She's creepy and she's kooky...

When I was helping Courtney do some fun research for her Avery Costume Inspiration post, I had a few Wednesday Addams images up on my screen. My youngest, Sydney, looked over my shoulder and said, "Who's that?". I took it as an invitation to travel down memory lane, explaining everything about the original Addams Family show, which I watched as re-runs growing up, and then how the "new" movies came out in the early-90's and made the characters "trendy". I thought about watching the movies with the kids, but sadly I only had them in VHS. But, it didn't matter... a few pictures in and she had already exclaimed, "I wanna be Wednesday Addams for Halloween!" YIPPEE!

So, voila!

I used the MODKID AVERY sewing pattern, View C (long sleeves) with a few modifications, which I will detail below. Pattern can be found on Etsy, Craftsy and YCMT.

COLLAR

Since most of the pictures I saw of Wednesday Addams' dress had a pointed collar, I decided it was an easy enough modification to make. I printed off the collar pattern piece and re-drew the rounded edge as shown below:

 Then I sewed and finished it just as instructed in the pattern.

LENGTH 

Since Avery is a drop-waist dress,  I decided to change the proportions a tad so that the dress would look a bit more authentic. I cut off 2" at the bottom of the Front and Back Bodices (as shown below), and added those 2" to the skirt length.

I cut one single width of fabric, instead of two, to make the skirt less poofy. The skirt was finished just as instructed, except the single seam is now at the center back, instead of two seams at the sides.

SNAPS

This was purely for Sydney's sake (and it's not really a modification because the pattern actually states "Buttons or Snaps"), but for this particular dress I opted to use Pearl Snaps (found at JoAnn Fabrics in the Notions aisle) because Sydney prefers them to buttons. They were super easy to install and only took a couple of minutes.

OTHER COSTUME DETAILS

Fabric: I used Riley Blake's True Black and Clean White, which sewed up like butter and have such a soft, silky hand.

Doll: I used my Potty Girl Panel from my old fabric line, Playdate, which is now out of stock and very hard to find, but I have listed just a handful of panels here, so get them while they're hot because once they're gone, they're GONE! I added black buttons to the eyes and sewed some black hairbows over the existing printed ones, to give her more of a Gothic look.

Doll's dress: I used this FREE printable pattern. Even though the pattern calls for knit fabrics only, I sewed this dress with the same True Black (woven) fabric as the Avery. I cut it on the bias and left the neck and arm holes raw so they would get that awesome fraying... I wanted it to have that vintage ragdoll look.

Shoes: Sydney is wearing my old Doc Martens from my college days. Yes, my almost-10-year-old has the same size feet as I do!

COMING UP...

• Don't forget to join in on the Avery Sew-Along! It starts on September 29th. We have lots of great prizes for costume and non-costume dresses. We can't wait to see what you sew up!!

• Also, have you sewn a MODKID pattern as a Halloween costume? Share your photos on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter and tag them with #modkidhalloween for a chance to be featured on our blog this coming month. We have a super fun series planned and would love your participation!

They grow up so fast!

My little Potty Girls are all grown up and demanding their very own MODKID wardrobe. The new ModGirls are hip, chic, sophisticated and just a tad Beyonce's Single Ladies. Stay tuned for a full MODKID Fall 2010 Pattern Reveal coming up in the next few weeks. Our testers are hard at work testing all versions of all patterns to make sure the sizing is accurate and everything sews up the way it should.



Of course, all of this sewing has generated a huge pile of scraps, so as promised here are the scrap bag contest winners... thank you for all the comments! Random.org picked #46 and #145 out of 153 comments.

Blogger #46
FeatherBunkle said...
Your girls look so cute for their first day back to school! My gals still have a few weeks of summer left and they’re living it up every chance that they can get.
As much as I’ll miss my older two girls during the days when they go back to school I am looking forward to having a quiet and (mostly) tidy house again! I’ll still have two at home to keep me company though so no tears!
9:01 PM

Blogger #145
Sew Pretty Dresses said...
Your girls are precious! I have one more year and my daughter(she is also my youngest) will be in kinder too. Sniff. I just got some of your knits to make some samples for a local shop. Girl they are SO HEAVENLY SOFT!!! Love em! I bought a little extra since I have not worked with knits to practice with. So exciting!
10:28 AM

Please contact me at your earliest convenience. You will each receive an assortment of knits and quilting cottons scraps from the studio. CONGRATS!!!

The Evolution of the Potty Girls
(and a free dress template download)

I had to hurry up and get this post up because word on the street is that Playdate is already hitting stores and I promised lots of people that I would post a free dress template for my dolls on my blog. But first, I want to take you guys on a little journey into the evolution of my so-called Potty Girls...



