fabric

Doddi Bear #4 by One Red Robin.

Jhoanna Monte Aranez is one of those women with so many talents that you could spend hours browsing through her blog, her flickr in awe and admiration at her skills and seemingly endless inspiration. But then, of course, this is what inspiration should always be about, an endless round of springing ideas and creations.

I had wanted to blog about that Doddi Bear for quite some time now - every time I came across it in my favorites it really stood out, it has everything I love - and when I settled to write about it yesterday I realized it was no longer available, and couldn’t find it in the sold items either. It turns out that Jhoanna “recently sent her off to someone as a thank-you for a wonderful thing they did for her”!

She has made 5 Doddi Bears and only one is still available in her shop :

Doddi Bear #3.

But - among other things - she also makes the most amazing doll-girls such as this one (sold too) :

Woodland Girl Ayumi.

I could go on and on and post many of her creations and really had to stop myself from posting more photos for I tell you she is such a creative woman, so I beg you, check her blog, check her flickr and of course her Etsy shop for there are wonders ahead…

Blythe Bunny Bunny Love Dress by Le Petit Boutique @ Etsy.

I bought my very first Blythe outfits from Claudia @ Le Petit Boutique and I must say that although her creations are not all to my taste, she always has the most wonderful fabrics.

I am not very much into “kawaii” fabrics (which is one of the reasons I have not bought anything from her since, that and the fact that I just don’t have the money right now to be buying doll clothes) but she consistently manages to find some that are really amazing and very sweet like this one with bunnies.

I have been wanting to blog about that dress for a few weeks now - and simply did not find the time to do it - and now it is on SALE along with a few other dresses by Claudia.

Black & White Dress for Blythe by Belgianwafel @ Etsy.

Those who read me would know that I am really a sucker for colors and Black and White does not often get my attention. However I really love that Blythe dress by Belgianwafel. This is really one of my favorites in her shop.

Sophia :: Girls Reversible Pinafore by lassie girl @ Etsy.

I absolutely love the patterns and colors of that one. These are the 2 sides of the same pinafore, and lassie girl has a lot more but this one is really my favorite. It is from her new Spring/Summer Collection and more will be added to the shop in the weeks to come…

Japanese Flower Fabrics by Karaku Tokyo @ Etsy.

I cannot think right now of anything more exquisite in terms of color and pattern than Japanese fabrics. They always seem so perfect ! In a sense they are the epitome of “A thing of beauty…”.

And I cannot thing of a more exquisite shop than Karaku Tokyo @ Etsy. All her fabrics are simply gorgeous and beautiful. They have amazingly nice colors, not to mention the patterns which are all superb.

Besides the flower patterns, you will of course find geometric ones like this one :

And she also has a lot of Japanese Papers. I absolutely love that yellow one !

I discovered her through her Flickr. She lives in Tokyo, Japan where she is an interior designer. Her company website Karaku Tokyo is about Japanese home decoration.

Noodle by A Small Fox in a Big World @ Etsy.

I’ve discovered some great and very artistic fabric dolls lately and will be writing about them but for the time being I’ll just post that lovely racoon by A Small Fox in a Big World available in her Etsy shop. I really like the black mask on that one !

And if you like her work but would like something really special, Sarah Day also has a listing in her shop for a Semi Custom Doll. You can look at her Flickr Gallery to see more of her creations.

A Small Fox in a Big World :: Blog
A Small Fox in a Big World :: Etsy
A Small Fox in a Big World :: Flickr

Pearl Trim Coat + Aqua Turquoise Pillbox Hat for Blythe by Lamby Snow @ Etsy.

A brand new shop for Blythe has just opened @ Etsy and it looks very promising. I’m totally in love with this turquoise set (the coat and the hat are sold separately) which is so stunningly gorgeous on Feel The Sky that it seemed to have been made especially for her ! She’s one of my favorite Blythe (I have her and like to think of her as my Technicolor Girl).

