adajohn010: sewing for your dolls

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Friday, October 12, 2018

Quick and Easy Skeleton Costume for a Doll

newblogger October 12, 2018 0 Comments

How to make this doll's costume from recycled plush and plastic.

This is a good idea for reusing some of your old holiday plush. Why not unstuff it and make quick doll costumes for a doll's party? It takes so little effort and the results are inspirational. Before you know it, you can create an entire cast of characters for a doll play, parade, or trick-or-treat adventure.

Above is the skeleton novelty plush and skull
with plastic arms that I used to make a quick,
simple doll costume for Barbie and Ken's son.

Supply List:

small sharp scissors
snap or Velcro
black ribbon or seam binding tape
stuffed novelty plush
plastic skeleton parts
threads to match
No-Fray (optional)

Step-by-Step Instructions:

First measure the length and width of a doll that you wish to make this costume for. Compare these measurements to the length and the width of the stuffed novelty plush. Are the two similar? If so, you will be able to un-stuff the plush and use it for your doll.
Next, you will need to use small sharp scissors to clip off the end pieces of the arms and legs. Try to remove very little of these and tack their edges under using a threaded needle, if possible.
Clip off the head of the skeleton as well so that your doll may be fitted properly to the costume. You will also need to clip a 1'' seam down the backside of the plush in order to work the doll in and out of the body suit.
Remove all of the cotton filling from the plush.
I folded a small black ribbon around the edge of the opening in back and ran this up along the neck and back down the other half of this cut, sewing it in place with a black thread and needle so that the raw edge would be covered. Raw edges can tear and run after just a small amount of use, so these must not be ignored. You could use a No-Fray or No-Sew glue around these raw edges if you finishing such tiny seams is too difficult or time consuming for you.
Attach a snap or a piece of Velcro at the back to hold the costume closed while your doll is wearing it.
I cut the arm bones from the plastic skeleton, (above right), with a sharp pair of scissors.
Then I threaded a sharp needle with twine and attached a piece of it to either side of the skeleton's mask so that I could tie it at the back of my doll's head with a simple knot and bow. Now this boy Barbie doll is ready to go trick-or-treating with his doll parents or perhaps he can wear the costume to a party or march in a Mardi Gras parade!

In this video, learn how to make: a skeleton, ladybug

and pumpkin doll costumes for your 18" American Girl dolls.

More Trick-Or-Treat Fun:

Saturday, September 29, 2018

Sew Bean Bag Chairs for Your Doll

newblogger September 29, 2018 0 Comments

Rachel and her twin sister, Rosie, are lounging
on their bedroom bean bag chairs.

These bean bag chairs are sewn using fleece so that the material will not unravel while a young crafter is working with it. I used solid, bright colors that will blend into the colors of the twin's bedroom. However, these chairs can look very different depending upon the material you select for them.

In the past, I have seen people stuff them with perishable products like beans and rice. I would not recommend that you do this because these food stuffings will attract pets, mice or insects to your doll collections. If you do not have the pocket change to purchase plastic pellets, the best alternative is cotton batting.

Read about the history behind the bean bag chair

Cut pieces for the bean bag chair are marquise shapes.

Supply List:

matching threads and needle
plastic pellets to stuff the bean bag chairs with
felt or fleece scraps
pattern (below)

Step-by-Step Instructions:

Download and print the free pattern below.
Cut out the marquise shape and pin it directly to the fabric of your choice. Repeat this step 6 times.
If you are using a no-fray fabric like felt or fleece, you don't need to include a seam allowance.
Sew two sides together from tip top tip until you have sewn all of six marquise shapes together leaving an opening of inch so that the bean bag may be turned right-side-out.
Stuff the bean bag chair with plastic pellets and then sew shut the small opening with a invisible stitch.
Sew on the flower shapes using either a whip stitch or a blanket stitch on each end of the soft chairs.

Left, the twins are enjoying their new bean bag chairs. Center, the cat likes them too. Right, time for hide and seek!

Free pattern for a flower bean bag chair.

# crafts for a doll bedroom # sewing for your dolls

Friday, September 28, 2018

DIY Conical Hats for Fashionable Princesses

newblogger September 28, 2018 0 Comments

Learn to craft colorful, fancy cone shaped hats for each of your fashion dolls.
Trim them with silks, ribbons, embroidery etc...

The conical hats are called hennin;
read more about them at Wikipedia.
Above, Hans Memling's painting of
a young woman with a black velvet
lappets and a conical shaped hat.

The headdress in the shape of a cone or "steeple", or truncated cone were worn in the late Middle Ages by European princesses and women of the nobility. Various writers on costume history use hennin to cover a variety of different styles. Almost all agree that the steeple-cone style was the original hennin. You can make these theatrical looking princess hats for all of your Barbie dolls!

