Sewing For My Dolls... Making Simple Basics!

Doll Friends,

As I have been mentioning recently, I have been bitten by the 'sewing bug' for sewing doll clothes for my lovely dolls. I am a bit of a doll clothes addict and recently have just begun to crave doll clothes that literally don't exist anywhere but my own imagination... However, I dreaded 'pattern sewing' because I know how tedious and time consuming it can be to make just one outfit. So... I started studying the Tubes-O-You for sewing tutorials. If you're curious the ones I have been watching, I've been saving them to a playlist I created so I can find them more easily myself. 

One of my favorite YouTube sewing teachers has become Diane Morello. She's got such a sweet soothing voice, much like a female sewing version of Bob Ross really. She's also a very good teacher and has so many videos she could be your sole teacher and you'd likely learn all you need to know about sewing doll clothes. Reecently, I've been using her basic bodice tutorial to make some of my own and it's been a lot of fun...

Here is my very first prototype. Don't mind poor Carissa's bad fasion choice here, I made her do it. LOL I wanted to show you the top though. I decided it went a little too deep into her arm pits though and so I modified the pattern....

My idea was/is that I would make them all reversable so there would be double the play value in each top. 

Here is my stack of cut out tops. 

Ready to pin!

As you can see, I've been using fabrics from actual clothes, in this case a mens shirt, for fabrics. Fabric is really expensive, I've found (at least to me who is cheap!) and I am finding I really like making doll clothes with these fabrics you literally can't buy in the stores. It's high quality fabric too, from makers like Polo Ralph Lauren. Anyway, I digress. But when you can get an entire shopping basket of clothes for a few bucks (my thrift stores do that once every few months... I love it!) you literally cannot go wrong!

Here is that first top... All I had to do to modify it down was to sew a second seam under that first one... See?

Here is my original 'pattern' and you can see the pencil marks where I modified it. I am sticking with strait lines because I want to share these patterns/techniques with you and so easy even a beginner could do them. If you can make a pillow (one of easiest sewing items to make really, four seams!) you can make this top. 

Here is a finished top with the pattern... Just to remind you not to forget seam allowances!

I got a bit braver after my first ten or so tops and decided to try and make some with straps... I am loving how they are coming out... Here is Juliet-Olivia modeling one of them. (The skirt is an OG skirt, I didn't make that...) Someday!

Here is my messy but happy sewing space. You saw this photo in my little post about my absence but I figured I'd show it to you in context. 

As you can see.... I recently decided to try more traditional bodices... After figuring out the basic procedure from this amazing video from Happy Bankky Crafty Mommy She also gives away her patterns and has written tutorials for this and the other patterns she gives away so she's fabulous! Anyway, I think making traditional bodices is going be something I can get faster and faster at. As you may notice I am all about everything being lined. Two reasons, one, I think it looks nicer and two, I think it's easier, honestly. I hate hate hate having to 'hem' the little area around the kneck on unlined items and I don't think it's very easy to make them look 'finished'. So... Line everything and you don't have that problem. Plus doll clothes need to be very sturdy if they are going to be used by acutal children and I think lined items just hold up better. 

So... I'll keep you posted. I am having a lot of fun sewing actually... Surprising even myself. But being able to make something with fabrics I choose in styles I decide/design? That my prove to be just a little more temptation than I can withstand. Hahaha. As a girl I actually always dreamed of growing up and designing clothes... Until someone told me there was loads of math involved and I ran for the hills! So... A lifelong dream, fullfilled, in doll size. Whodathunk?

Better run!
XXOO
Heather