1. Hobbies & Games

Discuss in my forum

Make Doll Clothing for Any Size or Shape of Doll Including Dolls House Dolls

By , About.com Guide

Making miniature clothing for dollhouse dolls either for collectibles or for dress up play for children is much easier using some of the references, fabrics and pattern resources listed below. There are a wide range of clothing possibilities, from knit and crochet, to removable clothing for modern through 1700's dolls and characters. Most resources can be used by a beginner or an experienced doll costumer.

1. Custom Fit a Basic Torso Sloper For Patterns For Any Size or Shape of Doll

Basic flat paper pattern or sloper for the front torso of a female doll, used to make custom clothesPhoto copyright 2010 Lesley Shepherd

You can make patterns for all kinds of dolls clothes for any doll if you begin with a custom fit sloper pattern, an exact fitting pattern for a doll's top, without any seams. Use these instructions to make custom fitted sloper for your doll, then use it to adapt commercial patterns, or clothes, or create pattern pieces for custom clothes and costumes for your doll.

Custom Fit a Torso Sloper to Any Doll

2. Make a Pattern for a Simple Vest for Any Scale of Doll

A simple western vest for a Breyer rider doll made from felt with a one piece pattern.Photo copyright 2010 Lesley Shepherd, Licensed to About.com Inc.

This simple vest can be made first from felt, as a test, then from a range of fabrics or leathers to make various style vests for any size of doll.

Make a Simple Removable Vest for Any Size or Shape of Doll

3. Make a Basic Front Opening Long Sleeved Shirt for Any Scale of Doll

Basic front opening doll's shirt with sleeves is shown worn under a simple vest.Photo copyright 2010 Lesley Shepherd

This basic long sleeved shirt can easily be made with a front (or back) opening. The sleeve length can be adjusted to suit your doll. Try it in a plain fabric first, then experiment with different fabrics and prints.

4. Custom Fit a Basic Pant Sloper for Patterns for Any Size or Shape of Doll

Basic pant pattern slopers custom fitted to a doll and used to make pants and shorts for that doll.Photo copyright 2010 Lesley Shepherd.

Use these instructions to make a custom pants sloper pattern to fit your particular doll. With your pants sloper fitted to your doll, you can adapt the sloper to custom fit a range of pants, short and culottes to the doll.

5. Make Simple Removeable Jeans for Any Size or Scale of Doll

Custom fitted removable doll jeans on a Brenda Breyer model horse rider doll.Photo copyright 2011 Lesley Shepherd

This pattern for simple doll jeans is based on a pattern drawn from a custom pants sloper fitted to your doll.

6. Make Miniature Leggings

Simple doll leggings made to fit any size of doll.Photo © 2012 Lesley Shepherd

Sew these simple doll leggings for any size of doll, using the basic pant sloper pattern to cut the legging sections. You can sew these with no outside seam, or with an outside leg seam, depending on the shape of your doll.

7. Make Removeable Camisoles and Briefs for Any Size or Scale of Doll

Removeable briefs and camisole for a tiny ball joint doll in 1:12 scalePhoto © 2012 Lesley Shepherd

These essential underclothes can be easily hand sewn, even for tiny dolls, if you use the right fabrics. As shown here on a 1:12 scale doll the underclothes are made from a pair of baby tights, this makes them stretchable, without worrying about them unravelling. The briefs can be made for male or female dolls, and with simpler trims the camisole can become a vest.

Make Camisoles and Briefs for Any Size or Scale of Doll

8. Use Toddler Socks to Make Quick Co-Ordinating Fashions for Dolls

Easy knit skirt and hooded sweater made for a doll from socks.Photo © 2011 Lesley Shepherd

A great source of knit fabrics for doll clothing are smaller sizes of knit socks. Learn how to hand sew a quick hooded sweater for a doll, and make a co-ordinating knit doll skirt from a sock leg in less than fifteen minutes.

9. Make a Simple Removeable Dress or Doll Skirt

Tiny handsewn dress and skirt for miniature dollsPhoto © 2012 Lesley Shepherd

This is a great starter project for learning to handsew doll clothes. This simple skirt or dress can be made from 'fat quarters' used for quilting if you can find an appropriate small scale design for your doll. The skirt or dress takes less than an hour to make, even sewing by hand.

10. Fit Patterns to Make Tiny Removeable Shoes for Dolls

Tiny slip on doll shoes in a Mary Jane Style made from faux leather.Photo © 2011 Lesley Shepherd

You can make these shoes for any size of doll from a variety of materials. As shown here the shoes are just over 1/2 inch long, and made from fine flexible faux leather which is easy to produce in any color.

Once you've made the basic shoe pattern for your doll you can adapt it for a number of different styles. The Simple Mary Jane Shoes are a good test of the basic pattern, and can be slipped on and off your doll's feet with the aid of a doll shoehorn

©2012 About.com. All rights reserved.

A part of The New York Times Company.