Another Fairy Dress Done

3/2/2013

Fairy costume number two is now finished, and there's still two to go. This commission was for a redo of my earlier Topaz Fairy - the outfit I converted into a warrior elf for my Isar. I didn't have any more of the same striped fabric so replaced it with another, more reddish-brown stripe.

The last two fairy costumes are quite far along too - one just needs the last decorative beading, whereas the other still needs all the beading. Actually, they both still need their dangly fairy talismen attached to the bottoms of their upper skirts. And then there's four sets of wings to make - with four separate wings in each set.

These four fairy costumes will be the final remakes of any existing versions in this size. Next time I make fairies they will be totally different colours and a new style. And maybe other sizes.

Ali H.

3/2/2013 11:59:23 am

Hi Martha! Long time lurker, I've never left you a comment, but I wanted to poke my head in and say that I think you do the most magnificent job of choosing fabrics that are thin enough and heavy enough to have realistic drape on a doll, so that they look like clothing, instead of "doll clothes" (which are always stiff and awkward because the fabric is too bulky for such a small scale!) I made clothing for my American Girl dolls for years and fought with that problem and now that I'm re-doing their wardrobes in anticipation of giving those dolls to my daughter in the coming years, I'm encountering it again. You manage brilliantly, keep up the gorgeous work. =)

Martha

3/3/2013 12:34:12 am

You are so right in that it's a challenge to make doll clothes hang just right, so they aren't bulky and scream "doll clothes". It's not always possible to find fabrics in the proper scale as there really aren't many fabric stores around anymore, so one of my tricks has always been to get fabrics that will crinkle when I crunch them in my hand in the store. Then when I use them for doll clothes, I'll wet the finished skirt and squeeze it, then let it dry like that, so when it dries all the gathers appear doll-size. Even thicker fabrics respond well to that treatment - the striped skirt in the photo above is an example of a thicker fabric, wet and let dry to create in-scale gathers. Some synthetic fabrics won't crush or crinkle, so if that's the look you want, you need to crunch-test it in the store before you buy it.

Ali H.

3/9/2013 01:03:34 pm

That's so smart! I'll absolutely have to remember this trick, excellent thinking. =)

Mica link

3/3/2013 12:47:14 am

Absolutely beautiful. I love the vest- I agree about wetting or washing clothes making them look more realistic !

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Another Fairy Dress Done

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