Yes, over the last month we have been working behind the scenes (with the help of my wonderful web guru) to make my website Mobile Friendly.  This means that you can now easily browse my website, purchase new patterns, log in and view my videos on your phone without having to use your fingers to zoom in…..WoooHoooo!

And while we were at it we did a few styling changes too.  What do you think of our new ‘Steps to Complete your Outfit’ page?  We hope that this will make it easier for you to download and save your doll clothes patterns and to view the Step-by-step video instructions.

You may also notice a slight change to the way your menu works when you log in.  This is so exciting for us because we had some customers who had purchased my online course and ALL my patterns and they were experiencing problems due to the menu not being able to cope.  This was a major concern for me because I feel it’s so important that all my customers have a great experience when they log into my website.  So when my web guru found the solution it was cheers all round and a huge sigh of relief from me!

So although we’re pretty sure that we have checked everything, please let me know if you come across something that is not working correctly so that we can fix it pronto!

I hope you all enjoy these little changes and updates to my website.  Now it’s time for me to get back to doing what I love best – designing my new pattern!

Happy sewing

Since the release of my Pinafore, Dress and Skirt pattern a few weeks ago, I have received many emails asking if I would be doing a pattern for a blouse to go under the pinafore.  Well, I’m thrilled to announce the release of my new Blouse Doll Clothes Pattern suitable for 18 ½ inch Cabbage Patch dolls.

The puff sleeves are just adorable and with the addition of the contrasting trim at the neck and cuff, this blouse is sure to be a favorite with all little girls and their dolls.

This is a great pattern for both summer and winter as both the short and long sleeve variations are Included.  You can also spice the trim up with tiny rick rack or leave the trim off – the choice is yours.

This is the perfect blouse to mix and match with a jumper, skirt, pants or pinafore – it’s truly a must have addition to your doll’s wardrobe!

This is an easy pattern to make and can be made using cotton, cotton blends, or any light weight woven fabric.

When you purchase this pattern you get access to the pdf pattern pieces, written instructions and of course, my step-by-step video instructions.

Click Here to get your pattern now!

Happy sewing

Mix and match items are essential in any doll’s wardrobe and I’m thrilled to be releasing my new Blouse Doll Clothes Pattern suitable for 18 inch and American Girl dolls.  And because I’m an Aussie, I’ve included pattern pieces for the 20 inch Australian Girl doll too!

Every little girl loves puff sleeves and with the addition of the contrasting trim at the neck and cuff, this blouse is sure to be a favourite (Aussie spelling) with all little girls and their dolls.

This is a great pattern for both summer and winter as both the short and long sleeve variations are Included.  You can also spice the trim up with tiny rick rack or leave the trim off – the choice is yours.

What will your doll wear this blouse with?  A jumper, skirt, pants or pinafore – it’s truly a must have addition to your doll’s wardrobe!

This is an easy pattern to make and can be made using cotton, cotton blends, or any light weight woven fabric.  When you purchase this pattern you get access to the pdf pattern pieces, written instructions and of course, my step-by-step video instructions.

To get your pattern now Click Here.

18 ½ Inch Cabbage Patch Kids size blouse pattern will be coming soon.

Happy sewing

Wow, I truly love writing these blogs.  I get so much joy out of receiving your photos showcasing all the gorgeous doll clothes you have made and it is such a privilege to share some of these photos with you all.  Seeing the fabulous modifications and fancy trims is a real treat.

Melanie has been making dolls and doll clothes for her granddaughter who is a very lucky little girl.  The rag dolls are 20” tall and Melanie tells me that my 18 Inch American Girl doll clothes patterns fit perfectly which is fantastic to know.

These two cuties are wearing modifications of my summer dress pattern.  ‘The plaid dress is a cropped bodice with gathered sleeves and trim. The tights are really just little girl tights I bought and cut a length off (about 6″) and then sewed two zig-zag up the middle and cut between the stitching.  Then turned right side out.  Pretty easy! The floral dress has different trim and a slight capped sleeve.”

I think Melanie has done an awesome job and I’m sure her granddaughter is thrilled.

The next photos are simply stunning!  Sherry has been very busy and…

“made the wedding dress a couple of times already.  The videos were a great help.  I just wish all the videos could’ve been combined into one, but I’m sure there are others that prefer each task in a separate video.  All in all, it was a great experience and the dress fits great.  I did change up the pattern for both dresses.  I’ve attached photos of one.

Thanks, Sherry”

I love the train Sherry has added to the wedding dress, it’s absolutely gorgeous!  Did anyone else see all that fabulous fabric neatly arranged on her shelves in the background?  It must be heaven sewing at your house Sherry

Frances started my How to Make Doll Clothes course in late January and has been having lots of fun sewing for her Bimbambola 18 inch doll and she looks so cute in all these little outfits made from my bonus patterns.

“The best tip I enjoyed was using a looper to turn straps. Also to press material at each stage. I have sewn doll clothes before, but never been satisfied with the end result. Now I show friends my doll clothes without hesitating. Thank You Rosie.”

It’s my absolute pleasure Frances and I look forward to receiving more photos from you.

Betty Ann made this cute dress for St Patrick’s Day by altering my new pinafore dress pattern.  She made the straps wider and gave more fullness to the skirt, then finished it off with a cute flower embellishment at the waist and teamed it with a matching hat.

Great job Betty Ann!

Melinda has also done my How to Sew Doll Clothes video course and has been sewing up a storm for her granddaughter who is absolutely loving all these new doll clothes!  This is just a very small sample of what Melinda has been making.

“I stayed up until 4:30 this morning sewing, haven’t had this much fun in years!

I am so very much enjoying the videos! I haven’t sewn clothes in 40 years and never doll clothes, I’m learning so much. It’s a lot different than quilting. I highly recommend you to anyone starting to sew for dolls.”

It’s great to see so many people letting their creativity loose and having fun altering my doll clothes patterns.  If you haven’t tried it yet, don’t be afraid to play with the patterns a little (or a lot) as something as simple as lengthening the skirt and using fancy fabric and adding a little glittery bling will give you a ball gown instead of a dress.  The more you experiment, the more confident you will become and the more beautiful doll clothes you will make.

Thanks to everyone for sharing your photos and stories, your inspiration is priceless.

Happy sewing

I received an enquiry from a lovely customer who had just purchased my online course but didn’t have a desktop computer and was having difficulty trying to get my pdf patterns to print correctly from her iPad. So my wonderful hubby volunteered to try and find a solution because I’m still trying to learn the basic functions on my iPad – give me a sewing machine any day!

Anyway, he spent ages trying heaps of different free Apps before finally finding a way to print my pdf patterns perfectly from an iPad! Yay for Brad!

To download and print your PDF pattern pieces and instructions on iPad and iPhone devices we recommend using a free App called Documents by Readdle. For Android devices there are many Apps available.

I’m super excited that Brad was able to find this app because now Frances and everyone else can print my pdf doll clothes patterns directly from their iPad quickly and easily.  This means less time fiddling with the printer and more time sewing doll clothes – Double Yay!

I don’t know what we’d do without you Brad – thank you.

Happy sewing

Well Cabbage Patch Kids doll clothes pattern customers, it’s finally here – my Pinafore, Dress and Skirt doll clothes pattern for the 18 ½ inch Cabbage Patch Kids doll.

This is such a versatile pattern as you can make three totally different outfits.  Firstly, you can make the sweet Pinafore Dress with sleeves and whether you make it with lace on the sleeves and hem or without, it’s absolutely gorgeous and perfect for our hot summers.

Then you can make the pattern without sleeves and it becomes a pinafore or apron just like Dorothy wore in ‘The Wizard of Oz’.

Or if you want a skirt that can be mixed and matched with lots of little tops, then you can make that too.

It’s a super easy pattern to make and of course comes with LIFETIME access to my step-by-step video instructions which make it even more fun to sew.

Click here to get your pattern today!

Happy sewing

I’m so excited to be releasing my very first doll clothes pattern for 2015, the Pinafore, Dress and Skirt pattern for 18 inch and American Girl dolls!

The pinafore dress is one of the more popular items sold at Rosie’s Dolls Clothes and I think one of my cutest patterns too.  I’ve been wanting to do this pattern for some time now and I’m thrilled it’s finally here!

The best part about this pattern is that you can make three totally different outfits.  Firstly, you can make the sweet Pinafore Dress with sleeves mentioned above, and whether you make it with lace on the sleeves and hem or without it’s just as adorable.  Then you can make the pattern without sleeves and it becomes a pinafore or apron just like Dorothy wore in ‘The Wizard of Oz’.  Then if you just want a skirt, you can do that too.

