Pants Pants Pants

All I am sewing is pants.

And I honestly cannot make a fly and a waistband the same way twice. 

This time I put some ban rol waistband into it, as end leaders for the wide elastic that makes up most of the waistband..

https://www.wawak.com/Garment-Construction/Elastic-Waistbands/ban-roll-waistband-non-elastic/?sku=EL302

which works except for the part where I put the buttonhole through it, and it's cutting through the buttonhole threads because plastic is a weapon baby.

The lead piece to the right of the elastic is the ban-roll. Super stiff and is wearing well except for that pokey bit.

The nonelastic leader gets the button or the button hole, and stops the bunching at the point where the elastic starts.

And my tiny friend got a pair as well

Doug's fan dancing frogs get to be the pockets

And the tiny shirt so we'll match.

Dollightly, great patterns

https://www.etsy.com/listing/936674641/digital-download-doll-clothes-pattern

Yes, she will get a face up, her hair rerooted and redone, and oh yeah, she'll get back her finished feet. She will also get those tennis shoes with foot plugs and pegs for when she wants to look more like me.

Plus glasses. Cause Me

Added goodness:

really old pants

https://arstechnica.com/science/2022/04/the-worlds-oldest-pants-are-a-3000-year-old-engineering-marvel/

Art Doll / Link Party

All the rest of the photos in this post are not mine. I have tried to put as many credits and identifications on them as possibly. And waaaaaay too many links. But I am putting my photo first so it shows up as the header for this post, and not promote this with someone else's work.

 I'd argue that the best thing about the art doll community is that it likes to demonstrate how to make things. Some of the videos are barely edited. 

This sounds like an insult, but it's actually instructive: it's real time instruction, this is how long it takes to do this thing. It's also very soothing to watch someone else make the thing for a change.

For example, New Vintage Lady's new videos
https://youtu.be/y_VElNmrXrk

Little Bird Blythe shows you how much you will have to fiddle with the screws.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVu2Q_yKBld_K8Grc7WUanw/videos

On the blog side of demonstrations and high fashion, I adore Fashion Doll Stylist

https://fashiondollstylist.blogspot.com/

Their blog is where this started for me, with the runway fashion shots and the scale recreations they made for their dolls. I'm only posting this one photo, you HAVE to go look for yourself to see the amazing work they've been doing for eight years now.

https://fashiondollstylist.blogspot.com/2019/08/no-business-like-shoe-business.html

The dean of dolls, making beautiful shoes. And check out the side linked blogs.

The minute you start on YouTube looking at OneOfAKind dolls, your suggested video list is going to multiply with other similar accounts.  It's an entire world of specialists and reviewers and conventions and it's been a really nice holiday for me. 

Frankly, sewing clothes right now just seems really pointless.
Where am I going that I'm not wearing a uniform for? How many masks do I need?
So,   DOLL RABBIT HOLE!!!!!

Skeriosities Doll Art
https://youtu.be/rWzIUtfX-vE
who has some amazing work on Etsy (link in video)

"He's so cute and I'm going to ruin it"
This is the best doll video here. You will learn everything in under 15 minutes
Mr 2 Bon Clay from One Piece

https://youtu.be/roaRXlI_LAs

I can't recommend Enchanterium's videos enough. Even if you have no idea what the inspiration for the dolls is, the techniques and the creative struggle (and the tiny pants with functioning pockets, the attachable space helmet, the 3D printing and LED lighting issues) are worth it. Super bonus points for very very dry wit. There are laugh out loud moments in all of their videos. Plus they are SISTERS.

Removing the head and the hair and the facepaint (!) while getting the ErnieK Seal of Safety Approval for correct spray paint safe use.

Candy's Dolls
https://youtu.be/WzNFMoRUD5o

and some editorial commentary on Steven Universe while refacing for Rose Quartz
https://youtu.be/cDYcgBxSHdc

How to straighten/curl doll hair

https://iamloveddolls.wordpress.com/2015/07/10/back-to-basics-how-to-fix-and-straighten-doll-hair/
she has a link to the second, curling tutorial in the post

And then there's just starting all over again by rerooting hair
https://youtu.be/qHQOKpHJcZE

Closer to what I needed:
http://ilovetocreateblog.blogspot.com/2014/07/how-to-make-frida-style-braids.html

Best use of three hands ever

Dollightful Repaint 

https://youtu.be/oA0xgwZFnPo

Barbie sawn apart to get a new Morticia waist

https://youtu.be/y_6HToVKF2Y

And a lot of talk about costuming and character

how to make 'converse' style shoes

https://youtu.be/xeIApc6dwKI

Because I am going to make one doll into a little Mini Me.

Because I can.

I will continue to add links to this as time goes by, because this is my information storage unit.

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).