Apr 4

Apr 4 The Devil is in the Details

Sewing and knitting for my dolls has been quite the journey. There is no point in denying I am a big fan of making clothes for my dolls, but as you possibly have heard me say before, this wasn’t always so. It has been a beautiful upward trajectory of adding detail, learning about different needles and seam treatments as well as developing a perverted passion for hand sewing.

Waldorf-inspired doll clothing, by fig & me.

Sewing for dolls is a rewarding activity partly due to the minute aspect, as you’re not wrangling 7 yards of fabric for a full skirt. But, the small size can also pose cursing-hazards when your machine chews up a seam or you lack enough material to hold on to whilst sewing. All fun times friends, all fun times!

The fact that half-a-yard can net you a full doll dress, with puffed sleeves, an ultra-full skirt and even linings is a marvel to behold. Try to make a human version and you will be surprised how much fabric can be eaten just by the skirt. Your pocket will appreciate you at least learning to sew for the doll people first. Humans later.

As you can see in these photos, there is top stitching, peter pan collars, sleeve bands and plackets, belt loops, mock button bands, pleats, wide hems, straps, waist bands, patch pockets and side-seam pockets, even brass heart studs and handmade button loops.

The fabrics are also not your run-of-the-mill doll variety. Thick and sturdy cotton duck canvas, appropriate for farm wear and soft but hard-wearing jean fabric for the blouse. Try sewing four or six layers of that overall fabric with your simple 70/10 universal needle and see where that gets ya!

We added a “tape measure” loop to her waist band as she might have to leash herself up to a lamb or two, or perhaps put her secateurs on a loop as she trims the hedges and prunes the fruit trees. All possible ideas, you know? Must think ahead.

Now, size of pockets, placement, length of collars, length of sleeves, button selection. All these will take you on a full journey friends. When I was a naive doll dressmaker, I thought the design of the outfit was the hard part, how to come up with the shapes that fit nicely? But I was wrong.

The hard part is the simple thing: how long do you make the sleeve? how wide do you make the collar? which buttons will she like best? do we make the pocket tiny or large enough to hold butter candies?

Such important considerations that might elude you the first time around. I swear.

And don’t even get me started on knitting those pretty pink socks. Ah! turning heels can be so fun, but not when you are learning to use double-pointed needles. I highly recommend you learn to use them with something less heart-pumping such as boring sleeves or plain tubes. This wasn’t my first rodeo using them but knitting socks for dolls is hard enough, give yourself some leniency and learn with easier things first.

I must confess this pair of socks was “in progress” for a little over an eternity. There was a bit of frogging (un-knitting your knitting) and a bit of despair, but in the end the dolls always win. She wanted “real socks” (I am not even sure if this fit the bill to be honest but I am going to pretend they do for as long as she’ll let me) and armed with soft wool yarn and tiny needles I came up with these. Ribbed so they grab her legs and don’t let ankle-munching bugs get to her. Quite long too, they fold pretty nice.

Ginny has one more outfit to show you. The thing we made first, the thing that took more of that time deciding lengths and options. But she loves it and I couldn’t be happier.

I hope Ginny has the time of her life nursing lambs to full size, planting bulbs, cleaning mucky stalls, chasing after cats, harvesting eggs from the coop and enjoying the simple pleasures of living in tune with nature.

Maybe her Mom can make her pretty Easter dresses as I seem to have run out of time. She likes, no…she loves smocking, just so you know 😘.

PS. If you would like to learn to sew for dolls, I have a few patterns in my store that fits dolls of many sizes. You can find them here.

If you learn best with videos, there is an entire 2-year series on Patreon at the moment, which you can access via the monthly $10 tier. Plenty of options, sizes, designs and techniques to learn over there. Visit my Patreon channel here.