Well my last Share and Tell blog for 2018 certainly reminds me how special sewing can be and how passing on skills from one generation to the next or even learning together can help create some awesome memories for families. And the same can be achieved by upcycling a special garment to pass on special memories to the new generations – see the story at the bottom of the page

I love seeing young girls take up sewing and learning from their grandmother so it was super special when Julie posted this photo in my Facebook Group. It shows the gorgeous pinafore dress that Julie’s 12 year old granddaughter made as part of our September Sew-Along. Julie is obviously doing a wonderful job teaching and she has an awesome student so I’m sure they will make lots on precious memories sewing together over the years to come.

Julie, please pass on my biggest congratulations to your granddaughter, she should be so proud of her effort.

The I received this email from Lauryn that absolutely made my heart sing!

‘Hi Rosie, I’ve mastered the collar!! Thanks for your great videos, I find they help so much! It’s just under a month since I learned to sew and I actually had no intention to, I have an autistic son who got a sewing machine for his birthday and I had no idea how to use it to teach him so I taught myself and we made a couple of small things together. I realised I really liked it! My daughter is getting an Our Generation doll for her birthday next month so I can’t wait to give her all the clothes I will have made! I’ve attached a couple of pics of pyjamas, they’re not perfect but I’m really pleased with them! Thanks again!
Lauryn x’

I can just feel the pride and joy that Lauryn was feeling jumping out from this letter. It’s awesome to hear that my videos have helped her achieve such great results after such a short time. Go Girl! What a truly wonderful reason to start sewing and I do hope her son enjoys it as much as she does and maybe her daughter will give it a try too. Just imagine the fantastic memories they will all create together! I’m so looking forward to hearing from Lauryn again to find out what she masters next.

I love that Julia has repurposed an old sweater to make my Free Beanie pattern. It is such a quick an easy pattern to make and can be made from lots of different fabrics from polar fleece to a jersey knit to knitted fabric.

‘I couldn’t wait to try Rosie’s free beanie pattern. The videos were, as usual, great and easy to follow.. Thank you Rosie!!!
YES, it was an old sweater I had tossed…Thank you, I can’t wait to make more and more and more!!!’

Julia, it looks like you spent hours hand knitting that gorgeous beanie. Well done!

Karen has done an amazing job recreating a replica of her neighbours cheerleading outfit. I can just imagine how excited she was to receive this for her birthday. Well done Karen!

‘I absolutely love your videos that accompany your patterns. It is so much easier to see what I need to do rather than just read it. I have never made clothing before, you make it easy! So happy to have found you!!

For the cheerleading outfit I used the basic 3 Way Skirt, the top of the pattern is in black material. Then I split the bottom half of the pattern into 3 sections to make the green and white bottom of the skirt. For the top I used the Crop Top shown over the red skirt on your web site. I made it a little longer. The green square with the G on it and the white stripes I made separately by looking at her picture in her uniform then placed it on your crop top. That’s it!

Until I found you, I had never made any type of clothing before, only quilts. Your videos really are worth their weight in gold!  : )  Karen.’

Oh boy did we have some amazing Halloween creations during our October Sew-Along. I just love, love, love what Robyn created using my Overalls for All Seasons pattern. She did fancy stitches all over the overalls and made this super colourful long sleeve shirt from my Blouse pattern. She completed the look putting matching trim on the overalls and topping it off with a cute wig made by stitching 8 ply acrylic to ½” wide cotton tape using small stitches. The best part is everything Robyn used she found in the bottom of her cupboard! I cannot help but smile when I look at this photo, it just screams FUN!

And here is another more ‘traditional’ wedding dress. Becky has used her and her mother’s wedding dresses to create some very special wedding gowns that will help keep wonderful memories alive and be passed down through the generations. What a wonderful idea and absolutely precious!

