Highlights from last week’s photo shoots. Featuring tiny clothes for the Hawaiian Girl Dress Up Doll. There are shorts and tee shirts for the Hawaiian Brother Doll, too.

Posing the dolls was a lot of fun, I especially enjoyed the flying hair. Occasionally, I used a pin to help hold the pose. It takes me a few tries to get the exact shot that feels right. I throw away several shots for every one I keep. Sometimes the smallest adjustment of a limb or the tilt of the face goes a long way towards bringing the dolls to life.

Using my iPhone 4s, I shot in my studio on a variety of partly overcast days. Mostly only natural lighting coming through the windows. Only a few times did I turn on the overhead lights, and liked the result of that, too. I used a tilted surface to keep the dolls in place while casting the shadows just enough to give the appearance of standing. Throughout the day I turned the tilted surface to follow the sun. The white cloth background helped me see when the angle was capturing the most available light.

While the outfits are all made from only a few basic pattern pieces, I spent a good amount of time developing them. During the process I would redraw the patterns after each outfit I sewed. Making micro-adjustments until the fit and proportions were to my liking. On clothes this small, it doesn’t take much change to create a whole new look. Fit and proportion are so important. Really, once I figure out where I want the hem, which can take a few tries, it is just as easy to hem it at a stylish length as anywhere else. No doll should have to wear ill fitting or unflattering clothes!

The dolls and outfits are available for purchase on etsy where I have more pictures and full descriptions for you. I’m working on all the listings this week so please let me know if you are not seeing the one you really want.

Click on the images for a larger view.

We’ll have the boys first. The boy and girl bodies are identical so these could be considered appropriate for either. I made two of each of these outfits while all of the rest to follow are one-of-a-kinds. Here the denim cutoffs are stitched with orange for a classic jeans style. Legs are frayed at the bottom instead of hemmed for that authentic cutoff look.

Shorts sets for the girly girls. The “Aloha” tank top and plumeria cropped tee shirt are both stamped and hand painted with fabric markers. Long shorts and short shorts. Hooray for summer vacation!

Long denim pants and jean skirt, both have double stitching details in front and real pockets in back. Slim fit jeans, pencil skirt.

Pajamas and nightgowns are two of life’s great pleasures. Let’s get comfortable.

These are ready for sleepovers with a matching eyelet trimmed pillow.

Tutus for dancing and playing fun. They have a little skirt or pair of shorts built in. Tank top with embellishments or decorative stamping and hand painting.

Long muumuu dresses. An elegant look for shelf-sitting dolls.

Skirts and tops and a pants set. I love it when I find prints that fit into the small scale of these clothes.

Thank you for your interest in my dolls. I love making them and hope they bring joy to many.

Alexis