Hi, Tammy, great video. I thought I'd mention this, but fray check and pinking is an appropriate way to finish doll clothes as well. I use a zig zag depending on the weight of the fabric or if I'm finishing two seams together. Zig zagging one seam can lead to tension issues and puckering, but this can be stabilized with a lightweight paper like medical paper -- as long as you are careful when picking it out. I saw your post on the Blythe Monthly Sewing group, and for lace and trims, you can find a bunch of trims in the scrapbooking section from either JoAnn's, Hobby Lobby, or Michaels. Those are usually more in scale than the trims in the sewing section. I have also purchased a bunch of trims from laceandtrims on eBay (US based as well), making note of the width of the laces. As for seam allowances, I typically print out two pattern pages. For straightforward pieces, I don't, but for pieces that have a tricky curves, I cut one with seam allowance and one without. This has made it easier and more accurate when I sew. If you haven't already, I would recommend purchasing Hanon Satomi's book or any of PoppyW's patterns. Hanon Satomi's book has photographs for every step and technique tips on sewing, and it's a favorite amongst those in Blythe Sews (join us if you haven't!). I learned most of my doll sewing from Poppy's patterns, and I cannot recommend her enough. Hanon Satomi's book has Japanese and English directions, and Poppy's patterns are available in English and Thai. Happy sewing!
I had forgotten about the Hanon book. I discovered it a few years ago, but it was so expensive ($40 was the cheapest I could find it) and I wasn't sewing then. Thanks for the reminder and all the suggestions. There is a Michaels near me but no other craft stores, so I'm very limited & have to buy most items for sewing online. I'm not sure if I get what you mean about cutting out a pattern with no seam allowance. Do you then pin it the fabric and use it as a guide to sew around it? I've noticed many patterns don't have the seam allowance marked, but I could at it like I do with the dots on the fabric. Oh, and I just joined Blythe Sews!
Hi, Tammy! I order my Japanese sewing books on Amazon Japan. With Google translate, it makes the site pretty navigable. Shipping isn't free, but I was able to get two books for about $40-45 including 2-3 day DHL shipping. Some Blythe books are out of print, but some Etsy sellers offer it. Michaels has a lot of scrapbooking trims, so if you can get to one, you can pick out the ones you like. :) As for cutting pattern pieces, I cut two: one with the seam allowance and one without. I usually leave a little edge, so I can match the piece without seam allowance properly onto the one with it. I'll post a photo of it for you on your intro post within the next day or two (I live in Houston - schedule is uncertain for the upcoming week). I usually don't like to give out my personal name on RUclips. Glad you joined!! Everyone there is so nice and supportive. :)
Thanks for posting those pictures. That helps tremendously! I've been wanting the Hanon book for awhile so finally ordered it. $30, including shipping via Amazon, so that's not as high as it was at one time. I have one of the Dolly Dolly books but am waiting until I get a little more basic practice down. I wish the photos in that book were smidge larger.
this is great! i still consider myself new to sewing and sometimes struggle so these tips are valuable. Further, this is the exact kind of pattern i've been looking for, so i'm going to check it out on etsy! Thanks!
I'm glad you found it helpful. The pattern isn't perfect, but it's the best thing I've found so far online. And her free pdf is packed with great info. Good luck with your dolly dress making!
Thank you for these tips! I'm new at this, and I enjoy your style....because you are an academic person! LOL I come from a family of teachers. I am also the kind of person that needs clear instructions! I'll check out what else you have!!! Oh, and also I used to sew a lot too, when my kids were young, but now they're all grown up, and I have NEVER sewn things this small. I was online looking for tips about sewing the tiny curves around the neckline. I'm trying to put on a collar and have to start over!
Thank you for you sweet comments! Sewing this small is very challenging, and I am now to the point where I sew about half of the dresses by hand, especially the curved pieces, and then I use my machine for straight stitches like gathers and hems. It seemed like a pain in the you know what at first to sew by hand, but I kind of like it now that I have gotten used to it, and it probably doesn't take that much more time than using the machine.
Hi, Tammy, great video. I thought I'd mention this, but fray check and pinking is an appropriate way to finish doll clothes as well. I use a zig zag depending on the weight of the fabric or if I'm finishing two seams together. Zig zagging one seam can lead to tension issues and puckering, but this can be stabilized with a lightweight paper like medical paper -- as long as you are careful when picking it out.
