Home-made clothes

Ant999 · Post by **Ant999** » Fri Aug 18, 2023 3:17 am

So there it is, all done, but there is no way she is trying it on today! 17°C (63°F) inside, and a breeze straight from the south pole outside. Maybe some parts of the world consider that pleasant weather, down here in Africa we call that COLD.

: IMG_20230818_084547.jpg (65.61 KiB) Viewed 1010 times

Canvas · Post by **Canvas** » Fri Aug 18, 2023 3:29 am

It's always wild to me thinking about how different the seasons can be crossing the hemisphere.
It's been upwards of 120 degrees Fahrenheit for days on end where I am at in the US this summer. 63 is jacket weather to me.
Really cool thread you got going, I haven't seen too many get into designing their own clothes.
Can tell you care a lot about your Geniece. She's very pretty btw (looks really cute tucked in bed too)

Ant999 · Post by **Ant999** » Fri Aug 18, 2023 6:44 am

Thank you to all of you I have not specifically replied to, for the compliments, since the beginning of the thread. A love of engineering + a love of the female form = a love of designing and making stuff that makes them look good. What helped is that I saw my mom and grandma do sewing since I was just a few years old, so the techniques have been familiar to me for a long time.

Ant999 · Post by **Ant999** » Fri Aug 18, 2023 7:26 am

Canvas wrote: ↑Fri Aug 18, 2023 3:29 am It's always wild to me thinking about how different the seasons can be crossing the hemisphere.
It's been upwards of 120 degrees Fahrenheit for days on end where I am at in the US this summer. 63 is jacket weather to me.
Really cool thread you got going, I haven't seen too many get into designing their own clothes.
Can tell you care a lot about your Geniece. She's very pretty btw (looks really cute tucked in bed too)

I spent about 5 years in the Central Valley of California, where 110 is about the worst it ever gets, and me and the little senorita that I still keep contact with, joke about it every now and then: when its hot there, its cold here, and vice versa, we just need to figure a way to transport the excess heat from the one side to the other, and we've got global warming licked. But the engineering difficulties are.. a bit daunting, shall we say. As for Geniece, she has been here for a year now, still smiles every day, never complains about anything. Combine that with looks that make most real women green with envy, how can a man not be crazy about her?

Ant999 · Post by **Ant999** » Sat Aug 19, 2023 12:37 pm

Today was a comfortable 22°C (72°F) so here they are in all their glory. Only downside, my phone does not get the color right, what appears to be blue really contains quite a bit of green, so a color similar to the Mr. Green smilie. Two pics inside and one outside in the garden. When my subscription for the Doll Album is approved, I hope to put more of the garden shots there.

: IMG_20230819_150328.jpg (52.62 KiB) Viewed 950 times

: IMG_20230819_153041.jpg (45.39 KiB) Viewed 950 times

: IMG_20230819_162109.jpg (93.86 KiB) Viewed 950 times

Ant999 · Post by **Ant999** » Sun Aug 20, 2023 1:37 am

The Doll Album pics are up, under the same username, album named "Geniece's new string bikini". No idea how to insert a link.

Ant999 · Post by **Ant999** » Wed Oct 18, 2023 8:42 am

A new creation, and about as simple as anyone could wish for : boob tube, bandeau, call it what you want, puff tube top is what the pattern called it, but I made it a lot simpler than the instructions. It is just a rectangle 1/3 longer than her circumference just above her breasts, with a pocket for elastic at the top edge, and another lower down. This fabric is also from the previously mentioned mother-in-law's scrap bin, we were lucky that it has a decorative edge, which makes the lower frill more interesting, without any extra work. Non-stretch fabric, so that it stays puffed up. I was surprised how well the last two pictures came out, considering the 1 pm sun out in the garden. (2018 Huawei phone, if anyone wonders)

: IMG_20231018_123723.jpg (50.78 KiB) Viewed 824 times

: IMG_20231018_130446.jpg (92.67 KiB) Viewed 824 times

: IMG_20231018_130746.jpg (71.35 KiB) Viewed 824 times

Canvas · Post by **Canvas** » Thu Oct 19, 2023 2:36 am

It’s really cool to see what you’re able to put together with Geniece. I feel like I would buy a lot of what you’ve made. This whole last outfit looks good and well put together. Think it shows how much you care for her, both with her wardrobe and her pictures