‘Hi Rosie,
I finished the doll dresses yesterday for my mother’s great- granddaughters. I made a total of four dresses and they are all alike. My mother was VERY tiny when she got married so I didn’t have a lot of material to work with. Two of the dresses are entirely of her material and two I needed to use some of the fabric from my dress that I had already cut apart. I did have to make some alterations on the skirt size in order to have enough fabric but it worked. The necklace I made with a rosette-type flower from her veil headpiece. The veil itself is too far gone to do anything with it. My mother was married in 1941 so the fabric is age worn and very delicate. I hope these girls will appreciate the dress and keep it as a memento to share someday with their daughters.
Thanks for the pattern. Becky’

Thanks to everyone who contributed to my Share and Tell this month, there sure was some amazing and inspiring stories.

If you wish to start making your own memories and need a little help ‘teaching’ your young ones how to sew, or if you need a little guidance sewing small doll clothes yourself, then now’s the time to save 20% off my How to Make Doll Clothes video course with my Christmas special. Or if you just want to purchase some of my wonderful patterns with video support then you can save 20% on those too. Simply use coupon code CHRISTMAS during checkout. Offer expires December 25, 2018.

Happy sewing

I don’t know about you, but every Christmas things get rather hectic around my home and I’m trying to think of unique, personalized gifts for our family members. When my daughter was younger I used to love whipping up a selection of new outfits for her dolls because I could always use fabric I had in my stash and they were so quick and easy to make up that I could make them either when she was at school or after she had gone to bed. And the best part was, they were ‘one of a kind’ and ‘made with love’ so they meant just that little bit more to both of us.

Because I want you to experience the joy of giving something you made this Christmas I’m offering 20% off my How to Make Doll Clothes Video course so you can learn the easy way to make doll clothes for your loved ones. And with 20% off my Learn to Love your Serger (overlocker) online course you can finally gain the confidence to use your serger and create some awesome Christmas gifts. Or maybe you’d like to give the course as a gift, just let us know and we will get that organised for you.

There’s 20% off all my doll clothes patterns too! That means you save 20% on all 18 inch American Girl size doll clothes patterns and you also get 20% off all 18 ½ inch Cabbage Patch doll clothes patterns. WooHoo!! You can give a complete wardrobe to your loved ones and save twice! Firstly, you will be saving because you made the outfit yourself and didn’t have to spend a fortune on brand name clothes, and secondly, you saved 20% on all your new doll clothes patterns!

To get this great discount, simply enter coupon code: CHRISTMAS during checkout. Offer expires 25th December, 2018.

Oh, by the way, if you would like to have some fun and make this awesome Santa costume for your doll then check out my blog, American Girl Doll Clothes Patterns Santa Suit, and I’ll tell you how. It’s super easy and looks so cool!

Happy sewing

I am very proud of the fact that I offer a 100% money back guarantee on my How to Make Doll Clothes and my Learn to Love Your Serger (Overlocker) Courses and am pleased to say that the majority of my customers have been thrilled with the content and I haven’t had to worry about refunds.

The other day however, a lady who purchased the online course with the intention of using it to help her teach her granddaughter how to sew sent me an email requesting her money back.  The following is a snippet of her email.

‘I purchased this course with an eye toward teaching my granddaughters to sew as I learned, by sewing doll clothes with my grandmother. This isn’t possible using your course since there is way too much bad information. I want them to learn things the correct way so that when the time comes, they can transfer from doll clothes to sewing for themselves and have the information they will need to make that transition without having to relearn everything.’

At first this reminded me of the doubts I had when my friend first suggested that I should create my How to Make Doll Clothes course.  ‘I’m not professionally trained’, ‘my way is not the “correct” or traditional way’, ‘nobody wants to know this stuff’, and the list went on.

Thankfully my friend reminded me that it doesn’t matter if you’re not professionally trained but how much experience you’ve had and how good you are at doing what you do.  She also pointed out that there is never a right or wrong way to sew something, only a difficult way and an easy way and so long as you are happy with the results, there is nothing wrong with doing things the easy way.

