Phoebe is off to South Carolina to her new home and to extend her summer just a tiny bit.
Bye Phoebe !
Cuddly Egg gets some clothes
I know I have disappeared for a few days. I've been busy with a few custom orders, Cuddly Egg and mostly enjoying a house full of people this last week before school. Doll dressmaking course will be in full swing as soon as school starts this week, I promise.
In the meantime, Cuddly Egg wants to show off a few new clothes she just received!
First, Baby Egg gets an undershirt and diaper
Baby Egg gets a blouse and blommers.
Baby Egg wants you to see the back.
Baby Egg is ready for bed in her cuddly PJs
Baby Egg is getting sleepy.
Doll Dressmaking Series: Resizing the pattern
I have made basic dress (the starter pattern) pieces for Phoebe dolls, American Girl Dolls and a 16 inch Waldorf dolls. However, you may want to sew for a different doll. In addition, not all dolls of the same brand are the same size. American Girl doll sizes have varied quite a bit over the last 20 years. And handmade dolls like Phoebe and Waldorf dolls can vary simply because they are handmade.
There are three ways to alter the size of a pattern. In order to know how much you need to change, I suggest starting with making a crude version of the dress from the pattern you think is closest to your doll size.
For those of you new to sewing, click here for the basic steps for making the basic fitting dress.
Key areas for adjusting fit in a doll dress
Once you have made that dress, try it on your doll. and answer the following questions:
- Is it too big or too small?
- Is it too big or too small all over or in just one or two places? Look at the neck hole, armholes, chest and waist.
- How is the length? Remember to take into account a 1 inch hem.
There are three ways to alter a pattern to fit. Which way you go with depends on what type of size change you are attempting.
Too Big or Too Small Overall
If the pattern is overall too big or too small (meaning neck, chest AND armholes), you can easily adjust the pattern with an enlargement or reduction on the copier. It just requires a bit of math. If a doll's chest is 10 inches and you need 11, then copy it at 110%. Or you can use the pattern pieces to do the math. If a 6.5 inch pattern piece needs to be 7.5, divide 7.5 by 6.5 and you get the percentage of enlargement, 115%.
Using a copier to change pattern size
Three things to remember about using the copier to enlarge or reduce.
1. It only really works if all of the measurements need to be uniformly (or almost uniformly) reduced or enlarged.
2 It should not be used for making a dress pattern longer or shorter, just for circumference changes. A doll may be taller but thinner, so the dress's width should not be increased, just length, which is easy to do without the copier.
3. You are also enlarging/reducing the seam allowance. If you are only changing the pattern within 20%, this won't matter so much, but more than that can have an impact. Most doll clothes are sewn with a 3/8 inch seam allowance.
Just Need to Increase the Width
Okay so the armholes are loose enough, but the dress is snug. This can be done by adding a segment onto your pattern piece either with tracing paper or by taping your pattern piece on a piece of graph paper. See sketch below.
If the dress front is one inch too narrow, add a half of an inch to the fold edge. You can create a new pattern either by cutting out the graph paper with the taped on piece.
Altering a pattern piece for width only
Just the Neck is Too Tight
Some dolls have narrow necks, some dolls have wide necks. If it is just the neck that is not fitting, the fix is quite simple. You can draw a wider neck on the pattern piece as depicted below. A bit of guess work is involved. But it doesn't take that long to make a sizing dress to try. Or you can cut your sizing dress until it fits and work backwards.
Next, facings and linings.
A New Baby: A New Egg Doll
For months now I have been trying to redesign Baby Egg. We have Chill Phoebe, who is a more relaxed version of the original Phoebe doll. I have always wanted Chill Phoebe to have a compatible baby sister: Egg.
Finally I am happy to introduce the New Egg! I think she will be named Cuddly Egg because that is exactly what she is.
A New Cuddly Egg
Hello Egg!
Phoebe's Baby Sister: Egg
New Baby Egg takes a break from modeling
Doll Dressmaking Series: Base Patterns are ready
I have heard from a number of people that they are excited for this doll dressmaking series. I am too! I hope to teach both how to make patterns for a variety of dress styles from a base pattern and some techniques to help you sew small.
I know I said the base patterns would be done on Monday. I have been working hard both to learn Illustrator and trying to figure out how to post the patterns so everyone can download them easily. The good news is the base dress patterns are ready for Phoebe, American Girl Dolls and 16 inch Waldorf dolls. So yay! We can begin!