Ant999 · Post by **Ant999** » Fri Oct 20, 2023 2:28 am

To Canvas: Thanks for the positive comments
To everybody: My first creations are now a year old and I have learned a few things. From fitting and removing, their weaknesses become clear: when making your own measurements, allow a bit extra so that shoulders and upper legs/crotch area are not too tight, you need extra freedom of movement when moving arms and legs, like when fitting or removing clothes. Stitching needs to be robust, any stitching too close to the edge, will fray, especially if it comes under tension when you struggle to fit or remove a garment. While sewing, if the lower layer slides relative to the top one, and the stitching goes too close to the edge, stop, undo and repeat, or it will be more difficult to fix later, when the fabric is damaged from fraying. The summer pj's were made from a piece of scrap satin, buying satin is a no-no for me, because the stuff is expensive and just too difficult to work with, it slides around while sewing, even if pinned, and is the world champion of fraying. Satin ideally needs double seams: you sew one seam, fold it over and enclose it inside a second seam. Which is difficult when your piece of scrap fabric is already barely big enough, but at least not a big loss if you have to scrap the whole thing. Compared to satin, velvet and Lycra are a walk in the park, as long as you have a stretch needle for your machine. I found that out the other day when my machine started jamming. The service people said it's timing was out, because too many layers of Lycra from the blue/white bikini were a bit tough on my entry level machine. So now I have a packet of stretch needles for next time. Using a standard needle on stretchy fabric also causes a few straight stitches among the zig-zags. And so we live and learn.
I won't even attempt denim, it is just too tough on the machine, special needles or not.

Joe Bin · Post by **Joe Bin** » Fri Oct 20, 2023 3:42 am

Awesome work on the clothes making

I love some of your designs

Ant999 · Post by **Ant999** » Sun Nov 12, 2023 11:37 am

All new projects are in her own "home thread" called Geniece's life, here:
viewtopic.php?p=2445992#p2445992

There is already a beach gown to go with the bikini, just finished yesterday.

Taeyeon · Post by **Taeyeon** » Fri Nov 17, 2023 8:07 am

Hello Ant999,

new puffy top of Geniece is so cute!
You are so talented with making clothes^^

TaeYeon

Avonman1 · Post by **Avonman1** » Sat Nov 18, 2023 9:54 am

I have a 120 which wears 7/8 clothes also a WM108 wears the same. If you buy wide elastic and stitch each side to bring in the back would that improve the shorts? I like the homemade clothes you have made which look good. I have bought a few from Temu and 2nd hand from Facebook marketplace in the UK. They have stretch tops and string straps so makes it easy.

Ant999 · Post by **Ant999** » Sat Nov 18, 2023 10:45 am

Avonman1 wrote: ↑Sat Nov 18, 2023 9:54 am I have a 120 which wears 7/8 clothes also a WM108 wears the same. If you buy wide elastic and stitch each side to bring in the back would that improve the shorts? I like the homemade clothes you have made which look good. I have bought a few from Temu and 2nd hand from Facebook marketplace in the UK. They have stretch tops and string straps so makes it easy.

I have some wide elastic in the sewing box, I can let the idea "simmer" a while and see if I can visualize a way to attach it so that the back is pulled in, but can stretch when pulling it over her nice round buns. I have a separate thread for bought clothes, here: viewtopic.php?t=165268. The blue denim short actually belongs there.
It is always the same problem with buying clothes, they are not children, they are pint-sized adults, so the overall dimensions of children's clothes are correct, but the shape is often wrong. Stretchy stuff certainly helps.

Avonman1 · Post by **Avonman1** » Sat Nov 18, 2023 12:58 pm

Ant999 wrote: ↑Sat Nov 18, 2023 10:45 am
Avonman1 wrote: ↑Sat Nov 18, 2023 9:54 am I have a 120 which wears 7/8 clothes also a WM108 wears the same. If you buy wide elastic and stitch each side to bring in the back would that improve the shorts? I like the homemade clothes you have made which look good. I have bought a few from Temu and 2nd hand from Facebook marketplace in the UK. They have stretch tops and string straps so makes it easy.
I have some wide elastic in the sewing box, I can let the idea "simmer" a while and see if I can visualize a way to attach it so that the back is pulled in, but can stretch when pulling it over her nice round buns. I have a separate thread for bought clothes, here: viewtopic.php?t=165268. The blue denim short actually belongs there.
It is always the same problem with buying clothes, they are not children, they are pint-sized adults, so the overall dimensions of children's clothes are correct, but the shape is often wrong. Stretchy stuff certainly helps.