Happy New Year!

I must start this blog by apologising to everyone that tried to leave a message on my website blogs over the last six weeks and didn’t receive a reply from me. I had a new Spam filter installed and it was a little over zealous and deleted ALL comments. Luckily I caught most of the comments on my Christmas blog just in time and hubby has replaced this spam filter with a new one that seems to be doing its job properly. So if you left a comment and haven’t received a reply, please leave your message again and I promise to reply ASAP. Computers – can’t live with ’em and can’t live without ’em!!!

Anyway, now that is done, let’s get onto the fun stuff – the sharing of your wonderful doll clothes sewing projects.

“Hi, This is just one of your patterns I have made.  This grandma thanks you for getting me back to sewing and I also have a new sewing machine (janome 3160 qdc). Love it!!!!!  Had to add the 4th of July outfit.  Again your patterns.  Thanks  Betty Ann”

The crop top and capri pants are so sweet and I notice that you have added the trim to the bottom of the crop top too which really ties the outfit together.  The 4th of July seems so long ago but I bet that outfit was a real hit!

“Hi Rosie,

I finally got around to making the wedding dress pattern. I also made a matching one for the bridesmaid.

Willow is the bride and Sophia is the bridesmaid. I had trouble finding suitable embellishments but what I did find worked ok. I am enclosing some photos so you can see how I spent my time this past week.

Peggy”

Oh Peggy, these are simply gorgeous!  I love the sheer overlay and the bows down the back.  The pink Bridesmaid could also be a beautiful princess at a ball.

Thanks so much for sending the photos in.

Barbara has taken my one piece swimsuit pattern and turned it into a ballet leotard with an attached circle skirt.

It’s great to see how Barbara has taken one basic pattern and made some simple changes to make a completely new outfit.

Barbara tells me, ‘It is an identical match to the dress I made my niece.’ I bet your niece is super thrilled to have her doll matching her when she goes to ballet practice now.  Well done Barbara.

Mary’s doll is all ready for her wedding. She has done the lace overlay on both the bodice and the skirt then added a wide ribbon and some ‘bling’ around the waist.  I love to see these personal touches.

She’s beautiful Mary, thanks so much for sending in the photo

Hollins has been having lots of fun sewing doll clothes for her granddaughter and I absolutely love that after doing my online course and watching my latest video series on altering the summer dress pattern to create over a dozen different outfits for your doll, she now has the confidence to alter other patterns too – just check out the cute Indian dress she made by altering my t-shirt pattern.

“You have inspired me Rosie. I made this from your tee shirt pattern.  Don’t look too close, I am still mastering my sewing skills but had lots of fun with this since my little granddaughter has an Indian Princess dress and I hope she will like this for her dolly. The fun thing about doll clothes is that you can just dig around in your stash and find what you need.”

And finally to finish off this month, I’ve included a photo that Ann Mary sent in as it really made me smile.

“Hi rosie, I have two young granddaughters so I made 3 aprons. ..  One for my doll Rosie too…….. Thanks again for getting me sewing again.”

You’ve done a great job Ann Mary, I can just see Rosie cooking up a storm in the kitchen now!

Thanks again to everyone for sending in these photos and I apologise for taking so long to share them but time just seems to get away from me these days.

Happy sewing

As the year comes to a close, I tend to reflect on the year that has just passed and usually I concentrate on the things I wish I had of done and the things I just didn’t have time to do.  But this year I’m going to celebrate what I’ve achieved.

I’m thrilled to look back and realise that I have released three new doll clothes patterns with video tutorials as well as a 4 Part Video series on How to Alter One Basic Doll Clothes Pattern to Create Over a Dozen Different Outfits for Your Doll.  It is with these patterns, videos and my video course that I have helped to inspire others to either learn how to sew, learn new skills and gain confidence, or provided the motivation to get back into sewing after many years.  The emails and messages I receive from happy customers, like the one below, give me much joy and are what drives me to create more patterns and videos.  So thank you for taking the time to share your experiences with me.

‘Thank you so much, Rosie, for these wonderful videos-  These are all I was needing to get started on some Christmas gift clothing for my granddaughter’s 18 in. doll!  Your methods and ideas are lovely- so simple, yet inspiring!  I appreciate all the work that must be behind your videos.  Thanks again for sending these out!   

Best wishes-  Annmary C.’

None of this would have been possible without the help and support of my wonderful husband who deals with a lot of the technical stuff and my daughter who has learnt how to edit photos and videos.  So I say a huge ‘thank you’ to these very special people in my life.

