The People’s Dolly

It’s been just over a year now since Morrígan (my Lammily doll) arrived at my door, moved into my heart, and gave me doll fever. I’ve sung her praises many times on this blog, but today I want to sing the praises of her creator, Nickolay Lamm, and the Lammily company.

When Lammily first came out, there weren’t many options for clothes for her. Her selling point was that she has realistic proportions that, scaled up, would result in a woman with a healthy body. This, and the fact that the company was brand new and figuring things out, meant that there just weren’t many options for her. She couldn’t swap clothes with many other dolls, certainly not with the usual suspects. This gave birth to a DIY market and community – Etsy sellers like Phyllis Sherman, Helena Hannukainen, Oph Bruneau, and Em Carroll began making Lammily clothes. I decided to create Handmade Lammily Fashions on Facebook, which was followed by an offshoot group, Lammily Enthusiasts (both groups have mutual respect for and collaborate with each other). We were small but we were mighty. A representative from the company joined Lammily Enthisiasts, where she would interact with and answer questions for eager Lammsters. Soon after, Lammily Enthusiasts became the Official Lammily Fan Group.

As Lammily’s success grew, the company aired their first commercial which let’s us see our girl interacting in the already established Doll World.

In the most recent commercial, Lammily takes time to give homage to the iconic toys and dolls that have come before her, pointing out that without them, she would not exist.  The driving image is showing this doll as an equally valid and inclusive player – not elite, not better-than-the-competition, but just as good. She can play with and fit in right alongside your other dolls. I think that’s big.

Something I have been extremely impressed with in recent months has been  how Mr. Lamm not only acknowledges Lammily’s DIY crowd and fan-base, but is actually *very* supportive of it. On their website, an option right along their “World of Fashion” clothing, are the “Handcrafted Limited Editions“. Further, what you will see when you sign up for their mailing list and start getting their emails, is that he introduces you to the DIY lady responsible for the handmade clothes.

Screen shot of a Lammily Email

So far, I am really impressed with Mr. Lamm and his company. Between all I’ve stated and the fact that she was the product of a Kickstarter campaign, I don’t think I’d be out of bounds to go so far as to consider Lammily “The People’s Dolly”. (As much as a representative of capitalist consumer culture can be, anyway. The irony isn’t lost here, only amusing.)

Now I just need to learn more about how the dolls themselves are made. From what I understand, though, the company ensures that every step of the doll-making process is done at factories that don’t take advantage of their employees.

Handmade Lammily Fashions – Inspirations

Have you seen the Handmade Lammily Fashions group over on Facebook? I started this group just a month ago and there are already 116 members. I find so much inspiration in seeing all of these talented individuals posting pictures of their creations. I love seeing people create and develop personalities for their dolls. I see the way members help each other by sharing advice, tips, and discoveries and the way they all compliment each other and it lifts my spirits on a bad day. Here are some of the clothes made by members who have given me permission to share their work:

Amber McGlynn:

Armel Pélardy‎:

Deborah Griggs:

Deluded Martita:

Julie Soper:

Oph Bruneau:

There are many more wonderful works over on the group page. I encourage you to give it a look 🙂

Dolly Got Back: Making Pants for Lammily

One of the wonderful things about the Lammily doll is that she has realistic proportions. As a result, Lammily actually has a booty. This is both a blessing and a curse. Trying to form pants to fit a larger derriere is hard enough with people –The Struggle is Real -but trying to form pants to Lammily’s rear is downright frustrating. Unlike a fleshy behind, her hard plastic butt has no give – no muffin tops for this girlie. Even the shorts she came with can’t handle the pressure when she sits.
Seriously, they look so nice until she sits.

So, trying to figure out the right way to make this doll a pair of jeans that will look just as good when she’s sitting as when she’s standing has been a daunting task with multiple fails.

The first thing I did was to try to draft a pattern the way The Fashion Doll Stylist demonstrated with her dolls.  This was the pattern I derived from that exercise:  I suppose they could work with some adjustments. I’m sure I’ll use this pattern for dress pants.

