Photo shoot with Soom Rosette

FDR editor, Alison, recently acquired this Rosette BJD, made by Soom. I was drawn to her dramatic curves and her sweet little face (that reminds me of my 5-year-old niece, Emma), so Alison let me borrow her for a photo shoot in some of my new 16" fashion doll clothing. Enjoy the photos, and feel free to check out all of the clothes in my Etsy shop!

Just kicking back.

Chloe in Tulabelle

Chloe, a photo by alington on Flickr.

Miss Chloe (Fairyland Chicline BJD) in Beauty White resin is dressed in the fashion from Violet Femme Tulabelle, a brand new line from Integrity Toys. It's a great new contemporary look, I have to say--down to the shoes.

Unfortunately, I couldn't get the shoes on over the adorable tube socks (which are just over the knee and super cute), but the outfit is still really fun without the socks, too. The shoes have a zip on the inside, so they are easy to put on and take off.

The shorts are a perfect fit--which is great. I think it's a great casual option of this size of doll--and you should check out all the terrific fashions available for Tulabelle. She has a fantastic wardrobe!

Evelyn of Treasure Dolls is one dealer who offers splits of these dolls--so if you'd rather not purchase the entire doll and just want the fashion, you can do that in advance. However, once you see Tulabelle, you might change you mind. She's adorable, too.

You can see a few more photos on Flickr.

Clothing optional?

Iplehouse EID Yur, a photo by alington on Flickr.

The only bad thing about an eclectic collection is when clothing doesn't fit.

I'm not talking about tailoring problems. I'm talking about when you can't slide a pair of stretch pants up over a doll's thighs. That's when you know you have an issue.

Why, oh why, can't I just be happy with what I have?

Well, just look at her. It's Iplehouse EID Yur (she's as pretty as the promo). She's a mere 65 cm tall (that's a little more than 25.5 inches). I have plenty of room in my cabinet. And she's the "medium" bust size. There is also a "large" bust option. (I can only imagine!) She is in the special real skin resin, which is a wonderful, hard-to-pour tan color and has a company face-up.

I see spandex, double-stretch jersey, and corsets in my future!

But isn't she gorgeous? You can see additional photos on Flickr.

Sock Tutorial: Cardigan & knee-highs for SD13 ball-jointed dolls

Materials:

2 ladies crew socks or 1 ladies knee sock (I recommend pre-washing socks to set colors and pre-shrink the fabric before sewing)

Pattern (scaled from the image included at the end of this post)


Scissors

Pins

Needle and thread

Momoko & J-Dolls are always there to save the day!

"Groovy Baby" Momoko

As someone who sews for Barbie, Fashion Royalty, Poppy Parker and all of those other tiny gals, I am always making mistakes that lead to outfits being too small for even them. However, because these "too small" outfits usually fit Momoko and J-Dolls, I can still add them to my Etsy shop, instead of writing them off!

Couture Doll Design Challenge is starting its fourth season!

Attention, all doll clothing designers:

Couture Doll Design Challenge (CDDC) is starting season 4 on February 4, and it's time for your chance to enter as a contestant!

A major change this year is that there will be three categories for competition: beginner, intermediate, and professional. That's a fantastic idea, so you can compete in your level, and have a chance to win.

If you're interested, check out CDDC's website and send in a short biography and a few photos of your work! Let me know if you're competing, and I can root for you, too.

Honey, I shrunk Abby!

I recently created a mini wardrobe for a Peak's Woods Cue, at the request of friend, and fellow FDR blogger, Kathie. The doll was a Christmas present for Kathie's daughter, Sarah, who loves the show NCIS, and especially the character Abby Sciuto. As soon as a wig and boots were found by Kathie, it was up to me to dress her in clothes that Abby would wear.

Jason Wu...at Target?!

Yes, it's official. Jason Wu is the next designer to collaborate on a line specifically for Target. There aren't a lot of details known yet, except that it will be a smaller line than the recent Missoni for Target and that the Wu line will debut on February 5, 2012. So, who's lining up with me bright and early on the 5th?

Turning a silk scarf into some new wardrobe pieces

I recently found some silk scarf panels of fabric at my local swap meet (my favorite place to find cheap fabric!) and decided to see what I could make with them.

From the circular design in the center of the scarf, I was able to make 2 half-circle skirts. I added a waistband and 2 rectangular strips to one to create a halter dress. (My vintage brunette bubble cut models this one.)

