Trip Through History via Fashion

All anyone seems to be able to talk about right now is navigating these unprecedented times.  

Instead of providing opinions on how that might work, I thought it would be more fun to take a trip through history using fashion. 

This trip will include looks from the middle ages to the Gibson Girl.  And to keep it interesting,  the posts will be in a random order as opposed to following a timeline. 

Distract yourself from the pandemic and enjoy the #Ellie'sStyle history trip.

Ellie's Tulip Dress and Shrug

At a time when everyone is "so over winter" but its not spring yet, the Dolls at Heart Designs pattern Tulip Dress and Shrug published on #PixieFaire.

When this pattern entered the test group, it caught my eye as it is so cute for the days when its almost warm enough to wear a skirt, but not quite spring weather.

This pattern features a shrug that crisscrosses in the front and fastens with a button on the side.  The shrug is made of fleece.  I went with the option to not finish the edges as I was snowed in and did not have the supplies for variation with finished edges in a color that went with the outfit.

The dress has a pleated skirt and a scalloped neckline.  The pleats could be complicated for a beginning seamstress, but the directions were easy to follow. 

The look fit both my #OurGenerationGirl and my #AmericanGirlDoll.   However, the fit was too big on my #JourneyGirl, it was too wide across her shoulders.

Interested in seeing how #AmericanGirlDoll Ellie modeling the look?  Check out SewDolledUp.blogspot.com.

Interested in this look for your 18 Inch doll?  Find the pattern on #PixieFaire.

Rachel's Christmas Dress

Inspired by a flower girl dress I saw recently, I began to create the Amalie pattern by #Ellie'sStyle.

The Amalie dress features an empire waist and a pleated skirt.  I really like the way the pleating through the waist gives the look a retro feel.

For Rachel's Christmas dress, I used a shimmery green fabric to construct the dress and the short skirt version.

Interested in seeing how it turned out?  Check out SewDolledUp.blogspot.com.

Allie's Camila Dress

In preparation for testing a pattern for the slim waist 18 Inch doll, such as Allie (#JourneyGirl Kayla), I pulled out my Camila Dress pattern by #Dolls@Heart on #PixieFaire. 

This time I cut out the pattern following the small waist lines in a green fabric with white flowers.

The Camila dress is a regency style which features ruffles at the neck and hem. 

To minimize the contrast of my ribbon above the ruffles, I chose a white organza ribbon.  This pulls out the white in the dress without being the focal point of the entire look. 

The sleeves are also trimmed with a white lace. 

This pattern has cutting lines for both the #AmericanGirlDoll and the smaller waisted #JourneyGirl doll. 

Interested in seeing how this look turned out?  Watch for it on SewDolledUp.blogspot.com.

Think you might be interested in the pattern?  Find it on #PixieFaire.

Rachel's Young Martha Washington Robe Battante

And now for the culmination of #AmericanGirlDoll Rachel's journey to dress as a colonial girl, the Young Martha Washington dress from pattern by Thimbles and Acorns on #PixieFaire.

I started with the adjustable pannier petticoat in a cotton print.  The petticoat is rated confident beginner.  On each side of the petticoat is an opening for accessing the hidden pockets inside the panniers.

I also cut the Stomacher out using the same cotton print.  It went together simply and has six snaps sewn to it so that it could fasten to the inner bodice.

And the most complicated for the finale.  The Robe Battante pattern is rated intermediate.  It features a series of pleats extending down the back and hangs open in the front to expose the stomacher and petticoat.  The pattern features pleating under the sleeves which hides the side seam pocket access.

Interested in seeing how #AmericanGirlDoll Rachel appears as a colonial girl? Check out SewDolledUp.blogspot.com.

Interested in this look for your #AmericanGirlDoll or other 18 inch doll?  Find all three patterns on #PixieFaire.

Alicia's Petals and Pleats

While scoping out the new patterns on #PixieFaire, I saw the Petals n Pleats pattern from Fashioned by Rebecca. This 1930s style dress has a pleated front and back with contrasting cuffs and collar.   

