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Teenie, Tiny Bodice

3/7/2019

6 Comments

 
Making the bodice for Phairby's Butterfly dress has been quite the challenge. The sleeves of her purple dress are almost impossible to get over her hands - it's a HUGE struggle - so I enlarged the armholes a bit, and decided to use a stretch fabric for the sleeves this time. 

The dress is using three different black fabrics; a plain weave for the bodice itself, a black tricot for the sleeves, and black crinkle cotton for the skirt. Each fabric was chosen for its specific qualities.

Everything needs to be basted before sewing, and in bright daylight, since I can't see the details in 'black' (or any dark fabric) at all by lamp light.

I sewed petals around the neckline, and added a lace ruff, then did some beading. I even figured out how to add a lace ruffle at the wrist without losing the stretch of the sleeve. But I couldn't bead the sleeves. Even my tiniest beads were too big, plus I was wary of impeding the stretch of the tricot, or having thread loops on the inside of the sleeves that could catch her fingers. So I pinned the bodice flat onto a placement, and dotted white paint on with a toothpick.
Picture
After sewing the underarm seams, it was time to try it on....and the new technique was a success! It was so much easier to get her hands through the stretchy sleeves! No struggling at all!
Picture
I think she's looking rather elegant!
Now to finish her overskirt, and start on her wings.....
6 Comments
Renate
3/8/2019 07:48:15 am

Looks great! Can't wait to see it finished :)
If you ever need fake beads, you may try to get viva decor peal pens. They shape and shine like real beads, and depending on the dot, you can vary the size. For really tiny beads, you better not squeeze it direct from the pen, but put an amount of it on a piece of paper, and then apply a tiny dot with a toothpick (which I guess that's the way you did it anyway with paint).
https://www.pinterest.de/polyclayplay/pearl-pens-by-viva-decor/?lp=true

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Renate
3/8/2019 07:49:48 am

Sorry, should be "viva decor pearl pen" (not "peal")....

Reply
Martha
3/8/2019 12:05:45 pm

Thanks for the tip!

Reply
Dorothy
3/8/2019 10:23:43 am

Dear Martha, I think you have created the art of "micro-sewing" (laugh). Wow, that is amazing.

Reply
Martha
3/8/2019 12:08:56 pm

Sewing this small is extremely challenging!

But I better get used to it since I already have several more this size that need costumes, and there's still a bunch more haven't arrived yet.

It really is kind of weird that the worse my eyesight gets, the smaller I'm making stuff. You'd think it would be smarter to go bigger instead!

Reply
designdreamer
8/17/2022 09:45:14 am

I Love, Love, LOVE it!!! One of advantage of reading your posts after the fact, is that I don't have to wait to see the final result!! Instant gratification!! Thank you again for all your insight, tutorials, etc.

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    Author

    Martha Boers is an award-winning Canadian doll maker and costumer specializing in fantasy and historical-style costumes.
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