Monday, January 20, 2014

Simplicity 8333 in faux leather and ponte

Making Barbie clothes is strangely satisfying. And I had some biggish scraps of the faux leather after I made my pants. Obviously, Barbie (or Belle, in this case) needed a tough girl look.
The pattern I used this time is Simplicity 8333, which was printed in 1987. This view is intended to be a tracksuit, with a sleeveless top, jogging pants and a sweat jacket, but it has good bones. The raglan sleeved jacket was just begging to be made in leather and ponte. This leather doesn't like topstitching, so I omitted the front closure and fused down the front fold over facing.
The top and pants are excellent basics. The pants are simple straight leg with an elastic waist. The waistband is a bit tricky to attach, since it is so small, but otherwise, these are a simple sew. I did slim them somewhat from the original pattern for a sleeker look.
I think the top is my favorite piece. I made it in this studded jersey from Girl Charlee and trimmed the neckline with picot elastic. The pattern was drafted for wovens. I included the side dart for shaping, but I took a very large seam allowance to give the top a more fitted look. It closes in the back with velcro, to make it easy to get on and off.
I'm getting slightly addicted to sewing these teeny little clothes. They are great for using up little scraps that I would otherwise toss, so I feel good about that. They also go together really fast, so that's pretty fun. And Myra really loves them, so you'll be seeing more. But don't worry. I'm still an essentially selfish being. MOAR clothes for ME!

10 comments:

Rachelle Green said...

Addictive is putting it lightly. Although I'm still mostly selfish, I don't mind sewing for Barbie because it's fast and she never complains about the fit. LOL BTW can you please email me privately. TIA

Katie Deshazer said...

LOL! She is very nice about that, isn't she? :)

Jamie Pilar said...

Barbie gets all the best clothes! Love these!

Katie Deshazer said...

Seriously! I need to buy more faux leather so I can make myself this jacket!!

Kyle Burkhardt said...

Barbie (and her friends) have the best clothes! Can I come over and play?

Meg Kundert said...

Awe! I wish I had a little girl to sew for. This is one styling and well fitted Barbie!

aem2 said...

She has a swinging pad. And I love that you refer to Barbie's clothes as excellent basics. I wish I'd had these skills when I tried to make my Barbie clothes way back when.

Rhonda Buss said...

I have never had a desire to make teeny tiny Barbie clothes. My grandmother made all of mine and I have always felt that she was a saint for having done so. Maybe she also found the process satisfying.

Beth said...

The tiny bust dart kills me.
My grandma made clothes for my sisters & I. They are the best.

Laura said...

Unfortunately, I only saw the jacket. :( Making doll clothes is such a fun thing!