I tried just playing around with trying to form the jeans to her seated. This mostly resulted in ridiculous sketches and a lot of chopped up fabric as I tried to figure out what I was even trying to do.

   

I then decided to try to approach her jeans just the way I would pants for a person with more seat cushion. I turned to various sewing books on my shelf that weren’t much help. Then I found this tutorial – Full Butt Alteration for Jeans. So, I set to work again.

Now, if you follow the A’Cloth the World Facebook page or are a member of my more recent pet project, the group Handmade Lammily Fashions (also on Facebook), then you’ve already seen some of these photos and have read a bunch of my real-time frustrations.

I don’t even want to think about how many hours I put into this, but I managed to make a pair of jeans that look like they’re comfortable and manage to work both standing and sitting. Of course, they’re baggy. This is, of course, what I was going for. However, I cannot currently imagine how skinny jeans might be constructed for her. I don’t think I’m committed enough to buy a pair of Apple Bottoms just to deconstruct them to see how they’re made. I’ve received plenty of compliments on these pants, but, I’m not entirely happy with them. I’m sure they could greatly be improved upon – I’m just too worn out to try right now. Until I *do* tweak them just right, I’m not putting them up on Etsy – although the girl power hoodie is up for sale. But, I did share the pattern over on the Handmade Lammily Fashions group page in case anyone wants to try making them.

Awake Late at Night

This is going to be one of those streams of consciousness styled posts I occasionally like to write. I took a nap earlier this afternoon, do not have to go in to work until the middle of tomorrow afternoon, and so, I am wide awake and my mind is bouncing around. Honestly, you’ll likely not be reading this until sometime after I’ve left for work tomorrow, but, just for fun and pointing out real-time, it is now 11:33pm CST on a Sunday evening as I begin to write this. (in the same vein, real-time distractions will be inserted, italicized, in parentheses)

Tonight, I just realized, was the premiere of the new Cosmos with Neil DeGrasse Tyson. I’ve not watched it yet. But, I’m actually running a Symphony of Science playlist on Youtube as I write this. (jump to facebook, to get into a discussion with a friend about Carl Sagan) I’ll have to watch that tomorrow. Perhaps I can introduce the kids that I work with to the awesomeness that is the universe and curiosity and the badass-ness of DeGrasse Tyson. Or they may just think it’s lame. Which is *usually* what I am met with – a general disinterest for pondering the bigger picture or the vastness of the universe or the meaning of life. Once in awhile though, I am pleasantly surprised.  This reminds me… some time back I came across this quilt that a woman had created to teach kids about the solar system. (another facebook break)

Speaking of work, I brought in my sewing machine this morning. One of the teens staying in the shelter wanted to learn different ways to refashion some of her jeans into shorts. We worked together to make 2 pair of shorts, a pair of cut-offs and a hemmed pair, and I had her get familiar with the machine with some scrap denim. I pointed out the importance of a stay stitch with cut-offs and how to get the denim to fray quicker. I’d like to work more with these kids on some of the basics of sewing, even just basic repair work. And I wonder if it would be worthwhile to try to set up some kind of community sewing studio.. because not everyone has the funds or space for a machine… and perhaps free classes on how to sew, repair, and design your own clothes. I would like to see sewing become something of a norm again – it would help to combat throw-away fashions if people could simply repair/ refashion their clothes. Perhaps, with an emphasis on re-used fabric, it might combat the sheer tons of textile waste we create Every. Single. Day.  Also, I love outlets to build community and be creative. Of course, maybe I’m a bit daydreamy to think that kids and teens would be interested in such a thing. How do we make sewing “cool”?  If you have never commented on these blogs before, I encourage you to comment on this topic… thoughts, ideas, anecdotes, discussions…

(break to take a shower and put on jammies. 2 thoughts whilst I was in the shower: 1) I want to do up a cosmos themed dress.. embroider the universe, a la Ms. Frizzle 2) I’m totally dressing in Sagan-style next Carl Sagan Day – Nov. 9th) … screw it, I kind of want to do that this week. Flashback to Emulation. It’s also just occurred to me that I never expanded into all the realms of emulation that I wanted to do – Halloween, LARPing, CosPlay, etc. I need to revisit this.

