If you have an old account and cannot remember how to log in, please contact us at mlpchief @ gmail.com. Additionally, if you want a different screen name, please contact us instead of making a new account! Thanks!
Site Announcements Arena Tutorials Sigs & Site Support Introductions Pony Corral Swap Talk! Pony Fairs! MLP Nirvana Nirvana Sales Pony Brag Arena Off Topic Dollhouse Toy Box & Games Cupboard Customs Custom Sales Arts & Crafts Corral Adoptables For Sale - For Auction For Trade Wanted Trader & Classifieds Support What's Your Problem Private Messages Contact Us!
0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.
I LOOOOOOVE pony wear. Here's a veritable flood of semi-helpful advice from someone who trail and error her way into pony fashion, lol.:First step to designing pony clothes--Pick the Pony! It's much easier to design for one specific pony than to make something that will work for a lot of them. Also, some poses are just easier to work with. Bubbles is *super* tricky, for example, while Magic Star is fairly easy, if you can get her to stand up once she's dressed, lol.1. When you design your outfits, bear in mind that the joints and limb placement is a vital part of the look. A lot of times a beautiful/adorable sketch will turn out to be unfeasible because once it's made up, it looks funny because of where the 'joints' are. (elbows, knees, etc.) Other things need to shift dramatically in order to work on a pony vs. a human form. For example, anything that goes around the chest of a human, would need to move elsewhere on a pony, since that's where the legs are. The fun part is deciding where! (Neck and girth is usually easiest.)2. Fabric weight and pattern scale is very important when doing miniature clothes. Relatively small stripes and polka dots can suddenly seem huge and unattractive on something as small as a pony. Remnants of liner fabrics are cheap, and can be very effective replacements for satins and silks. Also, with a lot of those, you can heat the edges instead of sewing a seam, and voila! No fray. Speaking of, Elmer's white glue is a handy fray-check for many fabrics, as long as you aren't going to wash the finished result. A tiny bit around the edge of that cute cotton fabric can save you a lot of irritation later. (Be careful not to put it anywhere it will rest on the pony's body.)3. Looking at doll patterns, esp. for barbies, dollfies, blythe etc. can be super inspirational, but as many people have pointed out, those non-bendy legs are tricky, lol.One easy way around some of the limitations of the pony form is to make abundant use of stretchy seams, either by sewing in elastic bands/cord, or just leaving a gap with a closure of some sort. Many of the older ponies have huge feet, and forgetting to account for that can be really irritating when you try to put it on the pony. (Not that I've ever done that. More than three times.)4. Another helpful trick when designing complicated, many-layered outfits is to *reduce* those layers as much as you can in areas where space is tight. For example, if you want a pony piratess, then you might need a peasant top with poofy sleeves, a bustier of some sort, a multi-layered skirt (with frills/underskirts), some kind of boots/ sword, and jewelry. However, there's a very good chance that there simply isn't enough space between the pony's legs to fit much fabric. So, take your complicated design and adjust it until you only have one layer of fabric in contact with the pony. This means making lots of separate chunks of a pattern and assembling them very carefully, but the finished look is much less bulky and just generally cuter. For extremely tight space, consider leaving out connections entirely, since sometimes it simply isn't necessary to have anything between the legs at all! (They aren't moving, after all, lol.)5. Hot glue is your friend, in moderation.And last but not least :*****Always, always, always fade-test your fabrics, and never store your ponies in their outfits. Wandering fabric dyes can ruin your ponies, so take care.******Hope some of that is useful for you!