Vintage Stripes for Gene

This was a commission to recreate a vintage dress and coat from the 50's pattern.  Scroll to the end to see the inspiration photo.  I was fortunate to find a lightweight cotton in an stripe that is just the right scale, almost the same colors.  Both the sleeveless dress and coat have full circle skirts and are completely lined in silk/cotton.  As you can see from the pics, the striped of the skirts of the dress and coat go in opposite directions.  The coat closes with a hook and thread loop, then ties at the front.  Matching all these stripes was a bit of a challenge but it turned out adorable, IMHO.  

Brocade and Silk Taffeta Evening Set for Tonner Tyler

 

This one has been on my to-do list for awhile.  I drafted the pattern ages ago.  I bought this gorgeous brocade from Frenchfashions.net quite a while ago and it took forever to find some tissue silk taffeta to match and that came from India last year.  I actually started cutting this out months ago when my wrist was broken but couldn't work with the silk lining with my left hand.  So it sat in a drawer for a few months until it was finally completed yesterday.  The dress and bolero are fully lined in blue silk habotai.  The sparkly brooch is from an assortment of shankless buttons I found on Etsy a long time ago.  It did have to be glued on (which I hate doing) but there is simply no place to stitch it.  Scroll to the end for the inspiration picture.  

Japanese Cotton Two Piece Dress for Tonner Tyler

 

I absolutely love Japanese fabrics, especially the cotton prints.  Since this one is a poplin, the weight lent itself to more of a suit-like structure.  I'm not sure what this type of sleeve is called.  It's half set in below the princess seams and half kimono at the shoulder.  Whatever, it is tricky to do but I finally nailed the fit on this style.  The skirt is not quite a full circle and the excess was pleated at the waist.  Since I don't consider an outfit complete without accessories, I did a quickie clutch and hat with some thin faux leather for a little punch of color.  

Vintage Reproduction for Gene

 

A lovely lady from Australia sent me the picture at the end of this post and asked if I could recreate it for Gene.  I hadn't yet drafted any patterns or sewed for Gene but I purchased a couple of Gene dolls off Ebay a while back just in case.  So I was excited about this project and I knew right away that the perfect fabric for it was the peace silk from Anne Georges.  Shirley chose this color but the fabric is so gorgeous, I wish I had ordered them all.  The full circle skirt and jacket are fully lined in silk habotai and the blouse is fully lined cream silk/cotton.  The skinny belt is faux leather.  I love how it turned out.  

Silver Satin and Lace Vintage for Tonner

 

I made this outfit again in a silver color to refine the pattern.  It's still Robert Kaufman Radiance silk/cotton satin.  The lace is some I picked up from Joann a long time ago and it has glitter spots on it so no need to bead.  This lace was also much easier to work with because it isn't as heavily embroidered.  I made the bodice a tad longer and widened the shoulders to make it easier to turn inside out.  I also added a little more fullness to the peplum pieces.  I'm happier with the fit now.  If I ever get around to getting proficient in Illustrator, I would turn this into a pattern for sale.  

The fabulous shoes are actual silver metal encrusted with rhinestones from Facets Boutique.  

Champagne Satin and Lace Vintage for Tonner

 

I haven't been very productive lately due to some health issues but this vintage-inspired outfit has been on my to-do list for a while.  I've had the lace for a long time but only recently found this Robert Kaufman silk/cotton Radiance satin fabric that matched it perfectly.  It's hard to find lace in small scales for doll fashions but although the scale of this lace is great, the flowers are rather heavily embroidered which made for some really bulky seams in places.  So that was the biggest challenge.  I made this in two pieces, skirt and top, to try to cut down on some of the bulk.  I tried small sequins on it but thought it was too much so instead I sewed tiny size 15 seed beads all over the bodice and I love that effect.  A tip I picked of from Tamara Casey of Designs by Jude was using Odif 505 temporary fabric adhesive to tack the lace and satin fabrics together before cutting out the pieces.  It's a great product.  You can iron it, there is no tacky feel and you never know it's there but it saves a ton of time not having to baste all those little pieces together.  I may make this in a slightly different version for the RTB-101 body as I have a another lace that's not quite as lumpy and already has sparkle in it.  I ordered a piece of Radiance in a silver color so we'll see how it goes.  

Linen and Liberty Tana Lawn Vintage Style for Tonner

 

I've made this reproduction of a vintage coat once before in silk.  This time I decided to make it in lightweight aqua linen and embellish it with floral appliques that were cut from a lace fabric and hand sewn to the coat with invisible thread.  The coat has one matching covered button and closes with a hook and thread loop closure if desired.  The coat is fully lined in silk habotai.  It's paired with a yellow drop waist sheath dress with bow detail in Liberty of London Tana lawn that is fully lined in silk/cotton.  The hat is cotton sateen and decorated with silk ribbon and "silk" flowers.  The bag is faux leather.  The lovely model is Anne Harper by Robert Tonner and the shoes are from Facets Boutique.