Ideas for Embellishing Doll Clothes

Ideas for Embellishing Doll Clothes

All Dolled Up doll clothes embellishments for doll clothes fusible applique Joan Hinds Joan Hinds Sewing for Dolls Collection rickrack flower

Embellishing is one of our favorite parts of the sewing process. Those little extras that "make the outfit" are important - whether you're sewing lace shapes on a christening gown or stitching a ribbon motif on a casual outfit for playgroup. This week we would like to share with you two ideas for embellishing doll clothes from designer Joan Hinds' book All Dolled Up. First, learn how to make a pretty rickrack flower and then discover how to embellish a garment using fusible appliqué:

Rickrack Flower

Rickrack Flower
What You Need:
• 3 pieces of rickrack, 1/4-inch wide and approximately 5 inches long
• 3 beads, 5mm
• Sewing thread and needle

How to Create:
1. Insert the needle about 1/2 inch from the end into a peak on a 5-inch piece of 1/4-inch wide rickrack. Insert the needle through each peak until you come to within 1/2 inch of the other end (figure 1). There should be 8 folds in the rickrack for the petals. Pull the needle through the peaks and pull tightly. Connect the ends of the rickrack together and tie off securely at the back. Repeat with the two remaining 5-inch pieces of rickrack.

Figure 1

2. Stitch the beads to the center of each flower with the needle and thread. Arrange the flowers in a cluster and tack to the upper right side of the T-shirt.

Fusible Appliqué 
Instead of a rickrack flower, choose a flower from fabric to use as embellishment on the shirt. Adhere the cut-out flower onto fusible web, then fuse it onto the T-shirt.

Joan Hinds Sewing for Dolls Collection

Check out our new Joan Hinds Sewing for Dolls Collection for more doll clothes inspiration. This bundle includes three books and two DVDs by Joan!

Sew On, Sew Well, Sew Beautiful,
Cyndi and Amelia

Choosing Fabric for Doll Clothes

Choosing Fabric for Doll Clothes

18-inch dolls doll clothes Joan Hinds Sewing Secrets for Doll Clothing

Just like clothing for little girls, fashion for 18-inch dolls has many unique elements. Dresses, shirts, pants, skirts, jackets, sleepwear and accessories are all essentials for a complete wardrobe, and choosing the right fabrics to make these small garments is important. 

Below, we'd like to share some handy fabric-selecting tips with you from two of doll expert Joan Hinds' popular books, All Dolled Up and Doll Fashion Studio:

Flowered Party Dress

Cotton - Many doll garments are made from cotton fabrics, and a lot of cotton prints today are designed to have several companion prints. These make bright, colorful clothes that girls love, like the "Flowered Party Dress" pictured here.

Embroidered Jeans

Denim - For fabrics other than cottons, the weight of the fabric is important. Making jeans for dolls - like the "Embroidered Jeans" - is much easier, and the fit is better, if the denim is lightweight. Another choice for jeans would be a chambray or lightweight twill. 

Knits - Knits are good to use for making doll T-shirts. Many people may hesitate to sew with knits, but they're not difficult to work within the T-shirts since the smaller pieces tend not to stretch as much as larger ones. Sewing with knits only requires a few minor changes:

• Make sure your sewing machine needle is appropriate for knits. 

• The seams in the knit garments are quite short, which helps eliminate stretching. Use a straight or zigzag stitch if using your sewing machine, or stitch the seams with a serger. 

• You may want to try a double needle for hems on shirts and leggings. 

Fleece Vest

Fleece - For fleece garments, stay away from very heavy fleece. If you can find a microfleece fabric, this works the best for doll garments. The fleece used on the "Fleece Vest," with good results, is medium weight. 

Classic Nightgown

Flannel - Flannel prints are good choices for sleepwear, as pictured on the "Classic Nightgown."

Rainy Day Fashion Raincoat

Laminated Cotton - Laminated cotton, which was used on the "Rainy Day Fashion Raincoat," is fabric with a protective finish applied to the surface. Follow these tips to make sewing on laminated cotton easier:

• Only put pins inside the seam allowance when cutting and sewing your fabric. Pins will leave a permanent mark on the fabric. Try using double-sided or cellophane tape to hold the fabrics together when cutting and sewing. 

• Do not press the fabric from the right side because the coating on the fabric will melt. Press only if needed on the wrong side or on the lining side.

