Let's talk about doll clothes for a moment. I have to admit that I never played with dolls much growing up. And being a mom to a little boy, we don't have any traditional 18" dolls laying around the house.
But Elliot LOVES his blue monkey, and sleeps with it every night. I thought this would be the perfect chance to dress him up, just for fun.
The fabric is from Ann Kelle's Urban Zoologie Minis collection for Robert Kaufman. Isn't it cute? I'm tempted to make Elliot some matching shorts!
When I opened up Erin's book, Doll Days! Sew and Everyday Wardrobe for 18" Dolls (affiliate link), I found the perfect little shorts pattern! Here is the Modern Camp Shorts pattern.
The difficulty level of this project is advanced beginner. I printed the patterns from my ebook right on my computer, and resized them to about 90% of the actual size, since I knew my monkey was a little smaller than a traditional 18" doll.
Here is my version! I'm so proud of myself for making this, because I was definitely intimidated by the idea of sewing clothing that is so small. In case you can't tell, this pattern has REAL, WORKING POCKETS. Whoa. Those things are tiny!
What's the different between sewing regular-sized clothes and doll clothes? For me, the main challenge was the number of starts and stops. I did a lot more trimming of threads while I worked. I also used pinking shears to finish the seams instead of sewing raw edges on a serger.
If you are new to sewing clothing, this is actually a great way to get started. Erin's step-by-step directions include photos, so you'll know exactly how to assemble your pieces. Make any modifications you'd like. On my version of the Modern Camp Shorts, I extended the elastic all the way around instead of just in the back, to fit the monkey's tiny waist.
You can learn some garment construction techniques on a small piece of clothing that you can later apply to your own sewing. I've never sewn pockets into a garment before, but after sewing these little shorts, I now understand how they work.
If you are sewing for a monkey, make sure to keep your seam ripper handy, because you might need to make a hole for the tail.
Giveaway!
Want to win a copy of Erin's book, Doll Days? Leave a comment on this post telling me the smallest thing you've ever sewn for your chance to win. I'll choose one random winner on 6/27!Winners living outside the US will receive an eBook version, and winners in the U.S. will receive a paper copy.
Follow the rest of the blog tour!
June 13 Erin on C&T blog
June 14 Amanda on Jedi Craft Girl
June 15 Erin on Dear Stella
June 16 Karen on Karen Mom of Three
June 17 Erin on Sew Mama Sew
June 20 Lindsay on Lindsay Sews
June 21 Jane on Janie Carroll Designs
June 22 Bonnie on Fishsticks Designs
Craft Buds and My Shop
The smallest thing I've ever sewn was a hat for a tiny Baby Jesus. He was barely bigger than my thumb, but my little friend was worried he was cold without a hat. He looked quite warm in his crèche with his soft yellow hat!
ReplyDeleteI tried to make clothes for Monster High dolls. Talk about small.
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ReplyDeleteThe smallest thing I have sewn was a Skipper dress for Babrbies little sister. That was a loooong time ago (I'm old lol). I prefer 18inch doll clothes.
ReplyDeleteI made a scarf, hat and cape for my daughter's 6 inch stuffed llama that she takes to college. His neck is 1 inch in diameter.
ReplyDeleteI've made a couple of tiny dresses for a 4" doll who arrived with no clothes (hand-me-down)
ReplyDeleteThe smallest I've sewn for is clothes pin dolls but I knitted a mouse that fits inside a walnut shell.
ReplyDeleteI made a calico dress for a small 8" wooden doll and the tiny sleeves were definitely a challenge.
ReplyDeleteThe smallest thing I've sewn is a little outfit for our Elf on a Shelf.
ReplyDeleteThe smallest thing I have ever sewn is a dress for my Barbie doll very many years ago. I sure hope someone out there is still enjoying the dress since my mother the doll things away. I have been wanting to make some doll outfits for my granddaughters since they LOVE playing with their dolls and pretending to be Mommy, Nana, or GaGa.
ReplyDeleteThe smallest sewing i have done was for a Kelly doll. That was tiny!
ReplyDeleteI sew dresses for tiny 1.5" dolls for my girl when she was herself a tiny little girl, miss those days. Still have a few of those dollies. christatheron@yahoo.com. Thank you for the chance to win.
ReplyDeleteI haven't sewn anything tinnier than for an 18" doll
ReplyDeleteThe smallest thing I ever sewed was a little hat for a mini stuffed bear.
ReplyDeleteThe smallest thing I have sewn are a pair of doll shoes. Those things are tricky!
ReplyDeleteHi Yonda! Can you please email me your mailing address at lindsay.conner (at) gmail (dot) com? You are the winner of the Doll Days book giveaway at LindsaySews.com. Thanks!
DeleteI design and sew for dolls of every shape and size, and I post my free, printable patterns on Pinterest, FB, and my blog. Probably the smallest thing I've ever sewn for a doll was a pair of panties for an 8" Dorothy doll from a Wizard of Oz collection. But perhaps some of the things I've made for Polly Pocket and Kelly dolls were even smaller. I'm not sure.
ReplyDeleteThe shorts are adorable on your sock monkey! I can imagine that they'll be cute on dolls too. Thanks for taking part in this blog tour, I've been enjoy seeing all the goodies available in Erin's new book.
ReplyDeletePennyT.
My 8" Betsy McCall doll was probably the smallest doll I've sewn for, but some things for the 18" dolls (purses, shoes, gloves) are just about as small as sewing for Betsy.
ReplyDeletePennyT.
The smallest items I have sewn were doll clothes for Barbie, Ken and Skipper/
ReplyDeleteThe smallest thing I have ever made is Barbie clothing. Love the monkey clothes - especially the hole for the tail.
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