MODKIDBOUTIQUE: Charlotte

When you combine a look that is both vintage and modern, you get something timeless. Which is exactly what I think Patty has done with her latest pattern, the Charlotte.

Here is the pattern description:

"Charlotte is the perfect Holiday dress for all seasons and climates! Make it with flutter sleeves or short, cuffed sleeves for warmer climates, or make a long, bubble sleeved version for the colder climates. This pattern even comes with a double-breasted jacket version to wear over jeans, a pretty skirt or a simpler dress."

The pattern comes in sizes 2T to 12. From the wonderful tester photos, you can see the dress style is all about what you make of it! For the first 24hrs of the the release, you can purchase the Charlotte pattern from the Etsy shop for $5.99!

Amy Settle

Axa Francis

Bethany Cooler

Photo courtesy of Ashley Marie Photography

Bethany Cooler

Photo courtesy of Ashley Marie Photography

Debbie Clifton

Erin Kaiser

Heather Turner

Courtney Davis

Kate Morgan

Marnie Durbidge

Mary Matsui

Serena GarciaDiaz

Cheryl Santos

As my kids get older (Sydney just turned 11 and Sophie is turning 14 soon), I worry about them losing their childhood and not being into some of the fun things we used to enjoy.... Halloween being one of them. Luckily enough, they still seem to be very much into it. It's just a little different now. They still love the process of dressing up, but now they have more say in what they want and it's often really involved. Last year, Sydney and I had a blast dreaming up, creating, and photographing her Wednesday Addams costume. She was very involved in the hair, make-up, and staging of the photos. Sophie was also very involved in her zombie costume last year.

This year, Sydney and I sat down and looked at tons of inspiration photos online before she decided on two ideas... "Broken Doll" and "Little Red Riding Hood". Since she couldn't pick a favorite, I pitched the idea of a costume mash-up, and she loved it. Here was the result...

For the dress, I used the newest MODKID PDF pattern, the Charlotte Dress & Jacket. This is View C, which features long bubble sleeves, a two-tiered skirt, inset pockets and a double-breasted bodice with 6-button placket. I chose dark cotton fabrics, purchased a Jo-Ann Fabrics, to resemble a Vintage Doll dress.

For the Hooded Cape, I used instructions from my upcoming book, Patternless Sewing, out in Spring 2016. This is one of the 24 projects included in the book, and it was perfect for this costume idea! I know this doesn't help you any right now if you are looking to create your own Hooded Cape. But luckily there are plenty of tutorials online that you can use to get a similar effect. I used Fleece for the outer cape and satin for the lining. The cape is fully reversible!

The make up was quite the process! We started out by covering her face with the palest foundation and pressed powder I could find at Ulta. Sydney has an olive skin tone, so we applied this make-up with a heavy hand. We used Revlon Colorstay Base in 110 Ivory and NYX Blotting Powder in BLP01 Light. Make up was applied over lips, eyelids and eyebrows too for full coverage.

Next, I applied blush on her cheeks, again with a heavy hand. I used Ulta Sweet Cheeks Blush, which has a warm tone, but when we do this again this weekend, I will use a pinker shade, as I thought this was a bit too 'warm" for my taste.

Next we whited out her bottom eyelids to try to create the illusion of big doll eyes. Sydney already has really big eyes, but we wanted them to look exaggerated. I used NYX Eye and Eyebrow Pencil in SPE906 White.

Next, I applied eyeshadow in a pinkish/purplish hue to her upper lids. I used Elf Flawless Eyeshadow Party Purple, which I had already, but any pinkish/purplish eye shadow would work for this.

Next, it was time to start drawing! I used Elf Liquid Eyeliner in Black to outline her eye, above the eyelids and below the white eyeliner to create the illusion of a large doll eye. I drew in the bottom lashes using the same liquid eyeliner and I began to draw in some of the "cracks" on her forehead.

I used the liquid eyeliner to draw in more "cracks" on her cheek, then came back in to add highlights with the white eyeliner. This gives the cracks a bit of a 3D effect. We applied mascara to her upper eyelashes and this made her eyes look even bigger. You could also use fake eyelashes, but since her natural lashes are pretty long and full already, I felt the mascara was enough. We used ULTA Voluptuous Volume Mascara in Black.

Lastly, we used Revlon ColorStay Ultimate in 095 Royal Raisin to draw in the doll lips. I love this lipstick because it does not smear, so even if she drinks something or accidentally rubs her lips, it stays put and does not fade at all! These lips need to be much narrower than the actual human lips and "button shaped" as you see below.

Here is Sydney applying some finishing touches herself. She gets a bit freaked out when I get near her eye with my eyeliner, so she prefers to apply it herself.