...And we back! Blue Satin Suits!

So this is my first post of the year on this blog...  Whoops!  I absolutely did not mean to neglect this blog, but what can I say, the sewing itch hasn't really been there as of late... that is until recently. :P

A few months ago, I happened to stop by the physical Hobby Lobby store that's kinda near me but also just far enough a way that I can't go there often.  It was my second time going to that store and I was determined to find some nice fabric and buy it.  I had a few ABBA costumes in mind when I went to the store, and I got so much fabric... okay not really so much, but enough to make some ABBA costumes that I'd been wanting to make for a very long time: their blue satin suits from 1975-1976!

I got the fabric a few months ago, and then let the fabric just sit in a pile for like a month and a half before deciding to finally start gathering all the photos needed to study the costumes and then actually make the clothes.  I started sewing Agnetha and Frida's costumes two months ago actually, and let's just say that this project wasn't the easiest thing I've ever done.  

I have a love/hate relationship with Satin.  It's such a beautiful fabric, but a pain in the butt to sew because it is so slippery.  (I even got a huge thread jam because the satin slipped out from under the needle and I had to completely take a part and reassemble part of my sewing machine not once but three times because of it! :S )  Sewing jackets isn't necessarily the most fun thing either, and it doesn't help that I hate sewing buttons and button holes haha.  This project definitely took longer than any of my other ABBA costume recreations, and I had to take a couple weeks break in between sewing sessions, and even had to go back to Hobby Lobby at one point to find really expensive special buttons (and I didn't buy enough of them either... shhhh.)  But alas, I finally finished the costumes - last night actually haha!  and I can finally share them!

Now usually this is the point in my blog posts where I include pictures of my failed previous attempts at making these costumes over past 11 years that I have been obsessed with this band, but surprise surprise, this is actually my first time trying to make these costume and I think it'll be my last and only attempt as well because I'm actually really proud of how these turned out! :D   

Here are all four of my dolls, dressed in their new very fancy suits. :)

First up let's take a look at Agnetha's suit.  It was the first one I made, and honestly I think it came out the best.  I had a lot of issues with the fit and had to seam rip, adjust, and resew the jacket so many flipping times, but I think it ended up looking really nice in the end.  All the flowers were painted by hand using acrylic paint mixed with fabric medium, and a teeny tiny little paint brush with tons of reference photos nearby. 

The bowtie on the choker is actually made of foam, painted with acrylic paint and layers of mod podge to make it all nice and shiny.  The band of the choker is just a strip of satin that I should probably make thinner at some point, but not today because I do not feel like hand sewing haha, and then the bowtie is glued on with fabric glue.

A closer look at the jacket.  The buttons were actually a very pretty, sparkly silver, but I had to paint them blue with nail polish to make them match. 

The trousers, with a nice slit along the side (that is not visible in the photo lol.  Silly Becky. o.O)

And here is what the jumpsuit looks like underneath the jacket.  The ring on the front of the top is actually glass beads strung on a very thin wire that I then wired together into a circle (poked myself a couple of times as well even), then painted with the same blue nail polish, and sewn on with invisible thread.  I wish it was more sparkly, so I might add a holographic top coat over it someday, but it's not really necessary.  As for the belt part of the jumpsuit, I don't know if it's originally supposed to be a separate belt or not, but I made it a separate piece that is removable. 

And here is the fancy lil pleat at the back of the jacket.  I need to iron it better as there is a crease at the side that is not supposed to be there, but you get the picture I hope.

 Frida's outfit is exactly the same as Agnetha's construction wise, but the flowers are all different.  I had some construction issues with Frida's outfit as well, like the jacket doesn't sit quite well, but also satin is such a slippery fabric it just falls off the doll anyway haha, but besides that, it came out pretty good.

A closer look at the flowers on the jacket.

And the flowers on the jumpsuit/pants.

Next up is Bjorn!  (Excuse the hand - I couldn't get him to stand haha.)  His outfit is very similar to the ladies' outfits, a jumpsuit and a jacket except that it's a darker blue fabric, and the designs are slightly different.  Like the ladies' jumpsuits are halter necks, and Bjorn's isn't, and the lapels of his jacket are supposed to be slightly different as well, like more rounded.  Also Bjorn's jacket as pockets or at least pocket flaps on both the jacket and the jumpsuit.

I should mention that for the guys' outfits, there sadly aren't as many good quality photos, so for the floral designs, I did have to improvise a little, which is something that this little perfectionist cannot handle very well, but I think I got everything close enough. :)

A closer look at Bjorn's jacket, and flower pattern.

Bjorn's necklace is also made out of foam painted with acrylic paint and mod podge, and I glued  jump rings onto the back of it which I then used to connect the chain.

The jumpsuit itself.  On the pocket flaps there are some of those round thingies that I made out of beads and wire and painted.

Also for the back of Bjorn's jacket, I have no idea what it looked like, so I just added a split in the back.  I hope it's accurate. :S

And last but certainly not least: Benny's outfit.  I will admit, I delayed working on Benny's outfit a lot because it is a three piece suit, and three piece suits are tricky to make, especially when they're made out of slippery satin.  But I actually really like how his suit turned out.  Like it all came out looking really really nice!  I also made a simple-ish white button down shirt out of cotton.

A closer look at the front of Benny's vest and waist coat. 

Flowers along the front of the waistcoat...

the pants....

...and the back of the waistcoat!

Benny's bowtie, which is nonfunctional btw.  Technically I should add a strip of sparkly thread or more of the glass beads down the center of the tie, but it's not necessary really.

For the back of Benny's vest, there are no photos of it, but I decided to add one of those tie thingies that are typically at the back of fancy vests, plus a handmade belt buckle my dad helped me solder together.

For Benny's cufflinks, I actually found some cufflinks in my great-grandmother's button box, and took apart two different types to make one that looked decent.  Yeah they're not really accurate to what Benny actually wore, but until I can find better ones, these match and look really good too.  The buttons on the front of the vest and shirt are also from my great-grandmother's button box btw.

And I should also add- the pants have working pockets!! :D  

So that's what I've been up to the past couple of months.  I already know what ABBA costumes I'm going to make next, just I'm still gathering supplies for those so I don't know when I will eventually make those.  If you have any guesses for which ones I'm making, feel free to let me know haha, but until then, tata for now!