Christmas is all about giving, loving and sharing. ‘Sew’ I’m thrilled to be able to give you a massive 20% discount off my How to Sew Doll Clothes Video course.

This means that you can learn all the tips and tricks that take the frustration out of sewing small doll clothes so that you will love sewing doll clothes for your children or grandchildren and you can share the joy of watching them play with their gorgeous new doll clothes this Christmas!

My course will also make a wonderful gift for someone special in your life who would love to learn how to sew.  As well as learning the basics of sewing, they get to make some really cute doll clothes they can play with.  Just imagine the pride they’ll feel when their friends see what they made themselves!

So if you’ve been thinking about taking my course or purchasing it as a gift for someone else, then now’s the perfect time!  As well as receiving over 130 instructional videos and 8 free doll clothes patterns (9 if you include the tights pattern that comes with the Pumpkin costume) for a short time only, you’ll also get 20% off the retail price.

You also get to choose whether you do the course ….

• Online so you get instant access to all the course material and bonus patterns for 12 months,
• Purchase the DVD Set so that you have a hard copy to keep forever and perhaps use it with the grandkids when they want to learn how to sew,
• Or if you want 12 months online access via your iPad or tablet so you can watch the videos as you sew and you want a hard copy to keep forever, then The Best of Both Worlds is just for you!

To take advantage of this awesome offer simply enter the coupon code Christmas20 during checkout.  Offer expires December 25, 2015.

Ready to get started?  Click here to purchase my How to Make Doll Clothes video course now.

Merry Christmas and happy sewing

As you all know, I love receiving photos of the doll clothes you make from my doll clothes patterns and seeing the wonderful fabric choices that are made.

The first to share photos this month is Noelene who has been very busy making an enormous wardrobe for Belle, one of our Australian Girl dolls and the fabrics she used are really gorgeous, in most cases it has turned a simple summer dress into a stunning dress.  I really love the simplicity of the halter dress that she has made from my halter top pattern, it is understated elegance!

‘I have altered some patterns to accommodate the material. The halter top became a dress cut on the cross, the nightie a dress with more fullness and longer and the angel dress a cut off A-line dress. Pyjamas    were given a Chinese collar to match the slight oriental tilt of the material. I found a wonderful material shop in London during a recent visit with lots of fun sparkly and embossed materials, some were just offcuts which took some careful pattern placing.  The white brocade A-line dress has the opening on the shoulder and under the arm. 

Like a lot of your clients it is a long time since I have sewed and I have had so much fun making these dolls clothes. Thanks for making it so easy. I am especially pleased that my granddaughter was thrilled with both the new doll and all her new clothes at the recent 4th birthday.

Keep up the adventure, Noelene’

Next to share her sewing experiences is Alicia and I’m thrilled to hear that she has gained sewing skills and confidence after working through my How to Make Doll Clothes Course.

‘Hi Rosie – I am absolutely loving your sewing course!   Before I came upon your site, I’d created a few simple things around the house, like square curtains and a blanket for my daughter’s doll, but could never quite get straight lines or even hems.  I’m so terribly impractical and not very handy that the basics you’ve been teaching have been extremely helpful.  I’ve watched through Week 4 now and am waiting to make the doll clothes until I’m done because I’m benefitting from these tips – even pin direction and how to use the cutting board and rotary cutter.

Today I decided to practice cutting straight lines and sewing 1/4 inch hems to make a pincushion like the one you have (out of a pillowcase I got at a thrift store).  I’m attaching a picture.   I’m very proud of how straight my seams came out!  (It’s not quite flat in the picture).  And the pincushion is so super-handy that I’m going to make a couple as Christmas gifts.  You have great ideas and a wonderful way of breaking down the steps involved in sewing.

Thanks again! Alicia’

And finally, I’m smiling from ear to ear as I copy and paste this adorable photo from Betty Ann showing a cute summer nightie with a matching  beanie – love the little froggy print J

‘Hi, the pattern is your nightie and my crazy beanie hat.”☺️ ‘

Thanks again to everyone who has shared their sewing experiences and sent in photos as they really do provide inspiration to others.  It’s all about, encouraging people to give sewing a go and having fun.  And I’m looking forward to receiving photos of all your Halloween costumes to include in future Share and Tells.

Now don’t forget my Halloween special too, if you purchase a Halloween doll clothes pattern for either 18 Inch American Girl or Cabbage Patch Kids before October 31st, you get to choose any pattern from my collection to be added to your online membership absolutely free.  After completing checkout, just send me an email telling me which pattern you would like for free.

Happy sewing

I received the following email from Gail and I’m sure that it’s something a lot of people have thought about so I’m sharing my reply to Gail in this blog and perhaps others would like to add their experiences and advice in the comments below.

‘Now that I am retired, I have been sewing a lot more. I have a 7 year old granddaughter that I have been making doll clothes for.  I want to make extra income, is there money in making doll clothes and how and where do I sell them? Is there money in doll quilts? Thank you for your time.’

I started selling my doll clothes at local markets and on Ebay (Etsy wasn’t really big in Australia 14 years ago when I started).  I loved going to the markets and meeting all my customers, especially the little ones as it was wonderful watching them excitedly picking out the outfits they wanted.  The early mornings and all day tied up at markets on the weekends wasn’t ideal because I couldn’t watch my son play sport, however when my daughter was a little older she enjoyed coming with me and helped set up and man the stall.   You may find that your 7 year old granddaughter would love to help you at the markets – what a terrific bonding time that would be.

Different markets worked better than others and different times of the year were better than others e.g. Leading up to Easter and Christmas markets were always a huge success.  As to what sells better, well that depends on the customers a great deal.  Some weekends I would sell all the stuff that had been sitting around for 6 months or so and other weekends, it would be all the newer things.  I do know that parents tend to be season conscious so would select summer things in summer and winter things in winter but the kids, if left to choose their own outfit, would choose whatever they liked.  Another tip I have is that pink and purple are by far the most popular colours, I’ve had gorgeous outfits in yellow or green and they have sat on the shelf for ages so make lots of things in pink and purple!

After doing the markets for a while I set up a very basic website as Ebay didn’t have a ‘shop facility’ back then so you couldn’t sell more than one of the same thing in the same listing and loading each product individually was a lot of work, and as I mentioned Etsy wasn’t really around in Australia back then.  When starting out online, you would probably be best to try Etsy first as they are set up with everything you need and have Google presence.  There is a lot involved in setting up a website and getting it onto the first page of Google so that people can find you.  My first year online was really hit and miss, spending money on Google Adwords and listing my website on any free directory that I could find to help get my website to the first page of Google.  I continued to do the markets as at least people were able to see my clothes and I always made sales.  As my website presence and sales grew I made the decision to invest in a better website and thankfully, my sales have continued to grow each year and I now buy in shoes, accessories and some clothes to compliment what I make.   I gradually did less and less markets and for about 7 years now I have been selling online only.  This is great in that it gives me more time to work on my doll clothes patterns and I don’t have to load and unpack the car every weekend, but I really miss the personal contact with the customers and other stall holders – markets are a real ‘social event’.

When doing this blog I realised that the only  photo of my time at the markets was the shot of my tent above that I took when I first got my sign made with my original logo and I attached it with Velcro tabs so it would hang across the front.  So I thought I would get together some of the stuff I used to take with me and took this photo.  I started off small but by the end, I used to take 3 fold up tables, a tent, at least four boxes of doll clothes and shoes, dolls, my hanging rack and heaps of hangers, price tags, table cloths, chairs, esky and water bottle to keep me going all day, bags, business cards, etc, etc….. you get the idea.

So to answer my original question, yes I do believe that you can make money selling doll clothes and how successful you become depends on how much time you want to put into it.  But if you are thinking about giving it a try, my ‘How To Make Doll Clothes’ online course would be the perfect place to start!

