Chavonne Has a Yoga Class...then Brunch with Her Bestie!

One of my all time favorite things is yoga.  I practiced it for many years and owe it all to this wonder for helping me maintain flexibility, strength, patience, peace, and good chakra throughout my life.  At nearly 50 years old, I summoned yoga as the key to my ability to start running 5K and 10K races for the first time at 40!

Sunday Morning Yoga Class

Journey Girl Chavonne: Curly Girl Hair Care

As you well know I currently style five Chavonne dolls.  The most recent arrival has the most soft curls.  They take well to a gentle shampoo and light oil.  It just does not get any better than to have curly's that do not require a lot of maintenance and style.

Now, the previous four are sort of a mixed bag of tricks.  Let me tell you what that means.  They each have a unique cut to give them their own identity.  But the hair of this lot appears to have been a trial to see what works, what lasted, and what drew criticism.  In other words, the simple hair care routine that I started with only lasts a short while.  The hair is very dry, almost brittle.

By trial and error I decided to add something a little different and it worked like magic.  The results you will see in a later post "Satin, Ribbons, and Lace" a feature on lingerie.

For now I share the simple products of nothing really special, just beauty staples that kind of reached their mileage for me.  I gladly conserve them now to take care of the dolls coifs.

First, combs and brushes are prohibited here.  They are not recommended for use on Curly Dolls as they ruin the curl pattern.  It is best to avoid them at all cost so that you are not saddened by the result.

Before you wash your dolls hair, protect the eyes and the soft cloth body.  I cover the eyes to prevent rusting with cotton balls taped down to prevent water from entering the eye sockets.  I wrap the doll in a white shirt and pin it to keep it close to the body.

Next, saturate the hair under warm to hot water.  Apply a quarter size drop of shampoo.  Cleanse all product from the hair thoroughly.  Rinse with warm to cool water to remove all traces of shampoo.

Now it is time for the bonus!  Squeeze about a quarter size of cleansing conditioner into your hand.  Rub hands together and massage into doll hair, saturating each curl.  You want to make sure that the frizzy ends get a lot of attention because this is where the problem of matting takes shape.

After about five minutes, thoroughly rinse with warm to cool water.  Blot excess water with a t-shirt.  Squeeze about a quarter size of oil into your hand.  Rub palms together.  Apply oil to hair.  Do not over do it.

Allow hair to dry naturally without heat.  Curls will be soft and light.  Stay tuned for the "Satin, Ribbons, and Lace" photo shoot to see the results!

Looking Ahead...

Between Ebay and Amazon I challenge myself to find the best prices for fabrics so that I can pass those deals along to customers.  One of the great finds which divides its online occupancy among these two and other locations is NEOTRIMS:UK.  I plan to make some nice doll sweaters for the upcoming Fall/Winter.

The Journey Girls have another option to keep warm!

Ruffles and Gathers...Simplified

In my recent efforts of pulling off some impressive ruffles and gathers the hard way, I discovered a smarter way looming on the shelf of knowledge!  The Viking Husqvarna Emerald 183 comes with a gathering tool.  However the tried and true Brother XL 3200 did not.  It does not mean you cannot achieve ruffles and gathers.  

But now I have a few tools to make the Brother XL 3200 continue to rival the Husqvarna Emerald 183.  They arrived yesterday by China Post.  I purchased both on Ebay for pennies compared to the pricey retail tag.  

First, let's take a peek at the Gathering Foot. 

This little tool makes amazing gathers on the Brother XL 3200.  You help it do its work by loosening the bobbin tension.  It screws right on and goes right to work.  I found it on Ebay for $.99!  It can cost up to $20 retail.  

But here is the beast of the trade.  The Ruffle Foot.  

It works for heavier fabrics making a collection of ruffles.  I purchased it for less that $5 on Ebay.  It retails for as much as $20.  

Take a look at the videos which give an awesome demonstration of how to use both!  Enjoy!

Questions & Answers

How long have you been sewing?

BOC: I started sewing around the age of eight.  That is almost 40 years. The initial inspiration was to make doll clothes, for my “Darci Cover Girl” doll, from a Christmas wish granted.  The following Christmas I asked for a sewing machine. I received a Holly Hobbie, my first machine.  I continued to sew mostly by hand, taught to me by my mother.  She taught me the chain and the blind hem. My first sewing projects were repairing socks.

What inspires you to sew today?

BOC: The dolls continue to inspire me.  I mostly sew now for the larger dolls, 18” Journey Girls by Toys R Us.  I designed for Barbie for many years.

Where do get your ideas for clothing designs?

BOC: I draw inspiration from fashion concepts re-imagined.  Nothing is ever really out of style.  My first generation patterns took a lot of processing time. From there, ideas flourish and build from that foundation.

Did you take any formal training?