I mean to mention a couple of other things that are important. 1) Hatch. I did it last year (see here), I’m actually in it again this year. I’m horrible at self-promotion. I should have been talking about this weeks ago. The opening reception, the trashion show (yes they had a trashion show this year), and the gallery talk have already come and gone. My lack of posting about it is probably due to a combination of 1) being too lazy to buy new batteries for my camera 2) the artwork I had accepted for the exhibit is a piece I’ve already written about in length here and 3) I’m just lazy in general. HOWEVER, this coming Saturday, March 15th, 2014, is the Art Fair for Hatch. I originally intended to go to this. However, The Culture Monk is going to be in Chicago that morning in his series of coffee houses. I’d really rather go to that. Because I’d kind of like to meet this guy in person, link a face and a voice and an experience to the blocks of text I read regularly. Sadly I cannot be in 2 places at once. But I promise to be in at least one of those places Saturday. (youtube and facebook distraction) (time check – 12:54am. Going back into text to insert links) (links inserted, tags entered, end time 1:28am)

Update, 11:11 am: Just finished watching the new Cosmos on Hulu. I teared up. I literally teared up. DeGrasse Tyson’s remembrance of Sagan at the end touched me.

It’s Something

Today is my day off from my day job. I have 3 tasks ahead of me today.

1. A friend of mine is paying me to hem a pair of his scrub pants. It’s a quick and simple job. So I should get those done.
2. The same friend also needs me to affix a couple of patches to the shoulders of his scrub tops.
3. Another gentleman I know has asked me to med a pair of jeans for him. I’ve got plenty of scrap fabric, I’m just gonna patch them.

I suppose the first thing I should do is get dressed. That’s a bit problematic for me, because I’m laying in bed with 2 blankets on me. Well, they’re not really blankets as much as they are body heat insulators that protect me from the cold of the rest of the room. My body has a natural disinclination to the cold.

——- Editorial Time Jump ——-

Patches done. I use wonder under  and an iron to affix patches.

One way to hem a pair of pants, the way I frequently use:

Get the inseam measurement you need – that’s the length along the seam from. Measuring a pair of pants that are a good length for you already works well enough, though it’s not as fine tune accurate as having someone measure your inseam while you stand in your underoo’s. But we’re talking maybe a half inch room for error here.

If you do not know the outseam measurement – that’s the outside seam from waist to ankle, or the measurement you’re given (if they’re not your pants) is wrong or off, simply measure the distance from the bottom of the original hem to the hash-mark where your desired inseam hem is. In this case, it’s 6 inches. (6 3/16 inches, but I’m not that precise.) So, I measure 6 inches from the bottom on the outside seam and make a mark.

Fold the leg inward so that the hash-marks are both are even and centered. Pin.

Sew.

   
I like to tuck in the inside too. So,  from here, I turn the pants inside out, cut off some excess leg…Fold inward…Pin and sew

And here’s one way of patching holes (there are several):

These are the jeans before I did anything to them. This is the downside of those expensive pre-torn jeans – they tear in ways you don’t intend for them to much easier because they’ve had a head start.

Turn the clothing inside out. Pin scrap fabric to cover the hole.

Sew. Be careful though, when you’re sewing far into a pant leg or a sleeve – you have to really bunch the rest of the leg or the sleeve to avoid sewing through layers of folded over material (i.e. sewing the pant leg/ sleeve to itself).

This is how they look after the scrap had been sewn in. I still need to go in and hand sew that long tear, and I will probably do so decoratively. Like this:

Come What May

So, welcome to 2014. New year, new chances to lie to myself about blogging more regularly and finishing unfinished projects. This will not be a polished entry, this may even get personal. Maybe. Right now I’m just typing words as they escape my brain between shoving unhealthy snacks in my face.

I’ve got my laptop next to me, with my camera, my sewing machine is out, and I have bits of fabric on the table. What follows is an insight into my creative and thought processes, raw, unedited – chaotic and probably going nowhere. But why am I still typing crap? Here – look at some pictures.

This is some sexy lingerie I bought several years ago. I only wore them once. They don’t even fit me anymore. I’m going to chop them up. Why not?

Chop CHOP! Choppy Chop! Lace is pretty.

Oh, remember these? Yeah, I’m still not sure what to do with them, but, they’re sitting in a pile on the table.

This looks kind of neat.

CRAP! I need pink thread! The stores are closed! All I have is embroidery and hand quilting thread! Grrr…

Do I want to just sew it with a contrasting thread color? Or use embroidery thread? I don’t want to wait until morning. I’m pushing through, making do, not putting it off. Embroidery thread it is. Such is life. It doesn’t have to be perfect. It doesn’t have to be perfect. It doesn’t have to be perfect. It can be messy, it can be chaotic, and it will be ok. It will. I promise. Screw the fairy tales and the picture perfect notions of what should be. The harder you push it, the less idyllic/idealistic it will be. Ideallic. Is that a word? Screw it. It is now. #Ideallic. Go trend that crap.

Idyllic -1:  pleasing or picturesque in natural simplicity; 2:  of, relating to, or being an idyll

Idealistic – 1: of or relating to the philosophical doctrine of the reality of ideas; 2: of high moral or intellectual value; elevated in nature or style; “an exalted ideal”; “argue in terms of high-flown ideals”- Oliver Franks; “a noble and lofty concept”; “a grand purpose”

Yeah, neither of those quite do it for me quite the way it feels in my mind standing by themselves. Oh, so, here’s a thing I’ve been working on off and on that I don’t think I’ve posted about:

I got the pattern from Urban Threads. It’s going to take me eons. Ok. I’m getting kind of sleepy. I think I’m going to post this and come back to this in the morning. Maybe I’ll get a stock of posts done to schedule over the next few weeks. Maybe I can be more regular. Maybe I can convince myself that I don’t actually NEED to have a point or well-formed idea. Maybe I can stop avoiding the blog and the facebook page when I haven’t finished any of my many unfinished projects. Maybe.

They’re Almost Pants!

This past week I have been working on making myself some cargo pants (See posts 1 and 2). While I had intended to have these pants completed by now, as always, life has had other plans for me. However, in contrast to the way the story normally works on this blog — I get busy, I don’t make time to update, 2 or 3 months later I write another post apologizing (like here.. or here), long time readers know the drill by now — I’m going to update with what I *have* managed to get done since last time (and force myself to accept the fact that I’m neither perfect nor able to juggle everything the way I’d like to).

Inside out, pinned together.

Right side out, front side

Right side out, front side, pockets close up.

Right side out, back side

As you can see, they are definately starting to look more like actual pants, and the pockets have turned out fairly well. However, between getting hung up on the zipper (this pattern has some oddly written instructions), work, surrendering the table to roommates for their gaming purposes, and spending time with my boyfriend (obligatory plug – check out his podcast sometime), I haven’t gotten further than this. Let us see what this next week brings.

 

 

 

Power to the Pockets!

Yesterday, I started sewing myself a pair of cargo pants, following a McCall’s pattern I’d had laying around. This evening, I have continued my work.

What you see here is an actual college photo. That’s me, in Japanese class, rocking the cargo pants, sitting next to my friend, Ryan, with an amusing look on my face.
Honestly, I don’t remember what we were talking about before the camera went off.

Cargo pants are a wonderful thing. They have a great many pockets in which one can carry items. When I was in college, I used to rock men’s cargo jeans almost exclusively. Something about women’s pants just doesn’t allow for ease of storage. Probably because designers assume all women carry purses. Pfft. The purses came to me as a result of needing to carry yarn. The basics – wallet, phone, and keys – ought to fit easily into one’s pants.

