Doll clothes patterns

Doll clothes patterns are available to purchase in many fabric stores, but I have not yet satisfied. Using inexpensive fabric, I experimented with new items until I had some that fit.

This sounds scary, I know. But actually, it allowed for greater freedom when sewing dolls clothes to fit "exactly the way you pictured them in your mind." Sometimes I had to resize and sew up a muslin item many times before getting it to fit well. In other instances, I got things "right the first time."

Designing your own patterns allows you to incorporate your own style ideas into the clothes. For instance, I made a dress with only one sleeve, and added a vinyl belt that fastens with Velcro. I also created a night shirt pattern that has sleeves cut right in. For that reason, they did not have to be sewn in separately.

This worked out well, because I have never really enjoyed sewing sleeves onto the bodice of a garment. Also, I prefer to put an elastic waistband on pants so that it is easier to slide the pants onto the dolls. Being able to adjust patterns, I was able to include this elastic waistband feature on the doll pants.