asa now has a lacy bustle to hold out her skirts. The bustle is embellished with rows of lace ruffles and is stuffed to help hold it's shape. It ties on with ribbons, but I have to see if that's good enough, as the bustle sits a bit high in the back right now - it looks the right height, but there's at least three layers of skirts still coming on top of it. It may need hooks so it can be hooked lower onto her pantaloons. I have to wait and see how high her slip and skirts come. I'll see about designing the slip patterns, but by this time tomorrow I'll need to have my sewing space cleaned up. My niece is getting married Saturday, and I have all kinds of family events all weekend. My daughter and her family are coming to stay with us, and my son and his girlfriend are flying in from Vancouver tonight. It may be Monday before I can get back to any sewing.
Maybe I'll pull out my boxes of fancy fabrics and ribbons and try figure out some nice colour schemes before I have to clean everything up. My new doll body from Iplehouse arrived this morning. I ordered a SID Eva, but the head is moving on to it's new home as soon as I find a box for it. This new SID body is for my EID Asa head, but she's currently on the EID body, with Carina in storage, so I need to switch them so the new body can be blushed to match. I don't currently have any costumes for Asa to wear other than a dressing gown. I'm thinking after she comes back from getting her body blush, and I have a bit of free time between commissions, I may just make a style of gown I've always loved - an Elizabethan gown. Someone on DOA commented on my Pacific Princess thread that the dolls reminded her of Pocahontas. Wrong native style, but it did give me an idea. After she had been told (wrongly) that John Smith had died, Pocahontas was captured and held for ransom by the English. During her captivity she converted to Christianity, changed her name to Rebecca, and fell in love with and married John Rolfe. In 1616 the Rolfes travelled to London, and Lady Rebecca Rolfe was presented to society as a "civilized savage" and became quite a celebrity. There's actually a painted portrait of her in her Elizabethan finery. Now that appeals to me - doing something totally unexpected with a story everyone is only partly familiar with! I had a good look at the costumes on Prince Adrian and Princess Blanchette last night, and I've decided to repurpose them as costumes for my BJDs instead. My sister and I made this royal couple over 25 years ago for a doll photo story. They were among the first dolls Marianne ever sculpted, and at the time we thought they were really great. But a lot of experience and years have gone under the bridge since then, and the dolls seem very unattractive now. But the costumes I made still hold up. I had a really close look at the clothes and everything is sewn - not glued - so taking them apart should not be too difficult. Making them into removable costumes is another matter however - but I like a challenge. I'm thinking my new Limhwa boy can inherit the Prince's outfit - and his name. The dress has a substantial bust, and the only MSD doll I own with any kind of bust would be Isar, so I'll remake it for her. I think she'll look lovely in it, but she may need her heeled feet if the skirt proves too long, but we'll see about that when we get that far.
I've started the underthings for the Victorian gowns. I've decided to make two while I'm at it, because when looking through fabrics and trims I usually like more than one combination, so why not make them both? My Iplehouse JID Asa will be the model for the ball gowns. She has a rather "chunky" waist compared to authentic Victorian styles, so I'm going to have to make sure there's no extra bulk at her waistline to make her look even thicker, because unlike a real person, a corset wouldn't make her slimmer, just bulkier. Her pantaloons and slips will sit just below her waist for that very reason, each one getting a little higher until the final overskirt ends up at just the right level. Asa has on her shoes so I know what length to make the skirts - the colour is not indicative of the dress colour at this point. They aren't going to show anyways, but I need them to help me make the skirt the right length. Next step is designing a bustle and slip. Problem is we are in the middle of another major heat wave, so I'm working in slow motion.
The two plaid Christmas dresses for Nelly are done and photographed. Poor Nelly, who always looks so sad anyways, seems even more distressed to be made to wear a "winter" dress with velvet bodice and long sleeves outside in a July heat wave. After the photos she can change!
But in many places in the world they do celebrate Christmas in the heat of summer. I'm poring through my costuming books looking for the perfect Victorian ball gown to make in MSD size for an Iplehouse JID, but I think I'm going to have to make up my own using some of the features I like best from many different gowns. One of the most challenging things when making an outfit for such a small doll is the scale of the fabrics - ie. the thickness. I'm obviously stuck using regular fabrics intended for human-size clothes, which is fine as long as I stay away from making puffs and ruffles, as they will be too stiff and stick out too much and ruin the look. Unless I can find very fine fabrics. But there's not really a lot of choice in the few fabric stores left these days. Pleats are lovely though, especially when made from wide ribbon.
Many people mistakenly think "Victorian" is any dress with a long skirt, but true Victorian has a very specific look - a small tight bodice, and a very elaborate series of long flowing skirts and draperies with a bustle in the back. There are actually three different Victorian styles, but I'm going for the first, more feminine, one. These are all from that particular period. It's interesting that all the fashion illustrations from the period rarely show the front of the bodice, as it's the skirt decorations - especially at the back - that always seems to be the main feature. The doll I ordered yesterday from Iplehouse is already on it's way!! I was hoping it wouldn't take too long, since I've had two dolls ship from them 2-3 days after ordering, but never one ship this fast - within 18 hours! Asa will be glad to have her own body. She's spent the last six months as just a head in a little box in the back of the cabinet, and soon she'll be able to come and stand out with her friends - after a little visit to Charie's to get her body and nails done.
It's the Canada Day weekend, and I'm finishing up two Christmas Plaid outfits for Nelly. There's just the finishing to do - snaps, buttons, bows and roses - then photos. Then it's on to Victorian ball gowns to be modeled by my little Asa. That will be one huge change from her current Pacific Northwest first nations outfit! From the rocky beaches and depths of a mossy forest to an elegant ballroom. I'm looking forward to it. |
AuthorMartha Boers is an award-winning Canadian doll maker and costumer specializing in fantasy and historical-style costumes. Archives
May 2024
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