I know that some of my doll clothes patterns customers sell at market stalls or on Etsy so it would be wonderful if some of you would like to share your experiences and advice for Gail in the comments section below.

Happy sewing

We all love to dress up at Halloween, ‘sew’ why not take advantage of my Spooktacular Sale and whip up a cool costume for your doll so she can join in the fun too!

Buy one of my Halloween Doll Clothes Patterns for 18 Inch and American Girl or Cabbage Patch Kids dolls and get ANY Pattern FREE!  Yes, purchase a Halloween Doll Clothes Pattern before October 31 and you get to choose any pattern from my whole range of doll clothes patterns to receive FREE.  If you purchase two Halloween patterns, choose two free patterns…you get the idea.

That’s a saving of up to 50%.  And if you choose the wedding dress pattern as your free pattern, you save more than 50%.

To claim your FREE doll clothes pattern, simply send me an email after purchasing your Halloween doll clothes pattern and let me know which pattern you would like FREE so that I can add it to your online membership.  Just give me up to 24 hours to do this because I may be on the other side of the world and fast asleep when you send your email.

Don’t forget to tell me if you want the free pattern in the 18 inch and American Girl size or the 18 ½ inch Cabbage Patch Size pattern.

Click here to choose your 18 inch and American Girl Halloween Doll Clothes Pattern.

Or Click here if you want to purchase your 18 ½ inch Cabbage Patch Halloween Doll Clothes Pattern.

Happy sewing

I promised to show you Sharon’s gorgeous 18 Inch American Girl Doll Clothes Wedding Dress and here it is!

This is the first wedding dress that Sharon has ever made and she certainly made it a dress to remember.  Sharon used my 18 inch and American Girl Wedding Dress pattern with lace sleeves and lace overlay on the bodice.  She then designed and made a detachable train and then spent many hours embellishing it all with beads and lace.

This was Sharon’s first attempt at beading and you certainly would never know.  Even the veil is adorned with pearl beads!

Sharon explains, ‘The dress was hand beaded by myself it took me about 200 hours to do the dress and the train. The dress and train have over 600 pearl beads. Over 8,000 seed beads and 18 pearl buttons.  The hem of the dress sleeves and train were hand beaded with white pearl seed beads and it is done in a braid stitch and all the hems are adorned with fine lace.   Most of the dress was hand sew.’

You can’t see it in this photo but the pearl buttons go all the way down the opening at the back.  Sharon obviously has an embroidery machine too as she has embroidered the letter ‘L’ for ‘Love’ on the end of the train which gives it a truly romantic and regal feel.

‘I curled the hair myself and then put it up with bobby pins and embellished it with rhinestones and little silk flowers.’

This photo shows Abigail’s fancy ‘updo’, some of the pearl buttons down the back and the gorgeous embellishment at the top of the detachable train.

This beautiful ensemble has been finished off with a sweet bouquet, tiny purse, pearl necklace and bracelet, and a sparling tiara.  Abigail must feel like a real princess in this dress.

Sharon tells me, ‘This dress is for competition so I had to make sure it was perfect, it’s going on the circuit starting in August.’

Thank you so much Sharon for sharing all these photos and explaining what has gone into creating this truly spectacular wedding gown.  I wish you all the very best with the competition circuit and we would all love to know how you go so please keep us updated.

Happy sewing

It’s time to twist and shout!  Yes, the 50’s Vintage Dress doll clothes pattern for 18 ½ inch Cabbage Patch dolls is now available.

I want to thank all my wonderful Cabbage Patch doll clothes patterns customers for being soooo patient as I’ve taken a little longer to release this 50’s Vintage Dress pattern but I know you’re going to love it.