For making the dress, I picked a green fabric with white flowers and a white eyelet.  The pattern calls for a half yard of fabric for the main dress,  a 10" by 15" piece of scrap fabric, a 7" invisible zipper, and 12" of contrasting ribbon.  I chose to leave the ribbon off.

One option in the creation of the dress is using a contrasting thread at the yoke and the top of the pleats.  I did not use the contrasting thread. However, the next time I make this pattern, I plan to as it adds a little more interest to the look.

This pattern fits most 18" dolls.  For the pictures, Alicia (#JourneyGirl Kayla) is modeling the dress.  On her it is a little looser than it would be on a #AmericanGirlDoll.

If you're scared off by the invisible zipper, the pattern also works with velcro, buttons or snaps down the back. 

Does this look sound interesting to you for your 18" doll?  Get the pattern on #PixieFaire.

Want to see how it looks on Alicia first?  Check out SewDolledUp.blogspot.com.

Rachel's Lazy Daze Christmas in July

And in another Christmas project, the Lazy Days Dress by Just 4 Us Dolls on Pixie Faire. 

Once again I used a combination of red polka dot fabric and #Christmas fabric, only this time I used the polka dot fabric as the primary fabric and the Christmas fabric as the accent fabric.

This dress has a fun zig zag design in the front.

Not that the long wait for the pattern to publish,  Rachel is celebrating Christmas in July.   Want to see how Rachel looks in the dress? Check out SewDolledUp.blogspot.com.

Want to make it for your doll?  Get the pattern on #PixieFaire.

Meggan's Nutcracker PJs

Another order for #WellieWisher pajamas came in.  Once again I chose the #CrabapplesBotique Pajama Party pattern from #PixieFaire.

This time I chose a printed fabric that makes me think of the Gingerbread Town in the Nutcracker and I paired it with a solid green fabric. 

Want to see how this look turned out? Check out SewDolledUp.blogspot.com.

Want to make the pjs for your dolls? Get the pattern on #PixieFaire.

Plaid Christmas Pajamas

I received an order to make pajamas for #AmericanGirlDoll Logan as a granddaughter was getting him for #Christmas.  While once upon a time I had the #OurGenerationGirl boy doll, he got lost in one of my last moves.  So this would be my first foray into making boy clothes in years. 

Fortunately, Logan wears the same size as the #AmericanGirlDoll and I have a plethora of patterns in this size.  And one of them was Simplicity 5276.  After doing some research, I discovered that view F would work with one pocket on the left and in a masculine fabric. I chose a red and green plaid for the fabric.

I finished the look with red buttons that are just for appearance, though, as there are snaps underneath each button.  

Anna offered to model the pajamas for the pictures. 

Want to see how they look on Anna?  Check out SewDolledUp.blogspot.com.

Want to make the look for your doll?  Check out the pattern at #Simplicity.

Laura's Lilibet Christmas Dress

In a move to accomplish two goals, I chose to use this year's Christmas fabric to test the new Lilibet Dress Pattern by Sweet Pea Fashions on Pixie Faire.

I chose the short sleeve option using two different fabrics to give a faux jacket look.  For the main fabric, I used this year's Christmas fabric.  Then I chose a red polka dot fabric for the accent fabric.  Instead of using lace along the edge of the curved seam, I chose to use red piping.

As I put the piping along the edge of the curved seam on the red fabric, I got the fun of fighting tension issues on my sewing machine.  I stuck it out and finished the dress.

Laura volunteered to model the look.

Want to see how it turned out? Check out SewDolledUp.blogspot.com.

Want to try out the pattern yourself?  Get it from #PixieFaire.

Anna's Christmas Snowflake Top

Anna was checking out all the new patterns from the Simplicity sale and decided she really like the style of the view D dress from Simplicity 8282.

So we cut the view D dress out and put it together using all snowflake print fabric with a silver ribbon tie.

Once we had it all together, Anna felt the look was too fussy for her and wanted it as a top instead.  So we cut off the ruffle and then re-hemmed. Then we added 1/8th inch silver ribbon at the yoke seam.

