Challenge 4 - The Tonner Challenge

This sounds like a really difficult challenge, to take an oversized fabric and make it into a ball gown - without making your doll look like one of Mary Norton's Borrowers!

Well, actually once you drop your strict guidelines for making dolls clothes and let your imagination off the leash, there is no limit to the possibilities!
As I sat here in the work shop, and looked around at the many, many fabrics I had, it didn’t take long to realise I had NO large patterned fabrics.
What I did have however, was some very nice curtains!! (No not here in the workshop, couldn’t possibly sacrifice these curtains!)
There are so many possibilities when you start looking outside of your normal hunting grounds for fabric. I could have used a regency stripe fabric and hidden the contrasting panels in pleats which would give flashes of colour when the dress is in motion.

Or I could have used the pale blue Toile fabric from Laura Ashley contrasting with a solid blue fabric.
However, I decided on the chintzy floral patterned fabric as there were so many more options with it.

The contrast colours were my next decision. The rich gold, deep red or dusty green?
They all looked great but the red and the gold just highlighted the flowers in the matching colours, but when the dusty green is against the flowers it works like a background and really makes the flowers stand out. So the green has it! Also green is a very unusual colour for a ball gown.
Next decision, my oversize element, I did consider using buttons but then the Borrowers look would have been complete! ...No buttons!
The buckles looked like they could prove to be a challenge so I went with those. A simple slide buckle would have worked really well but would have been very simple. I chose the buckle with the prong just to give more detail and a controlling element to the free flowing lines of the dress.

I want to make the fabric really stand out and be what this dress is all about. I think there is a danger here of adding the fabric purely to fulfil the challenge and that would be a waste.
The pattern on the fabric is printed to look like bouquets of flowers. So I want to bring those flowers to life and make them real.
I had an idea and, before I did anything on this challenge, I wanted to see if my idea would work. So, the same day (would you believe) as we were given the challenge I tried out my idea.
I got my fabric and cut out several sprays of flowers, the delicate trails of rosebuds and the rows of forget-me-nots. I cut out a few of the larger individual flowers too. Then painted them in “Petal Porcelain” a glue like substance that sets hard, but can be molded to shape when still wet.
So, my poor old Tyler doll, carefully chosen for her “out of the way” hair do, was poised with a worried look on her face, whilst I glued and shaped all these flowers to her shoulders and back.

I stuck the narrow green ribbon on first with sticky tape, then painted the ribbons so that they would harden and give a definite “strap” for the dress.
The gluing was fun, very messy, very sticky, and thoroughly recommended!
Each strip of flowers was laid out flat and both sides were painted, then they were stuck to the doll following the line of the ribbon. The leaves and flowers could be curled up and shaped to give it a bit more life. Flowers were curled around the end of a pen, into cup shapes, and then stuck to the doll.

If you are thinking of doing this yourself, I’d give you this advice, tie your hair up first! Absent-mindedly tucking it behind your ears whilst your hands are blathered in gloop, is not a good idea.

...And, don’t wear the jeans that you just bought yesterday, absent-mindedly wiping your hands down your legs doesn’t work either!

So, anyway, I lock up the workshop, go to bed and have visions of flowers dropping off the doll, wilting and sticking in a big clump to the work surface!

...Or the whole thing just sliding off into a big gloopy mess!

Next morning with more than a little trepidation, I opened up the workshop, and there she was! Exactly as I had left her! The glue had dried from white to clear, all the flowers were there as I had left them, all hard and set solid!
Beautiful!!

...But will it come of the doll??
Of course! You just have to move it a little at a time and the whole thing snaps away. It came off in two separate shoulder pieces which just needed all the little frayed edges trimming away and they were done.
So that bit worked, I could now get on with it!!