That said, I was shocked when I started reading further along in the pattern instructions and saw this:

“…through all thicknesses.” Basically, the pattern instructions would have you go through the hassle of creating these pockets and pocket flaps so that they can, ultimately, serve no other purpose than decoration. F**K THAT!! That’s defeating the entire *point* of having all those pockets! Fortunately for me (and for you), I know what the hell I’m doing and was able to alter the original pattern so that all the pockets are fully functional. Here’s how:

First, prep your pockets the same way you would in the pattern. That is, fold each of the edges inside about half an inch and top-stitch around. Then, sew the pocket onto the pants as directed, but do not yet attach any of the flaps.

Here is one of the back pockets I did yesterday, now affixed to the butt of the pants.

For the big cargo pockets that go on the sides, you want to create a pleat in the middle. The pleat should be about 2 to 2 1/2 inches. Stitch the top and bottom to hold the pleat in place.
What you are looking at here is the front view.

And now the rear view.

The prep on this cargo pocket (front view) is complete. If you notice, I’ve folded in the edges and created a decorative fold at the top.

Prep the flaps as well.

Prepping the flaps: Inside out at the bottom and right side out at top.

Flap prep complete.

Now, this is where it starts to differ from the original pattern.  I made a mark on either side of the pant pieces, 1/2 inch directly above the corners of the pockets.

Do this for each corner, on all pockets.

Before stitching the flap on, I noticed that the dots lined up with the stitch lines on the flap. So, I basted each corner of the flap – right in the crosshair of the horizontal and vertical stitches – to each dot..

I then sewed the flap down. Once along the original top-stitch line, and then once 1/4 inch below that.

As you can see, the flap opens and the pocket is functional. Huzzah. Rinse and repeat for each pocket.

The beauty of making your own clothes is that you have the power to do with the design what you want. Don’t ever feel that you have to follow every step of a set of instructions to the letter. Play around. Experiment. Learn by doing. One of the easiest ways to start designing your own clothes is to start making little changes here and there to existing patterns and seeing how what you’ve done affects the end result.

Check back this weekend to see how these cargo capris turned out!

 

Sewing Up Some Capris

Nothing elaborate going on right now, just decided I’d like a couple pair of cargo capris. I had a couple of large sections of black and red cotton bedsheets left over from the rag rug that I thought might work well for fabric. I also had this McCall’s pattern lying around. I had the day off and nothing else going on, so, why not get my sew on?

Any time I use a pattern for the first time, I use some cheap-o interfacing – I think I picked this stuff up at a yard sale some years back – and trace the pieces in the sizes I need. I like to keep the original pattern intact so that other sizes can be made later if needed. I also label each piece in detail so I know what it is later.

Tracing, labeling and cutting is always the bigger pain and more time consuming that the sewing (at least, it seems that way).

So far, I’ve sewn the front,  pocket, and side front  pieces together, and I’ve gotten the 2 back pockets basted and ready to be attached to the butt of the back pieces.

Front view on left, Inside view on the right.

Front view on the left, Inside view on the right.

Check for part 2 tomorrow to see my progress.

Things That Frustrate Me: Sewing Machine Help?

I’ve been working pretty steadily, sewing most of the day. Then, as I’m feeling a good rhythm, and nearing completion of some of the laptop bags I’ve been making, my sewing machine decides it wants to be a jerkface and throw a fit.

Does ANYONE know what the heck this is? What causes it? How to fix it???

I’m at a complete and total loss. The machine will work perfectly fine, with no problems and then suddenly, BAM! It does this crap to me. What you’re seeing is the thread coming from the bobbin all jacked up. And it bunches and jams up the needle and I have to do battle with the machine to get my fabric back. It starts doing this out of nowhere and, if I’m lucky it’s a once or twice deal, but sometimes it will keep it up for hours before it manages to straighten itself out somehow. It makes me want to throw my machine out a window. These hissy fits that my machine throws waste a butt-load of thread. I often get upset and say, “Screw this” and go back to sewing by hand (which takes eons by comparison).

This was taken the other week when it was doing the same thing.

Do any of you, my readers, have any experience with this? Can any of you offer me any help? I’ve had this machine for 11 years. My mother bought it for me. It’s a White 935.

I actually meant to take pictures and post this a few hours ago, but then I had to hunt for my camera (it is a rather crappy camera, I know), which frustrated me even more.