The second half of the circle I folded over at the top to make an elastic casing, then made a seam at the center back. (I supplemented this outfit with a navy t-shirt knit bodysuit - also made from cheap swap meet fabric!) The 2 corners cut from the panel I used as the front and back of a tunic, with a pair of knit leggings to round out her outfit. (These are pictured on the 2 Fashion Royalty dolls.)

New Clothing Posted to Clear Lan Web Site

Coat from the new collection. Photo property of Clear Lan.

Clear Lan, a doll clothing designer and manufacturer, just posted new items to their web site. Our very own Shuga introduced me to their product last year and I just can't get enough of their clothing. They make clothing to fit Misaki, Momoko, La Ti Yellow, and Blythe. Since their clothing is sized to fit Misaki, that means Poppy Parker can wear it, which is good news since Poppy has become my go to fashion doll.

Previously, the only way to have items shipped from Clear Lan was via EMS, which can be quite expensive. For that reason, several of us would pool our orders and send in one super order so that we could share the shipping cost. However, recently Clear Lan added Registered Air Parcel as a shipping option which is considerably less expensive. Now I can order items any time I want!  That may be a good thing, or a bad thing.  Good for me and my dolls, bad for my budget.

Poppy in Clear Lan

Why do I love Clear Lan on Poppy so much? I know that Poppy's back story is that she's a teenage model in the early to mid '60s and I love her styled that way. I also feel, like many people, that Poppy has a fresh, young personality that fits with many of today's clothing styles and I believe that Clear Lan hits that mark with their designs.

Here Endless Summer Poppy was photographed at Disney's California Adventure (DCA) last week wearing a sleeveless black turtle neck knit shirt, brown short sleeved cowl neck knit shirt, and cropped and cuffed denim jeans all from Clear Lan.  The jewelry is from Ask Any Girl Poppy Parker gift set and the black plastic booties are from a Liv outfit.

If you'd like to see more of Poppy's trip to DCA, please click here to see more photos on my Flickr.

An Exclusive Dress and Fashion Accessory Pack from Randall Craig

Randall Craig's newest offering in red and yellow.

In gray and coral.

Randall Craig has created an exclusive dress especially for the members of his Yahoogroup. The dress is done in four different colors, red, yellow, coral, and gray, with each color a limited edition of 25 pieces. The dress was fitted to a FR Monogram doll. While Silkstones, ModelMuse, Poppy Parker, Dynamite Girls, NuFace, and other similarly sized fashion dolls can also wear this dress, it is not recommended for standard FR dolls or vintage Barbie.

Accessory pack.

Additionally, he has a fashion accessory pack available which coordinates nicely with any of the four dresses.  The accessory pack, which has an edition size of 100, includes sterling silver hoop earrings, three pairs of shoes, a hat, and a flower-filled tote. Not a member of Randall's Yahoogroup?  Just click here to sign up!

Wilde Imagination is clearing out winter items

Photo Property of Wilde Imagination

Wilde Imagination has put a lot of their winter stock on sale to make room for the upcoming Spring releases.

Ellowyne Winter Specials:
Dressed Dolls from $85
Outfits from $54
Wigs from $18

Evangeline Ghastly "Almost Gone" Specials:
Clothing Pieces from $22
Outfits from $79

These items are available until this Tuesday, January 25th @ 10pm EST, and ship for free within the continental U.S.

Two New Offerings from Randall Craig

Surprise Sheath fits a wide variety of fashion dolls.

Authorized dealers began taking pre-orders today for two new offerings from Randall Craig. The first is called Surprise Sheath. Why? Because you won't know the fabric design of the dress until you open it! Apparently the way the dresses are packaged, even the dealers won't know. Surprise Sheath is a basic sheath done in a cotton print, no accessories are included. There are over 12 different fabric prints available which include fabrics used in other outfits, vintage fabrics, or even fabrics from Randall's own personal stash. What fun! The dress is fitted to Monogram dolls, but can also fit Silkstone Barbie, Model Muse Barbie, Fashion Royalty NuFace, Poppy Parker, or Dynamite Girls. Their suggested retail is $20. At that price, I'm buying several. I can always give duplicates as gifts or take them to a dolly convention to trade with others.

My Romance done in teal.

