Keeping Inspired

Although I wanted this outfit for my doll, I struggled to make it. This is my eleventh outfit for this year. I could use a break. One side of me wants to just sleep all day or be a couch potato. I did but I'm no Sleeping Beauty. At one point, I have to wake up. I figured I can watch the TV and sew at the same time. Nothing good is on anyways. So I created this outfit.

We all have resolutions. Mine is to cut down on buying new dolls, experiment with styling and create more doll clothes. How do keep I myself inspired and motivated?

Nyokitto

The photo of the nyokitto sprouting in front (below) taken from the book Pattern Magic 2 by Tomako Nakamichi is really interesting. It has inspired me to make my own version for dolls. 

I decided to work on a gingham fabric. I thought it would be interesting to see how the lines move on the surface of the nyokitto. I modified the pattern such that there will be no seam on the chest. This is what I came up with.

It doesn't seem to be as interesting as the photo in the book. I thought that I've made a mistake or something. I searched for others' work, for comparison and saw this: https://charlotterowanscott.wordpress.com/2013/03/08/bodice-with-curved-nyokitto/. It seems that the bodice really have a basin for a chest. I studied the photo from the book to find out the difference. A quote from the author gave me a clue. "Drape is a play on light and shadow."

The lighting really made the 1st photo more interesting. The weight of the fabric, allowing light to pass through the nyokitto is what is different. With the light passing through,it's as if the blouse is very light and almost floating.

Whatever the outcome, modeling a misshapen outfit is no challenge for my fashionista queen Kayla.

Slowing Down

It's February and for me, it is a busy month. I see myself cutting down on dress making and maybe blogging, or not. We'll see. Before that happens, lemme talk about my latest project.

When I did the clothes of the Life in the Dream House (LiDH) dolls, I had a plan. Before I made them, I bought the things I needed. I already knew how to style them even before I started cutting the fabric. That's not the case now.

I pick a doll and I create clothes for it from the stuff that I already have. Sometimes I have an idea for a doll but I don't have the right materials. I don't want to have a huge stock of fabric so I'd either edit the idea or scrap it altogether. That's going to take a lot of time.

Even when it's done, sometimes the final fitting on the doll is not as I expected. Like this one, I really wanted to make a simple cropped top and a gingham skirt for this simple doll. The mix of all the simplicity makes it a little boring even for me, especially after doing the LiDH doll clothes. This came out very secretarial. Although, I was really thinking of something she can wear at the office. That was the goal, and I guess it was met but...

It (the one on the left) still is boring to me, not to mention basic and old. So I challenged myself to make it a little bad-ass. The one on the right is what I came up with. I got the idea from the runway shows of popular brands. A lot of the dresses there have a classic timeless silhouettes and they just make it look more interesting by making them wear boots and/or hats. They added pops of color but I personally limited myself to black and white for this project. Maybe on my next projects...

All Together Now

These are my version of Life in the Dream House dolls. Let's have one more look at all of them before I move on to other stuff. Plus, I want a picture where they all seem to get along.

Ryu

I love this doll. Unlike what Ken wore in the previous entry, I can wear Ryu's outfit, that is if it came in human size.

Almost

One sewing frustration I have is making a good enough (not necessarily a perfect) blazer. Constructing the collar is always a challenge for me. Finally, I have succeeded but I have to alter the pattern because it is a little short.

And yeah, I'm into pastel these days.

Hippity

Hurray! I'm still motivated to sew doll dresses. Experimenting with new patterns is a box of chocolates. This one turned out not the way I intended it. Just because a fabric flows in human size, it doesn't mean it will in Barbie size.

Simple

That's how I like it.

Awesome Overlap

I have observed the return of the overlap skirts. Overlap skirts are easy to make and with a new twist, the old overlap is awesome.

This year, I heard that the trend is for longer (below the knee) skirts. I like it. It makes the doll look less immature, less slutty definitely.