The dress I wanted to be big, very big, to cater for such a large pattern and try to keep all the scale in the right proportions.
I wanted the top to be small and tight so it doesn’t detract from the flowers round the shoulders. It all looks very sweet and innocent so I went with a sweetheart neckline on the bodice. The bodice is fully lined and every seam, inside and out, is top stitched to give it rigidity and a corset kind of look.
The skirt I wanted to be massive, the front section had to be big to try and get in as much of the pattern as I could and I also wanted to place the pattern so that I had a spray of rosebuds trailing up the front. To balance this the back of the dress also had to be big. This could cause problems as the skirt is cotton, lined with white cotton and if you gather it too much you’ll get bulk. So the skirt is almost circular to keep the fullness away from the waist and the waist is pleated rather than gathered. The back is fastened with hooks and eyes.

My oversized element of the buckle and side panels was next. I wanted the flowers sprays to dwindle away towards the buckle so that the buckle fell over almost plain areas of the fabric, so the pieces had to be carefully placed before cutting. These side panels are also lined with white cotton fabric. The panels were sewn into the side seams of the dress and gathered into the buckle. The buckle is sewn to the dress and metal eyelets inserted into the fabric to cater for the buckle.
Sewing the flower sprays on was very satisfying and the bit I had waited for! In fact I was so eager to get the flower sprays on, I had worked all through the day and long into the night, falling asleep over the sewing machine - which hurts! Sewing machines are NOT designed for sleeping on!!
Anyway, flowers! I pinned them first, to make sure they were on the right sides and that everything still fitted the doll perfectly. Stitching them to the bodice where they touched.

Next day, I e-mailed Ted to tell him the dress was done, only to find my buckle had to be made of cotton!! Oh! Right, well, hmm, I will just have to cover it!
So the buckle came off again, it was dismantled and each element of the buckle was covered in the green cotton fabric. This was ok, and the buckle was starting to look really good but, the eyelets now were too small due to the extra fabric going through them. So, out came the eyelets and bigger ones put in.

Still, the eyelets are too small! The next size up eyelets are REALLY big ones, but they might work and I would be truly embracing the oversized issue??!!
...But they were brass!

Not good, so out came the paint pots and I mixed up a colour as close as I could get to the green of the dress. The brass had to be sanded down before painting so that the paint would adhere. It would have been a good idea to do this before attaching them to the dress, but hey, you live and learn!
The eyelets painted, the buckle put back together again and the dress is done.
I have to admit the buckle does look better covered, it now becomes part of the dress - a happy accident? ...No, I planned it all along of course! ;o)

As a finishing touch and more for my own satisfaction than anything else, I wanted to make shoes to go with the outfit. Having seen the boots on the Ellowyne Wilde “Tatters” doll, I decided this fabric would look great on boots like those.
I have seen Dr Marten boots made in fabric similar to these and they looked great, unfortunately ball gowns and Dr Martens are not a graceful mix!
So high heeled boots it is!

And that’s it! My oversized (- overgrown, more like!) ball gown!

Challenge 3 - Silkstone Barbie

Well, Little Black Dress, sounds easy doesn’t it?

…Erm no!! This challenge was going to be difficult for me right from the start, I haven’t really dressed Barbie dolls before, it is no secret! The Silkstone Barbie is completely new to me.
The designs for this challenge seemed straight forward. I initially decided to do a cocktail length, fishtail, strappy dress with a hat that was really going to make a statement. My “Plus One” colour was going to be Hot Pink, Barbie Pink, of course!

I decided to use black chiffon and line it to keep everything neat. I made up the dress in panels with the flared skirt edging the hem, but when I put it on the doll decided the length wasn’t right, it was too short to be a cocktail dress, the flare of the skirt started just above the knee and the hem fell just below, which would have been fine but it lost the hourglass shape of the dress. I remade the dress, making the flare shorter and the actual dress longer. The dress is fully lined and zips up the back.