Just like the 18 inch pattern, I’ve included all the variations so you can make lots of different dresses that will all look absolutely gorgeous!   You can make a pretty party dress with puff sleeves or a sweet sun dress without sleeves.  Make it with a collar for a little style or without a collar for a more casual look.  And I’ve also included the pattern variation so that you can make it long as well as short.

Use shiny satin, rich velvet, overlay lace or fancy tulle on the bodice or the skirt and add some sparkly ribbon or glittery trim for a more elegant evening gown.  For the classic 50’s look, make the dress without sleeves and add the sweet Peter Pan collar.

I’ve added a white belt and some white buttons to make this dress really ‘pop’.  Or you can add lace to the edges of the puff sleeve or to the hem of the dress for a super cute look.  The combinations and variations are endless.

This pattern is a joy to sew for the beginner to intermediate sewer – you will be sewing around curves, hemming a circle skirt and working with elastic for the sleeves but Rosie will show you every step of the way.  Yes, as with all my patterns, this pattern comes with 12 months access to my step-by-step video instructions which make it even more fun to sew.

Click here to get your pattern today!

P.S.  I’m trying to be a little creative with my photos and would love to know if you like the garden photos or would prefer to just see the outfit on the doll without the background.

Happy sewing

One of my wonderful customers and now friend, Sharon, purchased my 18 inch and American Girl  50’s Vintage Dress pattern and wondered if it would look nice with a petticoat under the long dress version.  So she set about making this pattern and sent it to me as a special thank you for some help and encouragement that I had offered.

What can I say?  I was truly touched by her kindness and enthusiasm and asked if I could share it with you all.  Being the generous sole that she is, Sharon gave me her blessing as she would love to share her creativity.

This pattern will also fit the 18 ½ inch (46cm) Cabbage Patch dolls.

So let’s get started!

Materials

1. 24” X 4” (60 x 10cm) piece of neutral cotton or broadcloth
2. Half meter of neutral tulle (netting)
3. 5.6 meters of ¼” (6mm) neutral ribbon
4. 10” of ¼” (25cm of 6mm) elastic
5. Neutral thread
6. Scissors
7. Cutting mat, rotary cutter & quilting ruler is recommended when cutting the Tulle, however scissors can be used
8. Elastic puller or safety pin
9. Straight pins

Directions for cutting

1. Cut a 24” X 3 ¾” (60 x 9.5cm) piece of cotton or broadcloth
2. Cut a 3” X 36” (7.5 x 90cm) piece of Tulle
3. Cut (3) 3” X 60” (7.5 x 150cm) pieces of Tulle

N.B. I found these measurements perfect when displaying the doll on a stand and making the dress longer so that it touches the table. If you do not want this extra length, you may need to reduce the width of each piece by ¼ “ (6mm) and this will shorten the petticoat by 1” (2.5cm). It is better to have the petticoat at least ½ “ (12mm) shorter than the dress unless you specifically want the net showing.
If you are making this petticoat for the Australian Girl doll, please use the measurements as listed as the Aussie Girl is a little taller.

Directions for sewing

Make Casing

1. Make casing by folding the top piece of cotton over by ¾” (2cm) and crease with steam iron.
2. Now fold open and turn over very top by ¼” (6mm) do not steam over ¾” (2cm) crease. Press and turn over, steam casing seam in place.
3. Stitch carefully just catching the casing edge. Reverse stitch on both ends.

Gathering & attaching Tulle

1. Set machine stitch length to longest setting and on the 36” (90cm) piece of Tulle stitch two rows, one being just over ¼” (6mm) and the next row just under ¼” (6mm).
2. Pull on top threads and gather to make a 24” (60cm) long ruffle.
3. Pin to bottom of cotton and stitch between gathering rows being careful not to stitch over gathering threads. Use a regular stitch length with ¼” (6mm) seam allowance.
4. Now do steps 4 & 5 with the 60” (150cm) piece of Tulle gathering to 36” (90cm) in length.
5. Attach to 1st layer of tulle and stitch with regular stitch length ¼” (6mm) seam.
6. With remaining two pieces of tulle begin gathering first row. When you come to the last 4” (10cm) of tulle overlap with second piece and continue sewing. Repeat for second row.
7. Gather up to 60” (150cm) in length.
8. Pin to second row of tulle and with regular stitch length sew ¼ ” (6mm) seam.
9. Admire what you’ve done so far and pull out all your gathering threads.

