The more I sew, the more design ideas pop into my head. Isn’t that the way with crafting and designing? One idea leads to another. You have a vision, possibly a brilliant idea!

But brilliant ideas don’t always turn out like you think.

I’m working on designing Blythe doll clothes. A lot of doll clothes for these dolls (not all, mind you, but a lot) tend to be very young looking, and I don’t usually like to dress my dolls as if they are two or three years old. So, the doll dresses I’m making I feel are a little more mature looking, and I thought back to when I used to make Laura Ashley dresses for myself. This train of thought soon mixed in with my appreciation for Japanese Mori fashion

What about adding more layers and a little more lace to the dresses?

I got to work on a skirt and trimmed it in lace with the idea that I could layer this under the dress. Plus, it could be worn alone as well, thus having more than one function.

Or, at least, that was my “brilliant” idea.

However, once I had completed the skirt and added it as a layer under the dress, I realized my idea wasn’t exactly as brilliant as I had hoped. Obviously, the under skirt was too long, but then there was all this bulk around the doll’s waist that I had anticipated.

Design fail! I’ve toned down my approach, and now I’m almost finished with two more dresses that I have shorted a little and trimmed in lace. I’m not sure if it will be the Laura Ashley Mori fashion I’m going for, but I don’t think there’s anything bad about adding extra lace when it comes to a doll dress.