I’ve also managed to keep up with the sewing for my Doll Clothes website and actually gotten through the Christmas rush without losing my head!  I must thank my daughter for help with this too as she picks my orders, wraps them and dispatches them as well as helping me with stocktakes, receiving stock and approving (or suggesting improvements) to my new designs.

And finally, I’ve actually kept the family household humming along without too many hiccups.  So overall, I think I’ve had a very successful year and one to be very proud of.

I wish you all a wonderful Christmas with your families and I look forward to bringing you new doll clothes patterns, videos, sewing tips and ideas in 2015.

Merry Christmas from this Aussie Girl and of course Happy sewing everyone.

Welcome to Part 4 of my video series where I’ve been showing you how to alter my  18 Inch American Girl Summer Dress and Cabbage Patch Summer Dress Doll Clothes Patterns to create over a dozen different outfits.

In my previous videos we looked at how to do basic alterations to my Summer Dress Pattern to create cute tops, skirts, played with various trims, replaced gathers with pleats and altered necklines.  Today I’m going to show you how easy it is to transform a simple pattern into a striking pattern with color blocking.

Sew let’s get started.

I hope these videos have encouraged and inspired you to get creative and give pattern alteration a go, it really is easy!

If you missed the previous videos, replay Part 1 , replay Part 2 and replay Part 3.

Until then

Happy Sewing

P.S.  I’d love to learn about what alterations you have made to my patterns so please send me your photos and I’ll share them in a future ‘Share and Tell’

By Rosie Saw

Welcome to Part 3 of my video series where I’ll be showing you more ways to alter my  18 Inch American Girl Summer Dress and Cabbage Patch Summer Dress Doll Clothes Patterns to create new outfits for your doll.  I hope you’ve been enjoying these videos and don’t forget, I’d love to see photos of the doll clothes you create using these alteration techniques – just email me a photo or pop it on my Face Book page.

Now, in Part 1 and 2 we looked at how to simplify the dress, create cute little summer tops, introduced lace and used pleats instead of gathers.  Today I will show you how to add an additional layer of interest to the basic summer dress and then just how easy it is to alter the neckline to create totally new looks.

Okay, let’s get started!

‘Sew’ are you ready to do some alterations?  Great, give it a try and let me know how you go.  Send me some photos and don’t forget to join me for the final video in a couple of weeks.

Come and see Part 4.

If you missed the previous videos, replay Part 1 and replay Part 2.

Until then, Happy Sewing

By Rosie Saw

Welcome to Part 2 of my video series where I’ll be showing you how to alter my 18 Inch American Girl Summer Dress and Cabbage Patch Summer Dress Doll Clothes Patterns to create over a dozen different outfits.

In Part 1 we looked at how to simplify the dress and create cute little summer tops.  Today I will show you how to use the bottom of the dress to make a skirt, how to make another top and two more variations to the dress.

Are you ready?  Great, press ‘Play’ and we’ll get started!

I hope you enjoyed this video and have fun trying these alterations.   Join me next time for Part 3.

If you missed Part 1.

Until then, Happy Sewing

By Rosie Saw

I don’t know about you, but I often find myself looking at a doll clothes pattern or outfit and thinking about ways to alter it so that it suits the fabric or the particular doll better.  And when I’m making a doll clothes pattern to release on my website I have to sit down and work out which variations I’m actually going to turn into a pattern.  I would love to be able to do them all but there’s a lot of work involved in producing a pattern for sale online and then there are all the videos that go with my patterns, so realistically there’s just not enough time!

It’s for this reason that I decided to make a series of videos that show you just how easy it is to alter a basic doll clothes pattern, in this case my 18 Inch American Girl Summer Dress and Cabbage Patch Summer Dress Doll Clothes Patterns to create over a dozen different outfits for your doll.  You can also mix and match these alterations to again create even more different outfits! Really, the variations are only limited by your imagination.

The following video is Part 1 in a 4 Part Series that will be released over the coming months.  ‘Sew’ grab a cuppa, press the ‘Play’ button and enjoy.

Part 2 is available Now!

Happy Sewing

By Rosie Saw

Eeeeeeeeeek!   Less than 3 weeks until Halloween!  Don’t panic, that’s plenty of time to make your doll a cool Halloween costume so she can join in all the spooky fun.  And with all my Halloween Doll Clothes Patterns at 20% off the normal retail price, there’s no better time to purchase your Halloween Doll Clothes pattern and get creative.

Because all my doll clothes patterns are delivered online you can start straight away and with me showing you step-by-step how to complete the outfit, it’s super scary just how easy it is!  Yes, that’s right, all my doll clothes patterns come with detailed video instructions and I’ve been told this makes sewing one of my doll clothes patterns totally ‘Goof Proof’!