And this is what I had been doing for years – finding easier ways to make the doll clothes I sell as doing it the right way was far too difficult and time consuming especially when I had to make LOTS of doll clothes.  Finding an easier way doesn’t necessarily mean you are cutting corners, it just means you are finding more efficient ways to do something.

In sewing, as in all classical crafts, there are ‘traditional’ methods of doing things but often this makes things more technical or complicated than it needs to be. My aim is always to make sewing as accessible and enjoyable as possible, regardless of your skill level.

I was feeling rather sad as I issued a refund to this lady and it wasn’t because I was issuing a refund BUT because I thought about all the fun the children that would be learning how to sew from this lady would be missing out on.  To me sewing is not about being perfect and having to do something a particular way because that’s how it has always been done.  Sewing is about having fun creating a garment or an project, experimenting with new techniques and even making up new techniques, making mistakes and learning from them, finding easier and better ways of doing things so that ultimately you can enjoy your sewing journey even more. Ultimately, it’s all about getting creative!

Now occasionally you will experience frustration and feel like throwing your sewing project out the window – we all do at some point, but it’s important that if something is not working as it should, don’t be afraid to try something different.  Tweak the design a little or tweak the technique a little, in my eyes it’s okay if you don’t always follow the instructions because if you’re happy with the end result and your way was easier for you, then you’re a winner!

If you have found an easier way to do something related to sewing doll clothes please let me know as I would love to share it with everyone.

Happy sewing

Where has the time gone? It’s been ages since I did a Share and Tell blog and there are lots of gorgeous photos I have to share with you all so let’s get straight into the first one which is from Barbara who has made my Winter Nightie pattern for a Waldorf inspired doll and she’s used unicorn print fabric which seems to be sooo popular at the moment with little girls.

‘Here is a picture of the nightgown I made. I loved the pattern and really loved the video directions. This is a Waldorf inspired doll I made and it fit perfectly…….Your site is excellent and full of useful information. I was happy to find you.
Barbara’

I’m happy you found my website too Barbara., you’ve done an awesome job and I can’t wait to see what you make for this adorable doll next.

Next we have some photos from Pauline who has been busy making doll clothes and sending some of them half way around the world! The best part is that the recipients have been so thrilled with their gifts that they have made a special ‘thank you’ card that would melt your heart!
‘Hi Rosie

I thought you’d like to see the lovely thank you card I received from the nieces of my son’s partner – Breege – who live in Ireland. I had sent them some dolls clothes from your patterns and they have really enjoyed playing with them. Amelie even used her birthday money to buy a new doll to fit the clothes!

The first photo shows the doll wearing the pyjamas and slippers I had made. The other photos show some of your other patterns with trimmings added.

Thank you so much for your patterns, Rosie. I’ve really enjoyed making them and my 2 granddaughters and now Breege’s nieces have really enjoyed playing with them.

best regards
Pauline’

The last couple of months we have been having a lot of fun in my Facebook group as we’ve introduced a monthly Sew-Along. The first month the members who wished to participate had the choice of sewing either my Pinafore Dress & Skirt pattern or the Overalls for All Seasons pattern and OH MY GOSH, we had lots of wonderful creations. Then this month we have been working on Halloween outfits or Melbourne Cup attire (for the Aussie ladies) and again, there have been lots of awesome outfits so I’d like to share some of them here.

The first group are some from the pinafore Album. Helen made the first one adding tiny trim to the ruffles and adding extra fullness to the skirt. I loved how this turned out and ended up buying some of the very same fabric. Norma adjusted my pinafore pattern to fit her Maru doll and the result it just gorgeous. I’m also loving how Deborah used a vintage hand embroidered placemat for her pinafore. Deborah ended up being drawn as the winner of our random participation prize which is the choice of one of my patterns, so congratulations Deborah. Ruth followed my video on pleating and created box pleats on the skirt of the pinafore instead of gathers to make this adorable school uniform.