All the items in the shop are great, and it seems we will see some nice fabrics too.

I LOVE NY 3 piece Weekend Outfit For Blythe + Black and White Chanel type Dress by RLKATAJA.

I was not too much in the mood for writing in this blog these days, but as I was browsing through Etsy last week for Blythe stuff I entered rlkataja’s shop and the beauty and coherence of her world made me want to devote an article to her creations alone. I had already made a few of her outfits my favorites, but seeing now more of her talents it seemed obvious that what she is really doing is more than just “sewing dresses”.

The great majority of people who make doll outfits - even the talented ones - will usually have a limited number of patterns that they will decline in a variety of fabrics. Such is not the case with Robin Kataja. When we enter her shop we discover what can be called a “Collection” in the Couture or Pr?t-?-Porter sense of the word. It seems as if her Blythe girls were nostalgic for those days when fashion shows took place in the cosy atmosphere of Parisian salons where someone would introduce every outfit by its number and an evocative or presumably poetic name, thoses days when women - some women I should say - would wear something different for every occasion, so that wardrobes included cocktail party dresses, afternoon dresses, evening dresses, interior gowns, outfits for the countryside and so on and so on, and “Oh my, but what shall I wear for that barbecue the Johnsons have just invited us to ?”…

Vintage Fabric Farmer Country Girl Dress 3 piece + Chevron Striped Sporty Dress

I love rlkataja’s sense of fashion. I used the word “nostalgic” because her photographs bring to my mind images of Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly and those wonderful movies by Vincente Minelli and Douglas Sirk, but her creations seem to be very modern to me. She is not trying herself at the “retro” or “vintage” imitation of clothes that we so often see in the world of Blythe. Her Blythe girls clearly state their love of fashion and style and let’s be elegant no matter what but it could as well be in the way a Carrie Bradshaw does. They have learned from the past and have retained their lessons in how to be chic and stylish at all times but they are from their time.

Indeed, her choice of fabrics is outstanding and definitely modern. I was wondering whether Robin Kataja got the idea for an outfit from a particular piece of fabric or if she decided on a certain pattern and went on to find the perfect fabric for it, but the truth is every one of her creations seems to be made for one and only one fabric. Look at that “Dots Candyland Party Dress” for instance. Polka dots are a great classic among Blythe dressmakers, however hers is so very nice and so unique. And what she makes of it is divine. And the “Black and White Striped Pleated Dress” on the left is perfection itself.

Black and White Striped Pleated Dress + Dots Candyland Party Dress

You may have noticed I did put some images of “sold” items like that “Black and White Striped Pleated Dress” just above but she says she can make some of her “sold” outfits again providing she still has the fabric of course. And anyway I did want to show a fair amount of her creations so that it would be obvious to anyone how imaginative and creative she was. She has the most wonderful tee-shirts with Marimekko prints on them, a very cute Pink Lace Babydoll Mini dress, and even though lace is definitely not my thing I like the dress as well as the Celery Green Garden Party one. I particularly liked the two dresses below.

Grey Mod Mini Dress For Blythe + Red Stripe Cafe Dress For Blythe

She has very recently added some new creations that are a bit more glamorous like that Hollywood Glamour Leopard Dress Fur Shrug and that OOAK Raspberry coat with an absolutely beautiful interior lining (click on the link to see a photo of the lining) :

Brilliant Raspberry Mod Wool Ruffle Coat OOAK

Now I am not sure just how many people actually read what I write but it has been such a pleasure writing this that I know I will look forward to rlkataja’s future creations for Blythe.

RLKATAJA’s fashion for Blythe

How much do you spoil your Blythe ? I am not a big spender myself - I have other priorities - but the first thing I do when logging in to Etsy is type the word “Blythe” into the search box. For there are truly wonderful things to be seen ! Here’s a small selection of very red items :

Miko Blythe Dress with Hairpin Set + Ume Blythe Dress and Hairpin Set by Pollipop on Etsy.