The second part of the news is there is no simple way through Squarespace (the people who host this website) to upload the patterns so you can download them. So here's how it will work: I have made a form at the end of this post, just email which ones you want and I will send the PDFs to you.
I have started with these three sizes because I am assuming they are the most popular, but I am willing to add another size Waldorf or Toddler Phoebe if there is interest. But I will also be showing you how to adjust this pattern to fit a slightly different size doll. So no matter what, you win.
A series on designing and making doll dresses.
Please fill out the form at the bottom and I will send you the PDF of the pattern, Once you have that you can begin.
The next blog post is the first lesson to start once you have your pattern pieces.
The base pattern
The base pattern is where we start. Next lesson, making sure it fits your doll!
Phoebe modeling the base pattern pieces.
Subscribe to my newsletter to receive all pattern pieces, past, present and future.
Beloved Handmade Doll Dress Contest
There were 7 very sweet entries into the Beloved Handmade Doll Dress Contest. I love every one of them and their stories. Thank you for to the people who submitted!
For those of you just jumping in click on the image below to bring you to the original contest. The rest of you just scroll down.
I have been delaying on posting the contest because I've been struggling with the mechanics of voting. Since there are only 7 dresses, I have reduced it to two categories, sweetest dress and sweetest story. There is a form at the end of this post for voting. All of the info in the vote is confidential. I will just tally and report back.
So here are the beloved handmade doll dresses:
Handmade Doll Dress #1
The story to Handamde Doll Dress #1: This little pink lace overlay dress was made by my Mom for me for Christmas when I was about eight, along with a stunning handmade doll. Being eight, I was a bit disappointed that it wasn't the latest fad Barbie doll, but I quickly grew to really treasure the special doll that my mom had made for me, and played with her tons! Sadly, dolly has gone missing, but I am hopeful that she might turn up the next time Mim cleans her storage room!
Handmade Doll Dress#2 (photo from Instagram)
Handmade Doll Dress Story 2: Doll dress that was lovingly made by my grandma in the 1950s for her daughter. I played dress up with it on my dolls as a child and now my daughter does with her dolls.
Handmade Doll Dress #3 (also from Instagram)
Handmade Doll Dress #3: My mom made me a handmade doll with this dress when I was little. I remember thinking the dress with all its lacy goodness, was so beautiful. Now I keep it in my living room. It brings back so many happy childhood memories I can't bear to pack it in a box
Handmade Doll Dress #4
Handmade Doll Dress #4: I just love to see a doll dressed in a party dress. This dress uses some of my favorite party dress elements. Tulle, satin, organza and silk roses. There are also Czech glass beads and sequins.
Handmade Doll Dress #5: My mom made this set for my American Girl doll. We studied the catalog photos and tried to copy the real set exactly so my friends would think I got the real deal
Handmade Doll Dress #6
Handmade Doll Dress #6: The dress I am entering for this contest has some very special memories. I made this for my daughter Sabrina for her dolly on her first birthday in 1991. The doll it was made for was mine when I was a little girl, bought for me by my dad at a yardsale for 25 cents when I was 5 years old. I also made a matching dress for Sabrina as well
Handmade Doll Dress #7
Handmade Doll Dress #7: I made this handmade doll dress for a dearly beloved doll who is a sweet Princess. This dress and it's soft color palette captures that innocence and sweetness of the doll.
The two winners will receive a package of fabric and trims for doll clothing.
Thanks so much for participating!
Back and very busy: Here's a sneak peek
I've been back from a vacation for a week and I've been extremely busy with a few custom orders, designing new things for the shop, and a very cool charity project. Here's a sneak peek at the a few new dolls and clothes, but I'm not quite ready to reveal the charity project just yet.
Also stay tuned for voting on the Beloved Handmade Doll Dress Contest and of course, the doll dressmaking class I will be starting.
Doll Dressmaking: Useful Tools
Later this week I will be uploading a basic doll dress base for us to start the lessons with. I will use this base to teach some sewing techniques and some basic pattern drafting.
To even begin, you will most likely need to make some very rudimentary adjustments to ensure the pattern base fits your doll. So before altering this base pattern, I thought I'd show you my favorite pattern making and altering tools.
