My First Frida

 I wanted one of these, but I missed out.

https://barbie.mattel.com/shop/en-us/ba/inspiring-women-series/barbie-inspiring-women-series-frida-kahlo-doll-fjh65

So I made my own.

Doll remodeling is an entire world unto itself. Some of the videos are ASMR in their 'crafting as soothing activity' qualities. I was very soothed.

I have an entire separate blog post just with links and photos that helped me/enabled me through this process, which I will post next week. Promise. Probably sooner.

If I were going to buy one from Mattel, it would be Ella

Mattel website, credit on photo

The very photo from Ebay of our subject

Like Frida, she has her own back problems.

The original doll is from the Monster High dolls, Cleo de Nile, purchased on ebay.

She needed her hair combed out. Conditioner helps

And I cut out the teal hair streaks.

Gooped her up with coconut oil to keep the paint from sticking and wiped her paint off with nail polish remover.

I did file down her upper lip a little, and flattened out the bottom lip and the tip of her nose. It was a little too Barbie for me.

Her hair needed to be tamed to her head shape, so she got the deep conditioning, head first into the hot water spa. I wrapped her up to make her easier to handle.

At this point, I had to make a style choice: am I going for the sort of precision paint work that Frida would have done, or the looser line driven drawing I tend to prefer?

I went with looser. These aren't real eyes

I did take down the moustache a trifle. I have one, she had one, but I didn't want it to be the focal point of her face.

This is my favorite picture of the set. Me and Frida, hanging out on Saturday night, doing her hair. There's a little Sarah Silverman in this, and I'm good with that.

I had to glue her bangs back and cover that line with the wreath. Also glued. And sewn.

Now she needs some clothes.

What would Frida wear? Well, I have the book

https://www.amazon.com/Self-Portrait-Velvet-Dress-Fashion/dp/0811863441

which documents this exhibit which went on tour

and now lives at

https://www.museofridakahlo.org.mx/en/exhibitions/

It's hard not to pose her reacting to the camera, frankly. 

With her skirt and huipil

And a shawl.

She will get other outfits, I promise.

adding this link to a FIT YouTube presentation on the recent exhibition of Kahlo's wardrobe, 

https://youtu.be/k_9XMG8Oo9k

as curated by and spoken about by Circe Henestrosa (the head of the School of Fashion at LASALLE College of the Arts in Singapore).

Pattern work: Pants Regraining

Those legs are off grain. And I thought I fixed that. Needs fixing more.

These are the one piece pants, the ones previous to the red ones, which I am giving up on. Look at those lower legs; the inside seam comes back towards the center. And these are better than previous ones. That inseam is curving in.

Pencil is the old grain line. Was I on drugs? No, but when I turned the one piece pants back into two piece pants for the red pants, I didn't correct the grain lines. And here I am, correcting.

 

I pinned the pieces to the folded over board to keep them lined up when I redid them.

I love love love my folding cutting board. It's not entirely accurate in measuring length (the fold sucks up some distance) but I can pin pieces to it with pushpins, I can use clothespins to secure the fabric to the edges to grain stuff up....and when one dies, it becomes very useful cardboard for projects and at least one kid's trifold project display.

And here they are

Black is still hard to photograph, but those ankles are straighter. Such a flattering photo!

You want to see a great pocket adjustment on pants?

https://www.sewinglikemad.com/2019/08/bob-woven-pants-by-style-arc-pocket.html

Mmmm hmmmm!

Meanwhile, I am pounding accounting into my head

More next week. I have notes to take.

And 'journalizing' is not a word. "Posting to the journal" will do.

Or you could stay stitch the seamline first

Stay stitch those seams!

I'll be honest: this solution is going to result in pants that don't fit

I've been having this stretched out waist problem with denim and twill fabrics (last pair of pants gained three inches stretch).

The best way to avoid this is to stay stitch the waist and crotch seams first thing, before you start handling them. Twill weaves will stretch its why we like them for work clothes, but you want them to stretch the way you want them to. 

When it's too late, you are going to want to get out your pattern pieces and recut that waistband (and probably the back crotch seam). And it may not work very well. Another option is pleating the fabric to take up that slack.

Since I eat my feelings, I need new pants. Nudity is frowned upon, and it's winter here. I am working on a set of pants about posts. No, wait, reverse that.

