Romping

The fantastic miniature instagrammer @thelifeofstovall ordered a bespoke jumpsuit for Stovall's friend, Cody. One of Cody's passions is gardening, so a serviceable yet stylish coverall is right up his ally. Initially, the order was for an olive green number with solid pink accents, inspired a @romperjack design. However, after looking at more pieces from Romper Jack, I realized that I had a floral cotton that was very similar to one of their accent fabrics.

 My customer agreed that the pink floral would be a fun touch, and I set to work, creating the jumpsuit. Jumpsuits are complex little things, with all the components of a button-down shirt, and a pair of chinos. Not only was this project my first jumpsuit, but it was also my first time making real, functional belt-loops. I am very pleased with how it all turned out!

The inspirations behind Gus' headgear are the beautiful floral wreathes from last summer's Dolce & Gabbana Alta Sartoria show. When I first saw that show, I couldn't help thinking that Gus might look pretty neat with some flowers and foliage on his head too, and now, with a little help from a My Froggy Stuff tutorial, he has some to wear.

I am very grateful to @stovallthedoll for requesting this piece. It was a truly delightful project, and I definitely want to make more jumpsuits in the future.

Dolce & Gabbana Poncho

This cozy 1:6 scale poncho is a bespoke piece that I made for another wonderful miniature enthusiast on instagram; @noodlemore.  The inspiration behind the poncho is a garment from the Dolce & Gabbana Fall 2016 menswear collection which was presented in one of my all-time favorite D & G runway shows! I had so much fun with this project, and am quite happy with the result.

The main part of this piece is made from a soft printed 100% cotton flannel with a Trompe l'oeil effect, giving the impression of a thick woolen weave. My favorite quilt store was fresh out of gray herringbone, but luckily I had just enough left from other projects, to make the trim.

Here is Gus, modeling the poncho with the hood on. The original poncho was presented on a Wild West themed catwalk, so Gus, here, is doing his best to look like he's out of an old western.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

Wishing You a Wonderful and Fabulous 2020!

Gus and Lucian are ringing in the new year with a cousin's night out! They are not the most graceful dancers, but what they lack in skill, they more than make up for in enthusiasm!

Merry Christmas!

We wish you all the best, on this beautiful Christmas Day!

Gus has spent the past weeks shopping, trimming his tree, and writing Christmas cards to all his freinds. His tailer has spent this month, frantically crafting in every spare moment. Its wonderful to have this day, now, to relax with freinds and family, and enjoy the beauty of the season. 

Loafers

A long time ago, I made a few pairs of paper loafers for Gus to wear. Now, I finally got around to converting the templates from those loafers into a printable pattern, which can be downloaded from my etsy shop!

The pattern includes instructions for Belgian loafers, penny loafers, and loafers with entwining straps across the vamp plug.

 Here are the paper loafers before decoration.

I made a few extra pairs of shoes, including horse-bit loafers, and put them on etsy too.
















Here is Gus, trying on all the new styles.

 

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!

We're in the middle of a blizzard, but Gus and Lucian here, are headed to their family's Thanksgiving dinner with homemade pumpkin bread and apple pie in tow! They know that some of their more distant relations will be brimming with curiosity, wanting to hear the inside scoop of what's it's really like being a model, and they are bracing themselves for all the questions!

A Bespoke Top Coat

Remember the gift card that I gave @stovallthedoll for his Birthday party? He used it to request a miniature version of this beautiful camel colored top coat from Old Navy. 

I went to my favorite fabric shop, and picked up a quarter yard of this camel colored cotton flannel. I think the color-match was pretty close.

I drafted a pattern, using Gus as a fitting modal, since he and Stovall are approximately the same size. I cut out the pieces, and stitched them together by hand. The coat would be worn as a layer, so I only finished the interior seams, leaving the edges in the sleeves raw, to cut down on bulk.

Next came the fittings. Here, Gus wears the coat inside-out, while I mark the hemlines and lapels with pins.

Here, with the coat hemmed and right-side-out, I mark the button placement.

Luckily the coat didn't need too many alterations after I stitched it together. That has not always been the case.

For the front closure, I used miniature plastic buttons, and for the kissing buttons on the cuffs, I used glass seed beads. Since the coat was worn open in the reference photos, I didn't add any functional fasteners to the front.

I embroidered the Tiny Apparel "TA" on the inside of the collar.

 

Viola! The coat is finished!

It's a Blizzard!

This week, we've had wild snow storms, and 11 °F wind chills! Perfect weather for hanging out indoors and crafting!

A Birthday Party

An incredibly awesome miniature instagramer, @thelifeofstovall, invited Gus and Lucian to his birthday party. This was my very first invitation to one of instagram's miniature parties; events which have a lot in common with model horse photo shows, but without the competition, and with a lot more socializing.

Gus and Lucian would need some new togs, fit for the birthday party of a well-respected 1:6 scale instagramer, and which could hold up to the scrutiny of what might possibly be hundreds of virtual party guests! The pressure was on.

When I think of party fashion, one of the first houses that comes to my mind is Dolce and Gabbana. I decided to take inspiration from a few delightfully sparkly looks from their Fall 2019 collection.

For Gus' outfit, I created a glittering gray sweater, fashioned after the one on the left. Dark denim added a casual touch to his ensemble, but his' Louboutin-inspired red-bottom Dandelions, bangle bracelets, and silver chain necklace said "Party" all over them! 

For Lucian's outfit, I went all out, with gold acanthus pants, and an oversize cotton hoodie, decorated with applique, beadwork, and metallic gold embroidery. I embroidered a white hare on the front; a nod to Lucian's albinism, and embellished it with glass pearls.   

Here they are: All ready to join the fun! Happy Birthday Stovall!

It looks like Sinatra the Beagle tagged along as well! 

I had so much fun preparing my photo for the party, I wanted the birthday boy to have an actual gift as well. So, Gus and Lucian "brought" a gift certificate with them to the event.

Teddy Bears

A friend on Instagram posted about loving Teddy bears, no matter how old you are. I was inspired! I am  extremely fond of Teddy bears. In fact, the first miniature menswear that I ever made, I created for my two up-cycled sweater bears: the Angora brothers. 

I thought Gus needed a tiny bear of his own. One that he could carry with him in his bag.

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:

An Apple for Barry

Good friends come in all shapes and sizes. Here is Gus, spending some quality time with Barry, the hackney pony. Barry's halter can be found at The Sandy Horse: a tack shop for model equines. 

Gus is feeding Barry a real crab apple, from a tree in my neighborhood. 

Blue Jeans

I just finished working on a 1:6 scale slim-fit jeans pattern, in both 'regular' and 'broad' sizes! You can find it now, available to download, in the etsy shop. I found the perfect fabric for my prototypes, at a local quilting store. The fabric is printed with a distressed effect, which fit wonderfully on my pattern pieces.