Pretty in Plaid

Way back when, I acquired some fat quarters from Michael's, including two of the same plaid. I was and still am enamored of Janet Arnold's Patterns of Fashion series, and I wanted to make something along the lines of a French sack gown.

This dress is nowhere near an exact replica, but I still am fond of the touches I added to it, such as the knee length matching skirt (just visible,) and the sleeve ruffles. Also, this material looks amazing.

Have a happy

Enjoy yourselves!

They certainly are.

Layers

I like historical costuming. To me its like a puzzle trying to figure out an aesthetic and recreating the look. I try to make my things on the side of authentic. That said, there are things I am lenient on. Fabrics that look good on a human does not always work for a doll. Reproduction materials are not always affordable. When it comes to the proper undergarments, my dolls don't wear very many.

The purpose of the shift is to keep sweat, oils and other bodily grime off of the good clothes. Dolls do not create these things, so I usually bypass this layer. Depending on the era, I don't do corsets either. Resin is not squishy, so corsets would fail to compress and lift.

I do use petticoats though. It effects the hang and fluffiness of the dress, and I enjoy decorating them. Here's an example:

I enjoy making pintucks, and adding ruffled eyelet adds stiffness and poof. Together, we have prettiness.

The Waif

This girl is Anthea. She was a character I created for a now long defunct online game. I liked the character enough and fit the theme of my other girls enough that I started looking for a mold that fit my image of her. Doll in Mind Marianne fit the closest.

Anthea is supposed to be a Victorian girl, though I am adamant that her hair be severely bobbed. This is because she is partially based off of this portrait of Bia Medici. I like bustle outfits on Anthea best, though I've made clothes from other eras for her as well. With her, the general rule is black, white, grey and in rare cases purple.

Big Girl

Linnea came at the same time as Yu Lian. Someone I know became interested in bjds and wanted one, to be co-owned with me. We agreed on the sculpt, and I thought of the name which she approved. She's named after the title character of Linnea in Monet's Garden. The name is Swedish for "twin flower."

It's embarrassing, but I was not prepared clothing wise for her. She spent her first few weeks wrapped in a bandanna. Fortunately, she has a gorgeous body sculpt. In this photo she's wearing one of the first outfits I made for her, in the Regency style from a scarf. Said scarf was gifted to me for the precise purpose of sewing something interesting from it.

Here she is in a similar dress. This too is made from a scarf, overlayed with lace material. She looks good in anything, though I prefer her in formal outfits or historical things.

And then...

There came Yu Lian. As the story of Rose and Lotus was about a pair of sisters, I started saving up to buy Yu Wei's other half.

Don't they look wonderful together? This was taken shortly after Yu Lian left her box. Yu Lian is modeling a sweater that I adapted for a pattern meant for American Girl dolls, and a sundress beneath that was a part of Yu Wei's initial wardrobe. Yu Wei meanwhile is showing off a Rococo inspired dress I made from a fat quarter. I'm rather pleased with how that dress turned out, it was one of my first self drafted creations, made from a body block I took off of Yu Wei.

Yu Lian is an old body Dream of Doll Tender Zen girl. Her name was chosen to match that of her sister and means "Jade Lotus."

In the beginning

This is my first girl and first love, Yu Wei, shortly after she emerged from her box. In this photo she is modeling one of the first bjd garments I made. Since I had no doll to work from while she was in transit, I found some measurements online and made a few things so that she wouldn't be naked. This blue thing is a T-tunic with sleeves made from rectangles and gussets rather than being set in. The neckline is trimmed with a chain of crochet made from some scrap yarn I had lying around. the tunic was made intentionally big, so that there would be at least one thing that could cover her up while I made better things.

In this picture she shows off another early dress that I made in the Regency style and trimmed with yet more crochet. Whenever I can, I make my own trim and embellishment, since I consider it fun (as long as I don't go overboard) and is cheaper than constant trips to the store.

Yu Wei is a Dream of Doll Twing-key in the old girl's body. Her name is Chinese for "Jade Rose," and is inspired by the Korean folktale "Rose and Lotus."

Introduction

Hello, I'm known online as Saraquill. I enjoy keeping my hands busy, and I sew, knit, crochet embroider and other things. Studying fashion is a huge hobby of mine, and I even wrote a major thesis regarding the impact of clothing in early American history.

My dolls are big recipients of the clothing I make, partially because it is easier to draft patterns on a small scale and partly because they take up less fabric than a human. I will introduce you to them one by one, and show you the things I made and am currently working on.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and please enjoy.