My brain is a little overtaxed.

I'm at that point in the accounting class where I have to make my brain retain knowledge that is antithetical to what I thought I knew.

DEEP BRAIN HURTING.

My favorite indie patterns at the moment

You want a good freebie:

https://fancytigercrafts.com/collections/free-patterns/products/one-hour-top.

This one is pretty nice, too

https://byhandlondon.com/products/polly-top

I am curious why so many really simple Independent patterns are priced the way they are.

Maybe other countries don't have club prices or Joann's for cheap patterns, but I'll be honest, 

a pattern has got to rock my world for me to spend over $10 USD on it.

I need it to come to my house, open up and cut itself.

The ones I am fondest of, the ones I make over and over again and have bought more than one, more than once. The ones I foist on others, insisting: NO, really, this one is genius....

The Tiramisu from Sewing Cake

https://www.create-everyday.com/products/0144-tiramisu-knit-dress-pdf

It's all there on the envelope. It's just four pieces.

Why this fits EVERY BODY like a dream, well, lightning struck Steph C and this is the result. Do not question, just accept. Google search the photos for this if you need proof. 

Vintage Vests 222 Folkwear

https://www.folkwear.com/products/222-vintage-vests?variant=35454321102

Pretty much all of the Folkwear are great, but this is the only vest pattern I ever use. It's well drafted, comes in mens and womens sizes, and has great instructions. First welt pockets I ever made, and made a believer out of me.

Loes Hinse Textile Studio Barcelona Dress

This is the other dress that makes everyone look amazing, but this one has sleeves that work and can be made in a woven. This dress, in polka dots, has broken stubborn humans that dared to cross me. It's out of print, but it's out there. It's worth the search.

Barcelona dress line drawing. It's pretty simple to figure out. The skirt is one piece, cut four times, on the bias. The bodice is a pullover with small waist darts, cut ongrain.

CB Spiral Blouse

https://www.centerforpatterndesign.com/patterns/cb-spiral-blouse

I've only made this once, it's a little tricksy to stitch up. There's a part on the sleeve that you have to take on faith (and maybe fold up the paper pattern to see how it could possibly work).  But it does, and it's not a fabric hog. Very wearable, and very worth the $20.

Gifts and Gratitude 2020

Gift sewing this year was making masks. Some holiday ones as well. 

I did not color sample my custom Spoonflower print on the right from the left one by Kelly Gilleran, but I would have if I'd thought about it (I matched from his little mittens, and then decided to buy the cocoa print to make more masks with). It wasn't until I got them back from Spoonflower that I realized how perfect they were together, and that I could make that cocoa print last through all six masks for the recipient family.

https://www.spoonflower.com/en/fabric/5675022-hot-cocoa-by-kellygilleran

Cotton poly lining from sheets.
I won't run out of sheets any time soon

Slicing knit jersey for more mask straps

Me modeling mask. One I made for me.

Cutting a box template and covering it with velveteen to line a wooden jewelry box for my niece.

Made a variation on the McCalls raglan hoody pattern, which really is a men's sized pattern despite the newly redone cover artwork. We'll call it the boyfriend hoody.

This pink stretch velvet shed little sparkles all over the sewing room, the cutting table, me, my clothes, my lungs....this is why I was vacuuming the room and started the Serger Tragedy.

Pink stretch velvet top much less of a hit. I'm batting about .000 with sewing for the niece these days.

And a scrap of the flannel jams for the boy. He doesn't need them, but I loved the print, the flannel washed up nice and fluffy, and they made him smile. 

 

This has been a rough year at Ernie K Labs, even before the pandemic. Enormous family upheavals: got new job, got furloughed, spouse left. Enormous local upheavals (my city is not a riot zone and please stop killing black people and tear gassing small children) got  back 5/8s of job (that seam allowance joke is lost on my boss).

I don't know what's going to happen next in my life.

I bet most of you don't either.

HOWEVER, I have a place to live and I have 5/8s of a job. I have 8/8s of my health insurance, courtesy of my company

I am grateful to my sewing family. You got me through this, with toddler videos, pants theory, engagements, babies, cosplay even when there wasn't a place to play. 

 I loved reading all your posts and seeing your photos.

Please know you are loved.