May 16, 2019
In this newsletter
Anatomy of a Costume Tutorial — Sam's Flower Fairy Bodice and Tutu
A Girl for All Time® crowdfunding news and details — including a picture of their NEW boy doll, Max.
We've got ballet and dance patterns for all your dolls!
Last week, we were thrilled to announce the release of our full suite of Ballet Performance patterns, newly redesigned for 16 inch A Girl for All Time® dolls and 14 1/2 inch WellieWishers® and similar dolls, as well as 18 inch American Girl® dolls.
The 3-size versions of these patterns will remain permanently available in the Lee & Pearl Etsy store at a 3-for-the-price-of-2 bundle discount.
But because we know that many of our loyal friends already own the 18 inch size, and we don't want anyone to miss out on the 3-size discount, we are happy to offer an extra-special 2-for-the-price-of-1 discount on just the two smaller sizes.
Don't miss out — that extra-special discount will expire soon!
The combination 16 inch and 14 1/2 inch listings will disappear from our Etsy shop at midnight (CDT) on Thursday, May 23rd, 2019. After midnight, those sizes will only be offered individually, or as part of our 3-size listings.
Here are all the shopping links for your convenience:
These are the links for the three-size pattern bundles:
CLICK HERE for Pattern 1072: Corps de Ballet Romantic Tutu and Bodice for 18 Inch, 16 Inch and 14 1/2 Inch Dolls
CLICK HERE for Pattern 1073: Prima Ballerina Classical Tutu and Bodice for 18 Inch, 16 Inch and 14 1/2 Inch Dolls
CLICK HERE for the Ballet Performance Bundle — including both Corps de Ballet and Prima Ballerina — for 18 Inch, 16 Inch and 14 1/2 Inch Dolls
These are the links for the LIMITED TIME ONLY 2-for-the-price-of-1, 16 inch and 14 1/2 inch size bundles. Remember: this offer will only be available through next Thursday May 23, 2019:
CLICK HERE for Pattern 1072: Corps de Ballet Romantic Tutu and Bodice for 16 Inch and 14 1/2 Inch Dolls
CLICK HERE for Pattern 1073: Prima Ballerina Classical Tutu and Bodice for 16 Inch and 14 1/2 Inch Dolls
CLICK HERE for the Ballet Performance Bundle — including both Corps de Ballet and Prima Ballerina — for 16 Inch and 14 1/2 Inch Dolls
And here are the original 18 inch, American Girl-size patterns:
CLICK HERE for Pattern 1072: Corps de Ballet Romantic Tutu and Bodice for 18 Inch Dolls
CLICK HERE for Pattern 1073: Prima Ballerina Classical Tutu and Bodice for 18 Inch Dolls
CLICK HERE for the Ballet Performance Bundle — including both Corps de Ballet and Prima Ballerina — for 18 Inch Dolls
While you're shopping, why not complete your little dancer's wardrobe with our perfectly sized leotards and unitards, ultra-realistic (and easy to sew) ballet slippers, and workout-casual t-shirts? All of these patterns are available in 18 inch, 16 inch and 14 1/2 inch pattern sizes!
CLICK HERE for Pattern 1075: Ballet Slippers for 18 Inch, 16 Inch and 14 1/2 Inch Dolls
CLICK HERE for Pattern 1051: Ballet Basics Leotard, Unitard and One-piece Swimsuit for 18 Inch, 16 Inch and 14 1/2 Inch Dolls
CLICK HERE for Pattern 1001: Unisex T-shirts for 18 Inch, 16 Inch and 14 1/2 Inch Dolls
Anatomy of a Costume Tutorial — Sam's Flower Fairy Bodice and Tutu
Patternmaker Pearl here, with a gorgeous new ballet costume tutorial!
This one's perfect for the spring recital season — a garden-themed extravaganza of pinks and greens, made for our A Girl for All Time Sam™ using Lee & Pearl Pattern 1073: Prima Ballerina Classical Tutu and Strapless Bodice for 16 Inch Dolls, and a few custom variations...
This costume started out with an impulse fabric purchase at Joann Fabric and Craft. Raise your hand if you've got a few similar impulse purchase "inspirations" lying around your work table.
Strolling through the special occasion fabric aisle, I was struck by the luscious colors in this watermelon pink and vibrant orange, gold-flecked sparkle net. It's one of those over-the-top fabrics that you want to own a piece of, even if you can't quite think what to do with it.
Luckily, when you're working on dance costumes, it's easy to imagine fun things to make with over-the-top fabrics like this sparkle net. The colors reminded me of a packet of "Fruit Smoothie" zinnia seeds that I meant to plant last month, but between the Texas rain and Texas heat, left sitting on my kitchen counter instead.
Who needs muddy shovels when you can "plant" a dainty Flower Fairy on your patio, anyway?
Doesn't Sam look scrumptious? And no digging required!
To create this look, I used that pink-and-orange sparkle net as the sun-catching top layer of the tutu, and bought some inexpensive watermelon pink and lighter pink tulle to create an ombré effect with the lower layers and butt ruffles.
The panty to which the tulle layers are attached is made from a coral pink cotton — which is actually the paler, wrong side of a quilting cotton print.
