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Sunday 14 January 2018

Past Commissions....a little bit of reminiscing!

Seeing Kendal of Kendal's Sasha Brood posting old photos of her dolls and their outfits, got me thinking about old photos.  That of course led me to looking at my photos of outfits that I'd made over the years either for my own dolls or for commissions.  I thought I would share some of the photos on here and hope you enjoy seeing them.  I'm sure I've probably posted some of these photos in the past, so I apologise to those who may have already seen them, but hope you enjoy them again :)  Also, sorry for the quality of the photos, these were taken years ago with my old camera and not edited in any way!!

I know I've posted this one before, but this was one of my most unusual requests, a straightjacket for a tiny 11cm tall bjd.  The buyer sent me this photo for reference:



I was really happy with how 'authentic' it looked when I'd finished and the buyer was very pleased!





The same person also wanted little Victorian style suits for two of her boys, this time they were YOSD size, so approx 27cm dolls.  I was sent these photos for reference.....



One suit was to be black and the other brown....firstly the black one, front and back....



And then the brown, again front and back....



Another person asked for a Sora 'cos-play' outfit.  Well I didn't have a clue who or what Sora was so she sent me two images for reference:



This is the resulting outfit, including the wig which I made from a scrap of faux fur....the doll is 20cm tall....





Another person asked me if I would make a Dracula costume for her tiny 16cm tall Lati Yellow.  She sent me a drawing that she'd done herself and I worked from that:


And here is my cute Lati Yellow Miel trying it for size.....



I got several requests for tiny sleepsuits for the 11cm tall Orient Dolls who were very popular back then....




And this one for the same person who commissioned the straightjacket....I think there's a theme going on in his collection!!


Some cute boys clothes for the 16cm tall Lati Yellows...



A lady in the Netherlands asked for linen 'safari suits' including hats, for her 16cm Lati Yellow and the even tinier 11cm Lati White!!!  A challenge in such a tiny size, but my biggest problem was fabric!  I didn't know where to purchase a natural looking linen that would be soft enough to work in this size.....then I discovered a table napkin, which worked perfectly!





The same Dutch buyer asked for a Peter Pan outfit, this time for the very thin and tiny, 16cm Elfdoll Monnaemi Sister....I even had to make the boots for this one too!  Mango, our parrot, came was very helpful in this commission, he supplied the feather for the cap!




A friend of mine in Denmark sent me a design that she'd put together on paper and wanted me to recreate it in fabrics.  Her design.....


Fortunately she supplied the fabrics and I did the rest.....
 

I've always had lots of commissions for jeans of all sizes, the smallest I made were for the 11cm tall doll and the tallest were for dolls of about 60cm. I prided myself on getting the very best fit and all had working pockets although the very tiny ones only had working pockets on the back!!  One lady requested some denim shorts with lots of working pockets for her 16cm Lati Yellow.....she sent me this photo of what she'd like:


So I made these....not exactly the same, but as near as possible!





The next commission asked for a Japanese style school uniform/sailor dress for the very cute but little Pocket Fairy who was just 14cm tall....it was a challenge putting pleats in the dress, but she was happy with what I made for her....looking back now (and this was quite a lot of years ago) I would have made the bow smaller!



How about a little Superman?  Commissioned by a lady in the US for her tiny 11cm Orient Doll.....

The next customer ordered a 'kitty' hoodie in MSD size.  I had forgotten I'd made this one!!



The same person ordered quite a lot of separates for her dolls, including the below items:





This lady commissioned me to make her a Little Lord Fontleroy suit for her tiny 11cm Orient Doll.....such a little cutie!


A Sasha friend asked me to make her a 'Pusheen hoodie' in the Sasha size....I admit I hadn't a clue what a Pusheen was, so she sent me a picture:


 Here's how it turned out....









One customer set me quite a challenge when he asked for an outfit in a size that I totally did not have.  He wasn't fazed by the fact that I would be working with a completely different doll model to that which the outfit was for......he sent me his designs:


And also a comparison photo of a doll like mine (shown left) and the doll the outfit was to be made for!!!  I must admit I sweated a bit over this one, I was so anxious to get the sizing just right but it was a lot harder working on a different size doll!!!


Here's how it came out.....don't forget my doll is smaller than the doll that the outfit is intended for!!!









And the good news?  It fit his doll perfectly!!!

