Vintage appliques.

On Costuming With Style, I have posted another use of appliqués . The one used on the collar is a very old vintage piece with jet beads. Not easy to find. It was so delicate and more or less just falling apart , that I had to pretty much re-bead it as I was sewing it to the collar piece I designed just for this propose.
One can use old pieces and they shouldn't be passed up because they look tattered.
  By following the sections that are in tack, you can secure the parts that are not, to a new ground. It will pretty much come out like it had looked years ago. I always save beads that have fallen off old pieces, or that are a found item, un-repairable, or un-usable and to fragile. Nothing need go to waste.
There is an old adage I follow, that goes like this.

"Use It Up, Wear It Out, Make It Do, or do without."

So many today have forgotten this, but I think in the future it will come back into use, due to the times.

The piece around the bottom of the skirt was something I found that was obviously old. Velvet with a beaded and crocheted net and tassels attached. I've not seen many pieces like this, and it worked well, by sewing it down around the bottom of the skirt and then up in the back. Your piece will pretty much dictate how you use it. The color, shape, and design should guide you. I could have just sewn it around the bottom of the skirt. But that is pretty much predictable, and I wanted something to attract the eye when looking at the back of the dolls gown. Don't forget the back of the dolls dress, it's as important as the front. Until next time,
  Use a different accent, even if it's old.

Appliqué's

Another way to embellish a doll dress, is to use any number or form of appliqué's. They come in all kinds of materials from cotton to beaded & rhinestones, and a few in-between .  One can even design one's own and make them, then apply them to the doll's dress. On Costuming With Style, I have used some  appliqué's that once graced a dance costume of mine. They were to pretty to leave in a box. Check it out then come back to see what else is to be said about this subject.
    These days you can get any number, size, color, style and made from all kinds of materials. They can be small or large, plain or decorated in a number of ways. What is needed here, is some sense of what you want to say with them. The green velvet gown screams opulence. Had they been white, it would have been bridal. Tiny and colored, more then likely whispering  lingerie.
  Where you put them is as important as how many you use. If you combine more then one design, at least have them look similar in style. A square design doesn't really go with a more rounded look. Color is also important. Don't mix ecru with white. At least stay in the same color path as the material used for the dress, or a neutral shade also works. One can get white appliqué's and dye them to match or recombined with colors used.
  A word about nylon, it doesn't dye well. So try for cotton, if your going to go this route. Always sew by hand. Machine sewn just doesn't look good. You can even sew a plain one down and embellish it with ribbon roses, beads etc. There are many ways to use this concept, and no it doesn't have to be only on the bodice or the skirt. Even tiny ones can be scattered about the skirt.
  Be creative.
Try a different accent!

A New Year!

Minuets away from a new year and I have uploaded an example of using lace on a dolls dress. Please go to my blog "costuming with style". I finished the wedding gown for my vintage Gibson Girl.
See if you can find how many ways I used lace on this dress, and how it all goes together in the vintage Gibson style.
Link in the left hand column. Please come back and post your thoughts. I would love to hear what you think of this gown.
Have a wonderful new year and may it be better then the last one.