What you'll need to sew your own doll clothes:
Patterns. New or old.
Most of my patterns are old--half at least are from the seventies and eighties--Mom made all these outfits a long time before I ever did. But you know what, they still work as good as they ever did. And fashions come and go. And while I thought wide-leg pants were *horrible* in the early 80s...by the mid 90s I was so pleased to have this pattern :) And really it's all about making it your own. You can vary up everything. I did keep adding to the pattern collection. Our fabric store was fairly good about having 99 cent pattern sales once or twice a year.
The thing with patterns. I sew by hand. Some patterns are perfect for sewing by hand. They're nice and simple. Instructions written clearly. Nicely illustrated how-to's. Others are much more complex. And the booklets almost always--especially the newer patterns--assume you're using a machine. I think it's easier to sew such tiny clothes by hand. More maneuverability and you can really get in there and know what you're doing. There are some vogue patterns that are WAY WAY WAY over my head. And they are complex enough that they want you to have inner linings for the clothes--which is just bizarre.
I probably have twenty or so patterns. Most of them are copies of copies of copies of copies.
Patterns are as thin as tissue paper. So if you don't trace off your pattern on notebook paper or typing paper...or better yet notecards or cardstock...you're patterns will have so many holes from pin pricks that if you even look at it funny, it will fall to pieces. So I *prefer* to trace and/or scan patterns before I use them.
Fabric. The fun part. It doesn't take much fabric to sew for Barbies. With a quarter of a yard you can have several items--shirt and pants and skirt, and most likely a dress too. Shorts are easy to squeeze into too :) So buying several fat quarters in fabrics you like, will give you a nice place to start. If you're like me, you'll end up with bag after bag after bag after bag of fabric. It's addictive. You'll see fabric and you'll imagine what it would like made. Also the remnants are a good place to look in the fabric store.
Then you'll need scissors, thread, pins, and needles. A seam reaper comes in handy :) And I prefer velcro to snaps. But that's a personal preference thing :) For older patterns you're probably going to need tracing paper and a tracing wheel--for all those darts!!!
A word about darts--patience is critical--and you will always, always have to strike out on your own. Following the instructions to the letter can leave you with flappy darts--and Barbie doesn't like that one little bit. So really keep her nearby so that bodice can be fitted properly. And don't be afraid to keep sewing the seam over and over again until it's just right.
The more you sew, the more you know. You'll reach a point where you don't even look at the instructions and you're mixing and matching and changing this and that and you're really free to do whatever you want and know that it will somehow come together and look just the way you want it too.
A word about threading needles. You don't have to SEE well to sew. Though that may seem contradictory. Threading needles is an act of blind faith. Really. I couldn't see the hole the thread is supposed to go through if my life depended on it. Yet it is almost instinctual. Maybe not first try. Maybe not second. But sure enough, it always goes through.
Word about sewing in general--no matter WHAT--it will never, ever, ever be exactly perfect. Most of the time you can make it work...it may not be by the book....but it's good enough. It's not like these clothes EVER have to face the strain of going through the wash. :)
© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews
