Entry #22: Professional

Entrant Category: Professional

Please don't vote until all of the entries are available and 

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Voting for the 2014 Summer FDC...

Starts On Sept 1st, 2014.

Voting Ends on Sept 20th.

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Vote for Entry #22, by writing -- "I vote for Entry #22."

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Baile!

This is Isobela Maria, the first 18 inch doll that I bought. She is a Springfield doll whose lips I repainted and ears that I pierced. The reason she has an “o” rather than an “a” in the middle of her first name is that I gave her a Scottish great-grandmother named Isobel who met her American husband Luis in London during World War II.

Isobela Maria’s second name comes from her father’s mother, Maria, who worked as a costumer in Hollywood. It is Abuela Maria who takes Isobela Maria to a Ballet Folklorico performance. There, Isobela Maria is entranced by the swirling skirts and colorful ribbons of the Jalisco dance costumes. How she longs to feel the floating, swirling swish of such a skirt herself, for there is nothing better than a skirt that twirls!

So, Abuela Maria promises to make her the dress if she promises to work hard at learning the dances in class. And Isobela Maria is determined to learn to dance well enough to be in the September parade for Fiestas Patrias.

Outfit Design

Besides looking at many pictures and videos of Jalisco dancing, I also found a blog with instructions on how to make the separate puff sleeved bodice and double circle skirt for people.

Using this and the many pictures as a guide I adapted a few patterns for the bodice and came up with the gore pattern for the skirt. I also needed to make leggings for Isobela Maria to wear under the skirt, for modesty. Then, for when she was learning the dance in class, I needed to make at least one blouse/dress that she could wear with the double circle skirt, so as to not get the real bodice sweaty during all the practices. Also, I needed to make a headdress from ribbons. For the Jalisco dress, I found a pretty purple sheet at Goodwill that had the right drape to the fabric. I got a white T-shirt from the dollar store to upcycle into the leggings and some cotton fabrics for the blouse.

Outfit Construction

First I sewed together the basic foundation of the bodice and the double circle skirt, making sure they fit before moving on to the process of sewing the six different colors of ¼ inch ribbon to the skirt ruffle which was about 5 yards long.

Then I sewed the ruffle to the skirt. Then the 1/8 inch ribbon went onto the ruffle for the yoke and bottom of the bodice. I sewed on the lower part of the sleeves and then decorated and attached the yoke to the bodice.

The bodice was finished with a stand up collar and the ruffle around the bottom. Then it was on to the blouse, leggings, and headdress.

With everything complete, it was time for Isobela Maria to head to class.

Outfit Modeling

Isobela Maria is wearing her white leggings with her long, cotton blouse and American Girl sandals as she waits for her mother to come out and take her to dance class.

When she gets to the class studio, she puts her double-circle skirt on over her blouse and changes into her dance shoes, which are Mary Janes from American Girl.

Then she is ready to learn to dance!

It takes many classes, but finally her teacher says the class can bring their bodices and headdresses for a dress rehearsal. Isobela Maria feels like a queen with the lovely puff sleeves of the bodice, her hair up, beautiful ribbons on each side, and her dangling gold earrings

Then, on a cool morning, she goes to practice outside.

She thinks through the moves she needs to make.

She gets in the starting position

Ready, set, go!

Isobela Maria knows she is ready to be in the parade. She can hardly wait!

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Please don't vote until all of the entries are available and 

we have announced the voting start on The Doll Wardrobe Blog. :-)

Voting for the 2014 Summer FDC...

Starts On Sept 1st, 2014.

Voting Ends on Sept 20th.

Please vote for this entry by commenting below or 

emailing us at nora.demington@gmail.com.

Vote for Entry #22, by writing -- "I vote for Entry #22."

We recommend voting for one newbie entry, 

one intermediate, and one pro, at least.

Thank you!