• Use a sharp needle, size 12, with a 1/8-inch stitch length. If needed, try a Teflon-coated presser foot when topstitching to keep the foot from sticking.

Scale - Larger-scale prints can look great in doll clothing if they match a girl's outfit. Sometimes, prints have companion fabrics with both large- and small-scale motifs. If you're making matching outfits for a girl and doll, use the larger pattern for girls and the smaller one for dolls. 

Weight - The weight of the fabric will have a bearing on some of the techniques used. For example, some garments in All Dolled Up have a ruffle that is made by doubling the width of the fabric. It is folded in half with wrong sides together and stitched to the garment. The need for a hem is eliminated, and the ruffle has more body. If you're using a cotton fabric for a doll garment, a double fabric ruffle will be appropriate. If you're using a heavier flannel, the doll ruffles consist of only a single layer of fabric. You may need to adjust the pattern depending on your fabric choice. 

Sewing Secrets for Doll Clothing

For more doll sewing tips and tricks, check out Joan's new DVD, Sewing Secrets for Doll Clothing. On this DVD, Joan will show you measure your doll, create a paper towel pattern, match it to patterns in a pattern book and adjust if necessary. She'll also teach you all about tiny tools and notions, fabric tips, pressing tricks and much more!

Sew On, Sew Well, Sew Beautiful,
Cyndi and Amelia

Sew a Cute and Simple Tiered Doll Skirt

Sew a Cute and Simple Tiered Doll Skirt

18-inch doll clothes All Dolled Up doll clothes Joan Hinds tiered doll skirt

Tiered doll skirt from All Dolled Up by Joan Hinds

Do you know a little girl who loves dressing her favorite doll in new outfits? Make her day with this easy-to-construct tiered skirt for an 18-inch doll. Featured in Joan Hinds' fabulous doll clothes book All Dolled Up, this skirt combines coordinating cotton prints, rickrack trim and ruffles to create an adorable boutique look. And be sure to check out the book for instructions on making a matching tiered skirt for a little girl!

Before you begin, note that it's a good idea to scale down the size of fabric prints and notions when sewing doll clothes. Rickrack comes in a variety of sizes too; a smaller size should be used when making this skirt.

The skirt combines coordinating prints, rickrack trim and ruffles.

What you'll need:
• 2-1/4 × 18 inches cotton print fabric for the upper tier
• 2-1/4 × 26 inches coordinating cotton print fabric for the middle tier
• 3-1/4 × 32 inches coordinating cotton print fabric for the lower tier
• 2-1/4 yards rickrack, 1/2-inch-wide
• 10-1/2 inches elastic, 1/4-inch-wide

Constructing the skirt:
1. Press one long edge of the upper tier 1/4 inch to the wrong side. Press again 1/2 inch and stitch close to the pressed edge to make a casing (fig. 1). Set aside.

Figure 1

2. Serge or zigzag stitch one long edge of the lower tier and press 1/2 inch to the wrong side. Sew rickrack over the pressed edge (fig. 2).

Figure 2

3. Gather the top edge of the lower tier following the gathering instructions below and stitch it to one long edge of the middle tier with right sides together. Gather the other long edge of the middle tier following the gathering instructions below and stitch it to the bottom edge of the upper tier (fig. 3).

Figure 3

4. Sew rickrack over the upper/middle tier seam line and over the middle/lower tier seamline.

5. Thread the elastic through the casing and secure the ends (fig. 4).

Figure 4

6. With right sides together, sew the center back seam and press.

Gathering instructions:
• Place the fabric under the presser foot on the stitching line about a seam width away from the edge. Turn the wheel by hand to make one stitch. Pull up on the top thread and bring the bobbin thread to the top of the fabric. Pull both of the threads simultaneously to a length equal to the area to be gathered. Place the threads under the presser foot after giving them a gentle twist. 

• Now adjust your machine for a medium zigzag stitch with a length of about 3.0. Stitch over those threads just inside the seam allowance, making sure not to stitch over the twisted threads. Stop a seam width away from the edge. Pull on the twisted threads to gather the fabric. Since the threads were secured in the beginning, they will not come out. Secure the thread tails by wrapping them around a pin after the gathers are pulled to the correct size.

Ready to take on another project for an 18-inch doll? Check out the great selection of doll sewing books available in our online store! We also have even more ideas for sewing matching dresses for little girls and their 18-inch dolls in the newest issue of Sew Beautiful.

Sew On, Sew Well, Sew Beautiful,
Cyndi and Amelia