Then on to the hat. Had to have a hat! Isabella Blow inspired me on this point, she sadly died on the 7th May, but was fabulously eccentric and loved her hats! I wanted mine to really make a bold statement. I made the shape of the basic hat in a kind of toreador fashion. I lined the underneath with gathered tulle to reflect the underskirts. The feathers were trimmed to shape and attached to the hat.Very dramatic but the whole thing started to argue with itself, the dress and the hat clamoring for attention. It wasn’t working together at all.

Back to the drawing board, literally!

Ok, day 4 of the challenge and time is getting on. I really had to get to know the doll as inspiration wasn’t coming from any where else.

The Silkstone Barbie’s have incredibly dramatic eyes, they demand the very height of fashion, they look like they only mix in the most exclusive circles. Very high society. So whatever I do for her it has to be very classy. The doll also has the archetypal Barbie figure which can only be emphasised. I liked the off the shoulder look but didn’t want a soft look, I want bold and dramatic. The Hot Pink “Plus One” colour had to go really, the Silkstone Barbie is not like the conventional Barbie and she didn’t look like she appreciated the connection. This was where I considered the green, I thought if the doll had green eyes, it could look really great. Or blue? Blue eyes?

No I want drama! I want red! Blood Red!!

If this dress was for a real size person, I would want it to be black velvet, but this just wouldn’t work on a Barbie sized dress! This fabric is great for a Barbie, on her it looks like scaled down velvet and would work really well.

I kept the lines straight and the neckline plunges in a very sharp point. The neckline is lined in red tulle to keep bulk to a minimum and just give it a little touch of something different. The skirt I wanted to keep very simple, straight and fitted. The sleeves are ¾ length, to balance the cocktail length of the skirt. The skirt has darts in the front and back to keep the shape close to the doll also there are bust darts in the front of the dress to keep it tightly fitted. The dress fastens up the back with a zip.

I added a tiny red satin ribbon belt with the smallest buckle ever. This was originally silver but was painted black to match the outfit. When it was on the work surface I had to draw a circle round it so it didn’t get lost! Knowing my luck I would find it a week later stuck to the back of some paper!!
The belt breaks up the blackness of the dress and emphasises the waist.

Then on to the jewellery making. This is the job I really put off, I haven’t made much in the jewellery line before and really didn’t think I would be doing more than stringing a few beads together! But, I know most of the other designers are expert Barbie designers, so I had to pull out all the stops. Out came the pliers and the black wire and lots of little crystal beads. The tiny black crosses I “acquired” from some life size jewellery. I started off making the necklace with the black beads but it just didn’t look right so went with the red. I wanted the necklace to follow the plunging neckline of the dress but I also wanted it to follow the neck round, so the beads went round the neck and the cross pendant dropped into the neckline. Earrings were made to match.

I still wanted a dramatic looking hat but had to make sure that it worked with the outfit and didn’t overshadow everything else!

I kept it quite simple, with the veiled look, and added the lovely red and black feathers.



The handbag was made to match the dress and the jewellery and ties the two together. The handle was made from jewellery findings and the red crystal beads. The front of the bag is trimmed with beads and a tiny black crucifix.

Shoes, well, I found a perfect pair of tiny black court shoes.

I was originally very happy with them as they were, but when you put the whole outfit together there is a distinct lack of red on the lower half of the outfit.

I didn’t want to add bows or buckles or flowers as it just wouldn’t go with the outfit.

So I decided to paint the shoes in the blood red colour. Everyone loves red shoes and these look great!

They are tiny and very difficult if not impossible to hold whist painting, so I stuck them with blu-tack to the ends of a couple of pens!

This made things so much easier!

The picture shows them after their first coat of paint (the edges are a bit rough at this stage!)

The shoes were given two coats and a tiny crucifix painted on the backs just to go with the rest of the outfit.

Well, that’s it done, finally!

I am really pleased with this outfit, it seems to really reflect the Silkstone’s personality, a true Vamp, she looks like she could eat you alive!