Hi everyone,
I’m so glad there wasn’t a single “NAH” comment in the bunch for Ten Ping’s new overalls! Yay! That makes me happy, but for those of you thinking of using a Neo Blythe pattern and it fitting perfectly… stay tuned!
Let’s start with the good first!
I had the legs of the overalls done and just needed to add the bib part to the legs, and viola… it would be smooth sailing after that!
Well, this happened first… I was stitching the leather straps onto the back of the bib part and look what I did!
One of my leather straps got curled up under my stitching and I sewed across it in two places… OOPS! It actually turned out to be a blessing, though, as I didn’t like the white lining with this pumpkin colored fabric… The white lining showed too much, even when I did all I could to push it to the inside and stitch it down… So, that bib was unstitched from the pants and tossed in the trash…
Take TWO!
I made a new bib and decided to line it with the same fabric, taking care to NOT stitch over the leather straps this time. (oh, by the way, I’m using my Dianna Effner black leather I won in an auction a few years ago. It’s very thin and lightweight… perfect for straps!)
I needed to decide on what I was going to use for a top, as the waist would be determined by how thin or thick my fabric would be. I decided on a white knit with a tiny hole design in it… and used the Blythe pattern for it… the pattern sleeves were way too long and I thought I made them just right, but actually they could be about an 1/8″ shorter. I think I’m going to have to add some kind of panty attached to the bottom of the tee, to help hold it down when the overalls are sliding up… the tee wants to ride up… and I don’t want this to be hard to dress your dolls in.
It took a while for me to find “matching” buttons and buckles in the same finish. But, I did… these are metal I think this might be the color “gun metal.” I added 2 buttons on the front of the overalls and 2 on the pockets. They’re starting to look cute, aren’t they?
Ten Ping was doing some cute poses, so I just kept snapping pictures!
Okay, so I bet you’re wondering about the “until” part in my title… Here it is…
After I got all the top stitching done, I tried it on Ten Ping… and just about cried! They wouldn’t even close WITHOUT the tee on…
As I was making it, I was sure there was going to be enough room to go around her waist and have snaps… but NOOOOO…. there wasn’t.
I had 2 choices… take that bib off again and make the back extension part longer, but ALL THAT WORK I HAD ALREADY DONE! I just couldn’t! My second option was to see if I couldn’t make an extension and add it to the back on one side and lap the other side on top.
I picked the second option and this is how I did it…
I unstitched the end of the piece on the right side (looking at it) and pressed it flat, then I took a square of fabric and stitched it on the edge of the unstitched waistband. I finished off the edge and added 2 snaps… Now it looks like this. It does have a bit of extra fabric and looks a tiny bit bunchy, but since it was on the backside, I decided it might be okay for a prototype!
Here are a few more cute poses…
So this is what I will change on the next pair I make.
~ I will make the pants pattern piece just a little bit wider along the top edge… so there will be more gathers to go around the waist. I have already added about 1/2″ on each end of the bib piece.
~ I’m going to figure out a different way to make the back opening, so it has a piece of fabric underneath where the left piece lays on top and not just a one inch slit where you can see the top she’s wearing underneath. Something similar to what I did to remedy this short coming, but something “planned” for and not a quick fix.
~ I had to shorten the legs of the overalls about 3/4 -1″.
~ The tee will need to have the sleeves shortened and taken up a little more on each side.
But, overall, I really think they are sweet on Ten Ping… and she likes them too. I’m letting her sleep in them tonight… she’s zonked out already… we’ve had a busy “trying on” day!
I’ll see you tomorrow with more on this fun set!
Blessings, Jeanne
Oh, my….that was a bump in the road for you, Jeanne! But they did turn out pretty well, and you figured out a fix. I think they look just fine as they are, and, as you say, it’s the back, which is usually hidden when a doll is on display, anyway!
But all in all, that is a very cute outfit!! Can’t wait to see what’s next!
Oh my, that’s something that would happen to me, Jeanne, not you! I think a mishap like that would discourage me from continuing on! I would just put the overalls down and call it a day!😊 You did continue on and solved everything perfectly!
What a cute idea of leather straps and buckles to make it different than just ordinary straps! Ten Ping looks adorable every which way she poses, and I’m thinking she really likes those overalls! The top is perfect for chilly weather, and makes going to the pumpkin patch more comfy, but those little feet are going to get cold! Are some shoes in the future, along with maybe a cute hat?
Jeanne, the outfit is so cute, your fix looks fine to me, and I am like Linda,
if it had happened to me it would have ended up in the trash! I can imagine how you felt!
Looking forward to tomorrow’s work on it.
We are off again to the Y. I know if we just stayed home all the time we would end up in wheel chairs. When we decided to settle down here by the water we didn’t think about how many miles we would have to go to get anywhere.
Y’all have a good day!
excellent surgical repair :-), Dr Jeanne sewist
Boy, I think we have all made some sort of gruesome discovery along this
path. I know I have.
The pants are so cute, and the top is too. Jeanne, good idea on extending the top into a one piece sort of thing.
The pants are so darn cute, but yes, I have had frustrating sewing days like this too.
Honestly, I am glad you shared the “foibles” because we all have them
Happy lovely Thursday dear ones.
It is chilly this morning, at present 55º at 9:00am!
I think it will reach 72º today – good for outside clean up. I went to our big old house up the road and the leaves are falling, yikes. A lot of yard clean up and tidying to do before winter. It is good. Lots of mulch too.
The yard we have now is so tiny, and the grade is so terrible, I will just wait a few more months and then spread a lot of good compost soil.
Anyway, Happy day and I hope everyone has a foible free day!
Oh my! Someone said “bump in the road”. Yes and you solved it beautifully. You explain so well at each step it’s really a tutorial. Thankyou. Truth is I’ll be looking for a way to create such cute autumn outfit for myself to wear😊
Yikes, what a lot of work and then to find it didn’t fit as planned. But, it is a very cute outfit. Yesterday late, after looking at a lot of Blythe/ Neo Blythe patterns, I wrote this:
Blythe confusion. I’ve always wondered about Blythe’s size. I guess there are several Blythe sizes including Blythe at abt 11 inches and Neo Blythe at abt 7.76″.
So, I guess if I were to look for a pattern, it should be for Neo Blythe, as Jeanne mentioned. I know there was a Simplicity pattern 2353 that came out some time ago. But, not sure if it was for regular Blythe or Neo Blythe. When looking at patterns on Etsy, a lot of patterns don’t seem to specify the difference in sizes. They just say Blythe. Anyway, I’m very glad that Jeanne mentioned the pattern and let us know that Ten Ping and some of the other smaller Ruby Reds can wear that size.
After seeing Jeanne’s problem with the back closure, on this adorable pattern, I’m still pretty confused. But, I guess Neo Blythe is smaller in the waist than Ten Ping and the other tiny Ruby Red group and Ten Ping a little shorter in the legs as well. So, if using a Neo Blythe pattern, one should check the length so it wouldn’t be too long and the bodice width as well, I think. I would love to see a pic of Ten Ping next to a Neo Blythe. So visual here. Feel free to add anything that would help if you have a Neo Blythe. 🙂
Here, the green fabric leftover pieces that I found turned out to be a perfect match in my eyes and I even had them running in the right direction. 🙂 So, hopefully, I can sew a bit today and see how it goes. Definitely going to use that white paper underneath so I can see the piece edges better.
Also, we’ll see about doing some deck washing on the lower deck as I won’t be available tomorrow to be doing much outside if it is sunny. Eye appointment tomorrow.
Thanks Jeanne for showing us your great talent in design. The latest outfit is adorable.
I just found this about the three sizes of Blythe dolls. Interesting.
Blythe dolls come in three different sizes: Neo Blythe (the standard, ~12 inches tall), Middie Blythe (~8 inches tall), and Petite Blythe (~4 inches tall)
That’s what I thought. I have a Neo Blythe then.
Okay, so your Blythe would fit the pattern that Jeanne is using, but without adjustments. And we’d need to adjust to fit Ten Ping or the small Ruby Reds. I think I’m getting it. 🙂
The overalls are super cute. Perfect for a trip to the pumpkin patch or perhaps the apple orchard. My, my, but isn’t Ten Ping the spoiled one. She’s still up in the sidebar and she’s chosen again.
I love these adorable overalls and the shirt. The fabric is lovely but on my computer it is more a rust color than pumpkin. Whatever color I love it. It looks very Autumnish. I like the leather straps.
I have a Blythe doll whose body is actually Barbie size. I knew about Neo Blythe but didn’t know her size. I thought when you said you were using a Blythe pattern it would be for the larger doll and that would definitely take a lot of adjusting. Great save on the sides not meeting or overlapping in the back. I had to do something similar when making a dress for my 16″ “rescue” doll. I was using an AGAT pattern and didn’t think about the girth of the doll I was making it for. I just added a placket in the back and all was well. The next time I just added to the bodice back pattern piece and made a note to do that when I sewed for that doll.
Dear Jeanne, of course you fixed it! You are a wiz at working things out.
I like the idea of adding more fabric. Many of us can use more fabric as we get older, that or give up sweets, which in my opinion is too much of a sacrifice (smile) .