Another silver dress...

I just finished this dress, and it was quite a learning experience. I made mistakes with the pattern, construction and beading... Oh well, better luck next time.

Draped Dress

I wanted to make a dress with a lot of draping detail... Unfortunately I discovered that I wasn't very skilled at it. I probably used the wrong fabric too.

Anyway, it turned out ok in the end.

I thought it would be a good idea to create a corseted understructure and then drape the fabric over it to create the dress. Sewing the outer layer turned out to be much harder than I thought it would be, but you have to make mistakes to learn and grow.

In the end it looks nice, not the way I thought it would turn out, but still a pretty dress.

The Silver Corset

I finally finished the silver corset to match the boots in the previous post. I had a really hard time with this one, made quite a few mistakes, and didn't end up with what I was expecting... I'm ready to consider it done and move on to the next project.

Silver Boots

I decided to try and create footwear for the first time... It turned out ok, but I still have a lot to learn. I decided to go with a simple pair of boots for my first attempt. I think I am going to make a matching corset out of the same silver material.

Drafted a pattern and cut the pieces from more of the Crayola craft scraps I have.

started sewing.

More sewing, I think they are coming along nicely.

Finally done! They look much better from the front than the side.

The Silver Sequin Corset (part 3)

I finished sewing the layers together, punched in the eyelets, and added a few extra sequins here and there (I may add more in the future, but for now I am done).

Inside and outside views of the finished piece.

A quick shot of Grace wearing the corset/bustier (I'm not sure which to call it). Grace is a S.I.S. Grace head on a Kendra Fashion Madness body.

Well, It is finally finished! I'm really happy with how it turned out, it looks better than I thought it would.

The Silver Sequin Corset (part 2)

Well, it is starting to look more like a bustier than a corset, as there are only two strips of boning in the whole thing.

Here is the fabric cut for part of the outer layer. As I mentioned in the last post, it is cheap fabric from a Crayola craft set...

Here are the two layers on top of each other. I've sewn extra sequins to the outer layer... now it doesn't look quite so cheap.

Almost finished sewing the lining to the outer layer.

Overall I think this project is coming together nicely. It is actually looking better than I had expected.

The Silver Sequin Corset (part 1)

After the sequined sheath dress, I thought it would be fun to design something else with a bit of sparkle. That and I had a lot of left over seed beads and silver sequins that I didn't use on the dress. I also had a scrap of silver sequin type fabric from a Crayola craft set (or something of that nature). Originally I wanted to make a corset dress, but decided not to get ahead of myself (or my skill set) and decided to start with a regular corset. If anything I can make a matching skirt later.

a sketch of the look I was going for

the pattern

This is the lining for the corset. I'm sewing on ribbon as the casing for the plastic stays.

The Sequined Sheath Dress

A sketch of the design

I really wanted to do a dress that had a kind of encrusted crystal look to it. I thought a simple sheath dress with a low cut back would look nice, something clean and basic that wouldn't fight with the sparkle. Well, I don't have crystals, but i did have a bunch of iridescent sequins and seed beads, which I thought would have a similar visual effect.

I forgot to take pictures while I was putting the dress together,

 so this is the only "in progress shot"

Marilyn modeling the finished product

Overall I think it turned out nicely. The beads and sequins took forever to sew on, I had to take breaks and spread it out over a few days. This is also the first doll sized dress that I've sewn that has a hook and eye closure.

A Simple Corset/Bodice

It turned out kind of wonky looking, but I still like it.

This is an LOTR Arwen head on a pivotal Barbie body.

One of the things I like about creating corsets, is that they can fit a number of doll shapes.

Marilyn in the V corset dress.

Here is a more glamorous shot of the finished dress.

The V Corset Dress

a quick sketch

I was feeling inspired a while back and decided that it would be fun to create a fully boned corset dress in fashion doll size. It took me a few days to figure it out, and to finish it. It isn't perfect, but I'm really happy with how it turned out.

I started by drafting the pattern using the "masking tape" method.

Everything is pretty much finished. I've got the plastic boning sewn into the casings, all that is left to do is add the eyelets.

Front and back views of the finished dress, not bad for a first attempt.

The First Post...

Here is my first post on this blog... Obviously this blog needs a little work.
I've got some fun stuff to put up very soon!