An Edwardian Summer - Issue 6

Week 2, Issue 6

Exploring variations of the Pollyanna Pattern in Purple by Bbeauty Dolls

Creating a New Variation with the Pollyanna Pattern

The Pollyanna Pattern by Lemon Bay Doll Co reviews several options for skirts, collar shapes, belt options, and utilizing trims and we wanted to embrace that by showcasing some variations.  

In reading through the pattern, when it got to options for the sash or belt on the dress (Page 27), one of the suggestions was to use a piece of decorative ribbon.  Now, I have an extensive ribbon collection at my disposal in my workshop so this suggestion started the wheels of my brain spinning on a new variation.  I first found a piece of embroidered sheer ribbon.  It had gold edges with a swirling floral and leaf motif in metallic threads and it was the perfect canvas for beading.  I decided the focus of this variation piece would be a beaded belt option as the star of this design.

I found a two-tone taffeta that was blue woven with pink to form the purple color.  I enjoy using fabric like this because it changes color in the light when you move it different directions and makes it interesting.  The pink undertone of the fabric tied in with the belt as a compliment so I knew that using it as a background under the ribbon was going to make it all come together in tone.

The cuffs are so thin I chose not to bead those as most of the embroidery design cuts off in that area.  For the belt I brought in leaf shaped sequins in gold, round sequins in gold, pink and white pearl beads, and pinky/purple sewn in gems for the center of the flowers.  The pearls on the belt are a nod to the pearls on the boots and tie everything together.

Using the hairbow on this design was a great opportunity to show off how lovely the Priscilla in Dark Brown wig works and how elegant the curls fall.

Simple Elegance

When designing pieces I am a big believer of editing in a design.  Too many elements can over power a design and draw the eye away from the focus.  When I started this design I did cut out the dress collar that was used in the Orange Plaid dress, but when I laid it on top, it was very distracting and the focus came away from the belt.  I decided to keep a simple elegance to this dress and instead opted for creating a new gold necklace for her to wear at the neck that complimented the gold accents in the trims.  Ultimately I was happy with that and decided that doing a collar was not necessary for this look.

To do the belt, the pattern piece was smaller than the actual trim, so I knew I would lose some area when I sewed it into place.  The belt normally has belt loops but I wanted to omit that on this dress so that I didn't block any portion of the beading and leave that as the star of this design.  I completely sewed the waistband into the dress with the ribbon on top and top stitched it into place so that I had a nice flat surface to bead.  The embroidery on the ribbon also made for a nice stiff surface to sew onto.  

I couldn't resist another opportunity to paint matching boots for this very unique fabric.  I combined Purple and Pink to come up with the boot tone.  If you missed the DIY Tutorial on Painting our boots, you can find it here. The pearl buttons on the boots balance with the pearls used on the belt.  I actually used a pair of Edwardian Cut Out Boots in Dusty Pink to further integrate the pink undertone into the boots and then painted over them to achieve the purple.

This outfit is available on our website as a special set which includes:

• The 1 piece dress with beaded belt

• The hairbow with lace accent

• The Gold Heart Necklace

• Custom Painted Purple Edwardian Cut Out Boots

(Listing does not include the white tights).  We made two sets of this outfit, one is being sold separately on our website here for collectors to put on their own doll and purchase today. 

The other set will be sold as part of our Elizabeth Doll listing which will sell as shown in the cover photo for collectors to add to their collection. Elizabeth will be listed on Saturday at 6PM PST on our website for purchase under our Custom Art Dolls category.