It is a super easy pattern to make and of course 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 17 inch (43cm) Baby Born doll ® and the 20 inch (50cm) Australian Girl doll ®.

Click here to get your pattern today!

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

Happy sewing

Can you believe it?  Yes, I’ve actually gotten myself organised and put together some more of your terrific photos and sewing stories to share.  I hope you enjoy seeing them as much as I enjoy receiving them.

I know Halloween was a long time ago now but I have to share this witch costume that Betty Ann has made.  She made three costumes in different colors – two for her granddaughters and one for her own doll whose name is ‘Rosie’.She also had fun creating cute Christmas outfits for her Granddaughters.  Betty Ann has used the T-shirt pattern, shortened the bodice and combined it with the skirt from the summer dress pattern.  She has also cut panels in the skirt and used two different Christmas fabrics.  Then to tie it all together she has used the same trim on the sleeves and the hem.

“I could not have done it without you.  My granddaughters and my Rosie love it……….Happy Holidays, Betty Ann”

Great job Betty Ann, it’s great to see you experimenting with my patterns.

“The more I watch your videos and the more doll clothes I make the more impressed I am with your teaching, sewing, and creating skills! Although I love to sew I have never really become skilled at it and these doll clothes are helping me gain quite a few skills that are going to help in so many ways.

I went ahead and purchased your dress pattern just so I could try some of the alternate ways you have been showing us.  All are so simple and so pretty/cute.”

I’m thrilled that Hollins is having so much fun sewing for her granddaughter.  These winter pjs are just so cute in the Christmas print.

If you’re looking for the four part video series Hollins is referring to where I show you how to alter my summer dress pattern to create over a dozen different outfits for your doll, you will find Part 1 here.

Pamela has been sewing lots for her granddaughter, Kayla.  Pamela made the circle skirt that comes with the Ballerina pattern in both a long and short version and I love Kayla’s imagination as she has her doll wearing both!  She has also followed this trend and put the tutu over the long skirt and it looks gorgeous.  I can definitely see that Kayla is loving all the things her grandmother is creating for her doll. Then without Tayla knowing, Pamela has been very busy making more doll clothes that were to be wrapped up and given to her as Christmas gifts.

“The smaller variety are for her smaller version of the “Cabbage Patch” and I nearly died when Tayla brought this doll along one day, her name is “Rosie”, life gone around in one big circle hey, I smiled when it clicked when Tayla said the name, I am sure you will as well. I printed the patterns at 50 per cent and hopefully all garments will fit.  Best Regards  Pamela”

I hope they all fit too Pamela as you’ve gone to a lot of effort to make some really cute doll clothes.

I can see that there were lots of doll clothes in lots of Christmas presents this last Christmas and I’m sure that there were many special moments and memories of excited faces as the gifts were opened and the new clothes were tried on.  Thank you all for sharing the fun you’ve had and the clothes you’ve made.

Happy sewing

Some time ago I wrote a blog on Resizing your doll clothes patterns using a photo copier.  Since then, I have had a number of people concerned that they don’t have access to a photo copier so I thought I should do an update on that blog.

You don’t need a photo copier anymore, you can use your printer and adjust your printer properties i.e. enlarge or shrink your pattern by a specified percentage.  This works fantastically with a PDF pattern saved to your computer.

You will need a version of Adobe Reader 10 or later.  If you have Adobe 9 or earlier, you can only adjust the pattern by a preset scale of options so I suggest you download the latest version (it’s free) from the Adobe.com website.

As my husband has been home on holidays, I thought I would take advantage of his computer skills and convinced him that a video showing how to use this resizing function would be much better and easier for people to understand than me typing out a long list of complicated instructions.  After all, we all know that it’s much easier to understand something when we are shown.  So Brad has put together the following video which shows how to use Adobe Reader version 10 and Version 11.  Obviously there are updates all the time so if your version of Adobe is different to what we show in the video and you are unable to work out how to use it, please check the Adobe website for instructions.

Don’t forget to scroll down after the video has finished as I show you the results of printing at 50% original size and also 150%.  Take it away Brad…….

In the picture below you can see the 18 inch and American Girl Crop Top Front pattern piece on the left is the pattern printed to the original size and on the right is the pattern piece printed at 50%.  You can check this has worked correctly by measuring along the bottom edge of the pattern – the smaller pattern should measure 8.5cm which is half the original 17cm.