BOC: No.  I am self-taught.  I barely liked to read instruction manuals. For years, I audited store bought patterns simply because some of them had poor instructions. I discovered new ways to achieve the same thing or some variation.

How do you construct new ideas? What materials do you use in your pattern making?

BOC: I start with a picture of an original idea from an adult or child photo.  I start sketching the details with color pencils, giving it an initial code.  I then plan the fabric.  I either pencil the pattern to paper or drape from scraps.  My first draping material was felt scraps.  I still use whatever is handy.  I try not to throw a new construction onto the fabric used for the final garment.  Sometimes I do and the idea comes together nicely.  Other times the drafts help me to work out the struggles.

Any new projects or plans for the near future?

BOC: New projects come up all of the time.  The major projects are the new launch of the EBAY store.  I plan to create a commemorative design inspired by the late artist Prince.  In the fall, I will join SandyLand’s Detroit Doll Show as a vendor.

However, new inspirations, ideas, and events spring up all of the time.  I try to share this with the world.  It is my legacy.  I am grateful for social media, because it allows me to take the platform and reach people all over the world who I otherwise would never see locally.

Thanks for the questions!

Shop Ebay

The Beauty of Creating Ebay store will open soon.  In the meantime, you may search my location: dmoore0170 to find our designs and other doll items for your 18" doll.

Happy Shopping!

The Prince Tribute

Coming soon...

2017 Swimsuit Catalog

The Catalog for the 2017 Swimsuit Collection lists both the (O) online and (D) direct sell fee.  Direct Sell customers may contact me immediately for purchase.

Each item lists on EBay on Sunday April 23, 2017.

This catalog is available for print.  Click the image and download to your device.

Swimsuit 2017 Brochure

Download your free copy of the Beauty of Creating 2017 Swimsuit Brochure here:

Flashback Friday

We take you all the way back to the year 1981.  I was a seventh grade student at Miller Middle and my sewing teacher was Ms. Merritt.  Christmas was a few months away and Holly Hobbie was no longer doing the job.

"Mother may I..."

And she replied "yes you may".

For Christmas 1982, I received my very first electronic sewing machine.  A Singer Model 247 - Straight/Zig Zag.  I think the price was around $70.  I saw it in the JoAnn Fabric Store at Eastland Mall, Harper Woods, Michigan on one of my many scenic routes to the fabric store.

I knew it when I saw it and I told my mother this was it!

Singer Model 247

What You See is...

...not always what you get!

JoAnn Fabric which is my favorite craft barn hosted a free shipping day and I found some great little bargains to add to the summer swimsuit composition, and additionally located some ideas for classic leggings, slated for fall/winter.

The selections list as "loungewear heart knits" and they are absolutely adorable.

Sometimes, the colors shall fool you.  And I was caught looking at numbers, while praying the colors in this purchase are exactly what I see on the screen.

Unfortunately it was not the same.

My hopes: cream and charcoal grey

Dreams shattered!  This is yellow and black!

I phoned customer service whose eyes saw pretty much the same as I did. Thanks to excellent service, I received a refund for these two bargains which I have no clue what to do with them.  But strongly considering making underpants for the dollies!

As far as what you see is not always what you get, take a look for yourself and you make the call.

Eight Suits in Under Eight

A few weeks back my online partners came up with an idea to challenge ourselves this Spring/Summer with "Eight in Under Eight" goal.  The objective is to illustrate, design, and construct an eight piece swimwear collection in under eight days.

I find these challenges to be a great way to stir our creative juices.

These suits will be available soon with sunglasses and beach bag.  Stay tuned!

As you know, all kinds of strangeness goes on when you have a task to complete.  My main horse went down, needing a new shank/ankle.  I had to pull out the Brother XL3200 which was and remains "the beast", but does not have the stitch measuring capability (or a presser foot to adapt) so I fumbled on the "Pink Cheetah" suit.

All in all, it came together.

Whew!

Spare Machine, Spare Parts, Replacement Nightmares!

It is always good to have a backup!

As you know recently I purchased a second overlock/serger.  Thank goodness, I retained the Brother XL3200 after buying the Viking Husqvarna Emerald 183, despite a few folks begging for it.  Over the weekend while trying to install the gathering foot, which failed to stay on and nearly broke the needle, the shank (which is plastic…grrr!) broke.

My Viking is the main horse in the stable so my immediate reaction sent me into a panic.  I went online to sewingpartsonline.com, found the replacement at a modest cost, and ordered two.  I expected to have the shank (along with a spare for a rainy day) by the end of the week and put the Emerald 183 back in the field…right.

Wrong!

I did continue sewing right through this distraction thanks to the Brother XL3200 my trusted and good friend who I shall never abandon or toss away.

However, the worst of it is that I received an email on Tuesday (after making the purchase online through PayPal on Sunday) saying one or more of the parts are on back-order.

What a mess!