Finishing seams & touches

1. Set machine to zig zag and finish your seam lengths.
2. Still on zig zag, stitch ribbon to the two middle seams. I lay the ribbon using the seam as a guide laying the ribbon over the centre of the seam.
3. Run your elastic through casing. Place straight pin at one side so elastic does not pull through the casing.
4. Stay stitch both ends once elastic is in casing.
5. Run ¼” (6mm) seam up back centre petticoat.
6. Zig zag the seam to finish edges.
7. Try Petticoat on Doll, take pictures with your cell phone and text all your friends. You’re done!!!

Sharon Leamy lives in Thornhill Ontario Canada (a suburb of Toronto). She is a mother of two grown daughters and grandmother of two granddaughters. Sharon volunteers as a seamstress and sews and designs clothes for the Canadian Centre for Abuse Awareness and is a member of the “Heart & Soul” sewers – a group of dedicated and talented women who volunteer their time to make garments for abused women & children which is then distributed throughout Canada.

Other interests include creating recipes for the municipal food network, gardening, doing machine embroidery and working on the annual Turkey drive, coordinating recipients for turkeys at Christmas for families with low incomes.

Thanks so much Sharon for sharing this pattern with us all and I love your sense of humour.

In my Next Share and Tell blog I will also be sharing some photos of a gorgeous wedding dress that Sharon has made, it will be sure to make you go ‘Wow’!

Happy sewing

Because Christmas is during summer here in Australia, us Aussies love to celebrate Christmas in July when at least some of the country has snow. And the best way to celebrate is with a Jolly 20% discount off everything in store!

If you want to learn how to sew or want to learn some awesome tips that take the frustration out of sewing small doll clothes, then now’s the perfect time to get started!

Until the end of July I’m offering a massive 20% off the retail price of my How to Sew Doll Clothes video course which also includes 8 bonus doll clothes sewing patterns with step-by-step video instructions.  Yes, that’s right, you can join me online, purchase the DVD set or get the ‘Best of Both Worlds’ from as little as $37.60 and you’ll be sewing beautiful doll clothes in no time at all.

And the celebrations continue…….until the end of July you also get 20% discount off the retail price of ALL my doll clothes patterns which include PDF pattern pieces, PDF written instructions and LIFETIME access to step-by-step video instructions where I show you how to make the outfit – so I’m right there with you every step of the way.

To take advantage of this jolly deal, simply enter the coupon code JollyJuly during checkout.

Offer expires July 31, 2015.

Ho Ho Ho Happy sewing

Yes, it’s finally here, my 50’s inspired Vintage Dress doll clothes pattern for 18 inch and American Girl dolls!

Now I wasn’t around in the 50’s, but I have always loved the soft, feminine and stylish elegance of the fashion of this time.   Needless to say, I had so much fun designing this 50’s Vintage Dress and making all the variations.

The best part about this pattern is that there are soooo many variations and they all look absolutely gorgeous!   Firstly, you can make a sweet dress with puff sleeves, use shiny satin, overlay lace or fancy tulle on the bodice and add some sparkly ribbon for a beautiful party dress that any birthday girl would be honoured to wear.

Make the long version with or without sleeves and add a trim around the waist for a stunning evening gown.  Oh, and you could use velvet, fancy tulle overlay or sparkly fabric for the skirt to make a very regal statement!

For the classic 50’s look, make the dress without sleeves and add a sweet Peter Pan collar.  I’ve added a white belt and some pearl buttons to make this dress really ‘pop’.

