Sew the PLUSH LIFE®: a free pinafore pattern

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Today I have a little special freebie pattern for you to make a cute little pinafore and collar set that fits the PLUSH LIFE® animals and dolls. This is a super easy project for a beginner. Also this pattern is great for a seasoned stitcher to teach elementary sewing skills.

I hope you have been enjoying watching the family of my cut-and-sew PLUSH LIFE® characters grow! If you have made PLUSH LIFE® characters, you can dress them up by sewing the cut-and-sew printed fabric panels. If you prefer a commercial pattern, you can adapt 18” doll clothes to fit. The PLUSH LIFE® characters measure approximately 16” tall, and an adjustment in clothing hem lengths can often be all it takes to make some commercial patterns fit.

Want a PLUSH LIFE® dress pattern NOW? Here’s a free one to download, complete with instructions. Click link below for download and ENJOY!

Less that a fat quarter fabric is all that is needed to make one pinafore. Perfect for you quilters that have a stash of fat quarters. Perfect for Spoonflower fans that want to use fat quarters of wonderful fabric designs created by amazing talented designers on spoonflower.com.

The little flouncy pinafore is cute as is…or if you want to let your creative imagination go, trim the pinafore and collar with lots of lace and ruffles. Its so fun to have an excuse to shop the trim department at the sewing centers!

PINAFORE PATTERN

 Check out my collection of small scale prints for doll clothes at spoonflower.com to view fun fabrics of many talented designers. A fat quarter of petal cotton is more than enough to make one pinafore. With some more yardage, you can add to the experience and make a matching outfit for a PLUSH LIFE® friend.

If you have designs at spoonflower that you think would be perfect for doll clothes let me know and send me a link, so I can include your surface art in the collection.

SEW SILLY!

Sew 18″ doll clothes: repurposed fashion

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When shopping for 18″ doll fashion sewing projects, consider thrift stores, consignment, and discounted fashion as some unique sources to find some special fabric contenders. Below are just a few repurposed finds that were used to create special 18″ doll wardrobe pieces.

The pullover sweater made from a pair of leg warmers. The lacy skirt was made using a discarded cami top. The leggings were made using crew socks. (Click: Leggings from socks PDF pattern for a free pdf pattern).

 

Sweaters and socks are great to repurpose to 18″ clothing. For a most realistic 18″ doll sweater, seek lightweight (fine gauge) sweaters. On a recent visit to a thrift store I shopped through a sea of choices!

Strategic placement of the pattern can make use of  the sweater textures and give a realistic look to doll clothing.

 

Tip: Iron on featherweight knit interfacing can make sewing with knits easier for a beginner stitcher.

Iron on feather weight knit interfacing applied to wrong side of sweater knit.

 

Below are twin sets made using Simplicity 8072. The green cardigan is made from a fine gauge sweater from a thrift store. The black and white dot t-top is made from a pair of socks!

 

Before you discard fashion pieces from your closet, consider making them into doll clothes!

For some additional tips on sewing a mini wardrobe, check out this earlier post: Success Tips for sewing 18″ doll clothes.