When it comes to crafting for dolls, I like things that are cute and easy. When it comes to this tutu, there could be nothing easier! You can be creative as you want with combinations of colours, the sky is the limit when it comes to these little tutus. They can be worn as a skirt, or a petticoat to add some volume under your favourite doll dress. Bonus: if you had longer strips of tulle, you could make a tutu for yourself and match with your doll!

You will need:

• Tulle, or fabric
• Scissors
• Ruler (optional)
• Elastic band/hair tie/ribbon – the elastic band or hair tie will need to fit around a Blythe’s waist

Directions:

Cut off a piece of tulle, I measured out two full ruler’s length  – approximately 60cm (or 30″). If you need more, or you’re making a tutu for a larger/smaller doll, adjust the length as needed.

Fold up the tulle so it’s easier to cut it straight (if you’re challenged like me!)

Cut it in 1″ increments, all the way down. You can eyeball this, if you’re confident.

Fold each piece in half. Is it too long for your doll? Cut it in half again!

Fold each piece in half, put the ‘loop’ into the elastic (or along the ribbon), pull the ends through the loop and pull it snug. If you’re using ribbon, you want the length to be long enough that you can tie a bow around your doll’s waist.

Repeat all the way down the elastic or along the ribbon until you have enough to go around your doll’s waist.

Put it on your doll! Take photos and have fun!

Deciding how to bring to BlytheCon is probably taking more mental energy that it really should. Back in 2011, I only had the 5 dolls to choose from so choosing two was not as difficult as it is right now. So what I did, this time, was to line up all my dolls and then muse about the pros and the cons of each one. For instance, Sophie was left home in 2011 because she has long, fine hair and I didn’t want to deal with flyaway and static-filled hair. This is still true, because there is no way that I’m cutting her hair, so she is still staying home.

I plan on bringing two Blythes with me to Seattle. I haven’t fully decided if anyone else will be coming with me (such as a Petite, or my Usaggie). That remains to be seen, but for now it will be a two-doll kind of attendance for me. Any more and that’s just too many for me to hold and cart around (I need hands for shopping!). Doll number one will be Eden Mouse, primarily because she is a favourite (shh, don’t tell Sophie!), and I have the perfect outfit picked out for her.

“I’m going to be at BlytheCon! Are you going to say hi to me??”
This is not what Eden will be wearing, but it will be a lot of pink. A. Lot. Of. Pink.

Who else should I bring though? There’s such an assortment for me to consider. Last time, I had gone down with Eden and Belarus (Love Mission). I’m thinking that someone else will go down this time instead of Belarus, but who? How do I make a choice between everyone? More importantly: who would you want to see down in Seattle? All I know is that whoever is going will wind up getting some pretty awesome swag while they’re at the convention. Accompanying me as its perks!

Who are you bringing to BlytheCon Seattle?

I love doll shoes. Love, love, love doll shoes. There’s just something about the small size, the quaint details, and the adorableness of having tiny shoes that I just love. Which then inspired me to actually share more of my tiny shoe collection. I’ve already made a shoe display, but I just love shoes so much that I need to share more of them on a regular basis! This serves several purposes: allows me to play more with my tiny doll shoes, allows me to showcase some cute shoes that you may not have seen in person, and kind of enables me to buy more shoes. This is both of a good and a bad thing.

In this premiere installment of Tiny Shoe Love, I decided to show off two pairs of shoes:

Stock heels from Monique Magnifique:

I like these stock shoes because they have the lacing detail with the two-tone design. Additionally, the shoes are just slightly curved to create a left and a right shoe (if you can’t tell the difference, it’s okay because there is an R and an L on the bottom of either shoe).

Vintage dark brown squishy Barbie boots:

Vintage squishy boots are wonderful, I quite like them! They come in many colours, but this pair photographed is dark brown. As you can see, they managed to put in a lot of detail in a single-coloured boot. There is the lacing up the from, with the bow at the top, as well as the slouch at the back near where the doll’s ankles would be, and the boots are highly textured.

It may surprise many of you (some of you?) but I’m actually fairly shy. I’m much better on one-on-one situations than large groups, which is why BlytheCon Portland was so overwhelming for me, and why I wasn’t able to actually be all chatty with a lot of people. Hopefully it is different this time around, because I will know more people this time around. Although, now that I think of it, last time I knew exactly zero people (well, I knew them online, but not in person). So… Things are different this time. Quite a bit different!

I am so glad that we’ll have name tags, and I do hope it isn’t too awkward to try to crane my neck around to see names because I won’t already know everyone’s faces. I try, but honestly… there’s just so many people to know! I probably know dolls better than people’s faces (sad, but true!). I was quite overwhelmed last time – there were so many people! dolls! vendors! So many things to see, new dolls to experience. Now that I think of it, I didn’t even have my first Kenner back then! Things sure have changed since then, it’s rather mind-boggling, now that I’m thinking of it.

What will I be doing differently this time in Seattle? Hopefully I will…

• Ask more questions when I’m at vendor tables! Last time I was so overwhelmed I barely spoke to the people running the stalls (so embarrassing…)
• Say hello! I found out after the fact that there were people that I knew online that I hadn’t spoke to. Not this time (hopefully!).
• Chat with new-to-me people. This may be the hardest part, because being shy doesn’t go well with attempting to be personable and and introducing myself to people. But I’m going to try.
• Not be a socially awkward penguin. This may still happen. No promises.

And hopefully if you are attending, you will say hi to me if you see me?! Maybe…?

I have a confession to make – I binge shop when it comes to Blythe and Blythe things. Actually, now that I think of it, it’s really not much of a confession at all, is it? Blythe has been a pretty big part of my life the moment that the silver-haired Sophie came into my life. I often go through phases where I buy a lot of stuff, then a long, peaceful lull where I play mix-and-match with what I have, I do crafts and make things for the girls, and play with all of the dolly shoes that I have – and I have quite a bit. I really do love dolly shoes, for a while all I was buying was doll shoes. Squishy boots, vintage flats, more shoes, all the shoes, shoes, shoes, shoes!

You’d better bring me back a lot of stuff this time, missy!

In less than two weeks (oh-em-gee), I will be having quite the binge shop! I’m looking forward to learning about new-to-me brands, and getting to see the products made by people that I’ve already ‘met’ online (or in person!). It’s always very exciting to meet new people, and to shop at the same time! I always look forward to meeting new people, especially when they also love Blythe as well!

Do you binge shop for Blythe?