I'm taking a moment away from my beloved Silkstone Barbies, Fashion Royalty, Momokos and doll town to show some projects I will be working on with my larger dolls on my other dolly blog Pumpkin Hill Studios . This has to do with my ball jointed dolls, and my American Girl dolls. I have long wanted to do not only more sewing for my fashion dolls, but for the larger dolls as well. One of the things I began to do was hoard, er, collect, patterns that I found for free or low cost on ebay and Etsy. One major site is Liberty Jane
Liberty Jane has a Freebie Friday if you sign up for their newsletter and you have one day to download the pattern. I have already collected some great free patterns for a beginner such as jean skirt you can upcycle old jeans for their fabric, doll t-shirts, and a prairie dress like the type Laura Ingalls wore. I have successfully sewn their sundress from one of these free patterns and for someone who is a dolt like me using a sewing machine- I handsew everything because, amazingly, it is easier for me that way. I have very little patience for my machine! I think this comes from my perspective, of thinking backwards- some patterns are even hard for me that might be simplistic for others. I find that taking paper and sculpting it onto the dolls' body gives me a better outline to work with than someone else's patterns. That is one thing I am attempting to overcome. I had someone tell me that this is a gift what I do- I don't know about that. I fiddle with the fabric like a sculptor does versus like a phenomenal seamstress does. I guess because I am so used to clay. So yeah, that is my backwards contribution to sewing, lol..
I had recently received a copy of a free pattern some of my Barbie club members received at the last convention and decided this weekend to try it. I love the strapless sheath dresses of the 60's. It turned out ok, but the bodice part is weird. I used a lovely lavender/purple cotton fabric.
This is my market day Silkstone modeling the sheath I finished. The bodice buckles a bit in the front and it was not really clear where your darts and all should be as there were no instructions, just the pattern pieces printed. So I played with it a bit. It does not lay nice and flat in the back so I may redraft the bodice top, the skirt is really nice.
I was pleased with the front but no so much with the back. I have also been attempting another vintage pattern, but had to scrap it. Like I said, sewing with patterns is a problem for me, I have been trolling sewing sites to educate myself on sewing terms like slopers, darts, tucks, etc.
Right now I have some vintage Skipper patterns on the way, and waiting for them to arrive. This ebay seller sells reproductions of the actual vintage patterns with free shipping, so if the pattern is good I plan to order more from her and will recommend her site here. Happy Sewing!~Lisa
Liberty Jane has a Freebie Friday if you sign up for their newsletter and you have one day to download the pattern. I have already collected some great free patterns for a beginner such as jean skirt you can upcycle old jeans for their fabric, doll t-shirts, and a prairie dress like the type Laura Ingalls wore. I have successfully sewn their sundress from one of these free patterns and for someone who is a dolt like me using a sewing machine- I handsew everything because, amazingly, it is easier for me that way. I have very little patience for my machine! I think this comes from my perspective, of thinking backwards- some patterns are even hard for me that might be simplistic for others. I find that taking paper and sculpting it onto the dolls' body gives me a better outline to work with than someone else's patterns. That is one thing I am attempting to overcome. I had someone tell me that this is a gift what I do- I don't know about that. I fiddle with the fabric like a sculptor does versus like a phenomenal seamstress does. I guess because I am so used to clay. So yeah, that is my backwards contribution to sewing, lol..
I had recently received a copy of a free pattern some of my Barbie club members received at the last convention and decided this weekend to try it. I love the strapless sheath dresses of the 60's. It turned out ok, but the bodice part is weird. I used a lovely lavender/purple cotton fabric.
This is my market day Silkstone modeling the sheath I finished. The bodice buckles a bit in the front and it was not really clear where your darts and all should be as there were no instructions, just the pattern pieces printed. So I played with it a bit. It does not lay nice and flat in the back so I may redraft the bodice top, the skirt is really nice.
I was pleased with the front but no so much with the back. I have also been attempting another vintage pattern, but had to scrap it. Like I said, sewing with patterns is a problem for me, I have been trolling sewing sites to educate myself on sewing terms like slopers, darts, tucks, etc.
Right now I have some vintage Skipper patterns on the way, and waiting for them to arrive. This ebay seller sells reproductions of the actual vintage patterns with free shipping, so if the pattern is good I plan to order more from her and will recommend her site here. Happy Sewing!~Lisa