On a Roll

This is the third outfit I have created for this year and it's just January! Sometimes I'm just inspired to make doll clothes. My dolls inspire me. Do your dolls inspire you?

I's not perfect. There should be a cowl neck but it's difficult to drape fabrics at this size. I like it, anyways.

Safe Sucks

I see Summer as one of the most adventurous friends of Barbie. I really don't want to make her wear something "safe".

This Summer doll has been repainted to have smaller eyes. Her lashes has been trimmed short and her head shrunken, of course.

New Nikki

Most Fashionista Nikki/Artsy dolls I've bought ended up as body donors with their heads used for experiments and eventually disposed. This one experiment ended up nicely so I decided to keep her.

Her mocking smile is gone. The eyes were repainted to be smaller. Her head was shrunken, of course. She actually inspired me to start sewing doll clothes again! That's how much I like her.

I was told that she's a fashion blogger so I styled her to look like one. I hope I did not commit any fashion crime.

Touch of Tribal

Taken from the last runway show of Planes & Prince, a local brand.

Character Considerations

We usually impose a certain character on our doll. Our dolls, our rules. That's easy. Whenever I get a celebrity doll or a doll with a predefined character like those from the Barbie: Life in the Dreamhouse line, I usually don't dress them with whatever. I always consider their character.

Midge likes retro fashion. I made a yellow high waist swimsuit with a bandeau top for her. Yellow is a sweet color which also matches her sweet personality. I wanted her to have a wide-brimmed hat but I don't have one. It's a good thing that it wasn't very sunny at the beach.

 

Raquelle stikes me as sassy. I made this one-piece asymmetrical swimsuit with a cut-out on one side for her. I know she likes animal prints so she will enjoy this snakeskin motif. The silver bib necklace and silver shoes adds an exclamation point to Raquelle's fashion statement.

 

 

Sporty girl Summer gets a two piece bikini in fun colors from me. The stripe is also reminiscent of her original dress. The top provides support for her active lifestyle. She gets a visor so she can have fun under the sun and a pair of rubber shoes for running around.

 

 

I made all those swimwear in one weekend. I was really inspired by the characters Mattel have given to these girls. Unfortunately, they now go to storage and I don't know when I will play with them again. Maybe when I have made or bought fitting clothes for them.

It's a new year. It's the 80's.

(Before anything else, I'd like to greet everyone a happy new year. It's still new, right? I know I have been away and may still be away most of the time from blogging but only because of the right reasons: real life challenges.) 

The 50's, 60's and 70's have been over-revived. It's the 80's turn. I know a lot of people would rather forget the fashion trends from the that decade. Being an 80's kid, I can only cringe while recalling some of the looks. But I take this revival as a way of learning from the mistakes from the past. It's like asking, "If you are to do the 80's fashion all over again, how can you make it right?" It can be challenging so I look forward to how people will tackle it.

(Personally, I like the color scheme of the 80's. Go rainbow! I'm so gay, I know. I got myself an orange denim pants and the multicolored stripe shirt used as background in Kenzie's photo below. )

With the new TV series, "The Carrie Diaries", the younger generation (who didn't lived in the 80's) may be interested in the decade like what the TV series "Mad Men" did with people and the 60's look. Will be seeing more of the 80's in our dolls? We'll see.

Forgotten Files: Liz

I remember hunting for a reasonably priced Elizabeth Taylor doll online for a number of months. I waited patiently for a good deal. When I finally got her, I rebodied and redressed her and that was that. She went in storage. That was in December 2010. That was almost two years of being forgotten.

I was never inspired to make a dress for her, until recently. I'm happy with what I came up with. I call this fashion "Feels Like Heaven." I observed in Liz's style is that she liked to accentuate her narrow waist and décolletage. I made sure those details are present in my simple dress.

November 1 is when our nation we commemorate the dead and now, I commemorate my Liz doll with this entry. After this, she once again will rest in peace.

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