The following photos show the same crop top pattern printed at 150%.  You can see that it has printed on 4 sheets of paper and I specified ½” (12mm) overlap.  On the left are the 4 separate sheets and on the right is the pattern when all the sheets have been glued together.  Again, you can check the measurement along the bottom and it should now be 25.5cm.

You’ve got to love technology as resizing your doll clothes pdf patterns has just gotten easier.  Any of my 18 Inch American Girl and Cabbage Patch Doll Clothes patterns can be resized.

Because there are so many different size dolls out there, I’m sure you will have to resize one of your doll clothes patterns at some stage and I hope this technique helps to make the resizing of your pattern a much easier and less frustrating thing to do.

Happy Sewing

I received an email from Kitty who wanted to make some doll clothes for her Granddaughter’s 17 inch (43cm) Baby Born doll and she asked ‘Are any of the American Girl and Cabbage Patch patterns suitable or adaptable to this size doll?’

Because I had a Baby Born doll I sat down with my daughter and tried all the outfits that I have patterns available for on my Baby Born doll – it sort of took us back a few years and we had a little bit of fun!  Anyway, I was thrilled to be able to tell Kitty:

All the following American Girl size patterns will fit without adjustment

• Ballerina
• Pinafore Dress and Skirt
• Bikini
• Capri Pants
• Crop Top
• Dressing Gown
• Fun ‘n Frilly Top
• Fabulous Fairy
• Fairy Wings
• Halter Top
• Handkerchief Top
• One Piece Swim Suit
• Pumpkin Costume
• Sarong
• Sports Shorts
• Tights
• Underpants
• 3 Way Skirt
• Free beanie
• Beach Bag
• Strappy Dress
• Drop Waist Dress 5 Ways
• Trendy Transformable Top

Then with just a few small adjustments, the following 18 Inch American Girl patterns will fit too!

• Summer Dress – Shorten bodice ½” (12mm) and shorten hem ½ – 1” (12-25mm)
• Summer nightie – may need to shorten the elastic used in the straps about ½” (12mm)
• T-shirt – make neck slightly bigger and if making the long sleeves they will need to be shortened about ½” (12mm)
• Frill Hat – you may need to add about ½” (12mm) to bottom of hat and add elastic to hold on dolls head
• Winter Pyjamas – shorten the top front, back and sleeves ½” (12mm) and pants 1” (25mm).  Add about ¼ ” (6mm) to top of pants. You may also like to lower the neck 1/4″ (6mm) all around.
• Wedding Dress – Shorten long sleeve ½” (12mm) and hem of dress ½ – 1”
• Funky Fur – shorten sleeves 1” (25mm) and pants 1” (25mm)
• Winter Nightie – Shorten hem 1 ½ – 2″ (35mm – 55mm)
• Fifties Vintage Dress – Shorten hem 1″ (25mm)
• 3 Way Shoe – Shorten top of boot ½” (12mm)
• Overalls for All Seasons – Shorten American Girl long hem 1¼” (30mm)

These alterations are just a guide and you may need to alter them slightly depending on the fit you like on your doll.

All the following 18 1/2 Inch Cabbage Patch Kids size patterns will fit without adjustment

• Angel – use Cabbage Patch pattern
• Witch – use Cabbage Patch Pattern
• Peasant Skirt – use Cabbage Patch Pattern

Then with just a few small adjustments, the following 18 1/2 Inch Cabbage Patch Kids patterns will fit too!

• Fur Trimmed Jacket – Use Cabbage Patch pattern and make sleeves 1” (25mm) narrower, make armhole smaller and add ½” (12mm) to sleeve length.

These alterations are just a guide and you may need to alter them slightly depending on the fit you like on your doll.

So if you’re looking for patterns to suit your 17 inch (43cm) Baby Born Doll, then you can confidently use my doll clothes patterns as mentioned above.  If you have a doll that is similar and want to compare her measurements to those of the Baby Born doll, you will find these measurements on the Doll Sizing Page.

If, like Kitty, you are sewing for a different sized doll and using my patterns, please let me know which doll you are sewing for, how you go using my patterns and what adjustments you have made so I can share this information with others on my blog.  Don’t forget to send me photos too, I love seeing what you have been busy creating!

Happy Sewing