Arthur's Father, The Invitation and Annabelle Revealed.....The Trouble with Suits, Dear Readers..... is that they make me want to make almost ANYTHING ELSE but them! So I will begin tonight with a little Diversion. You may Remember that the setting of the DATE for the Wedding was being held off until Arthur's Father could be Located. He is a lepidopterist...... and travels extensively in search of new Species of butterflies to study. Everyone had Thought he was in Africa..... but it turns out he was finally located in South America deep in the Jungles!
He is here now.... may I introduce you to Harold?
Can you see the family resemblance?
(Of course, now I have ANOTHER suit to sew.....!)
Arthur is very Happy that he is here!
But PLEASE, Don't tell Celeste....
it is better that she doesn't find out until the last minute!
(I'm sure it will all work out alright....... It IS a Wedding, after all!)
So much for the Diversion...... I still have all those suits to sew!I started in bravely on the jacket for Arthur's tuxedo..... fitting the sleeves first.
I'm sorry I didn't take any pictures of the patterns I made... I simply traced around the parts of the jacket he already owned..... the casual one..... and used that to cut the pieces for the jacket.
Formal jackets are tricky because the FIRST part you have to complete are the collar and the facings..... and you can't really test the fit until they are completely sewn! So I jumped right in! Here you can see the collar facings sewn and attached to the jacket body....... I forgot to take pictures of most of the steps... so this is really NOT a very good demonstration.....
And when I had stitched all the seams together and hemmed everything....I tried it on Arthur.....
Only to discover that it was TOO BIG!
It really is.It looks Terrible.
But perhaps ALL is not lost.......Because I think it fits Will just about right!
So I started over at the beginning for Arthur......And cut all the pieces a tiny bit smaller.....
and stitched them and hemmed them and pressed them......
and then tried them on........
And I think that looks MUCH Better!
And I think that looks MUCH Better!
Then I decided I had to make the buttons.......So they really button.......
First one......
And then two......
And I think I can say I have completed One Suit!
And Will just needed some new trousers to go with the jacket.......
And I will have to do the buttons....
And that will be TWO suits completed!!
Meanwhile, I KNOW that Some of you have been wondering
WHERE your Invitation was.....
Well, until they Found Arthur's Father,
they were Reluctant to send out the Invitations!
But now that he is here,
the Invitations are ready!
And just in case they get lost in the mail for being so tiny...
I will show you here.....
And just in case they get lost in the mail for being so tiny...
I will show you here.....
And a little closer so you can read......sorry about the blurry photo......
(And the sloppy writing....)
(And the sloppy writing....)
Inside the envelope is the Invitation......like so.......
Maybe it IS too small to read clearly......
Here is a larger version....(Yes, I know... it is very rustic and home-made looking.... they are all hand-lettered!)
We DO hope you will come!!!And just because I Know you are being SO Patient,
waiting to see the gowns for the bridal party...
I will give you a Quick peek at the Flower girl.....
Annabelle is ALL dressed and waiting!
In spite of ALL the Diversions......I STILL have more suits to sew!
They're really Quite Challenging!
They're really Quite Challenging!
That's The Trouble With Suits
I hate not only making suits, but dressing men in general. I don't envy you the task of tailoring for an entire wedding party full of them! The ones you have finished so far look great though, worth all the frustration.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Alennka! It sure is slow going! I have so little to show for my time and it really is a bit boring.... but it has to be done! I am looking forward to getting them all done!
DeleteOne of the most difficult things in sewing I think is to make a man's suit, particularly the jacket. I cannot imagine having to do it in miniature. Congratulations on being so persistent! Well done!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the invitation :-)
Thanks, Josje! I am Persistent... but Slow! I WILL get them all made! (I am thrilled you can come!)
DeleteBut is paying off. The suits are going great!
ReplyDeleteThe wedding will be a huge event. ;)
Thanks, Eliana! I will be so happy when they are all finished! Soon, I hope!
DeleteI still have a tones of admiration for your extraordinary talents and patience, dear Betsy! I don't think I would ever want to sew(or glue in my case;)) the suits (or dresses) for a doll wedding!:)
ReplyDeleteI love the little envelope and hand-written invitation!! And yes! I will be there(with P'Nilli of course!)!!!!!:D
Thanks, Ewa! I think I am learning a lot by making these suits... and wishing I had thought BEFORE I decided to have a Wedding! But it will be a lot of fun once I have the suits finished. I am SO glad you and P'Nilli can come!! :):)
DeleteHello from Spain: I like all the details that are organizing for the wedding. The invitations are ideal. The clothing is very well done guys. The girl is very cute. Keep in touch
ReplyDeleteThanks, Marta! I'm really glad you like it all! It's a lot of work.... but I think I will be glad I did it! Thanks for commenting!
DeleteI love making trousers....jackets, not so much!
ReplyDeleteYou've made these gentlemen look very dapper though and I'm sure the wedding will be a massive success! :D
Thanks, Minnie! I appreciate your encouragement! Thanks for commenting!