The next item is My Romance which looks to be a color variant on the 2010 IFDC Exclusive My Romance. Last year's sold out outfit was done in red and was limited to 50 pieces. This year's outfit is done in teal and is an LE 100.  Included with the dress are a floppy brimmed felt hat, black drop earrings, black patent "leather" clutch, and black pumps. There is even a little brooch attached to the dress. This outfit is designed to fit standard Fashion Royalty dolls and will retail around $60.


Visit Randall Craig RTW for a complete list of authorized dealers.

All photos property of Randall Craig RTW.

1976 SuperSize Barbie

 My newest girl: a 1976 SuperSize Barbie. (One of the few dolls I own that is older than me!)

I acquired her in a trade at my local doll meet last weekend. She came with her original white outfit (plus box, accessories & stand), as well as this blue dress and a handmade velvet dress. She is the same proportions as Barbie, but 18 inches tall. I was drawn to her beautiful face and plan to make her design her a beautiful wardrobe to match it.

I couldn't help snapping a few photos...

New fashions by LouoS

A new collection called The Sensual World from SouoL for Barbie, Fashion Royalty tall bodies, NuFace, Dynamite Girls, Fr.Nippon, Poppy Parker and other similarly sized fashion dolls has just been released by LouoS.

These wonderfully colorful designs are made up of separates and dresses that will brighten up any collectors' wardrobe. They feature bright colors of fuchsia, murky blue, navy, electric blue, orange, purple, mustard and bright yellow, and are accented with large head bows and tiny flower trims. As always, the details are what count. (I love the pockets!)  Check them out:

• Never Be Mine
• Heads We Are Dancing
• Reaching Out

10 Reasons your doll makes a better model than you

16" Goodreau "Secret"

Here are a few reasons that your dolls - from Barbies to BJDs - are much more pleasant models to deal with than their human counterparts. (If you think of any additional ones, please add them.)

1. She has a perfect body.
2. Her weight doesn't fluctuate (unless an arm falls off).
3. She doesn't require any undergarments for support - those plastic parts aren't going anywhere.
4. Her outfits require less fabric.
5. Her wardrobe takes up less closet space than yours.
6. She can hold a pose for a LONG time.
7. Labor laws don't require you to offer her a salary or benefits.
8. If sleeves or pant legs are too narrow, you can pop her hands or feet off to get her clothes on. (Okay, so this probably can be achieved with a human, but it would be a long, painful, expensive & messy process.)
9. She doesn't require food or water, which means she can't spill them on your clothes and ruin them.
10. She won't give you any attitude. (Actually, scratch that. I don't know how the manufacturers do it, but the occasional dolls seems to have some "sass" built in.)

Freeque brand clothing's arrival

It's been several months since I pre-ordered the Freeque brand clothing off of BIC's site.  This is a new brand that she is showcasing on her site and they finally arrived yesterday.  I ordered 3 pieces to see how the quality was.  I must admit that I am VERY impressed!  The little leather jacket has all the right details and fits like a glove.  The striped jumper is cute with it's ribboned spaghetti straps and daisy chain belt and the rose patterned scarf is the perfect accessory for fall.  I would definitely recommend ordering more from them in the future since they are all sold out on the site right now.  I hope to see some more great pieces in the future from this line.

So here is Bergdorf Poppy modeling her new "Freeque" outfit.

These Barbies may not cater a luau, but they will waitress!

My good friend, Stacy, is expecting her first baby very soon, and I had the privilege of throwing her a baby shower - the first one I've ever put together. The shower was co-ed, and - much like Stacy herself - not entirely "traditional." In the spirit of bucking tradition, I decided to enlisted my little Mattel army to host the snack table.

Sewing tip of the day: cutting out small pattern pieces

Having trouble cutting precisely around those tiny corners and curves of your pattern pieces? Here's a simple, inexpensive tool that makes the job easy!

Rotary cutters come in diameters of 60mm, 45mm and 28mm, as well as 18mm, which I use for doll patterns. The one that I own is made by OLFA and costs about $13. A package of 2 replacement blades can be purchased for about $8. It features a sliding piece to cover the blade while not in use, so you don't slice your finger or anything else nearby!

Kimonos that create themselves! (well, some assembly required)

Feeling bored? Or creative? Feeling like your doll needs a new look? Or just want to play "fashion designer" for the day? Grab some supplies and join me for a kimono sewing bee! (Mine was made on a rainy afternoon in Maine, while on vacation with my husband's family!