They are my favorites from this shop. The fabrics are just gorgeous !

She also has those funny brooches :

Red Maki Pollipop Brooch

Another great fabric here for that dress from Perline Design Boutique :

Candy Girl Blythe Dress

I saw these two lovely dresses from Lalatroop a couple of hours ago and while I was writing this article the red one on the left had already beeen sold :

Blythe simple dress - Bot-bot + Blythe simple dress - Squirrel

But you might want to go for more glamorous items. You’ll find some in Feltland’s shop :

Blythe Three Piece Set + Blythe Beige Dress with Scarf

I am also absolutely in love with that gorgeous OOAK Red Crochet Jacket from POLLY’S Good Things :

Voilà !

ice flower tank for girls + camilla, crazy dot, half-apron for girls + playtime sugar cookies in a lil bakery box + playtime sugar cookies in a mini-valise style lunchbox, limited edition by nanaCompany on Etsy.

Those are only a few of the exquisite items you will find in Amy Sinibaldi’s shop!

I first noticed the cookies because I am only just discovering “felt food” so every time I come across one of these things, I feel like a child and look with amazement. But very often having said “how cute” well, there’s not much more left. I mean these things are “cool” and “nice” indeed but, so what? You see them and like them, and then usually forget about them.

I think Amy’s cookies go beyond the “cuteness thing”. They have this special quality, a kind of perfection achieved no doubt with carefully chosen materials and great care and love making them. Look at the full sized image on her Flickr here. Aren’t they just the nicest cookies you ever saw? Don’t you feel like touching them? I myself am not into pinky things and yet they appeal to me in a way I cannot totally explain.

Somehow I think there is something magical in Amy’s creations. She writes :

My husband likens me to a magic elf who only works when everyone’s asleep — pretty little things “magically” appear on the kitchen table in the morning!

I like the Fairy Tale imagery, because I think it acounts a lot for the beautiful world nanaCompany proposes. Those creations seem to me to be more related to a fantastic and ideal world than to the “real” world.

They are meant to be gifts :

a unique and special gift… perfect as a birthday present, end of school surprise, or merry happy un-birthday treat!

And this is exactly what they are, “unique and special”, thus clearly stating to the child you are offering them “you are unique and special and deserve to have beautiful things because I care about you”.

Amy Sinibaldi is making them for little girls, and the modern woman in me - noticed how I managed not to say the word “feminist” here, oops now i’ve said it - the modern woman in me is wondering why it is still only girls who should get offered cooking ustensils (the miniature “just-her-size” wooden spoon) and aprons. Some might argue that the fabrics nanaCompany uses have definitely “girly” patterns and colors. I am not so sure. And anyway, cookies are not just for girls, are they ? And the kitchen is no longer the realm of women exclusively, at least not in my world…

This being said, Amy Sinibaldi’s creations are more modern and less “conservative” or “nostalgic” than they might appear at first sight. The fabrics she uses are elegant and I particularly like the from tokyo with love apron, and pink lemonade is fresh and nice too. There is also another tank with a bit more color and less classical feel to it : pretty posy tank.

Note that she can customize your order. For instance you can ask for your favorite color for the buttons on the ice flower tank. You can also order an adult size apron for 28$… (Anyway she pretty much makes everything upon order, so that you have to allow 2 weeks for your order to be ready to ship.)

Enjoy !

nanaCompany on Flickr

Starry eyed blues, Greg, Yams in space & Poppy love pillow-covers by Absoluut on DaWanda.

Check out those gorgeous vintage fabrics !

The quality looks really nice and heavy - you can see detail views for every item - but only one side of the cover is with a pattern, the other side is made of cream cotton fabric. Zipper closure at the back.

Sizes : 20″ X 20″ or about 50,8 X 50,8 cm.
Price : 20 Euros each not including shipping from the Netherlands.