Dolly Update 2

Next up is Operetta. I got her  a few weeks back. I haven't done anything to her because I'm not sure what I want to do yet and I want to be sure since I'm horrible at doing eyes. I like her hair, but at the same time I kind of don't and a reroot practice would be good. So mostly this is just a post about the clothes I've made for her....

The awesome skirt I made for her. If I had the right figure I'd totally make one for myself. I haven't really made any shirts for her but I want to pair this with a long asymmetrical black tank.

Some badass leggings (scrap fabrics bin at Hobby Lobby is like a treasure box of awesomeness). They're not perfect because I had to leave some wiggle room for her ginormous calves since the fabric isn't super stretchy. She's wearing her skirt as a top.

 Skirt and dress (and headband) from the same old shirt.

 Knit skirt with leg warmers and some booty shorts that are a test run from the pattern I made.

Also, I was looking ALL OVER for some super thin velcro because I didn't want to buy something stupid like velcro online, but none of the stores around here have sew-on velcro that thin. Then I finally saw this stuff in Walmart the other day. It's supposed to be used for keeping electronic cables and such together but it sews onto fabric beautifully and is super thin and flexible. Six bucks for four pretty long rolls. I'm sure it will last me a while.

Dolly Update 1

I'll do this in two parts since it's about two different dolls.
First up is Sophie from my Liv dolls whose face I repainted. Just as a recap, this is what she looked like before:

This is what she looks like now:

Not great, but I don't think it's that bad for a first repaint. I kept it simple because I'm horrible at drawing a line of any sort. There are some subtle and not so subtle flaws, like her eyebrows being a bit wonky, she's got no lower lashes or any definition to her eyelids, and there's a mystery spot of something glossy on her forehead. Like I said, I tried to keep it within what I could handle.
The wig is Tibetan lambskin. It's not that great. I was trying not to spend too much money so I wouldn't get in trouble with the hubby, so I bought some 2" scrap pieces (but not enough of each color because I'm REALLY bad at math). But then I had the ingenious idea to do a two color wig but couldn't find a pattern that would position the colors where I wanted them to be, so I had to make one from scratch and it ended up not being so good. That's also a pretty bad shot of the wig. I don't know what is going on but it wasn't laying the way it's supposed to. Here's a better shot of the wig:

And here she is with the pink Moxie wig I have and the entire outfit I made for her:

That's actually not the original dress I made. The first one was a tan vintage fabric with little flowers on it.
And here's her new (not so good) shoes:

No-Sew Doll Skirt

Things you'll need:
-fabric (I used some old shorts)
-scissors
-fabric glue (optional)
-velcro (optional)
-some kind of string (optional)

*I will be showing you how to make this with velcro. If you don't want to use velcro you can use string to hold the skirt in place.*

Take your fabric and cut from the edge to however long you want the skirt to be.
Then cut along the width so that it wraps around the dolls body PLUS about an extra 1/2 inch.
Take your rectangle and along the length, cut out a smaller rectangle about 3/8in long by 1/2 wide.
(Hopefully the picture explains a little better. -- If you're using old clothes you can use the hem for the top edge and just cut out a 1/2 inch piece from that like I did)

Attach your velcro.Stick a piece on the front side where the extra fabric is and one on the wrong side where the flat edge is.

Once it dries lay the piece face down and place your doll face down on top.
Take the side with the extra half inch and wrap it around the doll.
Then take the other side and wrap it over top to fasten the velcro.

Ladies and gentlemen, we have a skirt!

If you dont want to use velcro, you can tie string or a hair tie around the waist to hold it in place.


Paired with my no-sew shirt and a vest I made with some scrap leather:

No-Sew Doll T-shirt

What you'll need:
-an old shirt (really any type of fabric)
-scissors
-fabric glue (optional)
-sew on velcro or stick on velcro which is easier but not as cheap. (optional)
-string/yarn, or hair tie (optional)

*I will be showing you how to do this using velcro. If you do not want to use velcro then use string to hold the shirt in place*
First thing's first; cut out a square that's long enough to cover the the length of the torso (unless you want a crop top) and wide enough to wrap around the dolls body.

 Then, fold the fabric in half width wise and place your doll on top. Using the scissors, make a slight cut in the fabric on each side of the doll where the arms will go (arm holes). If you want a tank top style, make the cuts more on top of the shoulder than by the arm like I've done.

Next, cut a half circle between the two arm hole cuts you made. The wider the distance between the half circle and the arm holes, the wider your sleeve is going to be. But don't make the circle too big or you'll have some nip slips.

Now you'll want to cut along the folded edge up to the arm hole. Do this for each side.
Unfold the fabric and pick which half is going to be your backside and then, starting at the bottom of the armhole, cut down at a slight inward angle. (The right side on mine is just folded under. Both sides of yours should look like the left side of mine.)

Then you'll take your velcro and cut it into skinny, long strips and use your fabric glue to glue it to your shirt.
You'll take the widest part and glue a strip onto the back and another onto the front along the edges. (or just stick them on there if you have the sticky kind) Wait for the glue to dry.

Now for the fun part!
Pull the shirt over the doll's head (through the hole obvs) with the skinny piece in the back. Then, wrap the long sides around to the back and fasten the velcro!! Super simple!

Et voila! A shirt!!!

If you don't want to buy velcro you can always use a makeshift belt (ie string/yarn, or a hairband) to hold the pieces in place.

A DC shirt I made with this method: