Taking Stock

Six months already...and the fashions to prove it!!!

Over the past six months, Fashion Doll Stylist has attempted to help you see and create doll clothes in line with current fashion trends. We've shown you where to look for inspiration and how to translate many of the worlds' hottest catwalk styles into easy-to-make clothing for your favorite 12" diva.

We showed you how to create basic slopers for your doll, explored everything from undergarments to shirts, pants and skirts and even had some fun by transforming objects like gloves, caps and even toilet paper into high fashion. We provided a few ideas as to modifying Barbie's shoes to create something more sophisticated . And we had lots of fun with our "mini-crafts" making head gear, jewelry and designer handbags. And then came Ken and his friends!

We delighted in taking you to the catwalks of New York and Europe in search of inspiration. As well as to the red carpets of the Oscars and Cannes Film Festival for a blast of glamour. And we also invited you to come along with us for fashion exhibitions and window shopping tours of Paris. We hope you've enjoyed every step of the way as much as we did preparing and posting each blog.

Needless to say, all of our adventures has left a trail of fashions and accessories too numerous to list. And so the time has come to stop, take inventory of the things we have created over the last six months, then create some system to accommodate all of the dolls' stash.

A simple frame with rods set at intervals to accommodate different lengths of garments. A wicker box holds hats.

Admittedly, I had been keeping everything wrapped in tissue paper and stuffed in shopping bags stored in closets all over the house. Finally I set out to create a "closet" for my girls.

Our needs are simple. I created, essentially, a deep frame with dowels for rods. This closet measures 36" high by 18" wide by 4" deep. In the picture: two 36x4" wooden panels. Two more cut into four 18x4" panels and 1/4" dowels cut into 18" lengths. The space between each dowel was dictated by the length of clothing likely to be hung on each level. Measure one 36" board and place a vertical line down the midpoint. Mark, then drill the hold on that panel then copy it onto the other 36" board. Assembly is simple. You can use wood glue and small nails to hold each of the 18" boards top and bottom boards onto the side panels. Take the remaining two 18" boards and place one at each end of your frame near the top and the bottom. (This is for support.)

If you don't have the time to make your own and need something simple to hang clothes, I would recommend one of those pants hangers that have several rungs. The one pictured has rungs that swing out. Or....you can do what I did when I first started out.....simply hang the doll clothes' hangers on one big (normal sized) hanger.


Pants racks are a cheap & easy solution for organizing mini wardrobes.

Quite naturally, you will need clothes hangers. Somehow I received a wire hanger ages ago. And mine are copies of that hanger. I've used 12 gauge wire which I think makes a sturdy hanger, however you can use finer wire as well. You can also use pipe cleaners for very light clothing and sweaters, but the wire in them is quite flimsy. Using ordinary jewelry pliers, make a half curve then bend it back a little to create a hook. Bend about 2" of wire for one side.

The bottom is roughly 3-1/2 inch, then bend the third side back towards the hook and wrap around the stem. If you end up with an odd amount of wire at the end of the roll, you can always create a "pants hanger" by adding a small extension to the bottom of the hanger. Note the tiny doll sized clothes pins (found at most crafts shops). I use them to hang skirts, pants and tops.

For accessories like belts, bags, jewelry and shows, the desk top 3-tiered plastic drawers are perfect for organization.

Those tabletop drawers make excellent organizers for dolly's miniscule accessories.

And then there is the question of the patterns we create. At school, my students were always required to maintain pattern making/draping binders complete with their drafts, notes and patterns folded into envelopes. This is a very good practice which I use to keep the patterns and drafts for doll clothes. I put the individual patterns in small envelopes on which I make sketches indicating the contents. Each category of garment is organized and placed into a large envelope. My binder also contains graph paper and ruler.

Our pattern making notebook.

Just a reminder....it's easy to find all of the tutorials we've covered thus far. Look under "Pages" and you'll find everything organized in sections by content. Click on what you're looking for and the link takes you to the appropriate posting.

Impressed by the number of drafts, clothes, and pictures on our blog? So are we. (Cannot believe we did the WHOLE thing!!!) So you're probably wondering what on earth could we possibly come up for the next 6 months? Oh my goodness....if you only knew. Fashion is a living, breathing an ongoing entity. We have only just scratched the surface!

Stay tuned for more!!!!
Note: There is an update to this post--"Taking Stock (Again)." Sept.9, 2018.

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