DIY clothes for dolls

Tools and decorative elements

To make a wardrobe you will need a “doll designer’s” kit: needles, multi-colored threads, scissors and a measuring tape. A sewing machine will not hurt, and will even simplify some aspects, but you can do without it.

To decorate clothes you may need: lace pieces of clothing, beads, beads, knitted flowers, iron-on stickers and anything else that you can use for decoration.

Features of the pattern

Just like when sewing regular clothes, it all starts with a pattern. You will need to measure the hips, waist, chest, and length of the product to know its dimensions. Do-it-yourself clothing patterns for dolls are not particularly different from ordinary ones, but pay attention:

• Pattern size may vary depending on fabric. If it is knitwear, then the shreds are taken smaller, for a denser fabric - vice versa.
• The cut for the skirt should be made taking into account the pomp of the product. Medium pomp - a piece of fabric is 2 times larger than the measurements received, large pomp - 3-4 times larger.
• do not throw away patterns that are not useful. They can help you in the future and become the basis of another outfit;
• If you are afraid of making a sloppy pattern, make a paper version first.

How to sew

When you already have a ready-made paper pattern and a piece of fabric on hand, it’s time to think about how to sew a dress for a doll with your own hands:

• Spread the fabric on a flat surface and attach the pattern to it;
• You can transfer the pattern onto the fabric using chalk or a small piece of soap. Consider the width allowance on tight-fitting clothing.
• Using scissors, cut out the fabric pattern.
• Process the edge of the lower and upper cut. To do this, fold half a centimeter of fabric and carefully sew it on with a sewing machine. But, if you don’t have a sewing machine, you can do this by hand.
• We sew the patterns together, turning them inside out.

Beautiful clothes for dolls

To please your beloved daughter, you can start creating new outfits for her doll. There are many options for interesting images and principles of sewing things. To get started, you should initially pay attention to the appearance of the doll. Then you can select the type and model of the outfit, choose the material and decorative elements to decorate the finished product.

Variety of dress models

Satin ribbons are especially relevant in terms of decor. With its help you can hide ugly seams, emphasize the advantages of a naiad, or use the tape as a trim or edging. Plus, a strip of fabric will decorate even a fabric that is very boring in color and print.

Outfits for Baby Bon doll: how to sew a dress

Baby Bon are considered very popular dolls due to their unique appearance - they are almost life-size baby dolls of a newborn baby. Girls love to take care of such a little one and even more so to dress her up in different outfits.

How to sew a dress for a doll with your own hands in a few hours:

Baby Born dress pattern

1. Zigzag the bottom hem of the dress. In this case, you need to stretch the fabric to make the skirt fluffy.
2. Sew a line at the top and gather so that this part of the dress is even with the top piece.
3. Sew the top of the dress. Sew bottom to top. Topstitch all seams.
4. Next you need to sew the shoulder sections.
5. Finish armholes with bias tape. You can use satin ribbon.
6. The fastener on the top of the product will be Velcro.
7. Cover the neckline with bias tape.
8. The top can be decorated with an applique made of fabric of a different texture.

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Ready-made dress
The principle of making such a dress for a baby doll is not at all complicated. At the same time, the product partially resembles a sundress.

Felt doll dress

To create a dress for any felt doll you will need:

• 2 pieces of felt;
• threads of a suitable color;
• needle, scissors, simple pencil.

First, take measurements and size marks from the presented toy. Place the doll on a piece of felt. The height of this piece should be approximately equal to the desired length of the dress. Measure the width of the torso on it with a small margin and cut off the excess.

Make another similar piece. Fold the blanks together and then in half along the length of the future product. Make a cut along the fold. Starting from it, a semicircular neck is made and a silhouette is formed.

Making a felt dress

Typically, such outfits are made for dolls that are unique in shape, namely tildas and centipedes.

Making a dress

The last step will be stitching the parts together. There is no need to process sections on felt - the threads do not fray in these places.

