New Years Bling

As you know by now, the biggest social event in my house is my dolls' Black and White Ball each New Year's Eve in my living room. It started out as a party atop the piano, but I acquired more dolls than piano top space to accommodate everyone. So...we extended the party to the cocktail table and then atop the buffet in the dining room. And now, there are parties all over the house!!!

Throughout the year, while replicating designer fashions, red carpet gowns and the like, my girls "ear mark" the dress they want for this ball. Over the past couple years, I have made so many gowns and party dresses  that every single doll in the house is dressed and ready to rock the New Year in. But still....there are always last minute requests for "special" items. And since I haven't posted too many tutorials lately, I decided to do one last one before the year's end. And though you might not be able to make one of these dresses in time for tonight's party....don't forget...the red carpet season is just around the corner!

Sequins are small round discs in contrast to paillettes which are super-sizes sequins that usually come in a variety of sizes, shapes and materials. Popular back in the 1960's, these sweet little dresses were guaranteed to get you noticed at any party. In fact, a dress we spotted from the spring 2019 fashion collection of Ashish (UK), served as the catalyst for this post. Take a close look. The first thing you notice is how simple the basic dress is! 

For this project, I used three dress foundations: a one piece tube I made directly on the doll from a folded over rectangle of fine tulle, a strapless stretch lame sheath, and a basic foundation sheath made from (woven) white cotton. Again, the focus is not the silhouette of the garment, but rather, the overall effect and sparkle of the paillettes! 

Basic Tube Dress
Personally, I prefer to use some sort of stretch material in a matching or neutral color as a base for these dresses. When I made the first one, I selected a medium grey fine tulle and decided to make it directly on the doll. Here's how I did it:

1. Cut a rectangular square large enough to fit around the doll's body, then add an additional 1/2" (1cm). The length will be whatever your desired length is times 2. So for this doll, my rectangle measured 7" (18cm) long by 5" (13cm) wide. Fold in half vertically (the fold will be at the top), then stitch each side by about 1/4" (5mm)

2. Turn outside in. You can press this down with an iron on low setting and a press cloth. 

3. Wrap this around the doll, folding over the seam allowance at the back and pin down the center.

4. Turn over to the front. You notice how the tube dress is gaping around the torso.

5. On each side of the body, fold the excess towards the back to form a long dart. Try to keep the two darts fairly even in terms of volume.
6. Pin (dart going towards the back) then hand sew this down using a back stitch. Be sure to tie a knot at the start of this dart and another at the end so the dart stays secure. Don't worry how this will look because the paillettes will eventually cover this.

Inasmuch as this was the first dress I made, I simply started sewing on the paillettes, starting from the hemline and working upwards. I wanted the look of scales overlapping each other in a downward direction. The first line of paillettes were stitched on the center front of the dress. When I arrived at the top, I knotted the last one, cut the thread, then began again, using the first column as a guide.

The result was exactly perfect though me and the doll were pretty happy. A lot depends on the look you are going for. If it is going to be tiled like shingles, then you need to add in guide lines like we did in the dresses later on in this post.

But if, for example, we were to use irregular shapes or simply wanted a random look, then the helter-skelter way in which we worked will suffice. By the way...notice how on one side of the center back, I have overlapped the paillettes whereas on what will lie underneath that seam I have purposely left an empty margin. Use snaps or hooks and eyes to close along that seam allowance and fold the one side (our right) over the other (our left) for a perfect fit.

But let's get back to the basics.... Here's a close up look at how I sewed on the paillettes.

1. Double thread the needle, tying a knot at the end. Start by pushing the needle from the underside of the fabric. 

2. Make two tiny stitches and another knot.

3. Pull to tighten then add your first paillette.

4. Pull the needle through the hole of the paillette, then wrap the next stitch to the side of the paillette.

5. Then, poke the needle through the hole again, this time from the back but at the top of the paillette. You want to anchor the first and last paillette this way. Pull the needle through.

6. Place the needle about 1/2 the width of the paillette away and make another stitch.
7. Place the needle through the hole of a new paillette then repeat step 5. That is, place the needle through the back of the paillette and pull through the hole.
8. You want to keep repeating this step until you have completed an entire column. I tend to work from bottom to top, but depending on the effect, you can also work side to side--especially if you have paillettes with holes at the top.
9. When you have the last paillette in place, wrap the needle around to the side to near the hole in back of the paillette, back through the hole and again push the needle to the underside.
10. Make a couple of tiny stitches and knot. Continue until you have covered the pattern piece.

