adventures in hand-sewing, part 1 - miniskirts

I've got a bit of a backlog of sewing-related posts to share. All I've got are terrible phone pics that I took when I was sending my friends pics in the moment, so like... pardon me! But if I didn't have phone pics I probably wouldn't post about this at all, when I do really want to catalogue it for my own personal satisfaction. I'll take 'em!

As you may know, I've been getting into hand-sewing for Blythe this last year or so. I made a little cosplay for Lamb (it's not 100% finished, even a year after starting); I sewed a circle skirt; I have made (and sold) innumerable socks; I conquered tights!

I have been doing my best to gain experience and confidence in something that, for me, easily confuses and overwhelms. My ability to fathom construction remains somewhat low. But my cherished dream, friends, is to be able to make a Blythe dress!

I want this so badly my spit tastes like pennies.

It would be so, so much fun to make simple little dresses, because I think having a simple dress and accessorizing it is so much fun when dressing Blythes. I am not yet super close to this achievement, but it's what I'm working towards, if slowly.

In the meantime I have been trying to up my skills with smaller things, such as miniskirts. (The pattern I've been using is this old one from moshi moshi.)

The ironing board and iron I got for my birthday last year were indispensable in this process! The excitement I felt in pressing down seams! Let me tell you!!! Game-changer. My little ironing board has legs that fold in, so I can store it away easily. But my iron is of standard size, and a little clunkier to store away. But I feel it's been of great help to me!

Using mostly fabric I've had on hand for years now, after making a lot of miniature suitcases, I've managed about a dozen skirts. I want to make a bespoke skirt for each Blythe I have, so that's sixteen skirts total. Just four shy!

The blog post on the old moshi moshi blog recommends sturdier fabric for these skirts, like corduroy, and I have to agree. The thinner cottons don't make for a super structured skirt. But also I feel like these could do with some lining? I just don't know how to do such a thing! It's something I need to learn and don't understand at all, despite the many many costube sewing videos I've watched.

I have been making them closable with smol velcro, which is a bit of a pain to hand-sew, even though I got the thinnest sort I could find via Etsy.

I knoooow I need to learn my machine, but honestly on top of being intimidated by it, I could really use one-on-one help from someone who knows what they're doing and can answer questions as I have them, and tell me whether I'm doing things correctly or not. I'm not sure that'll happen anytime soon!

Here's Zasha looking secretarial in a navy blue skirt, blue PrettyBomb blouse, Very Vicky's stock Mary Janes, and glasses from idek!

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queen - bicycle race.mp4

I haven't felt much like posting the last couple of months. It's been a busy season of life. My birthday is creeping ever-closer and that always tends to bring on a little depression cloud. But this year happens to be my 40th birthday! And that is just too weird. It doesn't feel accurate. I feel 28, tops. (At the same time I feel like I'm 86.) So I have been dragging around like the Grim Reaper's breathing down my neck.

I decided this year I would like to get a bike for my birthday. I've been feeling like I want to get more vitamin D and be out and about, yet not be around people, so cruising around on a bike has seemed more and more appealing to me. The weather's been incredible; springy and damp and cool. That's made my yen even greater, and I have been scared that by the time my birthday actually rolls around, it will be too warm to want to be outside. So I have jumped the gun and gotten one a week early: this Huffy cruiser with 26" wheels.

It's a chromey maroon color (Alexa, play "Maroon" by Taylor Swift) and has a low-key bee theme? With hexagons on the seats and cup holder (!). I must acquire a water bottle or something that fits in the cup holder!!

I've already slammed the seat down to the lowest possible setting and taken it around my neighborhood. It really cruises along on a level street. But the second there's an incline that lasts more than a few seconds, my thighs are like, "Nope."

(I have not ridden a bike since I was perhaps, at the latest, 12.)

I'm fantasizing about 9 am cruises around my block, before it's blazing hot out, and I'm fantasizing about increasing my ability to pedal uphill.

Thighs of steel. Heart of a champion.

edit: Have I wiped out on the bike already? Yes, I have lost balance and bashed the heck outta my right knee.

My cat's very scared of the bike so far, so I've made sure to sit still on it so he can know I am in control of it. He's coming around. (Side note that my cat walks right up to cars and tries to get into them.)

Anyway, y'all, I've been hand-sewing a lot and I want to post about that soon. I've also been window-shopping relentlessly for Winny, who needs more mod/flower power-y clothes than I have in my collection. I do intend to eventually make dressup videos for both Zasha and Winny!

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Oops, I...

Ummm, so... Just a month after welcoming a new girl into the family, I up and adopted another! Meet Winifred aka Winny. She's a Prairie Posie who came to me from Rich, aka bonjourblythe on Instagram.

I fell in love with this girl the second I saw her. For one thing, these bangs she's been given are SO GOOD. SO CUTE. For another, Rich's styling is impeccable. Not just for Winny, but for all his dolls. Please do check out his Insta. But for whatever reason, my heart went bang-bang-boom every time he posted a pic of this girl specifically. I'm not even really active on Instagram anymore, but always loved to see her. Check my comments:

So when Rich put her up for adoption and I missed that reel by a few hours, I flipped and was like, "PLEASE TELL ME SHE'S STILL AVAILABLE!" I'm so fortunate she was!

I haven't really had this experience with falling in love with a very specific Blythe owned by someone else since 2010/2011, when I adopted Drew via Flickr after some hardcore stalking and letting her owner know I would love to adopt her if she ever came up for adoption. Typically I go for NRFB girls. I like to have their stock. I like to unbox them myself. I am just more drawn to that option than any other.

But as I am so many years deep in the hobby now, I think this is less important to me than it once was. Either that or I just bonded with Winny via Rich's pics because they're soooo good!

( pic one / pic two )

In an interesting fate-y turn, I have Prairie Posie's stock already!! Have had it for years. Just because that pink floral cottagecore aesthetic is very much up my alley. I have always liked Prairie Posie just fine, but never thought of getting her. Dear Lele Girl has long been my redhead of choice. But these bangs add to Prairie Posie's cute factor by about a squillion. Next to DLG, her hair is so rich and auburn-red, and DLG's more penny-red.

I think we can all agree that Winny's style is not cottagecore! She looks so great styled vintage (both mod and Brady Bunch-ish 70s, imo) that I will endeavor to keep that style up for her! I have a few sleepforever duds that'll suit her, but I look forward to finding a dress just for her, as per my tradition. I think she needs her own beret, too.

I haven't gotten two new dolls in such close succession in many years. I'm a little overwhelmed and verklempt at the same time! Now I have sixteen girls, which is wild. It feels like an evolution.

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