Tinsel Town: Quick & Easy Party Gear

With Christmas over, all my dolls have now set their sights on the big New Year's party they plan each year. This year, the demand for party clothes is greater than usual, due to the increase in the male population. And though I've made quite a few clothes over the past two years, I have accumulated even more dolls (as you noticed in the previous post)! So many dolls, so few party clothes...what's a doll mom to do!!!??!! The answer lies under your Christmas tree.

Wait... Don't be so quick to toss out that tinsel! Okay, so this is NOT a "real dress." But you can make it real by making a sheath dress then hand sewing the mini silver garland to it. But for this exercise, and given the lack of time to deliver, I chose to simply wrap my garland tightly around the doll. Since there is a core of thin wire, the garland will stay in place. About 18-inches is enough to make this look. When you are finished, simply tuck the end in and scrunch up the dress. Voila!

Wired ribbon is a doll's best friend. I decided to make this a real dress and constructed it by wrapping one strip of ribbon at a time then cutting it on the side, where I planned the opening.

For the first one, I pinched darts in under each bust.

Pin each strip closed. Especially around the midsection, pinch or press the ribbon into the body. Don't hesitate to crisscross the ribbon. In any case, there are no mistakes. In silver glitter, all is GOOD!!!

Continue until you have the desired length. When you have finished adjust the strips then hand stitch each row to the one underneath. Trim the edges at the side so that they are even. I folded the edges under for a clean finish. You can use Velcro or hooks and eyes to close the dress. You don't need much, just enough to hold the dress closed. I've added a box just in front of the closure.

Wire ribbon is a lot of fun and doesn't require much know-how. Here is a ribbon dress I've featured before. It consists of vertical strips over the body held in place with a simple stitch....as well as a horizontal strip scrunched and added around the shoulders. In the first image, it's a perfectly beautiful dress. But you can scrunch it and move it into all kinds of interesting shapes....and without any knowledge of construction or sewing techniques!!!

One last thing....the dolls will need New Year's headbands.

I made these out of oven baked clay, but you can use a soft wire to achieve the same thing. After rolling the clay into a thin line, I use a small stick to help shape the numbers. Bake, then paint or add glitter. Attach to a pipe cleaner that's long enough to fit around the doll's head. Attach the numbers to the pipe cleaner by winding them with thin wire.

 

 

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