Working with stretch

You don't have to work with tulle. A stretch fabric is also good to use. What could be interesting is to team up paillettes with either complimenting or contrasting colored fabrics. But with stretch fabrics comes another challenge. How to get the paillettes on without contorting the fabric. 

If we were working in couture for this kind of work (as well as beading and embroidery), we would have to transfer the pattern to the fabric then put everything onto a frame prior to adding the first paillette. But for the sake of simplification and coming up with a technique that is fairly easy, I did away with using a frame for most of the dresses. The purpose of working on a frame is to avoid the fabric from shrinking and buckling from all of the stitches. For the most part, I found working with a frame to be very time consuming, super difficult to stitch together the garment after everything is in place (especially if it has darts) and for me, the outcome wasn't worth the effort for the look I was attempting to achieve. HOWEVER...when it comes to working with stretch fabric....I found the frame to be most helpful.

1. You can use a wooden picture frame or make something yourself. Here I've used painter's stirring sticks which I taped together at just the right proportions.

2. I transferred my pattern onto a piece of gun metal silver lame jersey. I chose this fabric to compliment the hologram (otherwise known as 3-D) paillettes in a discount store in Paris. First I used chalk to mark the cutting line of a strapless jersey pattern onto my fabric. I put guide lines in: a yellow thread (use a broad running stitch) marks the center front and back of the dress; the blue lines indicate the stitching lines. Attach this to the frame, using tacks (the red dots) to hold in place. Don't stretch the fabric. You just want to keep this taunt enough to stop the fabric from moving or shrinking as you sew on the paillettes. 

1. Again, I wanted the look of scales. So I started at the center front line near the hem. Attach the first paillette using the above instructions. Secure the first one in place, then work your way up.

2. I apply the second one so that the hole is at the top of the edge of the one beneath.

3. Continue along that center front guide line until you reach the furthest edge.

4. Stop, knot. Then begin the second column at the bottom. 

5. I like to work from the center front towards the side, using each row as a guide. 

6. Note how, not only have I overlapped each paillette from the top, but I have also overlapped slightly on each side.

7. When finished, it will look something like this

8. Cut along the cutting lines. To sew, fold down the side seam of the front and lay over the side seam of the garment back. Hand sew in place. Repeat for the other side. You can use a a strip of tulle (or similar product) to finish the top of the dress as well as the hem. The dress foundation is stretch, so it will simply slide on and off the doll!

Okay so now we are at the stage where I can hear some of you saying....why on earth would I want to spend time sewing on "sequins" when I can buy already made fabric. Well.....first of all, most stores won't sell less than 1/2 yard or 50 cm, so you can make only what you know you'll use. Secondly, you can customize. I've made dresses here where I've simply covered them with the same paillette, but you, on the other hand, can mix, match, create patterns or simply apply on part of the garment!

For example, you can apply a few rows of paillettes as a trim. Think what you could do to the hem of a dress, skirt or even bell bottomed pants or calypso sleeves with spangles!

Embellishing woven fabrics
For my last experiment, I made a basic sheath dress from a non-stretch cotton. What I should have done was to either remove the darts or to have chosen a shift or tent style dress. Out of habit, I made this dress to fit the body..which is really why one would use stretch. Nonetheless, I completed what I started, darts and all. What is good about using wovens is that you can add a lining to your garment afterwards.

1. I made this dress from a simple white cotton. I wanted the focus to remain on the paillette in its natural state. But after you make that first dress, don't hesitate to play around with your paillettes and different colored backgrounds. The darts and the side seams are stitched. There are plenty of guidelines to help me through the process which we have described earlier in this post.

2. Here's a tip: As you approach the sides, be mindful of these curved areas. Leave them until the end. Then add the paillettes in to fill the space.

3. When you have finished and it's time to close up the shoulders and back seam....fold the top shoulders down and lay them over the back shoulder seam allowance in such a way that the rows of paillettes are relatively close to each other.

 4. When you have finished, you should not see the seams. At the back center seam, fold the center seam of the left side of the back down and lay over the seam allowance of the right side and stitch down, leaving enough room for the doll to get in and out of the dress.
For a sleeveless dress, fold the armhole seams inside and baste. Do the same around the armholes of your lining. Pin the lining face to face with the garment around the neckline and hand sew in place. Slash the curves around the neckline. Line up the armholes of the lining and the dress, hand stitch together with tiny hidden stitches. Close the dress with a hook and eye at the neckline.