I expected to give this site a lot of business but I am giving it the side-eye as I type this message.  You cannot be serious.

Okay…I call to follow up on the email, believing at least one is in while I wait for the other (no additional shipping charges), to find that the order is completely vacated.

Give me a refund! Four weeks until the parts arrive from the manufacturer is unacceptable.

A place that does this volume of business needs a better quality control system in place.  The existing one is a fail.

I call JoAnn’s up the road and the agent answering in the Viking Sewing Gallery thinks the machine needs service repair.  Craziness.  This part screws on. You are not about to cajole me into bringing my machine in.  I will call back later and speak to a competent agent.  This one clearly does not have a clue.  I call back later and they still want me to bring that heavy machine in to see it if it fits.

See if it fits? You are a dealer.  I have an Emerald 183.  You should tell me if the part fits over the phone.  The online dealers tell you which parts fit your machine.  EBay merchants take the time to run you a list of compatible and interchangeable parts/models.

You sell fancy Viking’s and you cannot tell me without me packing it up and running it down the road?

You are busted!

Is it that hard to get good help?

Meanwhile, the Brother XL3200 (17 years running) is showing its butt off and my eyes are dancing around looking at videos of the Singer Quantum Stylist 9960 and strongly considering selling the Viking 183.  Who makes plastic shanks/ankles anyhow on such a high end trough of machines anyhow?  Every machine I ever owned sported metal shanks and no problems fitting any of its presser feet!

I knew this pretty horse had tender bones…I just knew it!

Emerald 183, you are not all of that.  You are on waivers for dismissal.

Woosah...

Special thanks to the colorfulworldofsewing.com, the Viking Emerald 183 lives to run another race.

Unless for some god-forsaken reason the parts are on back-order, the Emerald 183 should have a new shoe by the end of the week!

Woosah...

And the foolery is not over yet, the Husqvarna online says that the new and improved shank ankle fits all models 5, 6, and 7.  However it throws out a disclaimer "not for Emerald series", yet the Emerald falls under Series 6.

Well, we shall see.  Nothing is ever wasted around here.  If I cannot use it, someone will be able to.

Nothing ventured...nothing gained.  At some point you have to do things yourself, since clearly the confusion runs deep where Viking Husqvarna nests.

Before the Glory

I think this is a great time to talk about the road to success.

As an artist you always look for the details that make it "hot" or "not". Not every project, no matter the sketch, the design, the drafts, or the intense effort does the project execute according to the plan or the vision.

It took decades to articulate and construct the ideas that you see here. I started my doll clothing creations following the patterns and teachings of others. From there, I began manipulating large patterns made for humans, scaling them down to fit Barbie! This evolved into a full fledged design from sketch to final product. This evolution did not occur over night!

Recently I drafted the ideas for a broad composition of swimwear for 18" dolls. Some of the drafts emerged effortlessly into the exact idea I envisioned. Others, went completely off of the grid.

Take a look...

Sketch of "Pink Cheetah"

First Draft

As you can see, the First Draft did not go as planned. First, the iron was too hot and I melted the underside of the fabric when making the hems. I knew from the start, this was not going into the final's as is.

Next, the stitching is noticeably uneven. The ruffles fell out of alignment across the torso, while the ruffles around the leg set unevenly. Huge gathers bunched up between the leg. But this provided the canvas to return to the drawing board and fix what went wrong.

Final Draft

Now look at the difference! Much less struggle, provided a decent and functional effort that I am proud to say looks much more like the two-dimensional drawing than the First Draft.

The point, is that sometimes (more often than not) there are a lot of guts before the glory!  

Flashback Friday

My first sewing productions featured Barbie only designs.  This flashback goes all the way back to the year 2005.  Wow! Where did the time go!  Barbie is wearing an ultra-suede blueberry pantsuit with a coordinating Signature Collection purse.

Swim Suit Fabric Haul

Last Friday on a visit to JoAnn's I purchased a bundle of solids for doll swim suits.  Unfortunately the prints did not interest me.  They seemed old and dated.  The selection seemed bleak.

After picking out some great vinyls through Amazon, I discovered one vendor "fabric.com" had the most affordable prices.  As a result of that generous find and the disappointment at JoAnn's, I perused fabric.com company site and found too many to choose.  That is a good thing for future purchases!  The sales are incredible.

The fabrics are mostly 97% Polyester, 3% Lycra.

My package delivered yesterday, with free shipping on orders over $49.

Swim Suit Fabric Haul 4/2/17

Design Workshop Journal 04/05/17

Now that school is officially over and with just one week until the final grades post, my workshop is catching major fire!  You know all of that fabric bundle of vinyls purchased weeks ago is not going to any waste!

Aside from practicing with these different textures, I am also testing edging mediums!

Commuter Bag in Dark Teal

Free Pattern Download

Click Link Below

Free Multi-Color Tote Bag Pattern