Barbie's Fab Night Life

A few months ago, I was tagged in a Flickr photo challenge, with the theme of "Urban Safari". I thought it would be fun to make a few animal print gowns for the girls, and let them duke it out for Mulder's affections. That seems like something he would enjoy.

I picked up a few animal printed fat quarters and made a few plans, but then the move got in the way, and life got crazy. I finally got all the dresses together and put together my diorama for pictures.

I started with Trichelle's dress. I love this grey snakeskin and I thought the black and grey would suit her. She's so fierce, I wanted a vampy dress for her. This is McCalls 658. This is an older pattern, so I did make a few size modifications for Trichelle's belly button body, but otherwise made it as designed. I love the neckline detail. I added some large hotfix studs to bring the eye up to her beautiful face.

The next outfit I made was Violette's. The dress is made with Advance 9938. I made this view for Midge, so I didn't have to make any alterations for fit. I wanted the giraffe printed cotton to be the star of the show, so I didn't embellish the dress, but I did make Violette a coordinating belt out of a scrap of leather from an old purse. I'm very pleased with how it turned out.

I decided against animal print for Dana. She's Mulder's lady fair, and I wanted her to stand out. Her gown is from a pattern I found on Pinterest. Sadly, it is not credited, so I don't know where it came from, but it is super sexy! The fabric is a silver embossed gold knit. Dana has an Obitsu body, which is much slimmer and bustier than Barbie's body. I took in the dress significantly in the side seams of the skirt and back of the halter portion. If I had made it in a woven, I think I'd have had to deepen the bust dart as well.

I think Trichelle and Violette look amazing in their gowns, and I had tons of fun making them and styling them. Making Violette's belt was easier than I thought. I'll definitely be making more of those.

Of course, the other girls never really had a chance...

Midge gets a new sundress: Advance 9938

Poor Midge has been hanging out in her negligee since I made it. It was time for her to get out of her PJs and into some day wear!

Time for a sundress!! *jazz hands*

I was so happy with the sundress I made for Evie last month, that I decided to use the same pattern  (Advance 9938), but with the princess seamed bodice. 

I defined the seam lines further with a little faux piping. It's done with red ribbon, just inserted into the seam. It definitely accentuates Midge's curves!

I added a red satin rosette just where it waist seam intersects the princess seam.

The bodice closes in back with three snaps, which I accented with tiny red buttons. This bodice has a higher back neckline than the darted bodice I used last time.

It also features a slightly dropped waistline, which I think is seriously cute. I used the same skirt as last time, so the added bodice length makes this almost a tea length dress. Very sweet..

The fabric is a quilting cotton, but somewhat more lightweight. It drapes nicely, while still having enough body to maintain the full skirt. It's pretty much the perfect weight for Barbie clothes, and the scale of the polka dot is right on.

I think she likes it. She even blew us a kiss!

Advance 9938: Summer in the Sun for Barbie

A couple of weeks ago, my Mother in Law brought over a bag full of fabric. Mostly small pieces, and a lot of them small prints and solids! Just was Dr. Barbie ordered!

I had to start out with the fresh floral print. Large scale florals are big this spring, and I think Barbie (or Evanora in this case) wears it exceptionally well.

The pattern for this sundress is Advance 9938, a Barbie/Mattel licensed pattern from the 60s. I really like this pattern! I have made a couple of other pieces from it, and they all fit extremely well.

I made a few very minor changes. The pattern calls for straps, which I omitted. The fit is close enough that the dress stays up fine on its own. I also added some lace to the bodice and ribbon at the waistline. The pattern calls for a petticoat to be added under the skirt, but this cotton has plenty of body, so I skipped it.

In back, there are snap closures with decorative buttons or beads. With a design this fitted, I find snaps are more secure than velcro. There are two tiny snaps with green buttons to pick up the green in the print. I love the effect.

I really love this whole look. I totally sewed it on a whim, and I'm so glad I did. It's perfect for Evie!

Advance 9938: Barbie out on the town

I picked up this Advance pattern (9938) for the great chinoiserie inspired sheath dress, but Myra has been asking for a new coat for Barbie. This cute 60s swing coat was a must.

I made it out of fleece, which I think looks much more luxe at Barbie's scale. It almost looks like fur. It is a bit bulky though. Her collar is pretty full, even though I used black batiste for the undercollar. I also made her a quick little clutch to go with her outfit. It's just a square of satin with a pointed end for the envelope opening. I sewed a silver bead on as a "closure".

The coat closes with snaps, but I was thrilled to find these fab little buttons at Hobby Lobby. Aren't they perfect for a Barbie coat? Myra will love the sparkle.

Of course, I HAD to make the dress, too! Isn't it fun? The fabric is a prepleated polyester. It was a bit fussy to sew, but looks fabulous. I'm really pleased with how well this pattern fits as compared to other patterns I've used. The darts are all in the right place, and the amount of ease is much more appropriate. Even on the modern body type (which this Barbie has) the dress looks great.

The Asian style "opening" at the neck is actually just a decorative element. The dress is closed with velcro at center back. Much easier to get on and off than a traditional neckline opening! The ribbon is stitched on by machine, but I added the beads by hand. I also hand stitched the armhole hems. This was actually much easier and faster than doing it by machine.

The final piece of her outfit are her sleek black "satin" gloves. I used this pattern, but slimmed the wrist area significantly. The pattern comes out looking more like oven mitts than the elegant glove I was going for. The fabric is a heavy tricot, so it has a lot of stretch, making these easy to get on and off the doll, but still have a sleek fit. They were the devil to sew though. The finished gloves look pretty awesome, so I'm pleased.