And so, my dolly friends.....that brings us to the close of 2018. I've enjoyed sharing all my creative dolly endeavors with you. On behalf of all my Barbie divas and their Ken companions, my Fashion Royalty princesses and their handsome FR Homme princes, my sultryTonner dolls and even the three  audacious My Scene dolls who somehow sneaked into my home and heart.... 

Happy New Year!

We'll see you back here in 2019!!!

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Applied Arts: Beading Basics 101

I take suggestions for projects seriously, so when Kamelia left a comment saying "maybe you'll make a beaded dress some day," I decided to delve into the subject matter especially in light of all the beaded dresses we saw during Haute Couture week. Disclaimer: I am NOT an expert in this field. Years ago I did a weekend workshop held by Elisabeth Roulleau, who studied at the world famous school of Lesage. She is a professional, skilled in Luneville embroidery (otherwise known as Tambour embroidery). I should have taken a basic course in English embroidery first. Beading was very challenging and I was a slow learner. Luneville or Tambour embroidery entails using a minuscule crochet hook and a frame over which fabric is held taunt. The "hook" is pushed up through the underside of the fabric catching a line of stranded beads you hold with your other hand on top. Essentially it is a form of crocheting the beads or sequins to the fabric--a method used by the world famous embroiderer, "Lesage." When completed, the back of the fabric is as beautiful as the exterior. That is NOT what I'm doing here today. Instead, I am taking on a somewhat easier method--needle embroidery. Though it is easier, it is still challenging and time intensive. But like anything else---it takes practice.

A while ago, I did a post on "faux embroidery" and another on clever ways to use beaded fabric where I carefully cut out lace medallions and stitched them onto an existing dress as a way of creating the illusion of luxury embellishment. I still hold fast to that idea because it is a quick and easy way of getting the look--especially for beginners just getting used to needle and thread. Beaded embroidery of any variety is an art. And like other forms of art, mastering it requires.....TIME and PATIENCE!!! Two things I'm usually short of! This project took me FOREVER! It takes a lot of thought and planning! And should you miscalculate--let's say the beading on a sleeve is too thick, for example.....well, you've just lost another day! I made many mistakes. It took me awhile to control the stitches. There are many imperfections here. But the good news.....beads are beautiful The mistakes are also beautiful! 

SUPPLIES

It's not about needle and thread and handful of plastic beads. What you put into this project is what you reap! Everything must be to scale which makes this all the more challenging.

1. There are different types and sizes of beads. Pictured here are "tubes," the long narrow beads usually sold on strands. 

2. Seed beads are sold in packets, small tubes or containers. They come in different sizes. The larger the number the smaller the bead. These silver beads are size 11 which I have found to be the largest bead you will want for doll clothes. And even then--you will want to go lighthanded because this is large for a 1/6 scale dress.

3. Beads also come in strands like these (size 11/0) red beads. You will want to buy decent looking glass beads for the best results. 

4. These black beads are size 13/0 which, I feel is a perfect scale for the doll. My craft store had beads as tiny as 15/0. I did not buy those because you will need to also find needles and thread fine enough to thread them! 

5. Thread is another important factor. As you will notice next to it, beading needles are not only fine, they have very tiny eyes. Most thread is way to thick. Experts recommend nylon or silk thread. Pictured here is a spool of silk thread which threads into my needle without any problem. But silk thread comes at a cost! Though it's not on the recommended list, I discovered that "invisible" or "transparent" thread is also a good choice. It's hard to see and even harder to knot, but it threads like a dream and solves the other issue which is---the thread should perfectly match the bead!

6. You'll need to go to a crafts store to find beading needles. The needle to the left is a #9 embroidery needle which is a little easier to find. Though it looks quite thin, you will soon discover those tiny 13/0 beads won't pass over the eye! Still, for the larger beads (#11/0) it works. What doesn't work--sharps!!

7. The embroidery needles are super thin and bend easily. Forget about using a needle threader. You need magnifying glasses, also recommended while beading. The beading needle here is size #12 (the thinnest my craft store carries) which I used for the 13/0 beads used to create the black beaded flon the black lace top below.

8. Again. Thread is important. Pictured here is "transparent" thread. I used both the silk and this one. Silk thread has more tooth, but transparent thread is way less expensive. This is where I felt I could honestly cut back a little.