The next group of photos are from the overalls album. Laurie made both the long and short versions of my Overalls pattern using an old pair of jeans and shirt – didn’t they turn out awesome! She was also thrilled that the 18” short overall pattern also fits her 15” Bitty Twin. Check out the cute ‘sloth’ fabric that Karen used for her long overalls. Originally Karen was not going to have a pocket but found with the large print the seam down the middle was too obvious so reshaped the pocket and ‘fussy cut’ it to showcase one of the adorable sloths and now the front seam is far less noticeable. Great job Karen. Then we have this super cute overall made by Vera. She added lace to the hem to make it more ‘girly’ and matched the heart pocket to the blouse which she made from the bodice of my 50’s Vintage Dress pattern. How clever is she!

This month has show to be super fun with lots of fantastic Halloween costumes. The first one is Julie’s interpretation of Dacula’s Bride from my Wedding Dress pattern. She originally went looking for black satin but couldn’t pass by this spandex especially seeing as it was on sale! Although this was an unusual fabric choice, Julie went slowly and the result is absolutely awesome! I wonder if Linda went a little ‘batty’ making these cute Winter Pyjamas? The black contrast on the collar was a great idea.

There’s still two weeks until Halloween so that’s plenty of time to make a Halloween costume. You’ll find my 18 inch and American Girl Halloween patterns here and my 18 ½ inch Cabbage Patch Halloween patterns here. Remember that all my doll clothes patterns come with step-by-step video instructions so you can whip up a witch in no time at all!

If you would like to join my Facebook group and be part of a really fun sewing community full of supportive members who provide endless inspiration, simply go to my Facebook page click on ‘Join’, answer a couple of easy questions and as soon as I see your request and approve it you’ll become part of this special group. Just be aware that I’m in Australia so please be patient because with the different time zones around the world, it may be a few hours before you are approved.

Happy sewing

Hope you’ve been enjoying using my 18 inch American Girl and 18 ½ inch Cabbage Patch Kids patterns to make doll clothes for the Bitty Baby and Bitty Twin dolls.

In this blog I will be showing you how to adjust my Halloween patterns and my popular Wedding Dress pattern to fit these 15 inch dolls

Cabbage Patch Fairy Costume

Shorten the skirt 1 – 2 inches (2.5 – 5cm).  To do this easily, take the extra length off the top of the skirt piece i.e. measure down 1 – 2 inches (2.5 – 5cm) from the straight edge and fold the pattern piece over.  Make a note that this fold line is the cutting line for your Bitty Baby pattern and this way next time you want to use it you will have that note there to remind you.

Cabbage Patch Angel Costume

This one just requires the hem to be shortened ½ inch (1cm) so is a very easy alteration to make.

Cabbage Patch and 18 inch American Girl Pumpkin Costume

Cut the body of the pumpkin 24 ½ inches x 20 ½ inches (62cm x 52cm).  This will shorten the finished length of the pumpkin body piece by 2 inches (5cm).  Move the arm slits 1 ½ inches (4cm) further around to the sides i.e. Change Step 8 2) & 3) to read the following:

8. Attaching Face to Body of Pumpkin

• Measure and mark a point 3 4 ½ inches (7.5cm) (11cm) to the left of this centre mark. Rule a line up from here 2 inches (5cm) and down from this mark 1 inch (2.5cm) to give you a line 3 inches (7.5cm) long.  This indicates the first armhole.
• Repeat for the second armhole – measure 3 4 ½ inches (7.5cm) (11cm) to the right of the centre mark and place a new mark. Rule a line up 2 inches (5cm) and down from this mark 1 inch (2.5cm) to give you a line 3 inches (7.5cm) long.

This allows the dolls arms to sit more naturally through the slits.

Cabbage Patch Witch Costume

Again, another easy alteration for this one.  You simply need to shorten the hem 1 ½ inches (4cm) or you may prefer to cut taller triangles out from the hem so that the hem is more ragged and some parts drape on the floor.

Cabbage Patch Wedding Dress

The wedding dress fits the Bitty Baby and Bitty Twin dolls nicely and only requires the hem to be shortened about 1 ¼ inches (3cm).  The petticoat and veil can be made as per the instructions.