Dress or skirt made from a sock

A sock outfit for a doll is the easiest way to create clothes that even a child can do. To work you need only 1 tool - scissors, and only 1 sock as a material. Additionally, you can take tape.

Material for work

You need to cut the sock in the place where the expansion to the heel begins. You need to take the part where there is an elastic band. It is along the elastic band that the satin ribbon is sewn, which is secured with a bow.

Ready product

This outfit option is suitable for Monster High and Barbie dolls.

Outfits for Barbie doll

The basic shapes for a dress are a rectangular silhouette that can be smoothed out with accessories or textile inserts. You can sew a simple dress for Barbie using a simple pattern:

Simple dress

You can use any fabric to sew a straight silhouette dress. To slightly diversify a simple model, it is worth taking several scraps of fabric in a bright color, which will be in maximum contrast with the main tone of the textile.

Royal evening dress

The most popular image for a doll is a princess. Sewing such a dress is quite difficult, since the outfit will definitely consist of many details, it will require the creation of darts and a lot of time will be spent on decoration. An approximate version of a royal outfit could be the following pattern:

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Royal dress option

There are many types of royal evening gowns. You can use another version of the pattern as a sketch:

Princess' dress

In any case, the “doll princess” will look colorful and bright if you decorate the finished dress with beads, rhinestones, and glass stones.

Retro dress for Barbie

The vintage version of the dress has its own distinctive features in comparison with other copies. Firstly, the colors. Typically, fabric with a bright floral print or polka dots is used. Secondly, the silhouette itself. This is usually a strapless top or with straps on the shoulders, and a full skirt that resembles a tulip. To sew a vintage dress, you can prepare such details by first overlaying the fabric sections.

Blank

Next, the skirt is prepared. You need to sew the fabric along the larger side with a fine basting seam and tighten the thread a little. You will get the following version of the part:

The principle of skirt formation

The next step is to sew the skirt and top together along the joining line only. Sew thin Velcro on the back. The finished product looks like this:

Ready-made dress

A retro-style handbag can be an excellent addition to your look. To make this accessory, you can also choose a suitable pattern.

Sewing Tips

Making clothes for a Barbie doll with your own hands does not require much skill, but you should still follow some rules:

• The doll's body is the same shape as a human's. That is, clothing should be the same as human clothing, but smaller in size. At the same time, when sewing clothes for a doll, keep in mind that small items require more care. On small items, holes, inaccuracies, and clumsy stitches are much more noticeable.
• one mistake or inaccurate movement of the scissors can ruin the entire piece of fabric, so it is better to make patterns on paper first. Cardboard is used for such patterns.

Necessary materials for sewing

In order to sew dresses for dolls you will need:

• sewing supplies (needles, scissors, threads);
• scraps of fabric or small pieces;
• pattern of clothes for dolls.

If you have no sewing experience, try first on easier-to-sew models - these could be simple straight dresses, simple skirts and tops. Don't forget that dolls, like people, can have different sizes and heights.

First, determine what exactly you want to sew for your doll, find a pattern for the outfit you need, and make a model. You can initially sew a sample outfit from calico and try it on the model. This way you can understand whether you will sew what you want or not.

If you still doubt whether you should take on this venture, we recommend that you read the step-by-step instructions on how to sew clothes for a doll.

To transfer a pattern onto fabric, we recommend using special chalk for patterns or a simple soap, which is always on hand in the household. The good thing about soap is that it can draw on any texture of fabric.

What fabrics are preferable for sewing doll clothes? Natural fabrics are considered ideal - cotton, linen or wool. Remember that the thinner the fabric, the better the stitching will be. The seams on such products will be thinner, the cut will be neat.

What to do if you don’t have sewing patterns at hand? How to sew clothes for a doll? Perhaps you can't find a suitable pattern on the Internet? Here are a couple of tips on how you can do without ready-made patterns.

