Friday, March 26, 2010

Perfecting the Panty


In sewing, there is no such thing as "getting it right the first time" although I sure wish there was. Today my goal was to perfect the panty. So, I sat down with a strip of white swimsut fabric, and got to work. I chose lycra, #1, because it doesn't fray, and #2, it has a strong rebound (obviously), and puts up with a lot of stretching and pulling. Therefore, I know I could achieve a really good fit and still be able to pull them on those sticky plastic legs without wanting to swear.


This first picture is what I consider to be the best of today's attempts, though it still has a way to go.

The first pair I made was sewn with a straight seam. It looked darling, but once I pulled it on, all of the stitching snapped apart, which I should have forseen, seeing as the tight stitches had anchored the fabric, eliminating the stretch component.


So, I went to my sewing machine guide, hoping for an answer. To my relief, I found a stitich called the "lycra" stitch (duh). You can see a rough example to the left. Because it is not a straight line, it allows the fabric to stretch and, a REALLY GREAT side-effect happens to be a cute little ruffle effect!



YAY!!







So, after that wonderful discovery, I decided it was time to perfect my pattern. The current pattern I had created had a slight flaw:





Undesirable BOOTY exposure.





So, after a few more tries, I finally perfected the panty!






As for all those cute but not quite perfect panties that I have laying around my house now...

You are welcome to a FREE pair with every outfit you order, now, until I run out, of course.

Then, the "GOOD" ones are only $1 a piece!!

So, how do you like 'em? Cute? Silly? Leave me a comment and let me know.

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Ready to Sew

While I was planning my orders and cutting out fabric the other day, my daughter, Avalon sat on the other end of the table doing the same thing. When I finally surfaced from the abyss of my concentration for a moment, I discovered the quality of her creations. Remember: she will be 7 in 2 weeks. At 12 months old, she could hold a pencil correctly. By 15 months, she could make rows and rows of little circles in a straight line. When she was 2 years old, she decided that crayons do not give the precision of colored pencils, and crayola and roseart colored pencils did not have the intensity of color she could get out of Prismacolors, so she fell in love with Mom's Prismacolors.

They have since been dragged all over the world with her, the way stuffed animals or blankets are dragged by other children. They have been worn down to nubs, and repaced, one by one, at a dollar a pencil. She has also begun to experement with watercolor, acrylic, poster paints, and oil pastels. she has been begging for art lessons, which she will begin this summer, and sewing lessons, which she began the day before yesterday.

I thought she might be ready. You think so?

This ain't no stick figure!
















Look at the detail in this little face!



So, we began our first sewing lesson. She decided to make a Barbie pillow and blanket, which is a perfect starter project. She cut it out, and sat down to sew. despite the knowledge I already had of her creative skills, I was amazed at the confidence and fluidity of movement with which she attacked her project.




There is no mistaking that she had these skills before she ever came to this earth to be my daughter. What a stewardship I have been given! To nurture without manipulation, inspire without control, encourage without obligation.
I am humbled and proud. My little girl. No--my big girl, growing up. Good job, my sweetheart. I love you!







.

Denim Day



Yesterday, at the Modest Barbie "factory", we had a "Denim Day". I currently have two big orders, totaling 15 outfits, with a self-imposed deadline of March 31. Yesterday, I did all the denim componenets. So, for the two ladies who will receive these items, what do you think? For the rest of you... Doesn't this look fun? Well, it is! Sewwing is a productive and useful skill. And yet, I still feel like I am just playing a really fun game when I should be "working". Hahaha!





I LOVE loving what I do!

Monday, March 8, 2010

Recent Creations

I have decided that multi-item sets are the very best way to run this Barbie clothing business. It is not only a good value for the buyer, but also for the maker, me! The buyer gets enough product to justify shipping, and enough outfits to establish a modest wardrobe for their Barbies. I get the satisfaction of sewing more pieces, and creating matching and/or co-ordinating outfits. WOOT!



Here is my most recent set. It is called

The Spring Starter Pack

It includes the basics of a Barbie's Spring wardrobe.
Including: 1 Jeans, 1 shorts, 2 shirts, 2 dresses, 1 nightgown, and 1 jacket.










This set is part of a larger group of sets that sell for $28.00 each.

Including the Spring, Summer, Winter and Fall sets. All sets include the same number of items as the set you see above, but they may be custom-ordered to meet the needs of the individual buyer, and can be shipped for only $3!


Smaller sets are also available. Including:

"3 Dresses" set for $17
and
"Mix & Match" 2 outfit set for $12


Want 15% off, AND free shipping?
Got a blog?

If you write a blog post about this site, and provide a live link,
your next order will be discounted!

This set is SOLD
to place an order.