Sewing 18″ doll clothes gives immediate satisfaction! You can sew a finished outfit with little effort, time, and fabric! If you are here hunting for some patterns, click photos for Elaine Heigl Designs current 18″ doll patterns.
If you are sewing “in the small” (doll scale) here are a few quick tips to insure you success:
Tips about fabric choices:
Woven cotton is the easiest fabric to sew doll fashions. Below there is a link to check out some doll scale mini prints.
If sewing knits, be sure to use a ball point needle: it’s a must!
You can use iron-on featherweight knit interfacing to back thin, slippery or finicky fabrics. It provides just enough stability. (Handy stuff, I rely on this often!)
Stitching tips and aids:
Since seams for 18″ dolls are usually 1/4″, it’s handy to use a 1/4″ presser foot. (Specialty feet really do make sewing easier!)
When starting to machine stitch a seam, it’s good to hold the thread end. For some reason when stitching 1/4″ seams (especially knits), the beginning stitches and fabric sometimes get caught in the feed dog and won’t allow the fabric to move on. (Problem avoided!)
Have a long needle nearby, it’s a handy (sometimes necessary!) tool to help guide fabric along while machine stitching. I probably use my long needle 50% of my sewing time.
Have fun making doll clothes, Tell us about your experiences in comments. Any advice and questions are welcome!
