Sometimes I want to be in my sewing room but I don't want to sew. That's when I do that planning, choosing and cutting.
For doll clothes, especially if you're going to be selling them, it's good to have a large quantity of things cut out, because the sewing isn't very time consuming. It's not like making a garment for a real person, where fitting might have to take place. The doll clothes fit, and if they're a little loose or a bit snug, the doll does not complain!
Usually I make the same thing multiple times. I have my favorite top, dress, skirt and pants patterns, they fit well on most of the 18" dolls and are easy to make.
In order to keep the patterns in good shape, I often trace them out onto a non-woven gridded pattern paper. Some of this product goes by the name of Swedish Pattern Paper.
After lots of cutting, the corners of small pieces can get kind of ratty looking. If you're not careful cutting, your pieces can get smaller the more you use them!
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| See how the edges curl up? And the side seams are losing a little width. |
I traced my favorite doll skirt pieces onto the pattern paper. This stuff actually sticks to many types of fabric so pinning can be minimal. Too many pins in tiny pieces can distort the fabric so you get seams with jags or points. You can sew around them but then your seams look messy unless you're using the serger.
Tonight while the football game was playing upstairs, I watched Project Runway and sewed 9 pairs of leggings and two tee shirts for my craft fair stock. I was not impressed by the show, however I am getting lots of things done for the October craft show!
Sew on...
