Chanel for Lucian

My mother saw this beautiful Chanel sweater, modeled by the incomparable @altonmason, in their Fall 2019 runway show. She got inspired, and knit a miniature replica of it for Lucian! It's an absolute treasure! Such a wonderful gift, and just in time for my Birthday! 

Ties!

I had to make some tiny ties for a commission, and I may have gotten a little carried away while testing out my pattern. 

Tiny ties are so fun and rewarding to make, and they look so cute too! Gus has quite a collection now, but truly, a boy who wears suits can't have too many ties.  

Plaid Flannel and a Pattern

Gus is ready for the spring thaw in his @isabelmarant Fall/winter 2019 inspired jacket. Here he is, modeling, next to the inspiration.

I used my Mackinaw and Light Jacket pattern to create this cozy flannel piece. The digital pattern can be purchased in the Tiny Apparel Patterns etsy shop.

Plants and Patinas

A while ago, @thelifeofstovall made me a pair of custom 3D printed planters and a beautiful 3D printed garden bench in the same classically-inspired style. Because each piece was printed in solid gray, I decided to customize them with a patina. To achieve a slightly weathered look, I first used a thin metallic gunmetal gray craft paint as a wash, making sure that it settled in all the recesses of the planters and bench, adding depth, and a subtle sparkle. When they were dry, I washed over all the planes and high spots with matte white acrylic, and finally I dry brushed all the raised details with a thick layer of the white paint.

Gus, here, is demonstrating the process:

To fill each container, I first stuffed it with tissue paper. Next, I clipped some leaves from a spray of artificial foliage, and glued their stems inside of an oversized wood bead. I then twisted clippings, from a faux evergreen wreath, into a ring shape and pushed them into the planter, on top of the tissue paper. Finally, I tucked the wood bead in the center of the planter, and arranged the artificial foliage until I was happy with it. 

Some mini flower pots and paper houseplants, made with the help of a @myfroggystuff tutorial, complete Gus' greenhouse. It looks like a lovely spot to relax with a good book!

Lucian Gets a Makeover

For a while, Gus' albino cousin, Lucian, has had a very structured pompadore. I originally styled his hair by gluing unraveled wool yarn over his plastic coif. However, I though a less structured style might suit him better, so, in a daring move, I removed his plastic pomp and gave him some soft, waving locks in a tousled fringe. Below, you can see before, and after. 

A Coach Musette Bag

I am working on another trade with @stovallthedoll! I was thinking that a bench, to go with my Tuscan planters, would be really neat, and he thought that Stovall could use a Coach-inspired Musette bag. He sent me a few reference pictures, and I ordered some lovely soft faux leather from Mood.

While he designed a beautiful classical stone bench for his 3D printer, I got to work on the Musette bag. It's not an exact scale model, but I did my best to capture all of the basic elements, like the two front pockets separated with a pleat, contrasting topstitching, and the stylish tag fastened to the right side with a chain. 

The bag: all stitched and ready for hardware.  

I was asked to make the lining of the bag a surprise, so for now, I will just say that I included all the major elements of the original bag's interior.  

 Here is the complete bag, side-by-side with the original!

Bespoke Boat Shoes

I just created two pairs of tiny bespoke paper boat shoes, and shipped them off to two Ken dolls living in Milan, Italy! I feel so honored and excited! Milan has so many wonderful connotations when it comes to fashion and style! 

Here are the paper shoes, before and after painting. The gentleman who ordered them has also requested that I come up with a design for miniature chelsea boots. I have never made doll-sized chelsea boots before, but I am very excited to try!

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day! I hope you are spending today with those who make you smile.

Stefano Ricci and a Party

Run, boy, run! Gus is in a big hurry! He's got to pick up his cousin, Lucian, before heading to @adrian.dollslife 's virtual anniversary party! Adrian Drake, a fabulous jet-setting Ken-doll with an instagram acount, is celebrating his first year, sharing his adventures with the world. His photographer is hosting an instagram party for the occasion, and has requested that everyone who participates wears something blue.    

Here are Gus, Lucian, and Sinatra the beagle, decked out with blue accents for the party. Gus brought a congratulatory card in his new Stefano Ricci-inspired backpack.

Happy 1st anniversary Adrian! In one short year, you have created a collection of truly charming and imaginative photographs, bringing joy to your followers, and inspiring others. Thank you for sharing your art, style, and your spirit of adventure! We all look forward to seeing what you do in the years to come! Cheers!

I short while ago, I discovered a roll of beautiful blue and metallic gold faux leather in my favorite upholstery shop. It reminded me right away of the marbled blue, and crocodile leathers that Stefano Ricci sometimes uses for their luxury bags and backpacks. 

I decided to use the material to attempt my first miniature backpack, and I finished it just in time for Gus to wear it for Adrian's blue-themed party. The front pocket is purely decorative, but the large back pocket can be opened. Overall, I am very pleased with how it turned out. Here is is, next to in iconic Stefano Ricci-inspired raptor.

A Sartorial Experiment

Another project is in the workshop! Its a single-breasted suit jacket for the wonderful miniature enthusiast @carliekarl. He ordered it for an Enterbay action figure named Ram. Enterbay figures are much taller than Ken dolls, so this project is my first foray into the world of made-to-measure tailoring. I'm very excited!

Here are the first stages of construction. On the left, the major seams and darts are basted, and the hems are pinned up. On the right, the sleeves have been set in, the darts are finalized, and the lining is getting tacked on. 

 

Here is the jacket with the final touches completed. It has three functional hip pockets, and one functional breast pocket. I also made two little pocket squares that can be folded up, and poked into the breast pocket with a blunt chopstick, or the rounded back of a paintbrush. 

In their Jeans

A fellow fashion doll enthusiast on instagram recently declared a "denim doll day," encouraging miniature artists and doll collectors to photograph their dolls wearing denim. So, here are Gus and his cousin, Lucian, celebrating those rugged blue pants that are such an integral part of American style heritage.

Pony Couture

Here, in chilly northern New England, it's a whopping 12°F! Gus is making sure that Barry is nice and warm in the new blanket that I made for him. In these temperatures, little hackney geldings enjoy wearing tailor-made outfits too.

Tuscan Pots and Two-wheelers

In exchange for the green jumpsuit, @stovallthedoll agreed to make me a pair of tuscan urn planters with his 3D printer. I've been wanting miniature planters to use as photography props for a long time, so this was the perfect trade!

Needless to say, I was pretty excited; counting down the days until the planters arrived at the post office! When the box, addressed from Stovall's friend Cody, finally came, I was so pleased! The custom planters were everything I could have hoped for... but wait, there was more! Carefully packed under the planters was a gift so remarkable and unexpected, that I was completely blown away.

Here, Gus models the beautiful new planters. 

Tucked under the planters was a gorgeously crafted wooden show vehicle for Gus' pony! Many thanks to Stovall's giant, and Cody for this amazing gift! I plan on making a harness to go with it. Now Gus and Barry will be able to sweep into model horse show-rings in style!