Do you really need an embroidery hoop? It depends. They are ideal in that they keep the fabric taunt which makes it easy to control the execution and tension of your stitches. When I used a heavy lace as the base, I was able to add the beads without problem. On the other hand, if the fabric or lace is fine, you really need a hoop to keep the stitches from "shrinking the fabric" as you embroider. 

Let's Get Started
This is how you always begin.

1. Use a double thread for strength, knotted at the end. 

2. On the underside push the needle through to the right side.

3. Very close that point, push the needle back down to the under side.

4. Bring back up to the front and knot.

A Stitch in Time

So that you can see these techniques best, I'm using much larger beads, needle and thread than are normally employed. 

The Beaded Backstitch

What is interesting about this stitch is that I learned you don't have to sew beads on one by one. You sew them down in clusters, only tacking down a few at a time. With this stitch, you decide where the end point is going to be and then you go back and tack the last two or three beads. Don't sew from side to side, but rather, up and down though the fabric (like a sewing machine), trying to keep the needle as straight as possible.

1. Start out by knotting and securing the thread as we just showed you. Then bring the needle up to the right side of the fabric. Load on your beads (3-6 at a time is ideal). Lay the line of beads down and insert the point of the needle at the end of the line and push through to the back.

2. When you pull the thread through, it looks like this.

3. Bring the needle straight back up with the point coming in between the last two beads of the line.

4. Slide the needle through those two beads.

5. Reload by adding more beads and repeat the process until you have arrived at the length and look you are going for. Push the needle straight down after the last bead and knot on the underside.

This is a great basic stitch for almost everything!

The Loop

This starts out the same as the previous technique but the endpoint is the same as the start point of the beads.

1. Start out the same as you did before with the thread knotted and secured. Load enough beads on to form a circle.

2. Insert the point of the needle at your original start point (at the base of the first bead). 

3. And push the needle straight down. A loop is formed.

4. Bring your needle back up with the point positioned in between the third and forth bead. Tack the thread down with a tiny stitch. Repeat. Position the needle point between the sixth and seventh bead, etc.

This is a great stitch for making simple designs with a bead in the middle like the lace tent dress below.

1. I sewed on a pearl in the middle of the lace flower.

2. After securing the thread with a knot, I loaded my needle with enough small beads to encircle the pear.

3. You can secure the loop by either tacking down the thread in between every two beads using the backstitch method.

4. Or you can tack down the thread in between every two stitches with tiny whip

stitches. 

The end result is subtle, quite pretty and achievable for even the least experienced seamstress!

Fringe

Nowt his is really a lot of fun. Each strand you create can be as long as you want. But a note here: the longer the strand, the more adjusting you will do to work out the lag in the thread.

1. Start off the way you did when you were doing the backstitch. Bring your knotted thread to the right side and load up your needle. You can add whatever number of beads you want for the dimension of fringe you wish to create.

2. This time you will not be stitching the end down. Instead, leave the last bead free and push your needle through the remaining beads and back out of the first one. 

3. Pull the thread up so there is no slack and the base of the beads are lined up next to the origin of the stitch.

4. Push the needle through to the back and secure. You now have a free swinging fringe.

Crouching

When you stitched down the thread in between beads--that's called "crouching." Using this method, you are basically sewing strands of beads in place. Another interesting (and basic) method of applying beads to a pattern or design. Seed beads often come in strands which most likely won't be the exact length as needed. So you will need to get the beads off the strands without scattering them everywhere. 

1. Carefully remove a strand from the shank of beads. Find both ends and simply pull them away from the rest. Hold on tightly.

2. Tie a knot around one end of a single bead. This will stop the others from sliding away. Keep the other end open.

3. Take your threaded (and knotted) needle and slide it in the middle of the threaded beads. Push the beads onto the needle with your finger and then down onto your thread until you have your desired length.

4. Slide the thread of the strand away. Knot your new strand when you have arrived at the desired length.

1. Position your beads on top of your pattern. I used a regular sized pin to hold in place. But this may get adjusted as I work to conform to my pattern.

2. Separate the beads every 3 or so beads and make a tiny whip stitch around the thread to hold in place.

3. This is my result. 

4. Here are the four techniques I used today.

I had a little fun with Christmas ribbon to create my "Oscar" dress. The lines on the dress are made using the back stitch method with beads that match the gold edges of the ribbon.  There is a touch of fringe on one side of the dress. Going down the center of the sleeve are both the back stitch and the loops. The collar came about as the result of a fail. I had originally beaded  piece to be used on a sleeve. This took me the better part of a day to embroidery the lines of beads you see here. But the beading was so heavy and thick, the doll appeared as though she were wearing a beaded plaster cast! Not wanting to lose a day's work. I turned this piece on its side, wrapped it around the doll's neck and fasten it together with hook and eyes!

