Erin Hentzel - Doll days!: sew an everyday wardrobe for 18 dolls: stylish patterns to mix, match & embellish

Publisher: Amy Marson Creative Director: Gailen Runge Editors: Monica Gyulai and Lynn Koolish Technical Editor: Alison M. Schmidt Cover/Book Designer: April Mostek Production Coordinator: Freesia Pearson Blizard Production Editors: Alice Mace Nakanishi and Jennifer Warren Illustrator: Jenny Davis Photo Assistant: Sarah Frost Style photography by Page + Pixel and instructional photography by Diane Pedersen, unless otherwise noted Published by C&T Publishing, Inc., P.O. Box 1456, Lafayette, CA 94549 Dedication For Ali, whose sense of style inspired many of these designs Acknowledgments A special thanks to my husband, Eric, and my kids for believing in my creativity and being so supportive. Thanks also to my daughters for rekindling my love of dolls; to my students whose enthusiasm for sewing inspires me; and to Roxane, Monica, Nissa, Alison, Kristy, April, Jenny, Diane, and everyone at C&T who helped make my book amazing. Thank you to Andover, Dear Stella, Riley Blake, RJR Fabrics, Robert Kaufman, and Timeless Treasures for providing me with gorgeous fabric; to Riley Blake for cute trims and small embellishments; and to C&T Publishing for giving me the wonderful opportunity to create this book. Introduction The designs in Doll Days! Sew an Everyday Wardrobe for 18 Dolls are extremely special to me.

They encompass my love of classic styles and times gone by (though youll find modern touches throughout). Sewing doll clothes marries two distinct traditions: collecting dolls and sewing. Both seem to start out as play. We receive a doll when we are little, and for some, our love for dolls never diminishes with age. For me, it began with a Sasha doll. As I cared for my doll, I began to play designer, too, and my lifelong love of sewing was kindled.

Like many of you, sewing for my dolls in my room was how I caught the sewing bug. Fast forward to motherhood, and my love for doll sewing was reignited when my daughters received their first dolls and I became the designer. As my girls grew older, the need for doll clothes in our home lessened, but my passion to sew for them did not. So here I am, years later, still designing and sewing doll clothesor, as my family puts it, Moms playing with her dolls again! In this collection, you will find doll clothes patterns and a guide for choosing fabrics and picking trims that will make great-looking doll clothes. Because dolls and their clothes are small, its important to consider scale when choosing project materials. Sprinkled throughout the book are tips specifically for sewing doll clothes and examples of how to modify the patterns for additional looks.

Adding ruffles, using different techniques for hemming sleeves, and incorporating trims are just some of the easy ways you can create fresh designs using the same basic patterns. While all the projects include clear instructional photos and step-by-step instructions, this is not a how to sew book. You need to have basic sewing knowledge to work with these patterns. However, my first book on making doll clothes, Sew in StyleMake Your Own Doll Clothes, includes lots of basic sewing instruction. Although that book was aimed primarily at children, it provides tutorials and information that can help people of all ages learn to sew. You might want to take a look at Sew in Style if you need help with some foundational skills.

All the projects in Doll Days! are rated in difficulty from beginner to intermediate. Here are the basic guidelines: Beginner: A pattern to help further develop the sewing basics; a great place to start to build sewing confidence Confident Beginner: A pattern that builds on the sewing basics; a great pattern for those who have a firm foundation of the basics and are ready to do more Intermediate: A pattern that is moderately complicated and includes more challenging sewing techniques If you are new to sewing from patterns, try some of the beginner projects first. Whether the dolls you are dressing belong to you, your children, your grandchildren, or other doll-loving people, I hope you enjoy sewing these outfits and sharing your talent. ErinFrom left to right: My daughter Ali and her doll in the Modern Vintage Sundress, me and my doll in the Vintage Party Dress, and my daughter Avery and her doll in the Vintage Party Dress. Tools and Supplies Youll need a basic arsenal of sewing tools to make any of the projects in this book. These familiar tools include a tape measure, seam ripper, straight pins, fabric scissors, thread, iron, nonpermanent fabric marker, and hand sewing needles.

Additionally, I highly recommend the following particular items for making top-notch doll clothes. TRACING/PATTERN PAPER All the doll clothes patterns are printed in a special pullout section. Trace the patterns to make your own patterns that you can pin to your fabric when cutting. I like to use Swedish Tracing Paper or Pellons 830 Easy Pattern. Theyre stable enough that they dont tear or stretch easily, but flexible enough to pin onto fabric. This enables you to cut out patterns more accurately than you can with plain white paper.

They also work great for fussy cutting fabric because theyre easy to see through. You can also use a lightweight, nonfusible, nonwoven interfacing. SEWING MACHINE NEEDLES Good-quality machine needles help make sewing more trouble-free. Use the correct needle for your fabric type and weight, and replace it after six to eight hours of sewing for the best results. When your stitches start to go awry and you dont know why, replace the machine needle. Sometimes thats all it takes to get your sewing back on track.

SMALL IRONING BOARD Sleeve boards and mini/tabletop ironing boards work beautifully for pressing the seams on doll garments, especially once those seams are in the round and no longer flat. These small garments dont fit over the end of a traditional ironing board, but they do fit over these smaller boards easily, which makes pressing them less complicated. WONDER TAPE Washaway Wonder Tape (by Dritz Quilting) is a washable, flexible, double-sided sticky tape for sewing. I use Wonder Tape often when working with small projects and notions. Wonder Tape can take the place of pins to keep things in place when basting collars, straps, pockets, and trims. It can also help tame curling edges of stretch knits and help match stripes along a side seam.

I also use it to hold in place tiny items, like buttons, before I attach them permanently. ANTIFRAY SEALANT Antifray sealant has many uses in doll clothing construction. It helps prevent fraying in lace and ribbons and keeps buttonholes from becoming untidy. My favorite is Fray Block (by June Tailor), because it dries very quickly and remains soft and flexible even after it dries. ROLLED-HEM PRESSER FOOT This traditional presser foot makes perfect narrow hems easy. Once you get the hang of it, youll use it all the time for doll clothes.