You may like to use the Wedding Dress as a Christening gown without the petticoat and make it as per the pattern without any alterations so that the skirt falls below the feet, you may even like to add extra length to give the Christening gown a more regal look.

I have really enjoyed discovering and sharing with you how many of my existing patterns fit the Bitty Baby and Bitty Twin dolls just as they are, and how the other patterns only require minor alterations e.g. shortening the hem.  I’d love to see photos if you have made any of these patterns for your 15 inch Bitty dolls and then I can share them in my Show and Tell blog which is always a great way of inspiring others.  You can read Part 1 and Part 2 of the blogs if you missed them.

Happy sewing

‘Sew’ did you have fun using my patterns from Part 1 to make doll clothes for your 15 Inch Bitty Baby and Bitty Twin dolls?  Well, I’m back with Part 2 of this blog series to show you which of my doll clothes patterns will fit the Bitty Baby and Bitty Twin dolls with only slight adjustments.  I will explain exactly what each of these adjustments are.

I feel confident that you will be able to do these minor adjustments yourself as they are mostly just shortening hems or straps.  Where I have suggested shortening the length of a pattern piece, for example the One Piece Swim Suit, this simply requires you to fold the pattern pieces and smoothing out the join.  If you need to shorten them 1/2” (12mm) draw a line at the waist and another line 1/4” (12mm) above the first line.  Fold along the bottom line and then bring the pattern piece up as you fold along the top line.  The picture below shows the two lines that have been drawn on the front piece and then the back piece after it has been folded along these lines.  You then simply smooth out the curve when the fold is.  Shortening the overalls will work the same way.

The Following Patterns Fit the 15 inch Bitty Baby and Bitty Twin Dolls With Minor Adjustments

AG Winter Pyjamas – Shorten hem of pants 1″ (2.5cm)

Cabbage Patch Summer Dress – Shorten hem 1 – 1 1/2″ (2.5 – 4cm)

Cabbage Patch Fur Trimmed Jacket – Add 1/2″ (1.2cm) to sleeve length

American Girl T-Shirt fits but to make a little looser – Add extra 1/2″ (1.2cm) to centre front – Extend long straight edge of back pattern piece 1/4″ (6mm)

American Girl Winter Nightie – Fits but is a little firm around the shoulders and chest – Shorten hem 2″ (5cm) if sewing ruffle on hem.

Cabbage Patch Winter Nightie – Shorten wrist elastic to 4″ (10cm) – Shorten hem 1 1/2″ (4cm) if sewing ruffle on hem.

American Girl and Cabbage Patch One Piece Swim Suit – Shorten length of swimsuit at wasit 1/2″ (1.2cm)

Cabbage Patch 50’s Vintage Dress – Short dress verions is fine as is. – Long version shorten hem of 3/4″ (2cm)

American Girl 3 Way Shoe – Normal shoe is fine as is. – Boot needs to be shortened 1/2 – 3/4″ (1.2 – 2cm)

Cabbage Patch Pinafore, Dress & SKirt – Shorten hem 3/4″ (2cm)

American Girl Funky Fur – Shorten hem of pants 1″ (2.5cm) – Shorten hem of sleeves 1/2″ (1.2cm) – Shorten hem of jacket 1″ (2.5cm)

American Girl Santa – Same as for Funky Fur

American Girl Overalls for All Seasons Long version – Shorten hem of pants 1/2″ (1.2cm) – Shorten Straps 1/2″ (1.2cm)

OR American Girl Overalls for All Seasons Long version – Shorten hem of pants 1/2″ (1.2cm) – Shorten top of bib 1/2″ (1.2cm)

Cabbage Patch Overalls for All Seasons Long version – Shorten the length of the body of the overall 3/4″ (2cm) OR – Shorten Bib 1/2″ (1.2cm) & shorten straps 1/2″ (1.2cm).

