Nautical Aesthetic

 Tucked away, under the gangway for the Ticonderoga, I spotted some old nautical rope, and had to snap a couple more pictures of Gus, posing with it. 😆🚢⚓️🪢

Shoutout to @dollsonthebrain and @play_house_with_peter for putting up with me scampering off down there. 😂

 

The Ticonderoga!

Ahoy there! Gus has his bucket hat on to shield him from the sun, and is ready for a tour of the steam-powered lake boat: Ticonderoga! 🚢⚓️🐟

Summer Storms

There’s a lot of flooding up here in New England right now. Thankfully, Gus and his friends are high and dry, but the amount of destruction in the surrounding towns is concerning. Hoping everybody stays safe!
🌊🪵⚠️

 

Cover Boy

Gus’ cousin, Lucian, has landed on the cover of a magazine, for the first time! This is a very big deal in any fashion model’s career, but he’s trying to keep his cool about it. 😎Congratulations Lucian, on being selected as a cover boy! And, a huge thank you to @lilybearcreates, for featuring both Gus, and Lucian, in the April edition of New Doll Times Magazine; her printable, doll-sized publication! It is such an honor!

📖📚🪑🐚

 

Another Greek Party!

Gus, and his little cousin, Lucian, have landed in Greece, to wish @pepper_dollcrafts a very Happy Birthday!! 🥳 We hope you have a Truly Fabulous Birthday Weekend!! Thank you for being such a delightful part of the #dollstagram community!! 🇬🇷🌊🐬🌿🏺

 

Nautical Editorial

Gus poses in a nautical look, for the latest edition of #dollslifemagazine. I think this is a really fun and colorful edition! You can read the whole magazine at the link in @adrian.dollslife’s bio! 📖☕️⚓️

A huge thank you, to my good buddy, @adrian.dollslife, for assembling this lovely periodical for our doll community, each quarter! You are amazing!!!
And, also thank you to the talented @veryimportantbarbiestuff, for your awesome interview about Rex! I love seeing his smiling face in the magazine! 😄🦖

 

Nautical Style

Happy Saturday! Gus is taking a walk on the nautical side, in his stripy @casablancabrand inspired rugby sweater, made from a sock. 🧦😄
🌊⛵️🦪🐚

Dressed for the Day

Gus is ready for heavy thundershowers and very high temps. The forecast says we’re expecting plenty of both, but I’m hoping the rain cools things off soon!! 

Gus on the Docks

 Gus is coiling some lines on the shore, for the #adriandollslifekenchallenge. The photo theme, this month, is “Beach bum Ken.” Granted, Gus, here, is a little more boat-bum than beach-bum, but he’s still all about those exhilarating briny breezes, the musical cry of the gulls, and the bits of froth sparkling on rushing waves!

 

Merman Gus is Back!

For the Instagram #mermay theme, merman Gus is back, hanging onto on the boom of his yacht, as it charges over the choppy waves! I’ve made a sewing pattern for his tail, which can be purchased here. 

 

Lucian Joins #Mermay

Lucian is joining in #mermay with an early morning walk by the shore in his pair of merman swim trunks.

 

A #Dollstagram Sewing Challenge

Last month, @pikespeakdoll and @barbieblast59 announced the #repurposedclothesfordolls sewing challenge, to inspire people to find out just how many doll-sized items they could craft from one piece of full-scale clothing! So, back in February, I decided to give it a go, and see how many Tiny Apparel sewing patterns I could fit on the mate to the little sock that Gus is modeling here. I will be sharing the results tomorrow!

And, here is what I made for the #repurposedclothesfordolls sewing challenge, hosted by @pikespeakdoll and @barbieblast59 ! Gus’ beanie, long sleeve polo, and the trim and cuffs of the jacket are all made from one stripy sock! Fitting them in, was like assembling a jigsaw puzzle. The last pic shows how much material was left over at the end! The sewing patterns that I used as starting points for these projects can be found here. Thank you so much, @pikespeakdoll and @barbieblast59, for creating such a fun and inspiring sewing challenge!