This is a trick to remember if you can't find the right solid color in your stash: flip your fabric prints over and check to see if the perfect tone or shade is hiding underneath!
I finished collecting fabric for the ensemble with a light apple green Kona® cotton for the bodice, basque and self-piping, and a beige cotton for the skin-tone bodice inset and lining.
Before checking out at Joann, I also grabbed a bolt of bright apple green tulle. The color was so pretty with the bodice fabric, and such a nice contrast with the sparkle mesh and the pink tulles, that I couldn't resist it — even though I wasn't sure how to fit it into the ensemble.
A quick Pinterest search for Nutcracker "Waltz of the Flowers" costumes gave me the answer: sepals, of course!
Sepals are the leaf-like outer parts of flowers, that open to reveal the bud inside, and often remain as a green frill around the base of the fully-opened flower — like the green frill on top of the widest layer of Sam's zinnia-pink tutu.
To create the leaf-like points on the "sepal" layer, I cut a 2 1/4" deep strip of tulle, and folded it three times, to create eight layers. Then I used a rotary cutter to carve out a curved shape, going from 2 1/4" on the side with the free ends down to 1 1/2" on the fully-folded side.
Here's an important note: because the sparkle net and the green "sepal" tulle strips were going to be gathered and stitched together to the same tutu placement line , I reduced the width of each strip to prevent the finished tutu from becoming too fluffy.
For the 16 inch doll size, Pattern 1073 directs you to cut two 36" strips of tulle for the top layer. Instead I cut a single 48" strip of both the pink sparkle net and the apple green tulle. After cutting the curved shape in the green tulle as shown above, I pinned the pink and green strips together, then gathered, pinned and stitched them to the panty as if they were a single layer.
After stitching and trimming the seam allowances, I gently pulled the edges of the green layer up to allow it to stand out slightly from the pink underneath.
Then I completed the tutu, panty and green cotton basque following the pattern directions.
Next, I turned my attention to the bodice. First, I flatlined (hand basted) a scrap of the sparkle net to the flesh-tone inset piece and trimmed it down to match the shape.
To create the appearance of lacing over the inset, I tried a number of different 1/8" ribbons from our FREE Easter Basket Printable and Tutorial stash, and settled on a medium leafy green ribbon.
Here's another custom trick: on small pieces like this, you can use a cut-out paper pattern to check the placement of your decorations before you seam them permanently in place.
I printed an extra copy of our BODICE FRONT INSET pattern piece and trimmed it along both the outside cutting lines and inside seam lines. Then I laid it on top of the cut fabric piece and slid the ribbons around underneath until I was happy with their position.
I pinned and basted the ribbons to the fabric — and checked them with the pattern piece again before stitching the inset into the green cotton bodice.
Perfect!
I completed the pattern directions for the bodice, with 1/8" flesh tone elastic for the invisible straps and velcro for the back closure. Two small snaps at the sides hold the bodice invisibly but firmly to the tutu and basque — and Sam is ready for her dance solo in my garden!
Or maybe she just wants to lie in the grass and enjoy a welcome break from the spring rains. I know I do!
Don't the A Girl for All Time® dolls look amazing in their Lee & Pearl™ ballet tutus and costumes?
We knew that our dance outfits would perfectly suit these graceful dolls, which we have loved since we first spotted them — and met their creator, Frances Cain — at Toy Fair in New York some years ago.
This week Frances and A Girl for All Time® have big news that we are thrilled to share with you!
The company is about to launch a new crowdfunding campaign, which will include pre-sales for the re-release of two popular sold-out dolls — Matilda, your Tudor Girl™ and Lydia, your Georgian Girl™ — as well as new historical outfits for the girls, and an all new BOY doll, the very first in the line!
Meet Max, Your Modern Boy™.
We borrowed this picture from the company website. We hope you don't mind, Frances, we're just so excited!
Won't Max look amazing in the unisex patterns we've already released for 16 inch dolls, like this T-shirt and gym shorts combo?
That's our Lydia playing basketball. With those deep blue eyes and jet black hair, she's one of our absolute favorite models. If you don't already own a Lydia (or two, or three) you really need to get a crowdfunding pre-sale order in as soon as you can.
This should help convince you — here's our Lydia again as The Firebird in a flaming red tutu ensemble, encrusted with amber and violet Swarovski crystals.
Truly, there is nothing this girl can't carry off with style.
Of course Matilda is gorgeous, too. She was the first doll in the line, and still has the most soulful face of any of the Marchmont family girls.
Here's our Matilda as tragic heroine Giselle.
That face, those eyes, that aristocratic nose — wow!
Both of these beautiful dolls are currently sold out, so if you want Matilda or Lydia — and of course, if you want Max — check out the following links, make a note in your calendar, and come back after May 19th for the crowdfunding launch:
CLICK HERE to go to the A Girl for All Time® website CROWDFUNDING FAQ page
CLICK HERE to share the campaign on Facebook and enter to win a gift certificate from A Girl for All Time
CLICK HERE to go directly to the A Girl for All Time website to see all their dolls and offerings
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See you next time!
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