Take a Tip

1. Start small. The tiny embroidery in the middle of the lace medallions on that white tent dress is a perfect start. It's a way of getting a small taste of this art at minimal expense and time.

2. Designing patterns for embroidery is extremely difficult. Often, what it looks like on paper can be very different when spelled out in beads. I recommend using lace as your base then tracing around existing patterns with beads. 

It's called "re-embroidered lace." For this project, I decided to make my own beaded appliques. I cut up an old blouse and took out needle and crystal beads.

1. Knotted needled is pushed up through the lace and loaded with beads.

2-3. Using the loop method, I was about to trace the contours of the flower.  

4-5. I stitched down the beads using the crouching method.

6. After completing each motif, I knot the thread on the wrong side.

I repeated the technique, using silver beads for the middle of the flower. Here's the floral medallion before and after! I made several of these which could be used to transform existing dresses into little works of couture.

Or think about using touches of embroidery on sleeves pant legs

But them you know me.....I had to have a full dress. A lot of thought went into what I thought it should look like!

 I began with a strapless sheath made from beige lace. I was quite generous with the beads so when I put each medallion on the doll, I discovered how chunky each one was. The dress did not have a good balance with the medallions were place on top. So I chose to scatter them below the waist towards the hem. I added beads to the dress itself, tracing around the hem and around a few of the smaller motifs near the bust. I added beaded strap and a little bit of fringe to give the dress a 1920's swag.

I learned an important lesson here. The bigger the bead, the fewer you should use. Otherwise things have a way of getting very heavy which is not flattering at all. You can use heavier doses of the tiny beads 13/0-,14/0 or 15/0. But be prepared to spend more time with smaller, thinner needles!

I will probably revisit this subject again in the future, but in the meantime, if this is where your passion lie, there are many fine tutorials by folks more skilled in this art than I on YouTube,

All text and photos property of Fashion Doll Stylist. Copyright 2018. Please ask permission before reposting. And please credit us. Thank you!

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Chanel-ify Your (Doll) Fabric

Ahhhh...nothing like a vinyl diva in a Chanel suit!!! No matter what everyone's taste in doll fashions are, the Chanel suit always seems to be a favorite in the fashion doll community. Awhile back we addressed this phenomena here at Fashion Doll Stylist with a post entitled, "Let's Talk Chanel."  However....a Chanel suit is more than just a four-pocket boxy jacket outlined in ribbon trim worn over a straight skirt. The notorious fashion house has, to a certain extent, abandon this style in favor of other looks.... which means, the most important part of a Chanel look today is that chunky FABRIC! But to the doll fashion crafter, the problem remains the same...where to find that special material that magically transforms an ordinary jacket & skirt into one that screams....CHANEL!

Back in the 1920's, Chanel was inspired by menswear. She got the idea of using tweed in her fashions after borrowing her boyfriend's sportswear. She was impressed how comfortable and supple the fabric was and in 1924 commissioned a Scottish factory to create fabric specifically for women's garments. Chanel took this material and then combined it with cotton, silk and wool. In the 1930's, she hired a French factory to create a more high fashion, lighter weight and style to this material. Her most popular look was made in pink and rendered ultra famous thanks to Jackie Kennedy who wore it everywhere! (She was, in fact, wearing a pink tweed Chanel suit the day her husband, John F. Kennedy was assassinated!) Today, under the direction of Karl Lagerfeld, the use of novelty tweeds continue. Up close they are often a kaleidoscope of colors and textures, some even shot with streams of ribbon, metallic thread and minuscule baubles. It was the ribbon striped tweeds which gave me the idea to create my own 1/6 scale tweeds using existing fabric as a base.

Create Swatches First!
If you can find it, loosely woven fabric, is ideal. However, you can use more closely woven fabric so long as it is not dense. When you hold it up to the light, you should be able to see the threads. For the beige dress, I cut up an old raw silk blouse of my mom's to start--which is what I used to create the "Chanel" coat dress in my last post. It is beige, mottled with tiny brown specks. Perfect! I probably could have used it without doing anything, but I wanted it to really resemble the real deal, so I made a sample of stitches first. All you need is an embroidery needle with a very big hole. Anything that fits through the eye of it, you can use: ribbon, embroidery yarn, strips of cut fabric, heavy-duty thread.