In order to sew a dress at the waist for a small doll, you can wrap the body of the selected doll with ordinary baking foil (every housewife has such foil).

Directly along the figure, draw horizontal lines along the sides, back and chest with a pen. Using manicure scissors, you need to cut the foil along the lines and divide it according to the drawn details. Trace the resulting patterns on paper.

To sew trousers or leggings, wrap the doll's legs with foil. Draw lines along the side, inside, front and back seams. Cut the foil from top to bottom. Carefully transfer the details onto paper.

To sew a full skirt, you just need to cut a small strip of fabric and sew it. Gather directly at the waist.

To sew clothes for a doll with sleeves, use foil again. Draw all the lines on the doll. Carefully cut and transfer the resulting parts onto paper.

The style of the future outfit

The style of the future outfit may depend on the gender of the doll, its size, build and purpose of the outfit.

Baby dolls will suit wider clothing. Clothing for girl dolls should be elegant and beautiful, while for boys it should be more formal.

Depending on the purpose of the clothing, the style may also change. Loose, simple items without decorative elements are suitable for a home wardrobe. For business clothes (office wardrobe), choose muted tones and a more formal style.

You can direct all your imagination to evening dresses. There are no restrictions on colors and decorations, so you can decorate as you please.

How to make a dress and skirt

You can make any dress for a doll, just use a little imagination. You will need fabric, sewing tools and fasteners.

Before you start sewing, you need to take measurements from the “model” and decide how long the skirt, bodice to the waist and chest circumference will be. Using these measurements, you need to cut out two rectangles from the fabric, which will make a bodice and a skirt.

Finish the bodice by putting it on the doll, and sew on the bottom of the dress, gathering it a little. All that remains is to sew on the straps and clasps. We get a ready-made dress for Barbie with our own hands.

Sewing a skirt for a doll is even easier, and the variety of styles is limited only by your imagination. Long, short, different pomp, various belts and decorative elements. From the sizes you need to decide on the length and circumference of the waist.

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We make a pattern of two rectangular elements - a belt and a hem, process it, sew on the belt and clasp. DIY clothes for Barbie are ready.

Summer sundress for Paolochka

Dolls with the name Paola are large-sized toys. A distinctive feature of such a doll is that all shapes and parts of the body resemble as much as possible a small girl. You can sew a sundress for such a toy as follows:

Sketch

1. You need to make a sundress bodice. To do this, it is enough to make only 3 parts - the front and 2 side ones, from which the straps extend.
2. The skirt is formed separately and consists of 2 layers of the main one and a tulle lining. Cut out rectangles of the same size. Sew together along the larger side using a basting stitch. Tighten the thread slightly.
3. Sew the finished bodice and skirt together using a sewing machine.

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To make it convenient to put a sundress on a toy, you should come up with a fastener for the bodice. These can be buttons, buttons, Velcro.

Urgent sewing of new clothes

Every parent has encountered a situation when it is necessary and not an hour later. And the problem arises of how to quickly sew clothes for dolls with your own hands. Everything is quite simple.

You don't even need tools or patterns. You will need a doll and material for sewing. Lay out the fabric on a flat surface, attach the doll and mark the places where the armholes should be. We cut out the designated places, add a belt to the dress and there is another outfit in the wardrobe.

Difficulties will arise only with the creation of trousers. And then they consist of the need for free time (15 minutes) and a sewing machine, but the latter can be easily replaced with a needle. As in the previous case, we take the fabric, place the doll on it and trace it.

To avoid additional difficulties, we take stretch, because it is the fabric that has the necessary characteristics. This fabric will hide imperfections and minor cut errors.

