Finally got around to trying out the Dolly Bureau patterns. This is a dress sized for Momoko (who is a very similar size to Pullip).
This dress came out a bit different from what I was expecting. You can see the "official" version here, on the blog of the author of Dolly Bureau, Megann Zabel. That dress is far shorter--it only reaches halfway between Momoko's hips and knees.
The strange thing is... I didn't lengthen the pattern when making this dress. (And that much difference in length can't be due to accidental variations in seam allowance.) I followed the instructions exactly. It looks like the pattern was made after the original dress... and then not tested sufficiently! There's no mention of the pattern differing from the photos in the book or the blog.
I think the shorter dress looks better. Eun-jae is so long and thin already, and the longer dress only emphasizes that. I'll make a note on my book to cut an inch or so off the hem if I make it again.
This dress came out a bit different from what I was expecting. You can see the "official" version here, on the blog of the author of Dolly Bureau, Megann Zabel. That dress is far shorter--it only reaches halfway between Momoko's hips and knees.
The strange thing is... I didn't lengthen the pattern when making this dress. (And that much difference in length can't be due to accidental variations in seam allowance.) I followed the instructions exactly. It looks like the pattern was made after the original dress... and then not tested sufficiently! There's no mention of the pattern differing from the photos in the book or the blog.
I think the shorter dress looks better. Eun-jae is so long and thin already, and the longer dress only emphasizes that. I'll make a note on my book to cut an inch or so off the hem if I make it again.
Another possible future modification: change the neckline slightly so that the straps can be sewn on closer together. I keep worrying that the straps will slip off the shoulder. This may be a Momoko-to--Pullip issue.
I'm sure Eun-jae would feel more secure with narrower-placed straps.
I'm sure Eun-jae would feel more secure with narrower-placed straps.
Look at these pleats. Now look back at the official dress. See any difference?
That's right, the other pleats are more sparsely spaced. This is another example of the pattern pieces disagreeing with the photos.
Because I used the denser pleats, my ruffle ended up too short, and I had to attach an extra piece (adding about 30% to the ruffle's length) and then pleat that as well.
That's right, the other pleats are more sparsely spaced. This is another example of the pattern pieces disagreeing with the photos.
Because I used the denser pleats, my ruffle ended up too short, and I had to attach an extra piece (adding about 30% to the ruffle's length) and then pleat that as well.
But hey, I made box pleats! And I hemmed the skirt BEFORE pleating! This is a cause for celebration.
I attached the dress in the back with a button-and-loop closure, varying slightly from the instructions, which suggested bead-and-loop. I think I'll add another button lower down, to minimize waist gap. (The back sides overlap slightly, again probably due to the Momoko-to-Pullip switch. I accounted for that when positioning the button and loop.)
(I couldn't sew up the back as high as in the instructions, or it would have been difficult to get Eun-jae into the dress. Perhaps Momoko has narrower hips.)
(I couldn't sew up the back as high as in the instructions, or it would have been difficult to get Eun-jae into the dress. Perhaps Momoko has narrower hips.)
Overall, I think Dolly Bureau is going to be very helpful, but I'll have to tread carefully when making each pattern for the first time. Hopefully the others were tested more carefully.