Raccoons Rags
Creative process 1
(Just a quick edit to say this isn't meant to be a comprehensive tutorial by any means. It's more a walk-thru of how I'm going about creating a new pattern for a doll dress)
I tried a different creative process by drafting a pattern differently from my usual measuring and trying out. This method isn't always as perfect as it might seem, it works well for corsets and seems a lot easier than measuring up every little measurement on a doll and calculating what goes where.
I started off with a layer of clingfilm to protect the doll. (Saran food wrap) Often, I have old doll bodies lying around to do evil experiments on, but this is a quite valuable Barbie Basics doll. I don't have any spare Barbies at present, so I have to use her. The clingfilm also stops the masking tape sticking to the doll. AND serves another purpose. the layers of clingfilm thicken the torso slightly, so that give me my 'ease'. Ease is what you need to allow so a garment isn't skin tight. When adding skirts and linings, a bit of ease makes life much easier.
Once dollieh was fully and tightly wrapped with clingfilm I started placing strips of masking tape so it all fits flush and snugly to the doll's contours. I only ever use one side of the torso wrapping to make my pattern. It gives for better symmetry. Once I have my basic half-pattern, I flip it over and trace it to produce and almost perfectly symmetrical pattern.
You can see the growing design in order here in my "Creative Process" set
Creative process 1
(Just a quick edit to say this isn't meant to be a comprehensive tutorial by any means. It's more a walk-thru of how I'm going about creating a new pattern for a doll dress)
I tried a different creative process by drafting a pattern differently from my usual measuring and trying out. This method isn't always as perfect as it might seem, it works well for corsets and seems a lot easier than measuring up every little measurement on a doll and calculating what goes where.
I started off with a layer of clingfilm to protect the doll. (Saran food wrap) Often, I have old doll bodies lying around to do evil experiments on, but this is a quite valuable Barbie Basics doll. I don't have any spare Barbies at present, so I have to use her. The clingfilm also stops the masking tape sticking to the doll. AND serves another purpose. the layers of clingfilm thicken the torso slightly, so that give me my 'ease'. Ease is what you need to allow so a garment isn't skin tight. When adding skirts and linings, a bit of ease makes life much easier.
Once dollieh was fully and tightly wrapped with clingfilm I started placing strips of masking tape so it all fits flush and snugly to the doll's contours. I only ever use one side of the torso wrapping to make my pattern. It gives for better symmetry. Once I have my basic half-pattern, I flip it over and trace it to produce and almost perfectly symmetrical pattern.
You can see the growing design in order here in my "Creative Process" set