Entry #34

Pro

My outfit is titled “Meet Poppet,” and is based upon the character of Poppet from Erin Morgenstern’s The Night Circus.  The plot of the novel follows a magical circus and two dueling magicians.  Poppet and Widget are a set of twin circus performers born the night the circus launched; Poppet has the ability to see the future because she was born after midnight and performs with her brother a trained kitten act.  Though she is not the lead character, Poppet is instrumental in saving the circus along with her brother and their friend, Bailey.

+ Task 1: Outfit Design

Since the majority of Poppet’s story takes place at the turn of the 20^th Century, and she lives in a traveling circus, I wanted to mix together the various fashion movements happening at that time while also thinking about the practicality of being a circus performer in 1902.  The descriptions of Poppet I focused on were:

“She is standing in the middle of the path between the tents, just standing there as though she is waiting for him. She looks to be about his own age, and she wears what can only be called a costume, as they certainly aren’t normal clothes. White boots with lots of buttons, white stockings, and a white dress made from bits of every fabric imaginable, scraps of lace and silk and cotton all combined into one, with a short white military jacket over it, and white gloves. Every inch from her neck down is covered in white . . .” (page 65)

“She has taken off her hat . . . and she has replaced her white jacket with a heavy black coat and a knit scarf in a vibrant violet. Only the ruffled hem of her dress and her white boots give any indication that she is the same girl who was performing in the same spot moments ago. Otherwise, she looks like any other patron at the circus.” (page 253)

Picture 1: My Sketch

This is my sketch that I drew and brainstormed various accessories.  I researched fashion in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s and went with a mix of Victorian and Edwardian elements for Poppet’s dress.  I reasoned that she was on a traveling circus and would not have access to modern styles.  She would have hand-me-downs from other performers’ costumes and have to scrap together her outfits from multiple fabrics.

I also created a Pinterest Board and pinned things that I thought would be in the circus as a brainstorming spot.  The link: http://www.pinterest.com/ashleyayash/night-circus/ .  This image was most inspirational for me: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/510806782707080777/ .  It is of a 1910 Day Dress by J. Franken.

I originally designed this piece in November 2013, but never made it.  I didn’t really have the skills or the time to work on it.  I put it in a folder for a rainy day and when the contest was announced, I chose this one to make.

Out of all my ideas for Meet Poppet, I decided to make a dress, undershirt, underskirt, French drawers, stockings, boots, top hat, beret, scarf, coat, and gloves.  I edited a few details out of the design as I was making it, because I realized that it was getting a little "busy"-looking.

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+ Task 2: Outfit in Process of Being Created

When I make a doll outfit, I usually use store-bought or downloaded patterns.  For this project, I wanted to make my own.  So I used a tutorial online on how to make Barbie patterns and applied that to my AG doll.  The tutorial came from TatianaBStudio’s blog, http://blog.tatiana-b.com/p/tutorials.html

Picture 2: Drafting Process

I covered my doll with Saran Wrap and Scotch Tape to create a base.  Then I drew basic lines on it like the tutorial instructed, and then went in with colored Sharpies to make my outfit’s lines.  I spent a lot of time debating where things should fall and even flubbed a couple times having to "x" out lines I didn't want to use.  Then I took it off the doll and transferred everything to paper.  After a few tweaks, I went to the fabric store to chose fabrics.

Picture 3: Fabrics

I found a really pretty bridal fabric on sale, a sheer with little bobbles hanging on it, a nice cotton with a white on white pattern, a silky polyester, another sheer (didn’t end up using), and a smattering of notions like buttons, lace, chains, and foam. 

In addition to my own patterns, I used the boot pattern from McCall’s 6480 as a basis for my Victorian button-down boots, McCall’s 5775 glove pattern, and Doll Tag Clothing’s Cozy Winter Beanie as a basis for my violet beret.  While I used these patterns, I altered them to fit my needs—I didn’t know how to draw boots or gloves myself nor how to design a crochet hat in AG size.  For the coat, I used Addy’s Winter Coat from Addy’s Pretty Clothes just because I’ve always wanted to make that coat. 

I needed a Top Hat, so I used a Christmas decoration felt hat from a snowman to make a papier-mâché one that I covered with fleece and then glued on trims, feathers, and a beaded headband decoration.

Picture 4: Top Hat in Process

Here are some additional in process photos constructing the dress, coat, boots, and accessories:

Picture 5: Top Pieces

Picture 6: Skirts and Boots

Making the outfit took me several days and I learned a lot of new sewing skills and about the fabrics I chose.  The bridal fabric unraveled horribly--at one point the whole overskirt came apart and I had to resew it.  I greatly enjoyed working with fleece and figuring out how to make the “pick-up” in the skirt.  I ended up having to take in the outfit a couple of times in places to get the fit right.  During this time I found that I liked the flutter sleeves turned up--it gave the bodice an Arabian feel that I found aesthetically pleasing and more exotic.  I also ended up hand tailoring parts of the skirt to get the lengths right.  There were several times that I said to myself, "What do I do now?  How do I get it to do that?"  Internet sewing tutorials were most helpful on that front.  Some techniques I used were ones meant for real-people clothes but worked great to get the fit right on the doll.

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+ Task 3: Outfit Complete and Modeled

Poppet is luring patrons to one of her performances.  Her kitten peeks out from inside the mysterious tent.

I created a circus tent, and the sign with the Le Cirque des Rêves hours of operation like in the novel.  The red balloons symbolize the red scarves that circus devotees wear to the performances.  The kitten is to represent Poppet’s kitten act.

I thoroughly enjoyed making this outfit and learning new skills.  I’m very proud of how it turned out and how closely I depicted what I imagined Poppet to look like in the novel.

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