Regency chemisette for a doll

There is 21 photos in this blog post. So I try to be short with words.

I have been blogging about 1900th century fashion in my Finnish blog, and in the middle of all the information I realised that Roisin's spencer outfit needs a chemisette. So. I had to do one. Immediately. (It took a week to sew this tiny thing, so it wasn't that immdiately finished.) Luckily I had a perfect fabric (thanks to my Instagram friend Eva, who sent me some months ago this amazing cotton organdy) and Janet Arnold's Patterns of Fasion 1 here at home, so I had everything one needs.

I used this handy ruler for making pleats. I first made 5 mm fold with the ruler and then I made a pleat from that with my fingers. If this makes any sense? I'm not sure if I could explain that even in Finnish...

Anyway. Very satisfying job.

At this point I was like wow, it's soon finished. Ha ha ha.

I'm not quite sure if I understood Janet Arnold's instructions right. But I anyway ended up (after thinking it three nights) (it's nice to have something nice to think at nights when you can't sleep) finishing the neckline with a neckband and then adding the ruffles on it. I think it was the only way to keep the neckruffles to stay in upright position, even though it meant extra fabric on neckline. (Luckily the fabric was so lightweight!)

After gathering the fabric I pleated it with my fingers and then ironed it. I think this was the easiest way to do it. Not most precise way. But easy.

This far everything was easy. Then I decided to do also next step in easy way. But this time I made wrong decision. I blame brainfog or headache or low suger levels or my cat or husband or room temperature or whatever, because I normally NEVER take a shortcut with basting. I mean. I'm the biggest friend of basting. I always do it (if there is something to baste). And one thing I CERTAINLY do is that I always secure pleats with basting. But this time I decided to not.

I thought I just pin these ruffles together and then stitch them together and then attach them to a tape.

Ok. I did it so. But it was so painful. It did hurt my brain and nerves. Other of the ruffles was bit longer than an other (or an other was a bit shorter than an other) and it was so difficult to make them match when the pleats were sliding back and forth. After stitching the ruffler together it was easy to sew it on the tape. And then I attached the whole system to the neckband.

(Janet Arnold's Patterns of Fasion 1 on the backround.) The result is really cute. But I feel a bit uncomfortable with the fact that the pleats on the ruffles are not even. I mean, there is less volume of fabric on some places and more on other places. But I try to accept it. I think I manage.

I washed my hands all the time, but yet it looks as I had sewed with sticky fingers :D

Look how pleased she is smiling.

I have to sew a dress for this chemisette. I think this gown is not so nice with it, and in other Roisin's dresses  there is perhaps too high neckline for a chemisette. (I just tested those false sleeves quickly. I didn't want to waste my time and energy with putting them on, so that's why their upper ends are over the sleeves, not under.)

And here it is! With the spencer. (Well, you have seen it in the first picture already.) I think these look really good together.

Roisin needs a proper bonnet. I made this one many years ago and even though it's cute (in my opinion), I think it's not a good pair with the rest of the outfit.

I want to make a bonnet with a straw brim and fabric crown. My first thought was that the brim must be light colour, like vanilla or natural straw or white. Or perhaps golden brown. But now that I'm looking at the photos of Roisin, I'm not sure anymore. Is light colour a bleak choise? Wouldn't some stronger colour (like in the photos here) be more interesting?

And after next photo I'm finished. Bye!

Poldark inspired wool jacket for a doll

Some words and photos about making this jacket.

Wool fabric which I used for the jacket is loosely woven, so I used very tight woven cotton for the lining. As wool jacket with all the seam allowances is quite bulky thing for a doll to wear (even for Diseny Animator doll), I decided that I won't use stays under the jacket. I mean. The doll won't wear stays. But the cotton lining luckily gives a bit 1800th century(ish) posture or profile for the jacket.

 My present assistant, Astrid, has some issues with sewing. As lovely companion and assistant she is, there is this problem that she loves wool. Like. She loves to eat it.

Yes. Nice. Not.

I cutted an other of the back pieces and an other of the front pieces again. I left an other of the back pieces as it was and hoped I can hide the hole (made by wool eating monster) into seam allowance.

I'm still learning totally basics. Like should the short and tiny skirt part of the jacket (or should I call it flounce?) be made from a curve or straigth piece? After tests (made from cheapest felt) I realised that obviously from a curve piece.

I decided to take a risk and attach the skirt-flounce-thingy to the jacket's lining straight from it's raw edge. All kind of folds would have meant too much bulkiness to the waist.

It doesn't look totally neat, but it doesn't look that bad either.

This was my first time working with wool fabric. I was first very nervous, I was sure that it will tear to pieces (well, to yarn) in my hands. But no, it worked so nicely. It was easy to mold and it was overall so very lovely to work with.

Renaissance Inspired Cinderella Gown for a doll, part 2: the chemise

(Previous post was about making the gown for this outfit.)

I just love doll undergarments made from white cotton. They look always so crisp.

Sleeves must be a bit overlong because of oversleeves. You know, Renaissance sleeves. White poofs coming between lacing. Oh dear, I cant say it better in English.

Back (as you can see).

This cotton lace is beautiful!

Crisp!

Lace!

Sorry! Lace again!

And one with socks!

This is the last one! With not-so-renaissance shoes! I think Flavia looks cool here.

Cinderella rags for a doll means a lot of dyeing and washing

Part 1. Cinderella's shift.

Princesses in rags have always holded a special place in my heart. The queen of rags is of course Cinderella (Snow White holds the second place). About thirty years I have been thinking of sewing Cinderella rags for a doll.  And now, after all that thinking, I'm finally sewing them. And it's fun!

You must always use every opportunity to draw Cinderella with rags. That is a rule. So it would have been illegal to begin to sew this oufit without drawing it first. (I may have drawn more rags than ball gowns!)

After drawing I chose the fabrics and made a test dyeing with tea.

Then I coloured my Cinderella drawing. (This is a detail from a scrapbook spread. Here you can see the whole picture which includes some cats and an other Cinderella figure.) After colouring the drawing, some viruses and bacteria decided that after 30 years of planning I'm progressing too fast. So I had a three weeks break from the project. Instead of sewing I used my time coughing and blowing.

After viruses had said goodbye, I begin to dye the fabric for Cinderella's shift. After dyeing I washed it properly (three times!), because I don't want to take any risk that the fabric would let some colour out so that a doll would get ruined.

 At this point I made some extra stains.

And then washing again. It was fun! I wish all laundering  could be that nice.

Because of all the proper laundering, the extra spots washed away almost totally. But all the washing (and sandpapering and filing) made the fabric look quite worn, and that is the most important thing. As you can see, the shift really looks worn when you compare it to that white batiste, which is the material of the shirt.

And here you can see also that the contrast between white batiste and dyed batiste is quite clear.

And here you can see the finished shirt.

 Cinderella's shift really looks worn! When I asked my husband what he thinks about this shift, he cried out (yes, he really cried out): "Poor Cinderella! Is this fair at all?" I remined him that it's only a temporay situation, that the fairy godmother is on her way already. He was reliefed :)