Cabbage Patch Overalls for All Seasons Short version. I think it looks fine as is however, you may like to – Shorten the length of the body of the overall 3/4″ (2cm) OR – Shorten Bib 1/2″ (1.2cm) and shorten straps 1/2″ (1.2cm).

It was very exciting to find that these patterns will fit the Bitty dolls with only minor adjustments and I’m thrilled to be able to share this information with you.  Enjoy adjusting your patterns and making new outfits for your Bitty Baby and Bitty Twin dolls.  And of course, please send your photos in so that I can share them in my next Share and Tell blog.

In Part 3, there’s more great news as I concentrate on my Halloween patterns and Wedding Dress.

And remember, it’s still September!  This means we are still celebrating ‘Sewtember’ with 20% off all doll clothes patterns.  Use coupon code SEWTEMBER.  Offer expires September 30, 2018.

Happy sewing

Ahhh, so many good things happen in September.  It’s the beginning of Spring here in Australia and that’s my favourite season, it’s my birthday, my wedding anniversary and of course in America it’s National Sewing Month!

‘Sew’ let’s celebrate ‘Sewtember’ with 20% off ALL Doll Clothes Patterns, for the whole month of September.  Yep, that means 20% off ALL 18 inch and American Girl doll clothes patterns and ALL 18 ½ inch Cabbage Patch doll clothes patterns.

This makes it the perfect time to grab your Halloween costume patterns for either 18 Inch American Girl Dolls or Cabbage Patch Kids Dolls.  Will it be the Pumpkin, Witch, Angel, Fairy or will you use the Pinafore and Blouse patterns to make Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz?  Maybe your doll wants to be a pretty Ballerina this year or perhaps she dreams of being a beautiful bride wearing a gorgeous Wedding Dress.

And with Christmas just around the corner why not plan ahead and pick up all those patterns you want to make as Christmas gifts.

To take advantage of this awesome offer, simply enter coupon code SEWTEMBER during checkout and save 20% on all doll clothes patterns now.

Offer expires 30 September, 2018.

Happy sewing

Have you been waiting for me to come out with some doll clothes patterns suitable for the 15 inch Bitty Baby and Bitty Twin dolls?  Well I’ve got some AWESOME news!  There’s no need to wait any longer as many of the 18 inch American Girl and 18 ½ inch Cabbage Patch doll clothes patterns I already have available fit these dolls really well without any adjustments and some only require minor alterations.

I’ve wanted a 15 inch Bitty Baby or Bitty Twin doll for a couple of years now because some customers have told me that certain patterns of mine fit the Bitty Baby with only minor tweaks necessary.  But because I didn’t have my own doll, I was not able to confirm this.

Well, I’m super excited to say that I finally have my very own Bitty Twin doll.  I couldn’t find his twin sister, but he seems to be fitting in with all the other dolls nicely.  I’m named him Terri because I think he also makes a very cute girl doll and seeing as I will be dressing him mostly in girl doll clothes, that seemed appropriate.

Over the last few weeks I’ve been very busy trying on all my doll clothes to see which of my existing patterns fit and which ones need adjustments.  In this blog I will be confirming which of my doll clothes patterns fit well just as they are, without any alterations.  Then I will do a follow-up blog in a few weeks showing which patterns fit with minor adjustments and I will also outline the alterations that are necessary for them to fit the Bitty Baby and Bitty Twin dolls beautifully.

The Following Patterns Fit the 15 inch Bitty Baby and Bitty Twin Dolls Without Alteration

Cabbage Patch Crop Top and Cabbage Patch Sports Shorts

American Girl Sports Shorts

Cabbage Patch Halter Top and Cabbage Patch Sarong

American Girl Sarong

American Girl Hat and American Girl Summer Nightie

Cabbage Patch Summer Nightie

American Girl Underpants  and Cabbage Patch Underpants

American Girl Summer Dressing Gown  and Cabbage Patch Summer Dressing Gown

American Girl Free Beanie

Cabbage Patch 50’s Vintage Dress

Cabbage Patch Handkerchief Top and Cabbage Patch Capri Pants

American Girl Capri Pants

Cabbage Patch T-Shirt and Cabbage Patch Tights

American Girl Tights

Cabbage Patch Bikini and American Girl Bikini

Cabbage Patch Pinafore Dress and Skirt and American Girl Blouse

Cabbage Patch Playsuit and American Girl Playsuit

Cabbage Patch Fun ‘n Frilly Top with bonus dress and American Girl Fun ‘n Frilly Top with bonus dress

