Dressing Your Doll Tips
Read these 13 Dressing Your Doll Tips tips to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. Each tip is approved by our Editors and created by expert writers so great we call them Gurus. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Doll Making tips and hundreds of other topics.
Can't Find that Lacy Material? Make It
Sew different laces together, top and bottom, to make one piece of material. Then cut your pattern out of that material to have a one of a kind fancy outfit.
Patterns are a lot of Guess Work
Read before cutting. Doll patterns are known for having information missing. Identify all pieces and what you do with them.
Sew 1st, Cut Later
When making very small clothes, copy the pattern onto the material, do not cut out. Sew any seam before you cut out the piece. This gives you a larger piece of material to work with. I learned this trick when making the hats for Donna RuBert`s Wee Little Friends.
Making More Than One
When cutting out several outfits from the same pattern, use different colors or prints. By doing this you will not mix up the pieces and you'll know which pattern pieces go together. A very successful doll clothes seller told me she sells only one design, but uses many fabric patterns and colors.
Working with Difficullt Fiber
When working with slippery material, use clear tape to tape the pattern and material together. This works well on slippery material.
Choosing Print Carefully
When choosing your doll clothes material, be careful you don't pick a print that is too big for your doll. Small prints work best for all sizes.
Do you have it all?
Read through your pattern to make sure you have all the different materials you need to make the outfit. I have one such pattern. The material list included everything, but it was scattered. One yard listed first, then another 1.75 yards of the same material was listed about a page away. I had asked the cutter at the store to cut one yard before I saw the other 1.75 yards. Wastes material.
Finding the Patterns
There are many place to find patterns for your doll. Almost every business that sells molds, sells the patterns for the outfit that doll is wearing. You do not have to buy the mold to buy the pattern. In addition the are many companies that just sell patterns. One such place is Linda Horne's, which you can find at http://www.dressadoll.com/ She is down sizing from making the clothes to selling just the patterns.
Read First
Mark your pattern piece with a note or star or the word stop to alert you to read directions first. Maybe you have to sew on the line, not cut.
Keeping The Pieces Together
When cutting out a pattern for clothing, put the pieces in a plastic zip type of bag. I put the cut material, pattern pieces and directions into the plastic bag. Out the outside I write the name and size of the doll. Even better - cut several and make up baggies for each outfit.
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| Heidi Splete |