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DIY shoes for Barbie

In terms of making accessories and clothing, the most incomprehensible thing is sewing shoes. A lot of questions arise regarding what to make it from and how. An example can be seen in sewing boots for Barbie:

1. From elastic fabric, cut 2 pieces in the shape of the legs. The length of the parts should end 0.5 cm below the fingers.
2. Wrap the workpiece around the leg and sew it so that it fits tightly around this part of the limb.
3. The seam should be placed at the back, its length should reach the heel.
4. Make a sole out of cardboard and bend it to the shape of your foot.
5. Place the cardboard blank on the doll’s foot and, after cutting the edge of the boot, glue it to the sole.
6. Glue another final sole and heel on top, which is made from a wooden skewer. The wooden skewer needs to be covered with cloth.

Boots
You can also sew sneakers for Barbie. To sew the upper of the sneakers, you can use denim or other thick fabric. For the sole, a canvas made of light textured rubber is suitable. For the toe, heel and frame, you should use eco leather. Eyelets are needed to decorate the lacing holes.

Sneakers

The pattern has 4 parts: insole, toe with tongue, sidewall. To obtain the insole, trace the doll’s foot on thick cardboard, cut it out, transfer it to cardboard and cut it out too. Make the top of the insole from fabric by tracing the foot pattern with an allowance of 5 mm. Attach a piece of paper to the side of the foot and, measuring the desired shape and size, draw a pattern for the sides. You can make the sides with the back one-piece, from one piece. The pattern for a toe with a tongue is constructed in the same way.

Important! At the bottom of the toe you need to give an allowance for the thickness of the sole.

Afterwards, all the parts are assembled using the gluing method. In addition to sports shoes, you can make a backpack or cap. It is enough to use regular patterns, reducing the scale of the details.

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Knitted wardrobe

Using a hook or knitting needles, you can significantly diversify a doll's wardrobe: shawls, scarves, knitted items, jewelry, decorative elements. Such clothes have their pros and cons.

On the one hand, it is durable. A child will not be able to accidentally spoil the finished product, so it is suitable for any age. These clothes are washable, so don't be afraid to get them dirty. You can use threads of different thicknesses and textures to create winter or summer outfits.

Different techniques and knitting patterns allow you to create various jewelry and outfits with a variety of patterns. Everything is limited only by imagination and the availability of threads. And you can either buy new threads or unravel old sweaters.

Among the disadvantages of this idea: the activity is quite complex, so it is difficult to attract children to do it. It takes a lot of time to make a product. The outfits are very small, so it takes a lot of effort and skill to make them using knitting needles or crochet.

Paper wardrobe

Paper and cardboard are quite actively used in the process of making clothes for dolls. To avoid mistakes and damaged scraps of fabric, paper patterns are first made, but these are not all the options for using paper when sewing doll outfits.

It can also be used directly as a sewing material. But the most suitable material for this undertaking will be corrugated or felt. They can be used for sewing and have good elasticity.

However, such clothes will be extremely impractical to use for fabric dolls. And the child will have difficulty putting it on the doll.

When making clothes from corrugated paper, you can do without a paper pattern, because the material itself is a paper pattern. Therefore, corrugation greatly simplifies the sewing process, eliminating the need to make an additional pattern. But when working with felt, it is advisable to use a paper pattern first.

The disadvantage of a paper wardrobe is that it is not suitable for small children. Paper clothes tear quickly, so they are best used for older children who play carefully.

Crochet dress for Princess Anna doll

You don't need to go through a very detailed tutorial to recreate Princess Anne's outfit. You need to choose the right colors of yarn and hook with the corresponding number. You need to take some black, blue and pink yarn. For embroidery you need green and beads.

The principle of creating an outfit:

1. Knit a skirt from blue yarn. Make a chain of air loops, which is then closed into a ring. By adding loops in each row, the hem widens towards the bottom.
2. Starting from the waistline up, knit a bodice from black yarn. Make embroidery based on it.
3. Knit a cape from pink yarn using the same principle as a skirt, but you don’t need to close the chain into a ring at the very beginning.

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Knitted outfit

The main thing is to decorate the outfit correctly.

Photos of clothes for dolls with your own hands