on Pumpkin Butts and other projects ...

Am headed to a convention in less than a couple weeks and am a MASTERcrastinator, some are PROcrastinators, apparently I've hit master status.

My goal for this convention is make and sell enough doll clothes in the room sales to pay for the trip (and maybe then some - we still need a new couch for the kids' romper room, a nice one-piece futon couch from Big Lots will work just fine). The problem? I only started sewing three weeks before the convention. At any rate, I've been having fun coming up with patterns that fit a somewhat wide range of 60cm female ball jointed dolls.

So far I've made a dirndl, a couple of cowgirl outfits (one corseted, one not), a Bo-Peep dress, a corset for a Can-Can outfit, and Pumpkin Butts.

Pumpkin Butts? Yes, Pumpkin Butts. Short bubble skirts of iridescent orange fabric with a large "squash flower & vine" ribbon embroidery on it, sashed by an iridescent lime green and orange ribbon. Sounds ridiculous, but cute as all get out in my oh-so unbiased opinion. I am keeping the prototype, the knit inner-layer got a little twisted, so I won't sell it.

I still need to make another dirndl, finish two Can-Can outfits - might skip those and just make the crap-load of corsets, also lace wrap blouses in both black and white, sets of stretch lace blouses (a set equals one black, one white), some peasant skirts, some "Milagra" dresses, some "Francesca" dresses, and wiggy caps for table gifts for the finale Black & White Ball event.

So what am I doing here? Procrastinating.

on not letting commissions be a bane of existence ...

I don't take commissions anymore. It's for the best. There's not enough time in the day for me to take care of children, home, pets, commissioned jobs and still do what I'd like to do. A friend of mine is a total machine behind her sewing machine; she sews as we chat on the phone, keeps an organized home and active family, takes on commissions and sews projects of her own to sell. Wow! I'd give hubby's left nut for that energy! (Hell, he might even let me have it removed - just that one anyway - so more would get done around the house!)

When commissions were part of how my little doll-design business went it seemed that the same thing was being commissioned over and over and dreading that same project repeated stalled everything else that was in my mind to do. And goodness forbid you quote four weeks to complete an outfit and in that time make another just to sell in an online auction! "Where is my oufit? I paid already it should be in hand now!" Nevermind that I asked not to be paid until project was complete and two+ weeks are left in the allotted time. (Only had that happen once, not fun, and not someone another commission was accepted from.)

Maybe that fear of condemnation is what holds me back when I've taken on a commission ... combined with the boredom of doing the same thing over again ... or maybe not letting people tell me what to do is my only outlet for rebellion as a married, stay-at-home Mom. In which case, hubby may want to hold on to that left nut!

Venting about creative control ...

Have been looking at cottage rose decorated cotton fabrics lately. Mixed with stripes. And stripes of roses and swirled ribbons in lovely pale pinks and baby blues. Mmmmm ... pretty stuff. Love it, love it. Can make it look elegant yet casual ... for this unfussy country girl - that will always prefer pearls to diamonds and vintage to new - it's a style that I've always enjoyed. I remember as a little girl in the 1970's my Grandma Jean decorating her home in antique linens and old found items that she arranged with a grace that is rarely seen. I even used Grandma's lovely style in a doll room I set up, it needs some work, but you get the gist ...



But something irks me. This is a style that's been around for quite some time, it evokes almost a Victorian feel in it's prettiness, but has a worn and aged feel to it, you know the phrase that defines it. I won't make it searchable, so will type it as "$h@bby ch!c." From my online research it seems that a particular interior decorating magazine first used the term in the 1980's, but it was trademarked by someone else in 1989. I can find no reference to the two entities being attached at any time. But since it has been trademarked/copyrighted to one person and her company to use the phrase for something other than that company's products or books is now a violation of the trademark/copyright/whatever - seen people get their auctions yanked on "that big site" for having the two words of that phrase in it in order, even when it acurately describes the style of the item being sold.

Ya know, if other big name decorating mavens out there cornered a common concept, and protected it with a bevy of lawyers, they would be further vilified. Not lauded as an original. (I recognize I could be completely wrong, it could be that this designer was working for said magazine and was the first to coin the term in print. But I know that this decorating style is older than the 1980's - if not the catchy name for it. And I do believe that if the suggested connection was the case, a reference to her time with the magazine in question would have been cited.)

I will continue to cherish and utilize the frugality, soothing elegance and grace that my Grandmother showed me. I personally won't purchase items that carry a trademark that doesn't allow others to define their chosen style in a quickly understandable manner.

Improv sewing ...

Well, I bulloxed up a baby dress I was converting into a doll dress as a tutorial for the KTD blog - ugh. Have another I'm working on, but still, it's disappointing when there's an idea, and the reality flops.