‘Sew’ get your 18 Inch American Girl Halloween Doll Clothes Patterns or 18 ½ inch Cabbage Patch Halloween Doll Clothes Patterns today and save a Monster 20% or purchase the Halloween Bundle and save a spooktacular 30% off the normal retail price.  Don’t forget to send me in photos of your dolls in their Halloween costumes so I can share them in my next ‘Share and Tell’ blog.

Happy Sewing

As promised today we will discover how Peggy used a ladies sock to make this sweet summer top to go with the cute capri pants.

1. For the top I took another sock that worked with the solid colour previously used. I cut it across at about 3 ½ – 4″ down from the top edge creating a tube. I decided to finish the cut edge with a rolled hem in the same colour as the ruffle.

2. I had hoped it would frill out enough to look good but I didn’t take into account that the sock had to stretch too much to get around the doll’s torso. I just wasn’t happy with that look. I then decided to add the same ruffled elastic as the bottoms had on the legs.

 3. I pinned the ruffle around the rolled hem I had originally done.

4. Next I sewed the ruffle on with a zigzag stitch.

5. I took one of the other socks and cut the band off with a bit of seam allowance to spare. I then cut it in half to make two shoulder straps. I think the next time I will use two bands to make the straps longer.

I also cut two pieces of the ruffle elastic the same size and pinned it to the sock band at the raw edge.

6. I attached the pink ruffle with a zigzag stitch.  Then I attached the two pieces to the top with the stretch stitch.  Make sure to stitch close to the top edge of the band.  It was challenging to sew the strap to the inside of the band as it was tight space.

 7. And here is the completed top on my doll.

NB.  I think you could omit using another sock band for the straps and just use the trim that is used on the bottom of the top.  In this case, pull the top onto the doll and check the length that you need for the straps before cutting them.

Thank you again Peggy for another wonderful tutorial on creating 18 inch doll clothes from ladies socks.

For more information on how to make doll clothes the easy way please visit my How to Make Doll Clothes Video Course.

Happy Sewing

By Rosie Saw

It scares me how quickly Halloween is creeping up on us again this year.  Now that the kids are back to school, it’s time to think about what wickedly crazy things we can do to make this Halloween ‘Spooktacular’.

Why not make some super spooky or frighteningly fun costumes for your dolls?  After all, why should they miss out on all the Monster Madness?  And just think of all the extra candy you will collect if your doll has her own special Halloween candy bag.

To ensure your doll gets to join in on the fun of trick or treating, I’m taking a Monster 20% off all Halloween Doll Clothes Patterns from now until midnight October 31.

Just like with all my doll clothes patterns, these Halloween patterns come with downloadable pdf pattern pieces, written instructions and 12 months access to very detailed step-by-step video tutorials where I show you how to make these cool Halloween costumes.

“Sew” what are you waiting for?  Take advantage of this Spooky Special today!

Click on one of the links below and I’ll wave my magic wand and zip you off instantly to see all my

18 inch and American Girl Halloween Doll Clothes Patterns or 18 ½ inch Cabbage Patch Kid Halloween Doll Clothes Patterns

Happy Sewing

I’m sure you all remember Peggy and her earlier tutorials on how to make tights and a dress from a ladies knee sock.  Well I’ve finally put together a tutorial that she sent me quite some time ago showing how she made a cute top and capri pants from ladies knee socks.

In this blog Peggy shows how to make the Capri Pants with the contrasting trim and in a coming blog you’ll see how she made this sweet summer top.

1. For the bottoms I started with a solid colour sock and cut it just above the heel.  I then pulled it on the doll to find out where the crotch level would be and marked it with a pin.

2. Next I cut up the two sides as far as the pin level.

 3. I then took some elastic that was edged with a ruffle and sewed a strip along the two bottom cut edges of the sock piece.

 NB.  You could also use Fold over elastic or use some stretch fabric such as Lycra to make a contrasting trim if you don’t have the fancy frill elastic or Fold over elastic.  If the sock doesn’t need to stretch to go over the doll’s leg you could also use some lace.

4. I turned the piece inside out and then pinned the inside leg portions.

5. Next I sewed the leg seams with a stretch stitch or you could use a knit stitch or if your machine doesn’t have either of these stitches, use a zigzag stitch.

6. Turn pants to right side and voila!

Thanks so much Peggy for sharing your creative ideas with us, this is super cute and so easy!  I will share your tutorial on making the sweet summer top soon.

In the meantime if you are interested in learning how to make doll clothes the easy way then please check out my amazing doll clothes video course.

Happy Sewing

By Rosie Saw