I saw your post on the Blythe Monthly Sewing group, and for lace and trims, you can find a bunch of trims in the scrapbooking section from either JoAnn's, Hobby Lobby, or Michaels. Those are usually more in scale than the trims in the sewing section. I have also purchased a bunch of trims from laceandtrims on eBay (US based as well), making note of the width of the laces.
As for seam allowances, I typically print out two pattern pages. For straightforward pieces, I don't, but for pieces that have a tricky curves, I cut one with seam allowance and one without. This has made it easier and more accurate when I sew.
If you haven't already, I would recommend purchasing Hanon Satomi's book or any of PoppyW's patterns. Hanon Satomi's book has photographs for every step and technique tips on sewing, and it's a favorite amongst those in Blythe Sews (join us if you haven't!). I learned most of my doll sewing from Poppy's patterns, and I cannot recommend her enough. Hanon Satomi's book has Japanese and English directions, and Poppy's patterns are available in English and Thai. Happy sewing!
I had forgotten about the Hanon book. I discovered it a few years ago, but it was so expensive ($40 was the cheapest I could find it) and I wasn't sewing then. Thanks for the reminder and all the suggestions. There is a Michaels near me but no other craft stores, so I'm very limited & have to buy most items for sewing online.
I'm not sure if I get what you mean about cutting out a pattern with no seam allowance. Do you then pin it the fabric and use it as a guide to sew around it? I've noticed many patterns don't have the seam allowance marked, but I could at it like I do with the dots on the fabric.
Oh, and I just joined Blythe Sews!
Hi, Tammy! I order my Japanese sewing books on Amazon Japan. With Google translate, it makes the site pretty navigable. Shipping isn't free, but I was able to get two books for about $40-45 including 2-3 day DHL shipping. Some Blythe books are out of print, but some Etsy sellers offer it.
Michaels has a lot of scrapbooking trims, so if you can get to one, you can pick out the ones you like. :)
As for cutting pattern pieces, I cut two: one with the seam allowance and one without. I usually leave a little edge, so I can match the piece without seam allowance properly onto the one with it. I'll post a photo of it for you on your intro post within the next day or two (I live in Houston - schedule is uncertain for the upcoming week). I usually don't like to give out my personal name on RUclips. Glad you joined!! Everyone there is so nice and supportive. :)
Thanks for posting those pictures. That helps tremendously! I've been wanting the Hanon book for awhile so finally ordered it. $30, including shipping via Amazon, so that's not as high as it was at one time. I have one of the Dolly Dolly books but am waiting until I get a little more basic practice down. I wish the photos in that book were smidge larger.
this is great! i still consider myself new to sewing and sometimes struggle so these tips are valuable. Further, this is the exact kind of pattern i've been looking for, so i'm going to check it out on etsy! Thanks!
I'm glad you found it helpful. The pattern isn't perfect, but it's the best thing I've found so far online. And her free pdf is packed with great info. Good luck with your dolly dress making!
great tips thanks for sharing
Thanks for watching! I'm thinking of doing a series of videos on sewing basics.
Excellent tips! Your dresses turned out cute. Since you crochet, you should make some sweaters and hats for your girls!
I've made lots of hats but still working on a sweater. But, yes, it would be cute to put a whole outfit together with a dress and some knitwear.
Thank you for these tips! I'm new at this, and I enjoy your style....because you are an academic person! LOL I come from a family of teachers. I am also the kind of person that needs clear instructions! I'll check out what else you have!!! Oh, and also I used to sew a lot too, when my kids were young, but now they're all grown up, and I have NEVER sewn things this small. I was online looking for tips about sewing the tiny curves around the neckline. I'm trying to put on a collar and have to start over!
Thank you for you sweet comments! Sewing this small is very challenging, and I am now to the point where I sew about half of the dresses by hand, especially the curved pieces, and then I use my machine for straight stitches like gathers and hems. It seemed like a pain in the you know what at first to sew by hand, but I kind of like it now that I have gotten used to it, and it probably doesn't take that much more time than using the machine.
Oh my goodness 😳! What happened?
:)