Cabbage Patch 3 Way Skirt and American Girl 3 Way Skirt

American Girl Ballerina

American Girl Overalls – Short Version

In Part 2 of this series of blogs I will share photos of Bitty Baby wearing clothes made from my patterns that require small adjustments and explain exactly what those adjustments are so that you can make even more clothes for your darling baby dolls.

Have fun sewing these patterns for your Bitty Baby and Bitty Twin dolls and please send me photos so I can share in my next Share and Tell blog.

Happy sewing

When I first started Rosie’s Dolls Clothes, my online website where I sell doll clothes, I had piles of clothes on a shelf in my cupboard and they were sorted in piles for each doll size. I was feeling rather proud of my ‘organised’ system until my darling hubby, Brad, walked in and said, ‘You’ll never survive if you store your doll clothes like that. When you have lots of stock and the orders come in you are going to get so confused.’ Wham! That brought me back to reality and I will admit, it hurt a little but then he explained that being a Logistics and Supply Chain Manager and working in warehouses and distribution centres, he knew a thing or two about organising stock. Thankfully, I put my pride to the side and listened to the expert as I wanted this business to grow and succeed. Because I know many of you sell your doll clothes online I thought I would share this valuable tip with you and hopefully it will make your life a little less stressful.

The first thing Brad got me to do was go out and purchase some storage bins. I needed something that would fit into my cupboard and allow easy access to the doll clothes. I quickly ruled out the plastic bins that stacked on top of each other because to get to the clothes stored in the bottom bin I would have to pull that bin out of the pile and remove the lid, then put it all back in place. The ideal solution would be drawers and thankfully plastic storage drawers were popping up everywhere but what size would I need? I started with a couple of different sizes as I didn’t know at the time which would work best.
Now that I had my storage sorted it was time to get organised and this was when Brad introduced me to ‘Bin Locations’. In a nutshell, this is just giving each drawer (or bin) a number so I bought some sticky labels to put on each bin and simply started with ‘1,2,3,4….’, you get the idea.

Then I had to decide which product or doll outfit would go into each bin location and thankfully I could have more than one product per bin location as at the time, I certainly didn’t have enough drawers to allocate each outfit their own drawer. One major point to remember here though, is don’t put items that are very similar together in the same bin location as this can cause problems that I’ll explain later. For example, don’t put two different pink dresses in the same bin, try to put very different things together like pink dresses and purple pyjamas.

With the storage sorted it was time to get this working for me at the point of sale.  Brad explained that I now had to go to each of my products online and add the bin location number where I had stored the outfit because then when I received an order it would not only tell me what was ordered but also which drawer or bin location I would find that outfit.

What platform you are selling on will determine where you put his number. If you are selling on Etsy or Ebay you may have to include it in the title for example, Pink Party Dress (21) or 21 – Pink Party Dress. If you have your own website and are using one of the many platforms such as Shopify, there will be a specific place designed for this number such as a product code, SKU number or bin location.

Remember I recommended earlier not to put similar items together in the same bin location? The reason for this is because if you receive an order and it’s for a Pink Party Dress (21) and you have a Pink Party Dress and a Pink Play Dress in bin location 21, you may pick out the wrong dress and the customer will not be happy when they don’t receive what they ordered. Hubby has drummed this into me big time as he sometimes picks the orders and has trouble telling the difference between a pink ruffle pyjama and a pink heart top. Yes, I know, how can anyone get that confused! But all jokes aside, it does make it much easier and prevents mistakes if the items stored together are easily distinguished.