Depending on the look you want, the time you feel like allotting to this project (it is a bit time-intensive), and the materials you have on hand--you can simulate whatever "couture" fabric needed to create Dolly Chanel fabric. As you can see in the above photo, I tried a number of materials, including drawing lines using a small brush and acrylic paint. Frankly, there are no rules. I cut 1/8" (3mm) strips of silky fabric. The strips were not even, which was not important for the rustic look I was hoping to achieve. With my threaded needle I caught one thread of the fabric and skipped over about 1/8 or 3/16" (3-5mm), then caught another thread, etc. Using cut fabric, as you thread each strip through the fabric, it will begin to fray, thus adding additional texture. Sometimes the fabric broke. But you re-thread and keep going.  I cut strips of sheer nylon which didn't fray. They lent an air of lightness to the fabric. If you use commercial 1/8" ribbon, the look is more even, more polished.

For my second sample, I started out with a cotton broadcloth. Note how it isn't as loosely woven as my first sample, but still, the weave is loose enough to catch my woven bits in the threads of the fabric. For these two samples, I was inspired by two of the fabrics at the top of this post. For the white on black I used kitchen string which I unraveled down to 2 threads. It was very soft--the look I wanted--but it had a tendency to break. I concluded that embroidery yarn would be easier to use. On the bottom, I was going for a black on black textured look, using strips of lining fabric. I LOVE the look, but again, the fabric tends to fray and fall apart. So if you go this route, plan for a lot of extra time to get your fabric together.

Note: I opted for white on black, but you if take another look at my initial Chanel fabrics & jackets, you see that there are also colors and plaids! Feel free to get creative, even colorful with your "couture fabric!"

How to Proceed

For my coat dress, I used the pattern for a basic sheath dress, modified so that the back is cut on the fold and the opening is in the front. (Yes, this dress does have darts. But you will put them in after you have customized the fabric.) Before you get started, lay out your pattern on the fabric and cut it out. We are only going to treat those pieces relevant to the outfit. I decided to begin with cut strips of fabric. Strips cut lengthwise are usually stronger than those cut horizontally on the fabric. My strips for the beige coat dress were approximately 3/16" (5mm).

1. Cut the end of each strip on the diagonal so you can more easily thread your needle. You only want to thread a single strip (not double), so keep a short end of your strip near the needle.
2. With each strip, I slip the fabric loaded needle through a single (or two) thread of the fabric. I skip over 3/16"-1/4" before catching the next thread. Do one row at a time. Leave a little extra beyond the edges of each pattern piece.
3. I left a space of about 1/4" in between rows. Keep adding until the entire piece is complete.
When you have finished this, sew a stitch around the edges of each piece to secure your rows of ribbon. Note: my fabric is very loosely woven, so to keep it from stretching and to add more structure, I lined each pattern piece with an underlining. An underlining is made using the exact same pattern pieces, but cut from a lightweight material. The underlining and the fabric piece are sewn as one. You can either finish the edges with bias tape or you can sewing in a separate lining. Just before you allow enough ease at the side seams of the outer garment to accommodate the extra layers. Now lay the garment pieces out and sew together as usual being careful that the ribbon falls away from the edges are caught in the stitching. If, by chance, a ribbon did not get sewn while you were stitching this together, you can always take needle and thread and stitch it down to the fabric!

I LOVED the way the beige fabric turned out. But I wanted to see what the results would be if I used commercial ribbon with finished edges. I wanted to make a black on black "Chanel" jacket. To make this jacket, I used a simple (dartless) basic jacket cut to the hips. You can find that tutorial HERE.

For my samples this time, I used ribbon and embroidery yarn. The yarn was more subtle, but the ribbon added the texture I was going for. As you can see in the second photo, the fabric was denser than the beige. But there was just enough space between the threads to allow me to force the ribbon through.

Taking into consideration I used a very simple pattern and the pieces are very small, it took me about a day to prepare my fabric for each garment. The looser the weave, the easier and faster you can work.  And yes, this was a lot of work....but remember we are replicating a very expensive designer suit! The end result speaks for itself.

One last thing....initially, this post was supposed to show a number of different surface treatments I used while putting together last month's fashion reports. But I was so happy with the results I obtained for my Chanel inspired dress, I decided to focus on the fabric I altered. For the next post I'll share with you a few more ways to customize fabric.

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