One of my wonderful customers, Debbi, has sent me another great tip that she learnt way back when ‘Knitwit’ was the sewing craze here in Australia (sometime in the 70’s and 80’s) to help preserve her original patterns.

Debbi prints her pattern pieces out using standard copying paper and keeps this as her ‘master copy’.  She then pins or tapes a Chux cloth over the printed page and traces over the pattern pieces with a black Texta or pencil.  The Chux pieces are then cut out and carefully rinsed to get rid of any excess ink and then Debbie uses them as her ‘working’ pattern pieces when cutting out her fabric.

Debbie tells me these Chux pattern pieces are easier to pin to the fabric and will last for many years while your ‘master copy’ remains in perfect condition and is always available for future use.  Now that I think about it, these Chux pieces are similar to the interfacing or Easy Trace (costs about $1.50 /m in Australia) that I use as my pattern pieces when designing patterns.

So I purchased some Chux this week and gave it a try.  I found I had to be careful with the Texta as it went through the holes and marked whatever was underneath but it was certainly easier to see than the pen or pencil which made cutting it out easier.  It was definitely easier to pin to the fabric than the paper pattern pieces and the pins did not damage it like they do the paper.

Tracing the original paper pattern onto a Chux cloth

Showing the results using a texta and then pen on Chux and pencil on interfacing.

Chux and interfacing pattern pieces ready to use while keeping the ‘Master’ copy in perfect condition.

So thanks Debbi for sharing this tip with us, whether you use a Chux cloth or interfacing, it certainly will make cutting out your fabric a little easier and keep your pattern master copies in perfect condition.  If anyone else has little things they do to save time or make their sewing easier, please send me an email and I will share it in a future blog.

We all love learning tips and tricks that make sewing easier because that makes it more enjoyable and my How to Make Doll Clothes video course has tons of tips that take the fear and frustration out of sewing small doll clothes.

Happy Sewing

by Rosie Saw

My popular sarong doll clothes patterns in both 18 Inch American Girl and Cabbage Patch Kids are now available with the option to make a short or long sarong.

I had to make an evening outfit for a customer at very short notice (like, I had 1 ½ hours to make it and get it in the post for her) and it had to be red!  So quick and easy was the first priority when choosing the pattern, but it also had to be stunning enough for the doll to shine at her formal engagement.

Well, I got out all my red fabric (I didn’t have time to go to the shops) and laid it all on the table, dismissed those pieces that just didn’t look formal enough and played around in my head with what was left.  I knew the halter top pattern looked great as a formal top when I used satin as I sell a halter top and petti skirt on my other website and it looks stunning (unfortunately, I was out of the red petti skirts at the time).  So I just needed to make an evening skirt.

Yes!  The sarong pattern is so easy to make and all I had to do was make it look elegant.  I added about 3 inches to the length and because the fabric I used was see through, I cut out a lining as well but I cut it slightly shorter.  I hemmed both pieces and stitched them together at the top before overlapping the front and making the casing.  I put the outfit on the doll to check out the results, but something was missing.  I quickly rummaged through my draws of knick knacks and found an old bracelet that was broken, pulled it apart and glued a pearl bead where the stone was missing.  A few stitches later and the outfit was complete. I just had time for a quick photo before wrapping it up and getting down to the post office.

The customer and I were so thrilled at the result that I just had to let you all know how easy it is to use an existing pattern and by making small adjustments or simply using different fabric, you can create an outfit that looks totally different.  Who’d have thought – beach patterns for evening wear!

The great news is that I have added this extra option onto my existing sarong pattern of both the 18 Inch American Girl Doll Clothes Pattern and the 18 ½ inch Cabbage Patch doll clothes pattern.  Now it will be even easier for you to make this short sarong into a long sarong/elegant evening skirt because when you purchase this pattern, the two options will be there.  Or if you have already purchased the pattern or my online course in the last 12 months, simply log on and you can print out the new updated version.

Happy Sewing