An Aran Sock Sweater

Gus, here, is feeling cozy enough to take on the wildest nor’easter, in his new sweater! I’ve been wanting to make an Aran style fisherman’s sweater for a long time, and I finally found a perfect sock to use.

I had a small scrap left over from the sock that I used for Gus’s sweater, so, Sinatra got a tiny, beagle-sized Aran sweater of his own. Now Gus and his pup can match.

An Adventure Novel

Gus is ensconced in his favorite chair, fully absorbed in a tale of adventure on the high seas! A good book can take your imagination to far off times and places, all from the comfort of a cozy armchair.

July Editorial

Miniature photographer, @adrian.dollslife, has created a virtual doll magazine, that he is publishing on instagram! It includes interviews with various miniature craftspeople, artists and photographers on the platform, as well as travel articles, and interviews from their dolls. He asked me to create a short piece on menswear trends for his debut issue! What an honor! I feel like a very lucky doll tailor! Here is Gus' (and my) first real, published, fashion editorial for a magazine! Creating it was so exciting! I kept it short and simple, with large text for easy reading on a phone. You can see the whole virtual publication here. 

Fabulous Flamingos

Here is Gus, modeling a pair of bespoke swim trunks, designed especially for fellow miniature enthusiast and Ken doll collector, @stovallthedoll! I hand painted each piece of the garment with a flock of wading flamingos, before carefully stitching them together, and lightly working the fabric to soften the acrylic paint. These shorts are inspired by clever @bayahibe.swimwear designs, featuring rows of birds, boats, or buses, across the hip. Below, you can see some behind-the-scenes photos of the shorts in progress.

Here are a couple of fun flamingo facts: did you know that flamingos get their vibrant pink color from the small crustaceans and algae that they eat? Also, A recent study by University of Exeter confirmed that flamingos form long lasting bonds with their friends and family, creating small communities of birds within their larger flocks.

Merman Swimwear

Miniature photographer, @adrian.dollslife, requested a pair of merman swim trunks, and luckily I had just enough material left from my quarter yard of sea-creature fabric, to make them. Since Adrian has more muscular proportions than Gus, Lucian gets to be the swimsuit model here, for these fun shorts!

Merman Fins

For the whole month of May, instagram has an ongoing mermaid theme. The concept was started, a couple of years ago, by a group of cartoonists and illustrators. Now #mermay has taken off, and artists and craftspeople of all kinds are participating in the sub-aquatic theme.  

I kicked off my #mermay themed posts, with a photo of Lucian in his merman swimming trunks. Right away, several requests cam in for merman trunks. I only had enough fabric for a couple pairs, so they are very limited editions. I will have to keep my eyes open for more merman fabric - or maybe custom print some of my own for next year. 

A friend on wanted to make a custom merman doll for #mermay, and asked for tips for making a tail. There aren't many 1:6 scale merman tail sewing patterns out there, so I got inspired, and decided to make a pattern for the etsy shop. 

The finished tail, before decoration, and my color reference betta fish. 

Looking through my scrap box, I found a piece of translucent crinkled synthetic gauze material, and thought it would be perfect for some betta-type fins. With blue spandex for the tail, and a little glitter and paint to decorate the fins, I got to work designing a pattern.

Below, is the finished tail, It is probably one of the most whimsical things I have designed yet, and Gus, here, is modeling it with maximum drama!

Here is another view of Gus, chilling in his merman tail and a 2020 @casablancabrand menswear inspired look; complete with a bucket hat and pearls.

The Slicker Project

A lovely instagram follower requested a bespoke yellow slicker from the etsy shop, to help complete the wardrobe for a 1:6 scale fisherman doll that she was making. She was very helpful, and sent the image below, for reference.

Finding a thin yellow vinyl textile, that could be ordered in small amounts, proved rather difficult. Most of the material that I found, was sold out of large fabric warehouses with 2-20 yard minimum orders! Finally, it occurred to me, that I could repurpose something that was made from the right material. I ordered a yellow sou'wester hat, deconstructed it, and re-crafted it into the garment below. There was just enough material, with only a couple small scraps left over.

Lucian acted as the fitting model for the slicker. Here he is, trying it on: