Showing posts with label Doll Fashion Show. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Doll Fashion Show. Show all posts

Sunday, August 6, 2023

Short, Simple and Sweet Jumpers for School!

Left, one of our older dolls from Pleasant Company, Josephine shows
off her new jumper. Center, a vintage nautical fabric used for a very
 "French" looking jumper. Right, the jumper trimmed with white
 beading and white lace against a solid blue.

        Our dolls are going back to school wearing the latest thing in child fashions. Simple jumpers, cut just above the knee and styled according to any taste! Every sample dress pictured is sewn using the same pattern. Find easy-to-sew, doll dress patterns below:

 Dolls wait in line to walk on stage and show off their new school fashions. Right,
 a cute plaid version of this jumper with a gold, chain belt, looks like an Autumn
 version of the jumper.

 
 Left, velvet ribbon trim. Center, a fancy belt with star. Right, a real dress
  recycled with the jumper cut pattern.

  Left, bold blue and green floral print jumper, trimmed with a velvet ribbon.
   Right, standing together during the Back-to-School Fashion Show.


Left, elephant print. Center, print with geese on wheels. Right, print with cats.

Here the A-line Jumper is trimmed with a hot pink polka-dot ruffle and gold metallic belt.

Recycled yellow collar and sash added to the A-line dress.

More Jumper Patterns for Real Little Girls:

Sunday, January 22, 2023

DIY A 18" Collapsable Doll Stage With Catwalk

Here you can see our lovely Journey doll showing off her Spring formal. Perhaps she will wear
 it to her Prom or her QuinceaƱera. She also shows off a hot pink boa and
glamorous beaded necklace!

       Every little girl needs a stage to show off her doll's best clothing and this handmade version for 18 inch dolls would make a uniquely wonderful gift for this very purpose. I purchased the supplies at the Dollar Tree store nearest to me. My favorite thing about this craft is that it folds up and can be stored away inside of a closet or underneath a bed, once the exhibit is over!

Top, the proscenium arch. Center and Bottom,
beaded details.
Supply List:

  • 2 trifold cardboard display units ($1.00 each at the Dollar Store or Dollar General)
  • 2 plastic table cloths ($1.00 each at the Dollar Store)
  • extra cardboard, one very long piece measuring at least 33"
  • masking tape
  • white school glue
  • hot glue and hot glue gun
  • white typing paper
  • heavy books (to weigh down the cardboard as it dries)
  • a yardstick
  • sharp scissors or a box cutter if an adult is helping you
  • plastic hooks or ribbon to tie back the curtains
Step-by-Step Instructions:
  1. Cut apart only one of the two cardboard display units. Cut carefully down the folded parts of the trifold - where they bend. Set these three walls aside. (picture below)
  2. I chose to make our runway white because this playset will second as a photo booth for our doll fashions. However, you may choose to make your runway any color you like. It is important to note that the color of your cardboard is best suited to match the color of the runway curtains. This is not a must but when photographing dolls it flatters the doll clothing and models.
  3. Cut your plastic table cloth to match the height of the trifold walls plus 1/2 inch longer, so that the edges may be gathered or pleated and then taped over the top of the display to the backside of the wall. Doing this with tape first allows you to make adjustments to your design as you go. Once you are satisfied with the gathered/pleated edge, tape it down firmly to the wrong side of the cardboard wall. 
  4. To finish the trifold display neatly and to give it added strength, take the cut trifold walls, best side facing out, and glue them to their counterparts. This will sandwich the gathered curtain parts between the two cardboard units with white school glue. Use large, heavy books to weight down the cardboard pieces as these dry so that they don't warp. Give it a generous hour or more to dry. Don't worry about the plastic table cloths getting wrinkled, these will smooth out afterwards when you set up the runway to play with.
  5. You may wish to cut a back door exit from the trifold display unit for dolls to enter unseen by the audience, I did not cut away this backstage door because I chose to use my theater display to second as a photo booth. But if you want your theater to be a playset, cutting a door through the back trifold walls is easily done. Measure the height of your doll and ad an inch to this length when cutting a door so that your dolls may fit through the rectangular opening easily. 
  6. Now you are ready to cut the front of the theater from the longest piece of cardboard, 33 inches long. This piece is called the proscenium arch and it also has a curtain hanging down from it that hides the stage from an audience while it is transformed into any kind of space that actors or models are using to display their show. The front curtain here is called the safety curtain. During a runway exhibit it may be pulled back by the hooks that we glued to the side panels of our trifold display. 
  7. First make sure to cut the length of your proscenium arch to measure 33 inches long. I used a fancy template to make this arch with curves at the top. You may cut it straight or fancy whatever you desire. I wanted to give ours a bit of interest because it is all white. I also cut some shapes to glue on top of the arch to ad a bit of interest to our design. 
  8. Then I covered the entire surface on the front with white typing paper and school glue.
  9. Cut notches one to two inches from each end into the cardboard proscenium at the bottom. Make sure these are wide enough to fit the top arch neatly onto the trifold. The notches will need to be cut approximately 1 1/2" deep and these should be about 1/4" wide. See photograph.
  10. Next, you will cut the plastic cloth material to the appropriate length for the front stage curtain. You will need two pieces the exact same length and width. These will be gathered or pleated by the same method that you used for the curtains attached to the trifold. 
  11. After these a have been adjusted and attached to the backside of the suspended proscenium, paste and paper over the tape and curtains on the backside of the arch with typing paper as well. This will conceal the ruffled edge of the curtains at the top and also make the overall project look professional.
  12. Now you may use you hot glue gun to attach either ribbons or hooks to the side trifold walls in order to hold back the safety curtains of your stage. (see photo)
  13. To make the catwalk or runway, all you will need to do is to glue together a simple platform or cut a long narrow rug instead. This may be any length that you care to make it, really.

