High Fashion on a small scale is not for the faint hearted.

 I've been stitching up some glitzy Barbie clothes to give to one of my nieces.  Pretty tricky stuff too, when you're working with specialty fabrics like lame, organza, velvet and jacquard satin on such a small scale ( 1/4" seams!).  Barbie has a new dress made from white satin which I overlaid with gold embossed organza.
 
 
I think my niece will like the sparkly stars and the fairy tale quality of this creation,


 especially since I made a purple velvet cape that is lined with gold lame to make the outfit.  I went to the work of lining both the dress and the cape with the thought that the clothes will last longer.  I remember becoming frustrated as a child when Barbie's store bought clothes fell apart at the seams so quickly, so when I sew her clothes, I try to keep that from happening.   You can imagine the challenges this can present because of the scale of the garments.  My mom won't sew doll clothes.  She didn't make them for me or my sister's dolls, when we were growing up and she says she isn't about to for her granddaughters, either.  She calls this kind of sewing "too fiddly" and she can't believe I bother with it.


 I actually enjoy it, maybe because I know how much I wanted to be able to sew clothes like this for my dolls when I was little.  My Barbie didn't get to wear lame or velvet (mom's scrap bin didn't see the likes of such high end fabrics), instead I made clothes from more humble threads.  My Barbie had her clothes made from corduroy, flannel, poly/cottons and T-shirt knits - with the odd double knit fashioned ensemble (poor Barbie!).  My niece's Barbie will certainly be better dressed.


Here's an indication of just how caught up in Barbie clothes making I got....



Yes, that's fun fur on my cutting mat.  What a mess!  I really didn't think this idea through.  I now have furry bits of fluff all over the place. lol


Barbie looks cozy in her new fur jacket though, and I'm sure my niece will be glad to add this to her doll's wardrobe.

Comments

  1. Oh wow Katherine, that’s so beautiful! I’m sure making these small Haute Couture for Barbie askes for even more skills than making clothes for adults.
    Your niece will be thrilled! She’s lucky to have such a sweet auntie!

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  2. oh you are the best. My daughter was just asking me to make her Barbie some clothes. I will have to side with your mom on this one, too little for me. She looks gorgeous by the way.

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  3. Wow,Wow,Wow!!!!!
    You are always soooooo perfect! And I'm with your mum it's too fiddly. I tried sewing some cloths for my grand daughters dolls (never for my daughter...) and got something but I gade up when I had a trial with fur...;)
    I can imagine the happiness of your niece! You've made a great work, as usual!

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  4. How interesting to find out that you made Barbie clothes as a child. I did too! I didn't get a Barbie until I was 10 and mostly just made clothes for her and dressed her. So much fun! I haven't made any clothes for Barbie since I grew up. The kids have though and they tend to love the clothes they make best cause they don't fall apart easily.

    Lucky niece!

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  5. Amazing dress! Barbie looks like real princess:)
    Velvet cape and fur jacket are incredible!
    When I was about 10 years old, I sew brocade dress for my doll and was so happy!

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  6. That is too wonderful! I am making Zoe some Barbie clothes this year too. I found some good tutorials here...
    http://www.oneprettything.com/?s=barbie

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  7. oh wow! such small seams to sew. good for you! they sure are cute!

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  8. Silly me, I should have known about the Barbie patterns. That cape is gorgeous. Don't you want one for yourself.
    She is a lucky little girl.
    And yes, making doll clothes takes a different mind set. But it is really fun, isn't it?

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  9. If you think Barbie clothes are fiddly sewing, at 11" high, try your hand at doll's house people's clothes- scale of 1:12, so the people are max. 6" tall. Too fun.
    Isn't it satisfying to put together a whole ball gown with just a little scrap of fabric?

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