Madeline And Finishing Projects

A week of sewing Pin-tucks for Madeline and her petticoat is finally done and fitted.

I've also managed to add a pretty piece of silk mousseline around her shoulders before I fitted her gown sleeves and bodice.

I just love this Liberty Tana Lawn fabric I'm using for her Betgwn gown. The colours are strong and well matched, and the fabric is so fine and soft that I can finally see why Liberty fabrics are so expensive. I've always thought before that they weren't worth the money, but I was wrong. The weave of it is very fine and almost feels like silk. And I already have my eye on the next piece I want to buy for a future doll :)

As you can see here the rows of pin-tucks on her petticoat / under-skirt are grouped together so that the number decreases the further up the skirt they go. The Betgwn skirts will be split at the front and slightly at the back so that  a part of this under-skirt will show underneath. They do take a while to sew when you do things by hand. But the effect is just what I wanted for my Madeline.

I added a tiny cuff to the sleeves of Madeline's gown to try and tie the colours together and make them look like all part of one outfit. As well as adding a tiny border at the top of her bodice.

I'm hoping tomorrow to get more done to her outfit once I've done some more work to get some of my poor unfinished dolls ready for the world.
I still need to finish off my poor Storyteller and add the final detail to her outfit and make her her beloved books so that she's ready to go out and tell her tales to any that want to listen to them. And I've also got my little Welsh lady Gwyneth to sort out as well. After months of waiting for her fabric I've had confirmation that it should be here very soon, and I'm really looking forward to getting her all dressed up with her hat and shawl in place.

One of the dolls I have finished is my Siouxsie Banshee, ready to go on her travels to Caron.

I really enjoyed making this outfit and will be planning another kimono once I can gather together the fabrics that I'll need and decide which of the lovely ladies I've read about I'll be making.

I wasn't too sure how the bright red would work with such a strong blue for her eyes, but I thing it adds a strength to her: a fierce determination to succeed and do what was in her heart.

My Katrina, influenced by the Step-Mother character of Sleepy Hollow, and made by custom request for Ashley is also all done as far as I can work on her. And now we are only waiting on the delivery of her crochet wire headpiece to match the full sized one Ashley has made for his fashion collection and made by my lovely friend Linda to see her all finished and ready to travel to Ashley.

I'm in love with Katrina and she's not left her place on display in my living room since she's been dressed, and I'm planning to keep her there for as long as I can :) Or at least until the mask arrives and she finally has to leave me.

It was a complicated dress to make, but I managed to find the most perfect ivory silk taffeta and black net lace that I layered together to make the layers of her gown. There are thousands of tint silver and black seed beads sewn in veins over her skirts and bodice, and over a thousand tiny crystals attached to give her sparkle and make her look glamorous.

I hope your all having a lovely weekend out there. And I hope I'll have lots more to show you this time next week :)
xxx