The most basic tool: a measuring tape. You will need to know lengths and circumferences of various parts of your doll before you make adjustments.
Basic
You will need to alter pattern pieces. This is best done by tracing with a pencil and tracing paper. Lots of erasing. More tracing. And sometimes getting a bit more accurate with graph paper. And when you think all is good, drawing a clean final version with a medium tipped black marker.
kind of basic
Although you can use tracing paper for your pattern pieces, I prefer freezer paper. You can trace onto it. And then you can iron the pieces onto your fabric for accurate and easy cutting. You can even copy onto it. Amazon sells sheets that go through your copier, which allows for easy replicating, enlarging and reducing. You can also just get a roll at the grocery store for a lot less money.
luxury items
Coming in the next few days...the base dress pattern pieces for a variety of dolls. Adobe illustrator and I are becoming friends (sort of) as I try to create these.
A Basic Course in Doll Dress-Making
Thinking about starting to sew doll clothes?
Already sew doll clothes but would like to learn a few techniques?
Have a few doll clothes patterns but would like to have more?
Have a doll you'd like to sew for but do not have a pattern?
Through a series of blog posts, I am going show you how to make a few doll dress patterns and walk you through a number of doll clothing sewing techniques that I use.
We will start with making a base pattern to work off of. I will provide a base pattern for the following dolls:
Phoebe (of course)
Toddler Phoebe (of course again)
American Girl Doll
A Standard 16" Waldorf Doll
A Sasha Doll
I will then help you resize to fit your doll.
And then once we all have base dresses, I will teach you how to use that base to create a lot of other dress patterns. Along the way, as we sew the dresses, I will show you a few basic doll dress making techniques. Nothing fancy, but enough so you can make a number of kinds of dresses.
Are you ready? By the end of the week, I should have the base patterns ready to go. I'm still an Adobe Illustrator novice, but I'm getting better at the pattern tracing.
Some questions about upcycling
For the past few years, I’ve noticed a growing trend among doll-makers and other crafters to claim that their finished product is made from upcycled materials. It’s one of those terms that make consumers feel good about what they are buying. Sellers get to feel good and sell more, because consumers want products that they believe are good for the environment. Organic, recycled or upcycled are all terms that connotate environmental good.
But I started to wonder about the trend and the word, when I was confronted with an “upcycling” opportunity myself. Our family, like a lot of families, has a “Good Will” pile that we bring to a station in our town and the clothes are given to the Salvation Army (despite the name of our pile). For the past few weeks, three of my old J Crew merino cardigans have sat atop of the pile, sort of taunting me.
They could easily be washed, felted and made into upcycled doll clothing.
Three Sweaters, what should they be? A question about upcycling
The first step would have been throwing them in the washing machine to felt. The second step would be to cut them into doll clothing components. Both very easy steps, but both were irreversible. The sweaters could no longer be a sweater for someone else who was a little less fussy than me, possibly someone who could really use a free sweater.
I could not bring myself to take that next irreversible step, which led me to research the term upcycling. What exactly is it?
According to Wikipedia, upcycling "is the process of converting waste materials or useless products into new materials or products of better quality or for better environmental value.”
I would not be doing that.
In fact I would be doing the opposite. I would be making a useful object, slightly less useful. Although there are many upcycled crafts that are making useful objects out of what people normally toss, this wasn’t one of them.
Maybe I could consider this recycling. I looked up that definition too (I have a Masters in Environmental Policy, you’d think I’d know these things):
Recycling is a process to change (waste) materials into new products to prevent waste of potentially useful materials, reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reduce energy usage, reduce air pollution (from incineration) and water pollution (from landfilling) by reducing the need for "conventional" waste disposal, and lower greenhouse gas emissions (Wikipedia again).
Although I would be using used fabric instead of new, I would not be preventing the waste of the original product, since its destiny was not the waste stream. So I could rightfully not claim recycled either.
I do not want to judge other crafters, I have no idea what their original materials were before they were "upcycled", but I could not convert my sweaters into doll clothing, I realize that I am using new fabric, which is not exactly an environmental choice either, but using the sweaters would not qualify as upcycling. Repurposed yes, upcycled not so much.
But for now, I am keeping the sweaters in our “Good Will” pile, which should soon be packed up and donated.
But that actually wasn't why I wrote this post. I mostly have an issue of accuracy in labeling if you are going to sell your product as having environmental benefits.