At least I was able to salvage the layered ruffled skirt of the baby dress. It made a nice doll skirt with matching ribbon folded over for the waistband. Am putting together a coordinating blouse of pink lace. That's something I love working with, re-embroidered net lace. I try to buy it in widths of 3+ inches, as trim, not the allover lace material in yardage, but as trim with one edge finished and one edge straight.

I don't work with patterns for a lot of doll clothes. For laces blouses and full skirts especially I'll skip pattern use and have the doll right there for fittings as I go. Seems to work best. Now, lets see if I can modify one of the other baby dresses I have on hand for that tutorial ...

edited to add on 7/8/07:
Well, I did it! Added sleeves even. Went from this:

to this:


another view:


The trick is finding the smallest baby sundress you can; newborn or 3 months size. And spagetti straps don't work, dresses with sleeves *might*, but depends upon the sleeve style.

Not exactly "fabric whore" related, unless you count that I look for these little dresses based on their fabric. This one in particular I enjoy because it's a lawn-weight cotton with a variety of fun prints on it for a great peasant effect. I used embroidered cotton lawn for the sleeves ... I think I may take the cuffs up a touch and add a bit of lace to them ...

Things are coming together ...

Finally, links are being gathered, added, sorted, re-thought out. FabricWhore.com won't be a lame-ass site anymore! But poor neglected domain name it was ... yes, a really raunchy fun name (surprised it was available frankly), with a good idea for a site, but it sat neglected for almost a year while I pondered the implications of fabric whoredom. Do I really want to admit to pining for fabric and "selling out" for it? It that a black mark on the women's movement to fess up to sex for goodies? Oh fucking hell ... I'm married. I'd do it anyhow because I'm happily married. So I shall revel in fabric whoredom, dammit! Now, if the hub wasn't a good husband/father/provider it'd be a different story ...

My Dolls are Fabric Whores, too ...

Collecting dolls is almost as fun as collecting fabric (and somehow restraint is easier with the dolls) and making or sewing for dolls is a really great excuse for fabric ...

I started making elves and hand puppets because of the fabric sickness. My husband said "You buy all this fabric, WHAT are you going to with it? ARE you going to do anything with it?" (Ugh, hate it when they have a point.)

So after ... conceding, I got myself juried into a craft guild and tried to seriously make art dolls and puppets, a perfect way to use lush and wild fabrics as seen on Myrna the first of the Fairy Broadmothers in her Phyllis Diller inspired gown, and on this velvet and brocade bodied dragon puppet named Arthur ...

And Santa's elves are made for jewel-toned velvets and wools with brocade ribbon and salvaged vintage fur trim (only kind I'll use) ... this was Nick, he became victim to a disgruntled dog left at home with a sitter the day after my first craft show ended ... bad doggie ... but Mommy still loves you.

But lemme tell ya, being a stay-at-home-mom is not conducive to sculpting and painting, so tried my hand at sewing for dolls - this way the fabric supply could remain bountiful - starting with lil' 7" Riley. Here in a cutesy-wootsy calico dress with cotton lace trim ...

The progression to vinyl 16" fashion dolls was quick ... this outfit was the pinnacle so far of my "career" sewing for this scale doll as I was asked to make it for a magazine article (yay!). It's made of embroided taffeta silk and tea-stained embroidered cotton net lace - yummy!

(photo by Nora in SF)

A doll came into my collection that raised the bar on my sewing ... meet Veruca, my one and only Sybarite. Most Syb collectors have multiples of this doll, but one is plenty here! Here seen in embroidered net lace over palest pink dupioni silk. Full length of this gown seen here.

Such a gorgeous bitch of a doll; she makes everything look better and she will slap the crap out of you if you don't agree.

Alas, poor diva, she has been abandoned for the big resin BJDs (Asian ball jointed Dollfies) ...
This is Milagra, she is a BJD by ElfDoll (model name Sooah). This was from one of her first photo shoots while here ... already a fully fledged fabric whore draping herself in brocade, silk dupioni and embroidered net lace (have you noticed a preference yet?) ...

Somehow rich fabrics look better on resin (like the Sybs and BJDs) than on plastic ...

And ya know, the male BJDs look awesome in wild prints ...

So ... what's your excuse for the fabric hoarding, hmmm?

Hello, call me Ursa, I am a Fabric Whore.

I love fabric. I sew and make things because I love fabric and need an excuse to have every imaginable kind of fabric on hand. The lusher, the more brilliantly colored, the more wildly patterned, the better.

But whore cannot live by fabric alone. We need thread, and trims and fasteners and and and ...

And when you live in the middle of the sticks where the closest GOOD fabric store is easily two hours drive away you buy online. And you get sick of that B.A.S.* real damned quick. (Big Auction Site; until their auction fees go down and their customer service goes up I won't give them the searchable reference.)

So, welcome dear fellow whores, we are far from alone. We can enable each other into more fabrics and more project needs to purchase fabrics for ... please join me with your comments and please also share your favorite links on the Fabric Whore index site ...

Yours in fiber & crafts,
Ursa