Left, two trifolds for the back walls of the doll stage. Center, the stage and catwalk constructed
from scrap cardboard. Right, the catwalk fits inside a cut away
section of the stage during play.

Left, the plastic table cloth from a dollar store is cut and draped over the stage walls.
Right, I have taped it to the backside of the wall where it will not be seen. Then I will glue an
additional trifold to the backside, for added strength. However the trifold needs to be cut
 at the seams and glued in three sections so that the stage wall may collapse and be stored flat.

Two beaded loops are glued to both sides of the end trifold walls. The curtains hung from the
proscenium arch will be gathered into these loops at the front of the display.


The stage and catwalk are two separate pieces.
All together there are four units for this display.

Tuesday, April 13, 2021

Mattel's Fashionista Dolls

A selection of Barbie Fashionistas, plus 124 new in the box. Dolls are dressed in street clothes. All
 Fashionistas from 2015 to today come packaged in a box with a black and white printed
background and the Barbie signature hot pink graphics.
 
      Fashionistas from 2015 to today come with a wide variety of face molds, skin colors, hair styles and four different body types: plus tall, petite, curvy and original. The wigs on the dolls are fantastic but the mobility of their bodies is very limited. None of their limbs bend at the knee or elbow. However there is a bit of mobility at the shoulder. Only some of these dolls come with names, but most have number i.d. Some dolls have glasses and others have earrings. Dolls also have flat feet or arched feet, in either case not all shoes made for Barbie are adaptable to every Fashionista. The dolls pictured here are in their original clothing.
All Fashionistas have only five points of articulation: at the neck, at the shoulders and at the hip.

       Doll number 20 has ebony skin, a profuse amount of brunette curls and soft brown eyes. She has one of Mattel's petite bodies and wears a spring floral dress with spaghetti straps and a gathered waist. Her heals and earrings are made from baby blue plastic. And what sets her apart is that both of her arms are bent permanently to right degree angles. 

Fashionista number 70 has a very slight grin and full lips.

       Fashionista number 70 is a classic platinum blond, blue-eyes Barbie type. Her hair is long and curly and her figure petite. She wears a soft grey tee shirt and a silky floral skirt. 70's makeup is minimal and she also wears sun glasses and simple white tennis shoes.

Both of these African American fashionista dolls have remarkable hair and open mouth, smiles. 
 
       Doll 81 is also a petite, wears a yellow and black checkered dress, wears flashy jewelry and tiny hot pink heals. She has rooted, fluffy hair tied up on either side of her head. Her eyes are painted wide open!
       Doll number 105 is a curvy Fashionista who wears a wide striped, pink and orange dress. This dress design reminds me of rugby shirts but the material has a sheen and is much lighter weight, like spandex. Her hair is gorgeous and generous! She has cat shaped eyes with long painted eye-lashes. Her eye-brows turn up slightly at the ends and she also wears large hoop earrings.

I love number 73's burgundy half boots and the black background of her jumpsuit compliments
 her sun-kissed skin color. Her slightly parted puckered lips are painted dark rose and
her eyes are hazel.

       Fashionista number 73 comes with a floral pint jumpsuit, large gold hoop earrings and wisps of short bangs painted along the edge of her forehead. Her hair is styled in a small top-knot and her features and skin-tone are classically Hispanic. She has a lovely rooted wig that comes in subtle shades of brassy browns and golds. Her body type is original, I think, and her right arm is bent to a reflex angle.

Doll 135 has a very wide smile and an athletic looking figure.

       Fashionista number 135 wears a long, striped beach dress and a fanny pack about her waist. Her afro is gathered in a top knot and delicate painted wisps of hair are painted at her hair-line. Her skin is unique because it is painted as though she has Vitiligo. This is a genetic condition affecting 2% of the population although it is most noticeable in people with darker skin tones. Mattel has made several of their fashionistas with unusual body characteristics in an effort to diversify their doll lines.

Doll 124 isn't afraid to stand out in a crowd, she has her own way of expressing herself.

       Number 124 sports a green mohawk, polka-dot overalls and has a zig-zag etched into her scalp. Her fashion sense is uniquely her own! Both Fashionistas 124 and 135 have permanently bent elbows so that their right arms are positioned at right angles to their torsos.

Doll 146 has a gold prosthetic limb. Her white counterpart, 121 (not shown) has a silver prothetic limb.

       Doll number 146 is an African American doll with a prosthetic limb. She has a average body height and generous black braids. Her eyebrows are also heavy and her lips open, painted hot pink. This doll wears an off-the-shoulder print dress with a ruffle and white sneakers. Her right arm is molded to a permanent reflex angle.

Doll 79 has long pony tails. Her hair has mixed strands of: gold, blond and lt. brown mixed together.
 
       Fashionista number 79 is a plus tall size which is made even more apparent by her long, exaggerated sweatshirt dress. This dress is very uncommon, even for a Fashionista. Not many of these dolls have winter garments or sport such bold text as is seen here. (text reads: "LOVE" times 5)
       Both 79 and 75 Fashionistas have their left arms bent at permanent reflex angles.


       Number 72 has aqua blue highlights in her shoulder length, bob cut. She also wears sunglasses, a blue jean jumper, a pink and white tee along with pink heals. Her skin is tan, her lips natural and her eyes are pale brown. She is taller than most of the Fashionistas but not as tall as 79.
       Number 75 has beautiful auburn curls and wears a black and white print dress decorated with stars. There is also a black ribbon tied in a bow at the front of her dress. Her features look to me to be Hispanic and her eye color is a pale blue grey color, an unusual eye paint choice for a Fashionista.
       The majority of Fashionistas have brown eyes with highlights that make their eye color look gold. There is such a thing as amber or gold eyes in real people although it is incredibly rare. A few of the Fashionistas have very distinctly brown eyes like those of 20 and 146.

More Fashionista Doll Reviews:

Press Release About Fashionista Doll Lines:

Sunday, April 11, 2021

DIY A Runway For Your Fashion Dolls

The finished doll runway with stage, curtain and catwalk.

   I made this smaller version of a doll stage and catwalk from a cardboard trifold, wrapping paper, extra cardboard, white school glue, some pre-cut letters, a plastic table cloth and a bit of left-over decorative printed cardboard which is optional. 
   First, you will need to cut the trifold to the desired height. Ours measures fourteen inches tall. I also cut the doorways on both sides of my trifold and these measure 3 1/4 " x 13". Then I cut additional cardboard to reinforce my trifold on its outside parameter and attached these sheets with glue. You do not need to do this step if your trifold is durable. Ours was exceptionally flimsy, so it was necessary.
   Cover all of the surfaces with decorative paper of your choice. 
   Next you will then need to cut a header to fit the top of the stage. It can be as wide or narrow as you like. Mine measures 4"x19" and is notched approx. 1 1/4" in from the outer edge on both ends. Test this notch to ensure that the header will slip perfectly over the side walls of you trifold. I cut two of these, one decorated with the name of our dolls runway "fashion now" and the second to hold up a temporary curtain. I chose not to combine the curtain with the decorative header because I want our young friends to have the option of switching the runway into a fashion boutique without the curtains. However, you could tape the curtains directly to one header and omit the second altogether. I've included some detailed photos of how the curtain is attached to the header with masking tape below.
       I cut several layers of cardboard to shape our doll's catwalk measuring 5" x13". It has narrow sides measuring 1/2" around the lengths and one end. The end that attaches to the stage is left open and extends by approximately 1" over the edge of the stage. Both the stage and the catwalk are attached with a strip of Velcro. The stage has a slight curve and it decoupaged with yellow paper. It was made by cutting a simple template and doubling up two pieces of scratch cardboard and gluing these together.
       I can break down this little vignette for our 12" fashion dolls in seconds and store it flat under a bed, or upright in the back of a child's closet or set it flat on a top closet shelf easily. 

The cardboard catwalk faced with decorative scraps cut from doll packaging.

The trifold left, front side and right, back side. The front has side exits and entrances to the stage.
Trifolds sold at dollar stores or other similar suppliers like Walmart.

Above see the velcro strips attached with tacky white glue for the catwalk to fit neatly in place.

Left, the trifold runway is open showing cut doorways. Right, the center stage is in position.

Left are two headers, one with a curtain, the other with the sign. Center, the curtain is
attached with masking tape and glue on the back side of the header; all of this is then
covered up with yellow paper and glue. Our curtains were cut from plastic sheeting
found at the dollar store. These measured 12 1/2" in length. Right, is a detail of the card-
board lettering. I only had one "o" so I used a cut flower for the second in the
word "now". 

Left, you can see all of the runway broken down, laying flat. It takes up very little space.
Right the first header with curtain hangs on the sides of the trifold.

The runway and catwalk set up and seen from different angles.