Barbie in a Beautiful Beaded Dress

Barbie never looked lovelier than she does in this One-Of-A-Kind beaded Gibson-Girl dress of red and white with multi-colored beads.

Her sweet little hat has satin roses and leaves, red ribbons and black and white feathers and pretty beads.  Her tiny shoes are white ankle-high boots.  Her dress has a detachable color in white with multi-colored beads, a red ribbon around her waist and a white satin rose on her waist-band.

Barbie is ready to stroll down the avenue looking bright as spring.  She is for sale at my Etsy store.

Karen Pope is Madam Crocheterie, the Hooker By Night.  She CROCHETS in her spare moments, makes time for CROCHET,  and sells her creations on Etsy.  Follow her on Twitter, and Facebook.  Find her on Google+
She writes about CROCHET and creating a CROCHET Business

Steam-punk Barbie

The term "Steam-punk" or "Gaslight Romance" is a sub-genre of science fiction that features steam as the main source of power, particularly in a post-apocalyptic setting where steam power regains prominence. Steam power can be found in stories by H.G. Wells and Jules Verne but, contemporary story, frequently feature Steam-powered lighter-than-air ships and analog computers.  Steam-punk can also refer to a clothing style inspired by the sub-genre that possess elements of post-apocalyptic films of the mid-20th centry, Victorian-age styles, Art Nouveau design.  The result is a pseudo-Victorian style.

Barbie is not exempt from Steam-Punk styles.

I am working on a design for Barbie that is strictly one-of-a-kind.  Upon completion, I will create patterns to sell.  This is the design thus far:

Note the Top Hat, which is a steam-punk classic, the bustier, lace gloves and stockings, and contemporary boots.
This is a detail of the Hat:

A glimpse of the stockings and boots:
A closer look at her skirt:

The costume is not completed because there are many details yet to be added, plus an exquisite coat.  Keep watching for more SteamPunk Barbie.

Karen Pope is Madam Crocheterie, the Hooker By Night.  She CROCHETS in her spare moments, makes time for CROCHET,  and sells her creations on Etsy.  Follow her on Twitter, and Facebook.  Find her on Google+
She writes about CROCHET and creating a CROCHET Business

Barbie's Elegant Gown: Step One Complete

It didn't take as long as I thought to complete the ruffled skirt for the lavender ensemble.  So far, everything is going according to plan... or pattern as it were.  The partly completed skirt can be seen here.

The skirt actually fits!  I followed the pattern precisely and this is the result.  As you can see from the previous blog entry, the skirt was first crocheted and then the ruffles were added on top of the basic design.

I made a modification in the actual construction of the lacy ruffles, but the design did not suffer for it.

Most of the materials I ordered for this project have arrived and just their cost alone, was $64.00.  I was thinking as I was adding the cost of all the pieces up, that I could make a dress for myself for less money.

Another FACTOR I had not bargained for is I don't know if I will want to sell the ensemble once it is completed. I had a brother who created beautiful cat sculptures from chunks of rock--Jade, obsidian, marble--and he always priced them high enough that if they sold, the pain of separation would be far less.  I make have to keep that philosophy in mind when I put the ensemble up for sale.

In the mean time, I will simply enjoy the creative process.

Progress on the Barbie Ball Gown

Progress on the Barbie Ball Gown

This is a picture of the skirt, so far.  I will have it completed by the weekend.  (Work totally interferes with crochet.)

I only work so I can afford to buy crochet necessities. :)  

The ruffles will continue all the way to the bottom of the skirt.
Last night I added a white bead to act as a button at the top of the skirt in the back.

Two Dresses for Barbie

This past weekend was spent working at my regular job.  I did have time to work on an intricate crocheted dress that will fit Barbie. I love Barbies and have been a collector for years.  Making crocheted clothes for them is a new adventure for me.  Once I have a couple under my belt, I intend to design my own Victorian clothing for the dolls.

Out of necessity, there may be a couple of changes to each pattern, but it should be very similar when it is completed.  I will keep everyone posted on the progress of the dress.  Right now, I have just started the white under-skirt.  It is a couple of days from completion.

I also began another project which begins with stringing some 377 beads on the crochet thread... and that is just for the skirt.



The finished product of dress #2 will be different from the dress depicted in that I didn't have enough red beads for the project.  So, I strung red, yellow, orange and white beads on the thread so that I can begin the skirt.  I will start that one as soon as the white under skirt of dress #1 is completed.  I have plans to use my red ribbon and also my red and white satin roses.  I may purchase some yellow and orange roses for the project.  I have a couple of parasol forms, so I will have to wing it to make my parasol.

The only danger in working on two projects at one time is that it is all too easy to get bored with one or the other.  I have found that taking too long on a project makes me loose interest.  However, the items are small enough that they work up pretty quickly.

Day 1: Starting my Craft Business

The key to starting any business is doing research.  This applies to a craft business.

I have begun to make a series of lists.  A list of things I need to list, if you will. 

• What do I want to sell?
• Who will buy the products?
• Do I want to specialize?
• How much does each item cost?
• How much is shipping?
• How much time to I have to spend on this project?
• What inventory do I have on hand?
• What do I need to buy?
• Where will I sell the items?
• How will I promote myself?
• What are my goals?

I am a consummate list maker, so this part is easy for me. Gathering all of this information is necessary for  creating a business plan.  Every successful business owner has created a business plan at some point.

Today, I simply have a ton of information rolling around in my brain and very little on paper.  What I do have is this:

What do I want to sell?  Hand-made crocheted items and original patterns, mostly with a vintage or Victorian look.  The reason for this is because I love lace and lacy items.  I love crochet thread items.  I love trims on pillow cases, napkins, curtains, doilies, doll dresses, lacy cuffs, lacy collars, lacy gloves... well, you get the idea.

The first piece of advice I can give anyone who wants to follow in my slow and plodding footsteps is to KEEP VERY CAREFUL RECORDS OF EVERYTHING.  This information will be important to your business plan and also to the IRS at tax time. 

Also, subscribe to any newsletters that pertain to your craft.  For instance, I have just recently subscribed to Creative Income from FaveCrafts.com .  Not only should you subscribe to the newsletters, make sure you read them as they may contain something that will give you that jolt of encouragement you need right at that moment.