Give Your Doll Clothes a Professional Look

(Update January 19, 2013: I still love the designs in this book. However, I made--or attempted to make--the Cropped Jack, and the sleeve was too big to set in without gathers or puckers in the sleeve seam line. Although I admit to finding set-in sleeves a challenging part of doll clothes making, I've been able to put other sleeves in. I certainly have no trouble with sleeves of my own garments. I visited the author's website and left her a note. No response yet.)

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I love this book!

I will tell you why:

I have sewn everything from coats and suits to prom dresses. But sewing for an 18-inch doll is simply another matter. Although I have many cute ideas for doll clothes, I have found myself disappointed in my results.

Most written instructions do not take in to account the significance of the 1/4-inch seam, as opposed to the usual 5/8-inch seam that is used in patterns for people. There is less room for error with the smaller seam; the finished garment will be too snug if the seam is too big or the fabric can easily ravel to the seam line if the seam is too narrow.

Making doll clothes look neat on the inside is important, especially if you're selling them. I've had to change the way I think about seams after years of pressing them opened to get the garment smooth and flat. Most of my seams now face one direction, and I finish seams whenever possible.

I don't think that Simplicity, the best-known pattern company, accounts for the differences between people and dolls. It is difficult for me to turn a hem under just once--per Simplicity's instructions--because the raw edge looks unfinished underneath, especially with fabric that ravels.

Dressing up 18" Dolly has practical instructions for sewing doll clothes. One suggestion, for instance, is to finish the edges of some seams before joining the two sides together. This is a small book with some super cute patterns, and I will give more concrete examples after making one of the patterns myself.

A couple criticisms of the book: The photos taken of the doll clothes could be much better. Also, I prefer American Girl or Madame Alexander as doll clothes models. Springfield dolls are cheaply made, and they look like cheap dolls. Would I buy my child a Springfield doll? Yes. But the doll doesn't photograph as well.

Girls Just Want a Fun Hat

Note to self: Do not make this dress pattern again. In fact, toss it into the garbage. My model below looks as cute as a button. I saved her "look" by giving her a hat.

This hat is a strip of velvet knit, folded in half (right sides together) so that the fabric becomes a thinner strip with the ends cut diagonally. I stitched the fabric together on the long edge, leaving an opening in the center, large enough to turn the strip right-side out. I folded this thick velvet strip into four pleats and tacked the pleats together. I gathered a piece of netting down the middle and tacked it onto the velvet. I added a flower, and voila! I attached the hat to the doll's head with a hat pin.

When I make a new outfit, I try it on all my dolls to see which one looks the best. Any black in the fabric looks best with black hair--or blonde hair. Not brown. I have plenty of beautiful shades of browns and tans for my brown-haired dolls.

Here's a full shot of the dress, Simplicity 4654. This dress was supposed to be a holiday dress. I'd planned to add a beautiful black sash and bow, but the bodice is far too loose at the seam line under the chest.

I previously made this same pattern in an October 14, 2011, blog entry. I remember thinking that perhaps I'd stretched the fabric. But I was careful this time. The bodice might be loose to ease the fit of the set-in sleeves.

Setting in a woman's or child's sleeve is easy. You put a row of basting stitch on the stitch line and ease the sleeve fullness into the bodice without making an ugly tuck in the sleeve. With doll sleeves, it's easy to make an unwanted tuck in the under-arm area of the bodice. I notice that most of the sleeves of the eight-inch Madame Alexander costumes are very full and gathered. These full sleeves are probably easier to sew.

Any suggestion for perfecting the setting in of doll clothes sleeves would be appreciated.

Sizing Should Be Simple

Here is yesterday's dress Simplicity 2269 that one of my Madame Alexander dolls wore. My American Girl Doll "Julie" measures slightly larger around the shoulders (by 5/8 inch). She fills out the waist and hips a bit better too.

I think this dress is still too roomy, but it's a better style for this doll than the M.A. Next time I use this pattern, I will fit the bodice piece to the doll ahead of time, and I will use interfacing on this section of the dress.

The doll's accessories are listed on my previous blog entry.

Combining Two Prints

I love these two prints together, using Simplicity 2296. This pattern is for 18-inch dolls, yet this doll is swimming in this dress. You may like your doll clothes to be loose, but this little dress easily falls off her shoulders.

This doll is a Madame Alexander. She has great lips and hair. I think I left her hair a bit too wild. These Espadrilles come from the Springfield doll section at Michael's. I found the moonstone necklace at Carpatina.

I wonder if perhaps I stretched the top when I was sewing. The pattern doesn't call for interfacing, but I'll use it next time. Seriously. This dress is huge. American girl is larger through the shoulders. I think I'll try the dress on her.

Fashionista in Polka Dots

I put the finishing touches on the dress that I featured in my last blog. I shortened the dress considerably, and I added some off-white lace to the bottom.

In addition to altering the length, I changed the shoes to dark brown boots, and I added wide brown ribbon to Dollie's hair. Maybe I missed my calling as a "stylist." Compare our model to the one in the previous blog. Comments?

Doll Clothes Alterations

Below is an unfinished polka dot dress that I made with Simplicity #4654 that still needs a hem. Please note that the designated hem is only one quarter of an inch. Since I've revisited my childhood hobby of creating doll clothes, I've become dissatisfied with many of the patterns that I find. The clothes have a strange fit, or they're basically boring. This dress is too long:

I appreciate anyone's effort to create, period. But what I envision is simply different from anything I see. Once I hem the dress--and add the velcro to the opening down the back--the dress won't look much different.

I am trying to dress dolls as if they're kids, fashionable kids, at that. I don't see little girls wearing mid-calf or ankle-length dresses. Why would anyone dress American Girl or Madame Alexander in a long dress unless the doll is supposed to be a wearing period costume or a princess dress?

I'm going to hem this dress somewhere above the knee after I change the look of the dress with a pleat here and a tuck there. With a few tiny alterations and with some accessories, this dress will look vastly different, and much better. That is my aim, anyway.

Please check out my next blog entry to see the results.