The Story of a Doll Named Emilie Claire.

Michelle and I thought it might be interesting to see a doll and her garments go together. I made this doll, a 12" Lady Jumeau French Fashion quite some time ago. However, she sat around naked for so long I was afraid the dolly police were coming every time the doorbell rang! So, two of my friends and I set out to make new clothes for our dolls. When we do this, each one of us makes the pattern and teaches the class for the doll, and when we get together for birthdays, we get presents for them as well. If you do not belong to a club, this is a wonderful way to play.
(May I say that this may not be perfectly in keeping with the period as we do try to get it right with the historical dress?)

I thought I should name her and I love the name Emilie Claire. Therefore, she is Emilie Claire. I had not taken a picture of Emilie in body, but she is a porcelain head with set in blue glass eyes. Her body is leather and stuffed. This figure is created from scratch by me so, be kind.

Emilie wears a set of drawers that have an open seam in the middle. You might call them pantalets. The drawers were seamless for convenience. Imagine lifting all of those slips and skirts! (Another little tip: Now you know why the Can-Can was so bad at the time. There was full mooning when those skirts went up.)

Here you see Emilie wearing her pantalets and chemise. The chemise was a utility undergarment of fine cotton, easily washable. This garment protected the outer garments from perspiration and dirt. I imagine it protected the skin a bit as well from the corset stays.

Next time we look at her corset!
Kathi