Now for cuteness overload make the dress with both the puff sleeves and the Peter Pan collar!  Add some lace, buttons or ribbon, or all three for a totally cute dress.  Use contrasting fabric for the bodice and the skirt and add a ribbon or belt around the waist for another totally different look.  OMG the variations just keep coming!

This pattern is a joy to sew for the beginner to intermediate sewer – you will be sewing around curves, hemming a circle skirt and working with elastic for the sleeves but Rosie will show you every step of the way.  Yes, as with all my patterns, this pattern comes with LIFETIME access to my step-by-step video instructions which make it even more fun to sew.

The pattern will also fit the 20 inch (50cm) Australian Girl doll ® and the 17 inch (43cm) Baby Born doll ®, although you may like to shorten the hem an inch (2.5cm).

Click here to get your pattern today!

And for my Cabbage Patch ® customers, this pattern will be available soon so stay tuned.

Happy sewing

Well there seems to be lots of Cabbage Patch Kids featured in my Share and Tell blog this month, and they’re a pretty cute looking bunch too!

Jennifer has been super busy making lots of new outfits for her sister’s Cabbage Patch doll.  Seems like the Pinafore dress has been a bit of a favorite!

‘Here Rosie is my lasted Cabbage Patch Clothes finally dressed on the appropriate child as my sister would say. Just wanted to share and say thanks for all you do. I just picked up sewing at first just as a hobby but it’s turning into something more and I enjoy every minute of it. Looking forward to future patterns.’

 Barb has done my How to Sew Doll Clothes Video course and she is ‘On Fire!’  She has sent in several photos since the original email and they are all gorgeous! All I can say is, ‘You go girl!’

‘Hi Rosie

I have been a self-taught sewer for 40 odd years and watching your videos. I have learnt so much. Thank you for making my sewing days a lot easier.  I am on fire. I made 2 Halter neck tops, plus I have cut out several patterns.

My son called in to see me and he said I can see how happy this is making you. That touched my heart.

Thank you, thank you thank you.  Barb.’

Belinda found she has a family of 7 Cabbage Patch dolls of all different sizes and she had a major challenge in front of her to clothe them all without stressing out!

Yep, Cabbage Patch Kids have been made for many years now by different manufacturers and because they are a cloth body even dolls that are the same length and produced at the same time are often slightly different is girth due to the differences that can happen during the stuffing process.

Well, the good news is that Belinda has been doing my How to Make Doll Clothes video course and she’ll probably find that most of the 18 ½ inch Cabbage Patch Kids bonus patterns that come with the course will fit the smaller 16 inch Cabbage Patch Kids dolls as well without too much adjustment, perhaps just a shortening of the hem or strap.

This is her 16 inch doll wearing the nightie – only the straps needed shortening.

And now to the 18 inch and American Girl dolls and their latest fashion pieces!  First we have Michelle who had a very successful sewing day with her four girls.  They used up Mum’s sequin stash and did an awesome job!  I look forward to seeing more from these girls.

‘Hi Rosie

Pic of the girls efforts.  Thank you, our dressmaking was a success!

Regards

Michelle, Eve, Jadah, Anique & Lana’

Next is Peggy, who is a regular contributor to my Share and Tell page and she often sells her doll clothes at markets.  We can see why, they are simply wonderful!

‘Hi Rosie,

Just saw your blog and remembered that I used your pattern to make doll coats when I was home over the Christmas holidays. Thought you might like to see them. I used your fur trimmed jacket pattern and lengthened it to make coats. I then found a beret pattern to make matching hats.

The fabric was a stretchy furry pile. For the cuffs I just turned the fabric inside out and it worked out really well. The little girl these were made for had gotten a new doll for Christmas and wanted winter coats and nighties and slippers for them. I heard she was quite thrilled with her new outfits.  Peggy’

Thanks to everyone who has sent in photos and shared their sewing experiences.  It’s truly wonderful to see what you have created and hear the story behind it.

Happy sewing