Making Doll Clothes From Children's Clothes Patterns And Turorials

Sewing doll clothes has been a hobby of mine ever since my daughter got her first American Girl Doll for Christmas. I just couldn't justify paying for the clothes on the website. They are overpriced for the quality and fabrics that they use. (Tip: If you don't sew check etsy for some reasonably priced handmade doll clothes that are better quality than the official American Girl doll clothes.) But once you start making your own it really is addicting. The doll develops her own personality and you can tailor her wardrobe to fit it.

There are plenty of patterns available on the market for doll clothing. One source is Liberty Jane. While they offer a huge selection, sometimes they don't have exactly what I am envisioning. Besides when you want to make a matching outfit for a girl and doll it is much easier to start with a bigger pattern and downsize it than it is to start with a doll pattern and adjust it to your child's size.

For those reasons I have been working on making doll clothes from children's patterns and tutorials. I just finished up this fairy costume for a photo contest. It was made using a tutorial for a toddler romper and fairy skirt.

I started by using this tutorial from the Little Pink Monster blog. I made the following changes to fit our doll.

• I used a 9 inch by 16 inch rectangle of knit fabric with a 40% stretch. Because I used fabric instead of a t-shirt I had to hem the bottom myself just before sewing up the back seam.
• I sewed 7 lines 1/2 inch apart with elastic thread to create the smocking. 
• I didn't notice any additional shrinking after the first time I sprayed it and went over it with an iron. If your trying to save time, once may be enough.
• For the straps I sewed a 1 inch wide tube of fabric and turned it, then I hand sewed them in place while the outfit was on the doll to be sure they were placed properly. I matched the stitching to the smocking lines in the back and covered the stitching with flowers from my stash in the front.
• For the skirt I cut a 16 by 7 inch rectangle and then created an elastic casing and inserted an 11 1/4 inch strip of elastic. I did not permanently attach it, so that it could be used with other doll clothes.
• I cut the petals very carefully while the doll was wearing the skirt.

I'll tell you a little more about this photo contest (and beg for votes) a little later. I also plan on showing you how to adjust a pdf printed pattern to fit an 18 inch American Girl Doll. So what do you think of our finished work?

Basic Sewing Skills Revisited

I've spent most of this week revisiting the basics. Apparently I have forgotten a few things.

I started off by making this envelope clutch for the See Kate Sew February Clutch along. The fabric I had originally planned to use won't be here until Monday, so I made this one out of scrap as a practice run, but it actually turned out to be a pretty nice evening bag. The button is not exactly centered so I'll have to remember mark it on the next one I make. There is also some issues with the lining. 

The lesson I learned is that I have gotten just a little bit cocky with my basic sewing skills. When my other fabric arrives  I will have to take my time and not skip any steps. Still it is a nice bag. Now all I have to do is get my husband to take me out on a date so I can actually use it.

Also this week my daughter, age 9 finished her second sewing project. She made some pillows for her dolls using a tutorial from With Glittering Eyes. We are going to make the whole bed eventually. 

I had a little trouble explaining the slip stitch to her, but in the end she figured it out. We will have two more pillows to practice on for this project.

So what basic sewing skills do you use the most? How about the least?

Hello

Hello There, 
Let me start by thanking you for taking the time to read my very first blog post. I am a mom who loves to create and to be inspired. I get so much joy from creating gifts for the people I love, and I have found so much inspiration for those gifts in the blogging world.

In the past I have silently followed along with sew alongs and tutorials with only a comment to thank the blogger. Lately I have been wanting to get more involved. I want to share all of my creations in one place and be able to thank the person who inspired me with a link. I know it's a very small gift and maybe not so significant in the great big world of SEO to have a link from a tiny little new blog. But in my mind it's like sending a thank you card. Who doesn't love getting thank you cards?

Occasionally, I search the internet for a tutorial for something I want to try but can't find exactly what I need. In that case I make my own tutorial and I hope to be able to share them with you as well.

There are a few projects that I hope to complete coming up. Here is a sneak preview just for fun.
Click the picture of the project for a link to the inspiration blog or post.

All of the projects come with their own deadline, one as a costume for a photo contest and the others just for participation  so I hope to get them done on time.  

I would love to hear about what you are working on. Any deadlines for your projects? Which is your favorite project?

I hope you stop by again. If you would like you can follow me on blogger or just bookmark the page.