The above is just a small selection of commissions that I've made over the years but thought you might enjoy seeing some of them.  I must admit I liked going through my old photos, seeing what I'd forgotten making in some cases, and how I'd do things differently in some cases!  I used to work a lot from just photos and dolls measurements, it could sometimes prove quite stressful!  It took me years before I actually decided that I'd no longer make jeans for a specific doll unless I had that particular doll myself.....but customers would still take the chance!  Fortunately I never had any complaints!!!

Finally just a couple of outfits that I made for Ebay, which much to my shock were involved in a 'bidding war', and sold in the region of $500 each!!!!


 





Thank you for stopping by and strolling down Memory Lane with me....

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!!!

Big hugs Sharon x

16 comments:

  1. Ah, strolling down the memory lane and going through old photos are the best. Brings back so much memories and even inspiration. Beautiful clothes and I do love the two last ones (gosh, a bidding war!!) and the pusheen hoodie. <3 The first one gave a bit of creepy feeling - but I think that I have watched too many horror movies. O_o But nevertheless, well done sewing!
    Happy new week!

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    1. Thank you Niina for your kind comments, and yes I can relate to that creepy feeling about the first outfit...I remember thinking that my little Orient Doll was too sweet to be modelling a straightjacket of all things!!
      Oh my goodness, yes a building war. It was one of my most scary experiences as I was so worried that the winner would feel they'd paid too much and want their money back or something!!! As the end of the bidding came, I literally was shaking and felt sick!!! But I must admit it was also a fantastic amount of money to get for just one outfit..and twice at that!!!
      xxx

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  2. What WONDERFUL replications you have done for all these people. Just LOVE each and everyone!
    Well done you!

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    1. Thank you very much Kendal, I'm glad you enjoyed the photos and the outfits!!
      xxx

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  3. Just wonderful Sharon. As I've just got a lati yellow I'm very taken with the shorts :-)
    xx

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    1. Thank you Tricia, I used to make lots of things for the Lati yellows, particularly little jeans which were originally sold through Denver Doll Emporium in the US! I look forward to seeing what you come up with for your little one....ps seems like you're really getting bitten by that BJD bug now ;)
      xxx

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  4. Wow Sharon, I, too, love each creation you have made. How amazing you are to be able to interpret and size each one correctly. I am not surprised at the results of the eBay bidding wars! My favorites are the long layered dress designed by the Demark lady, the Pushkin jacket and the last overall outfit (great hat). Thanks for a super post! 😊 xxx

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    1. Thank you so much for your lovely words Ginger, I'm glad you loved what I made! It was nice to look at the old photos and of course remember (or not!) what I'd done in the past!
      xxx

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  5. You are one talented Cookie S!! I am so jealous of your sewing skills!!! Well done you clever thing!

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    1. Aww thanks very much Ronny! I'm glad you think so :)
      xxx

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  6. Sharon you are so talented. All those great outfits made from just a photo or idea.
    Plus those little dolls outfits must have been so fiddly to make.

    I love your Kaye Wiggs outfits , I have the wonderful one you made Elfine, the attention to detail, style, fabrics and quality of workmanship I'm not surprised the ones you put on ebay went so high. xxx:)

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    1. Thanks so much for your nice comment Dee! I'm glad you still like the outfit I made for Elfine :)
      Yes, very fiddly! I remember the ends of my fingers would bleed from making the tiny pockets because I'd not wash the denim until after I'd finished the jeans and it seemed to have some sort of 'finish' in it which made my fingers really sore!! Nowadays I find it easier to just cut up used jeans, they're nice and soft and make much better jeans in the tiny size!
      xxx

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  7. Well that little fashion parade of garments sure was fun Sharon, but you have had your fair share of the unusual commission requests in your time! As much as I enjoy a challenge and sewing, I am glad I don't receive requests like straight jackets!! LOL!
    Hugs,
    X

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    1. Thank you Sandi, I'm glad you enjoyed it! I certainly have had some rather 'odd' commission requests over the years and a lot of them were from the same person! I knew that whenever I received an email from him it would be something challenging and erm, well unusual I suppose! I did have a good laugh doing some of the things and it certainly took made me see that there is a whole wide world of different collectors out there!!!!
      xxx

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  8. I really admire your sewing skills. But I LOVE the straight jacket!

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  9. Your sewing skills are incredible. I really enjoyed seeing all these beautiful clothes. (I even found myself saying, oh I want that!)
    You are very talented and should be proud of all your lovely outfits.

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