Thankfully, Brad got me using this system very early on because my doll clothes business has grown considerably since 2004 and I now have over 500 product lines, including shoes and accessories.  Although I’ve had a couple of major reorganisations and taken over my son’s room since he got married, using this bin location system has been invaluable.  In all honesty, I could not have survived without it!

Let me know if you give this a try or if there is another system that you use to keep your doll clothes stock organised when selling online.

If you’re looking for tips on ways to make your doll clothes quicker and easier, but still with a professional finish, then you will find all the tips and tricks I share in my How to Make Doll Clothes course helpful too!

Happy sewing

I’m not sure if you realise just how excited I get when I receive an email with a photo attached. I’m kind of like a big kid, I can’t wait to open it and see what the photo is and who it’s from. I know it’s selfish, but I do get a rush from knowing that I’ve helped someone create something truly special and unique from a flat piece of fabric and then I get to share the photos with you all!
These first photos are from Megan who has made this super cute Handkerchief Top and matched it with some beautiful matching long shorts. She simply adapted my Sports Shorts pattern by adding length and adding the trim around the hem. Then she was inspired to make a ‘Frozen’ dress for her granddaughter by adapting my Wedding Dress pattern and what an absolutely amazing job she has done!
‘Hi Rosie
………I had a lot fun being inspired by and adapting your patterns. My husband joined in and made the clothes hangers.
With thanks Megan’

The next lot of photos are from Rosemary and she has made the free Sports Shorts and Crop Top patterns that come with my How to Make Doll Clothes video course.  She has added lace to the bottom of the crop tops to lengthen them and designed her own skirt to go with it. She has also made the short version of the Overalls for All Seasons and the Fun ‘n Frilly bonus dress pattern that comes with my Fun ‘n Frilly Top pattern.  They have all turned out super pretty and I have to say, I do love a little bit of lace.

‘Hi Rosie.  I have sewn on and off for years.  And I started doing doll clothes using the big name pattern company patterns – what a lot of work for dolls!

I get more out of your videos.  I like that I can use either the written or the videos. I find your patterns are much easier to follow and have very interesting design twists that you don’t see on ordinary patterns. My grandniece will love these for her dolls.  I hope to use the patterns for dolls I plan to donate for Christmas also.

Thanks again for the great patterns and instructions.

Regards Rosemary’

I’m sure your grandniece will definitely love these new outfits and what a wonderful thing you are doing donating dolls and doll clothes at Christmas time.  I wish you well with this and look forward to seeing what you make next.

Julia has made my Wedding Dress pattern and OMG (Oh my gosh!) it turned out absolutely gorgeous! I love that she didn’t let her fear of doing a hem on a circle skirt stop her from making this dress. Her solution to line the skirt is a very clever and easy way of getting a beautiful, clean finish to the hem.

‘Hi Rosie

I finished the dress and it is beautiful!!! …. since I am NOT good at hems, I just used a very thin lining so the bottom would be smooth.

Thanks for the videos, Julia’

She has also promised to send me a picture of the entire wedding party after the wedding in August. I can’t wait!

And to finish off this month’s Share and Tell blog, I just had to include this super cute photo of Vera’s Little Cabbage Patch Kid wearing her new overalls and blouse.

‘First, your videos are wonderful! Second, this picture is a combination of patterns. The blouse is the top of the Vintage dress and the other is, of course, your overalls. The doll is only 16″ so I printed the pattern at 80% but as it turned out I didn’t need the elastic (on the sleeves). I love this outfit. Thanks.’

What a great idea to use the top of the 50’s Vintage Dress pattern to make a blouse and matching the pocket and trim on the overalls to the blouse makes this set adorable. Well done Vera.

Don’t forget, there’s still time to get 20% off ALL courses and ALL patterns using coupon code JOLLYJULY.  Yep 20% off everything on my website, but only until 31 July, 2018.

And as I said at the start, I love receiving your emails with photos of the doll clothes you create so keep sending me your photos, they truly do make my day. 

Until next time,

Happy sewing