Tips for Making Doll Clothes and Accessories

Doll clothes are much more expensive to buy than they are to make at home. Since it takes only a tiny piece of cloth to make a doll dress, most outfits cost only pennies to make. The way a dress is embellished can make all the difference, too. You may use the most ordinary cloth in the world, but with tiny faux jewels embedded here and there, the dress can be very impressive.

Remember that you are working with very small, well, everything. Use a smaller needle, daintier thread, the tiniest of stitches and really small notions for Barbie dolls. If you already sew you'll have to forget just about everything you've learned. For example, most people that sew fold a hem over once, then again, to prevent being able to see the raw edge of the fabric. Not so with doll clothing. Fold once, hem, and trim excess cloth/threads. Fray prevention products can be used to keep the outfit from unraveling. Larger doll clothing can be made in the same fashion as people clothing, though.

Many stores will give you swatches of fabrics that you can use to make lots of different clothes. If you're a good customer, who purchases notions at that store, you're even more likely to get some fabric samples. Not to say that you want to get all your fabrics free but if you want to try, say, a new lace they have, ask if you can have a small swatch. Depending upon the swatch size you can make purses, scarves, even stockings.

One quick and easy outfit can be made for a Barbie doll by simply cutting a rectangle of fabric. Cut various sized rectangles to make short dresses, knee-length numbers, or floor-length outfits. Simply hem each side of the cloth piece then stitch elastic in across the bust line and lace across the bottom. Add elastic in the waistline, if desired, for a completely different appearance to the dress. Stitch the side seam and the dress is finished.