Awhile back I mentioned wanting to make a new outfit for this doll because I didn't like the all pink outfit.
Never having tried to sew for a Silkstone before I assumed the doll was similar in body size to my vintage dolls....wrong! They appear to be more like the Model Muse articulated bodies.
Before cutting anything out I tried on a few dresses I made for the vintage dolls and they were way too big. So I looked through my pattern stash and found this book:
I decided that since the full skirted dresses on the cover were on Silkstones it would be a good fit.
It's not a bad fit but not as great a fit as the author has on her dolls. Even though I carefully traced the pattern from the book, my neckline came out more vee necked rather than the more scoop neck of the model dolls dress. My bodice also doesn't fit as well in the bust area as the model dolls either, although you can't tell in the picture.
I am a little disappointed and frustrated. I am not skilled enough to make tailoring adjustments to the doll patterns and was hoping this one would fit better since the author used a Silkstone. Unless the non-articulated Silkies are more like the vintage Barbies than the articulated ones? Has anyone used commercial patterns to make clothing for the articulated Silkstones? I have a few current patterns made for the new Barbies so I may have to try one of those.
Anyway at least this doll has a new dress and she does look kinda cute!
Thanks for stopping by.......
I think your dress turned out great! I only have two Barbie patterns and so far, I've been too intimidated by the small scale to try making something with them. Congrats:@)
ReplyDeletePS-They did make that doll with a ~lot~ of pink!
Thanks. I have sewn lots of clothes for my dolls so I do have some experience.
DeleteI don't own any Silkstones, so I've never tried to sew for them. I experience disappointment with commercial doll patterns not fitting exactly right, all the time. From what I was told many years ago, those patterns were probably made so that they would "fit" all of the dolls pictured. Then of course the dress was taken in at the back or something so it looks like it fits the cover doll perfectly. Very frustrating. Your Silkstone does look nice in the new dress, though.
ReplyDeleteThanks. I know that the patterns vary as do the dolls themselves, but it is frustrating to try and figure out which patterns fit which dolls. Guess I will just have to keep trying.....
DeleteThanks. I have alot of patterns just don't want to have to try each one of them but I may have too!
ReplyDeleteHi Chris. I agree with the others here. You did a great job on that dress. The Barbie Model Muse bodies are very skinny as you have discovered. But I will suggest this. Take your patterns and make them up in a cheap cotton. Don't use a sewing machine, sew them by hand so that the stitches can be easily removed. After you have sewn the dress, leave it inside out and put it on the doll. Pin the dress along at both seams so that it fits better. Try to keep the amount you are taking in on both sides an even amount. Then using chalk or a pencil, mark both sides of where the pins are. Remove the dress from the doll. Take apart the dress. Create a new, better fitting pattern by tracing along the marks you made. (For the dress pictured in this post, you will need to remove the skirt part before you fit the bodice. Remove the sleeves as well. Only the bodice needs to be refitted. The skirt will simply have more fullness.) With your "new" pattern, make another dress out of the cheap fabric to test for fit. Once you're happy, you now have a dress pattern that works for your doll! Hope that helps a bit.
ReplyDeleteThanks, I have read your turtorials on your blog but honestly I am not that patient of a person. I have some more current patterns I may try first. They might need less work.
DeleteThe dress is lovely on her, but I understand your frustration. Could you maybe take the seam allowances off and hopefully that would make the dress smaller next time? I usually use the photocopier and take the pattern down in size a bit...it's a bit hit and miss sometimes as I'm hopeless at maths but it generally works ok.
ReplyDeletex
The dress looks like it fits her just fine, Chris! But the jointed Silkies are definitely slimmer than the stiff Silkstones. The original Silkies (stiffs) are very close to the vintage Barbie figure. I just tried on a dress for a Poppy Parker doll on one of my jointed Silkies and it was a very good fit! You might try using a pattern for a Poppy! Good Luck!
ReplyDelete