It may appear to some like the Rag Doll Panel was a design I created specifically for this fabric collection, but those of you who have been following my company from its inception (and those who have pattern tested for me) know that these girls have been around for a looooong while... just biding their time and waiting for the right moment to come out and play!

Way back in October of 2008 we decided to create a sewing pattern company at the request of about a bazillion people that saw us at the Fall Quilt Market in Houston that year. Since my background is in marketing and branding, of course I couldn't even begin drafting pattern designs without a full set of brand standards for our company. The logo was a no-brainer — I just used the same one I had been using all along for my custom boutique business (nothing better than brand equity). A set of standard fonts and colors for my marketing materials followed as well as style sheets.

Next, I wanted to create a certain "look" for my mechanical drawings... something that was mod with a little touch of whimsy. My first attempt was a lot more "mod" than "whimsical" and I was feeling a tad frustrated. In February of 2009 I decided to go public and ask my dear blog readers for assistance and opinions and I'm so glad I did. My first attempt was coined "potty girls" by a sweet reader after I mentioned that Jon said they looked too much like public restroom signs. LOL! Another reader suggested adding pigtails to make them more girlie and another suggested a set of hairbows (a little nod to my old boutique days).
I went back to the drawing board with their suggestions in mind and my next attempt, which I posted here 2 days later, was a lot more in line with what I really wanted to convey... simple, mod, clean and a tad whimsical...



But my dear Potty Girls (which had now become sort of like the MODKID Mascot) still needed a face and as they started taking on a personality of their own I started dreaming of giving them life... a tangible, 3-D Potty Girl. I made several muslin prototypes last year until I was happy with the shape and size. But, before I even showed it to Michael Miller Fabrics, I needed to make sure they "worked" so I printed a test panel at Spoonflower. The girls looked great flat but it turned out when those broad, straight shoulders that give them the "mod" look are stuffed and curved, the girls looked more like quarterbacks than sweet little girls. Eeeek! (so glad I tested it!).

A few trips back to the drawing board and a few more prototypes followed until I got the perfect Potty Girl.

I hinted at my new venture with this Holiday card I sent out last year... a little test to see if anyone caught on to me. I giggled every time I'd get an email saying "you should print a dolly panel with these." YESSSSSS! :)



The original doll panel design I sent to MMF actually included 4 dolls, front & back on a 1-yard length, but after talking to Kathy, she explained that I needed to make the panel 24" (not 36") because that was the maximum repeat the mill could handle. I could only fit 3 dolls, front & back, on that 24" panel so we ended up sacrificing the redheaded one... and believe me when I tell you how strongly I struggled with that decision, since she was modeled after my dear Sophie.

But alas, I needed to get over it and move on. After all, the whole thing was so exciting... I mean, look! (plus, Sophie got to keep a few Spoonflower prototypes of the redheaded, freckled-face doll... a one-of-a-kind Potty Girl!)

Now, I promised I would post a downloadable template for the simple A-Line dresses my Potty Girls donned at Quilt Market, so here it is.



This template will fit on a standard letter-sized paper and it includes a 1/4" seam allowance. Click HERE to download the high-res PDF version. NOTE: Use only stretch fabrics or you won't be able to get the dress on your dolly.



Here's how I make mine (assembly diagrams are on the template):

1. Trace the template twice onto a piece of knit fabric (max stretch going side-to-side) and cut.
2. Stitch a narrow hem along the arm holes and neck opening on both pieces. Use your fingers to carefully stretch the fabric as you bend it along the curved edges. You can do this with a stretch stitch or a tiny, narrow zig-zag on your sewing machine.
3. Hem both dress pieces separately, again using a stretch stitch or a tiny, narrow zig-zag on your sewing machine.
4. Place both dress pieces right sides together and stitch or serge across the top of the shoulders and down both sides of the dress.
5. Turn dress right side out and embellish with tiny buttons. TIP: To dress your dolly, pull the dress on from the bottom... it's much easier!)

Hope you enjoyed this trip down memory lane. Please share your Playdate creations in my Flickr group.

(OH and thanks a million for all the sweet comments regarding the fabric collection and our booth design! xoxo)

It's a Christmas miracle!

The MODKID "Potty Girls" have sprung to life, donned their holiday best and are here to wish you a holiday season filled with dreams, creativity and inspiration.



Thank you for your great support in 2009!

May you and your loved ones have health, happiness and prosperity in 2010.

Your friends at MODKID