Supply List:

cardboard
masking tape
hot glue gun and hot glue
needle and matching threads
silk scraps, scarfs, transparent fabric scraps
ribbons to match
cotton balls
tacky craft glue
one large paper clip
decorative thin silk ribbons (8 inches per hat)

Step-by-Step Instructions:

Download and print out my pattern below. Cut the pattern out.
Trace around the hat pattern onto a stiff piece of cardboard and cut this out.
Roll and shape the cardboard into a pointed cone and glue it with the tacky craft glue
Use a paper clip to hold the cone together while it dries.
Cover the entire cone with masking tape. This will hold the steeple shaped hat into place should it get wet during play.
Stuff the inside tip of the cone with a cotton ball to help the cardboard keep it's peeked shape.
Cut a piece of silk fabric slightly larger than the pattern provided, approximately 1/4 inch around.
Roll this around the cone with it's right side facing the cone. Pin the edges together.
Sew a straight seam up the side of the fabric to a point.
Remove the silk cover and turn it inside out so that the straight seam is now on the inside of the fabric cover.
Now insert the cardboard form and hot glue the lower edge of the fabric to the inside of the cone neatly all the way around the edge of the hennin.
Cut two squares of veil fabric to attach to the top of the hennin with a needle and thread. These square may be as long as you like.
Pull the threaded needle through the centers of each square to neatly layer these together while attaching them to the tip top of each covered hennin.
Hot glue a ribbon on each side of the conical hat so that you can tie it onto the doll's head securely. The ribbon should measure approximately four inches in length on each side of the doll's head.

Barbie wears a gold lamé hennin with a sparkly star veil to compliment her pale pink dress trimmed with gold and white accents.

Each of our fashion dolls have hennins to match their princess gowns.
There are three versions photographed here in hot pink, purple and gold lamé.

This lovely princess wears a steeple headdress trimmed with embroidery.

Above is a free pattern for the body of the hennin.
Measurements for the veil are included in the instructions above.

A cone shaped princess hat DIY

tutorial from Chelly Wood.

# DIY doll hats # Playscale or Fashion Doll Scale

Thursday, September 27, 2018

Spaghetti String, Summer Top for A Curvy Fashionista

newblogger September 27, 2018 0 Comments

This sweet little summer top is finished off with tiny blue embroidered flowers. I cut and attached these
from a repurposed kerchief. This baby sock fits my curvy Barbie perfectly.

This summer top with spaghetti string shoulder straps was made from a recycled baby sock and a bit of embroidery transfer. The cuff of the sock is used here as the waist edging on the doll. The toe of the sock was cut away and the raw edges were finished with a tacky white glue. As soon as the edges were dry, I finished these with blanket stitching all along the top of the garment. Then I attached some yarn at either shoulder to act as my spaghetti string straps.

# Playscale or Fashion Doll Scale # sew doll clothes

Sew Sock Slacks for Fashion Dolls

newblogger September 27, 2018 0 Comments

Each pair of sock slacks have cute little belts made from
embroidery floss and beads.

Make cool weather slacks for your fashion dolls from recycled long ribbed socks. Our versions may be made either by hand or on a sewing machine if you prefer.

Supply List:

ribbed socks: grey or charcoal
white embroidery thread
regular thread
tacky craft glue or no-fray
beads
long paper tube

Step-by-Step Instructions:

Measure the length of your doll's legs and add two additional inches to approximate the length between it's belly button and it's crotch.
Cut this measurement from the top of a ribbed sock down.
Turn the sock clipping upside down so that the finished edge becomes the bottom edge of the slacks.
Insert a long paper tube inside the cut sock so that you can apply tacky or no-fray along the clipped edge without the glue coming in contact with any other surface. Let it dry.
Remove the tube.
Now measure approximately two inches down from the waist edge and mark this point with a stick pin.
You need to then sew two straight seams down the center of your sock approximately 1/4 inch apart. You can do this by hand or on a machine. Sew over these seams again to insure that these are tight.
Take a sharp pair of scissors and cut between the two rows of straight stitching to form the right and left sides of your doll's slacks.
Hand-stitch the two rows of straight seams together just above the crotch.
Turn the slacks inside out and finish the top waist edge with a blanket stitch using embroidery floss.
Fit the sock slacks to your doll by sewing a long piece of embroidery floss around the waistline with a large straight stitch.
Tie off each end with a bead so that the slacks tie won't slip out of place.
Tie the floss belt in an attractive bow.

Left,
sew two straight seams down the center of your sock approximately 1/4 inch apart. You can do this by hand or on a machine. Sew over these seams again to insure that these are tight. Center, Take a sharp pair of scissors and cut between the two rows of straight stitching to form the right and left sides of your doll's slacks. Right, Hand-stitch the two rows of straight seams together just above the crotch.

# Playscale or Fashion Doll Scale # sew doll clothes

adajohn010

Friday, October 12, 2018

Quick and Easy Skeleton Costume for a Doll

Saturday, September 29, 2018

Sew Bean Bag Chairs for Your Doll

Friday, September 28, 2018

DIY Conical Hats for Fashionable Princesses

Thursday, September 27, 2018

Spaghetti String, Summer Top for A Curvy Fashionista

Sew Sock Slacks for Fashion Dolls

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