Paired with her jeans, Anna felt the top was a much better fit for her personality and body shape.

Anna also posed in front of the Cozy Christmas Scene from #AmericanGirlDoll.

Want to see the pictures?  Check out SewDolledUp.blogspot.com and Flickr.
 

Laura's Christmas Snowflake Dress

With a mere 40 days left until Christmas, we have picked a snowflake print fabric for everyone's Christmas looks.

Laura was the first to have her look completed.  She chose the Clarisse's Closet Keyhole dress mini skirt view pattern from #PixieFaire.

The main dress (from the keyhole down) was cut from the snowflake fabric.  Then the yoke above the keyhole was cut from red chiffon.  The look received its sparkle accent with a silver ribbon belt.

And apparently Laura was thinking Christmas in a warm climate, as she insisted on leaving the dress sleeveless.

For taking this years pictures, we got the Christmas background from the #AmericanGirlDoll store.

Want to see pictures? Check out how the look turned out at SewDolledUp.blogspot.com or Flickr.

Want to make the look yourself? Download the pattern from #PixieFaire.

Owl Pajamas

Afrer hitting a recent Simplicity pattern sale, Ellie decided she needed new pajamas.  So she picked out an owl print fat quarter and then some coordinating fabric and bias tape.

The pants were a crop pant style with side slits made from the owl print fabric.  The pants have an elastic waist.

The main fabric of the top is also the owl print.  The top has a blue band mimicing a second layer underneath.  The top is trimmed with a pink bias tape.

Check out this look at SewDolledUp.blogspot.com.

Flowered UK Holiday Top

To go with her new coat, we decided to make Kaylie the #LibertyJaneCompany UK Holiday Top and leggings.

The the top was cut from a fat quarter with a large flower design, despite the pattern being for knits as we didn't have a cute knit print available.  The neckline, sleeves and waist have elastic.  Our top ended up blousing over the elastic casing.

The leggings were cut from a red tank top we found on clearance.

For pictures of #AmericanGirlDoll Ellie modeling this look, check out SewDolledUp.blogspot.com and Flickr.

To get the pattern, check out #PixieFaire.

Peach Keyhole Dress

As a change of pace from all the 14 inch doll clothes, I decided to try out the Keyhole Dress by #ClarissesCloset on #PixieFaire.

The dress features a keyhole opening between the yoke and the bodice.  For this look, I chose the mini skirt version.

I used a solid peach  cotton for the yoke and a print for the remainder of the skirt.  The entire look could be cut from a single fat quarter if desired.

I gathered the front bodice to 4 inches instead of the 6 in the instructions so it was a better fit for Alicia (#JourneyGirl Kayla).  To keep the gathers from stretching as I sewed I placed a pin on the wrong side of the fabric at each end of the gathers and wrapped my gathering threads around the pin.  This held the gather to my specific measurement eliminating the risk of the area stretching wider.

After the skirt was gathered to the bodice, I used a silver ribbon to create the look of a belt and add a hint of sparkle.

For the photos Alicia and I went out to the Monarch Cafe and she posed in front of the asters.

Chefk out SewDolledUp.blogspot.com and Flickr for pictures of this look.

May Flowers and Butterflies

Recently #WrenFeathers published a pattern on her blog for April's May Flowers dress designed for the #OurGenerationGirl dolls. 

I decided to give it a try.  So I chose a fat quarter with both flowers and butterflies on it.  After all it is still May and thus Butterfly Month although I may continue the them into June as I still have a few butterfly looks in the works that haven't gotten complete yet.  I was able to get the entire look from a single fat quarter, except that my skirt was only 22 inches wide instead of 31 like the pattern called for.

Although the pattern was designed for the larger #OurGenerationGirl dolls, with a few minor adjustments to the side seams and increasing the back overlap, I created a cute look for Alicia, my #JourneyGirl doll.

Watch Flickr and SewDolledUp.blogspot.com for pictures of this look.

Check out the Wren Feathers blog for this pattern.