Vintage Replica Aqua Linen Coat

I just got this gorgeous Tonner Anne Harper doll from Donna's Korner Kollectibles because she is made to wear vintage fashions.  This coat is another replica of a 50's design made from fine linen.  It's hard to see the yoke insets and topstitching which was also fiddly to do.  I'm going to redo this pattern and simplify the lining so it doesn't have those.  I'm going to make it a little longer as well because it turned out shorter than the dress.  But I'm okay with that.  I recently bought the book Madly Marvelous:  The Costumes of the Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and not all of Midge's coats were the same length.  So if it's good enough for Mrs. Maisel, it's good enough for me.  And the book is droolworthy if you're into vintage fashion.  Overall though, I'm happy with the fit of this coat.  One adjustment that always has to be made when translating human patterns into doll size is the back neck.  For some reason, the back neck always has to be opened up and this one ended up fitting great around the neck.  But this was another case where I should have made a muslin of the dress bodice because it didn't fit in the shoulders as I envisioned it.  But this time I had zero extra fabric as I cut this full circle skirt from a fat quarter.  So it's a bit sexier off the shoulder than I planned but still very pretty.  I accented it with pearly bead buttons and a while faux leather belt.  

 

Vintage Replica Pink Swing Coat

I think this is the cutest coat ever.  It's a mini replica of a design I found in an old pattern drafting book from the 50's made from fine pink linen.  The buttons are jump rings covered in the same fabric.  Very fiddly to make but sometimes you need a perfect match.  I paired it with a grey dress and accessories to lend it some sophistication.  The dress is made from cotton lawn from Spoonflower designed by Caja Design.  The fine leather that the bag is made from was a freebie included in my last order from Leather Skins Shop on Etsy.   The hat is my own design.  It's made of interfaced silk fabric and has a wire in it to shape to the doll's head.  It works well on dolls that have high buns or ponytails.  

The pattern I drafted for the dress bodice should have fit---but it didn't at all.  So I had to start from scratch and redo the whole thing.  I really need to take the time to do muslins first but, fortunately, I had a whole yard of this fabric and ended up getting a pretty good fit.  

 

Cheetah Swing Jacket and Sheath

 

Sydney is wearing a vintage replica swing jacket made of Minky fabric from Spoonflower with black faux fur cuffs.  The sheath dress is a fine gold wool fabric from French Fashions.  I love purple and gold together, and I had the leather handbag that I had made previously so I made her a belt to match.  I swear as soon as I can find some purple stretch fabric, she's getting some purple gloves too.  

 

I deviated a bit from my usual fabric choices in this outfit in that I used rayon and linen blends.  But that's still authentic as rayon, which is made from wood pulp, was invented over a hundred years ago and was commonly used for clothing earlier in the 20th century.  The inspiration for this dress came from a picture in an old pattern drafting book converted to PDF by Glass of Fashion on Etsy.  Lots of inspiration in her shop if you love vintage fashions.  The darling shoes are from Facets Boutique

Ruched 50's Wiggle Dress

 SOLD Pink wiggle dress made from soft silk shantung from French Fashions with matching pillbox hat.  The brooch was created from a little metal jewelry finding from the craft store.  I clipped the end loops off and sewed a rhinestone and little pearls onto it with beading filament.  The three strand bracelet presented a challenge as to how to do the ends.  I ended up creating three small loops with wire--one side having a tiny hook built into it--that I was able to attach the strings of pearls to.  You've seen the handbag before.  It was based on a pattern from Classicdolldesigns.blogspot.com.  

And, finally, here is the inspiration for this dress.  

Glamourous Lilac Gown and Stole

SOLD  I think I saved the best for last.  Diana Prince is pure glamour in a lilac silk dupioni and silk charmeuse dress with matching faux fur trimmed stole.  The dress hugs her curves and is embellished with sew-on rhinestone buttons.  I'll post the inspiration photo at the end.  I think I got pretty close to it.  

Vintage Fur Trimmed Suit

Only one more post after this, I promise.  It's just that I caught up on taking pictures today and, if I don't do it now, I might not get around to it.  Inspired by a vintage suit, this one is made from a fine wool fabric from French Fashions with cuffs and a hat of faux fur.  The bag is lambskin and based on a pattern by Diane Wagner.  I have purchased a few of Diane's patterns that I haven't made up yet but her tips on working with faux fur were invaluable when putting together this suit.  The hat is a simple pillbox shape with a little embellishment.