DeleteThey look fabulous Betsy!
ReplyDeleteI know the wedding will be the event of the season :)
Hugs,
Victoria
Thanks, Victoria! I think I will start to ENJOY this wedding once I have finished the SUITS! The rest of the preparations will feel so easy I am sure!
Delete(Those better NOT be famous last words...!!!)
Hi Betsy!
ReplyDeleteMens clothing in normal scale is hard to pull off, you're doing a great job! The invitation is adorable!
Thanks, John! I'm Glad you think they look good! (I must confess that I have had to look up lots of reference pictures... not being very FLUENT in Menswear!)
DeleteI'm glad you like the Invitation too.... I really wanted to do something a little more GRAND... but gave in to the Quick option! :)
Hi Betsy,
ReplyDeleteI dislike making men's jackets-- and men's clothes in general don't seem to fit as nicely as women's clothes (could be my technique), but guys must be clothe, too. You do a wonderful man's jacket with all that neat sewing AND pressing!
Annabelle is adorable!
I love the invitations--my little people are dying to get their invites to the wedding of the season!
Remember "a stich in time ....."
Thanks, Iris! The most difficult part is that you can't just tuck the seams in closer if they don't fit right! They have to have the right proportions and hang right too....! I WILL get them all made!
DeleteI'm glad you like the Invitation.... I wish I had time to do a more Elegant one.... but if I did that I would Never get it all done! So Glad your little people are looking forward to the Event!
Hi Betsy,
ReplyDeleteOnce again you did a terrific job on the suits. Your cloths making skill are great! I can't wait to see pictures at the wedding! The invitation is beautiful. VERY well done.
Keep up the fantatsic work and have a wonderful weekend,
Hugs,
Giac
Thanks, Giac! The suits have been a bigger challenge than I thought they would be.... not so easy to adjust the fit if you are a little off! But I am determined to get them all done!
DeleteI'm happy you like the Invitation... I didn't want to keep people waiting any longer! :)
So darling! I am loathe to make clothing in real size let alone mini!
ReplyDeleteYou have done a fabulous job, I admire it. :)
Thanks, Dale! I'm glad you like it! (I thought YOU could sew Anything!) :)
DeleteOh, my goodness, no not at all, in fact, I don't even consider myself a sewer. It is something I do, but, not something I define myself by. :)
DeleteI have to tell you, I think it is so cute that your mom comments on your blog. It's really sweet to see. <3
Too bad you couldn't have Scottish gentlemen, then they could wear kilts. Much easier, I should think. What an excellent job you've done! Better save those suits for future events - christenings, funerals, more weddings. Maybe even a Waltz Evening!
ReplyDeleteI love the old father, whose name I forgot already - and yes, there is a family resemblance! Lepidopterist, indeed!
Lots of love,
Mom
Thanks, Mom! I will Definitely be saving the suits! (That's why I decided to make them button for real...!) Too much work goes into them to just tear them off!
Delete(The Father's name is Harold)
B., I'm so sorry to be late with my RSVP. Miss Manners would politely boot me out of the blogosphere, and I would deserve it. Of course I will come, and I promise you, I will not be late for such a storied affair.
ReplyDeleteI still don't know how you sew so well, in that scale-I made wrap skirts for my Skipper and Barbies, and I mean wrap, a scrap of fabric held together in the back with safety pins. Your buttons button! To this day I would just sew the jacket shut and stick a bead on top. I have a strange seeming analogy for you, but bear with me. When my Dad was an art director, he was sent to England to see the sets for The Empire Strikes Back. They were being built by shipbuilders, intricate and beautiful framing that would have made Lord Nelson proud. And then they were covered up completely with fake snow and ice. So you couldn't see their foundations, the details. But it was the inside details that made the externals look so great. That's the approach you bring to your wonderful dollhouses, and your costuming, the care with the details.
Amy, I am SO glad you will be coming to the Wedding! And Late is ALWAYS better than not at all! (And here I am LATE to Reply!)
DeleteI know EXACTLY what you mean about the "skeleton" being so essential for the finished product to look right! I think of it as Layers.... the foundation is EXTREMELY important... the same is true with painting... and costumes too...
But the truth is that I just LIKE to be as REAL as I can with the details... even though that makes the scale off! I just need to practice smaller button holes!
I'm impressed with the suits! I'm looking forward to seeing your garden area you are making too!
ReplyDeleteThank you Butterfly! It will be a while before I get to the Gardens... this Wedding is taking ALL my time! Thank you for commenting!
DeleteHi, sorry i am so late to comment,
ReplyDeleteLove these little suits, very dapper young men!!
congratulations, I am still worried about picking up a needle and thread!
regards
Andy xx
Hi Andy! I'm glad you like them! I hear a LOT of people using Glue and all sorts of Modern methods of "Sewing" for their minis.... so you might be able to skip the needle and thread! I just happen to be one of those people who love to sew... and I've been doing it for so long that I would have to learn how NOT to sew! One of these days I might even try some Iron-on techniques! Imagine that!
Delete