• Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Login
  • Cart
Rosies Doll Clothes Patterns
  • All Rosie’s Doll Clothes Patterns
    • American Girl Doll Clothes Patterns
    • Cabbage Patch Doll Clothes Patterns
    • Doll Sizing
    • Testimonials
  • How to Make Doll Clothes Course
    • How to Make Doll Clothes Online Sewing Course
    • Who Will Benefit
  • Learn to Love Your Serger Course
  • Tips & Freebies
    • Free Sewing Patterns
    • Rosie’s Big List of Sewing Tips
    • Rosie’s Sew and Share Facebook Group
  • Our Blog
  • Customer Service
    • Contact Us
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Payment for Order
    • Delivery of Products
    • Refund Policy
Menu
  • All Rosie’s Doll Clothes Patterns
    • American Girl Doll Clothes Patterns
    • Cabbage Patch Doll Clothes Patterns
    • Doll Sizing
    • Testimonials
  • How to Make Doll Clothes Course
    • How to Make Doll Clothes Online Sewing Course
    • Who Will Benefit
  • Learn to Love Your Serger Course
  • Tips & Freebies
    • Free Sewing Patterns
    • Rosie’s Big List of Sewing Tips
    • Rosie’s Sew and Share Facebook Group
  • Our Blog
  • Customer Service
    • Contact Us
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Payment for Order
    • Delivery of Products
    • Refund Policy
  • About Rosie
  • Affiliate Program
    • Affiliate Resources
  • Buy 18 Inch Doll Clothes Patterns
    • American Girl Doll Clothes Patterns
      • American Girl Doll Accessory Patterns
        • American Girl 3 Way Shoe
        • American Girl Underpants
        • Multi Size Doll Diaper and Nappy Pattern
        • American Girl Fairy Wings
        • American Girl Doll Hat Pattern
      • American Girl Doll Beach Patterns
        • American Girl Doll Bikini and Tankini
        • American Girl One Piece Swim Suit
        • American Girl Sarong
        • American Girl Beach Bag
      • American Girl Doll Bedtime Patterns
        • American Girl Summer Nightie
        • American Girl Winter Nightgown
        • American Girl Winter Pajamas
        • American Girl Summer Dressing Gown
      • American Girl Doll Bottoms Patterns
        • American Girl 3 Way Skirt
        • American Girl Capri Pants
        • American Girl Overalls For All Seasons
        • American Girl Peasant Skirt
        • Cabbage Patch Kids Peasant Skirt
        • American Girl Tights
        • American Girl Sports Shorts
      • American Girl Doll Dress Patterns
        • American Girl Drop Waist Dress 5 Ways
        • American Girl Pinafore Dress and Skirt
        • American Girl Strappy Dress
        • American Girl 50s Vintage Dress
        • American Girl Summer Dress
      • American Girl Doll Glitz and Glamour Patterns
        • American Girl Ballerina
        • American Girl Doll Wedding Dress Pattern
      • American Girl Doll Tops Patterns
        • American Girl Blouse
        • American Girl Doll Trendy Transformable Top
        • American Girl Fun and Frilly Top
        • American Girl T-Shirt
        • American Girl Halter Top
        • American Girl Handkerchief Top
        • American Girl Crop Top
      • American Girl Doll Winter Patterns
        • American Girl Funky Fur
        • American Girl Fur Trimmed Jacket
      • American Girl Halloween Outfits Patterns
        • American Girl Witches Costume
        • American Girl Pumpkin and Tights
        • American Girl Fairy Costume
        • American Girl Angel Costume
    • Cabbage Patch Doll Clothes Patterns
      • Cabbage Patch Doll Accessory Patterns
        • Cabbage Patch 3 Way Shoe
        • Cabbage Patch Underpants
        • Multi Size Doll Diaper and Nappy Patterns
        • Cabbage Patch Fairy Wings
        • Cabbage Patch Hat Pattern
      • Cabbage Patch Doll Beach Patterns
        • Cabbage Patch Bikini and Tankini
        • Cabbage Patch One Piece Swim Suit
        • Cabbage Patch Sarong
        • Cabbage Patch Beach Bag
      • Cabbage Patch Doll Bedtime Patterns
        • Cabbage Patch Summer Nightie
        • Cabbage Patch Winter Nightgown
        • Cabbage Patch Winter Pyjamas
        • Cabbage Patch Summer Dressing Gown
      • Cabbage Patch Doll Bottoms Patterns
        • Cabbage Patch 3 Way Skirt
        • Cabbage Patch Capri Pants
        • Cabbage Patch Overalls For All Seasons
        • Cabbage Patch Tights
        • Cabbage Patch Sports Shorts
      • Cabbage Patch Doll Dresses Patterns
        • Cabbage Patch Kids Drop Waist Dress 5 Ways
        • Cabbage Patch Pinafore Dress and Skirt
        • Cabbage Patch Strappy Dress
        • Cabbage Patch 50s Vintage Dress
        • Cabbage Patch Summer Dress
      • Cabbage Patch Doll Glitz and Glamour Patterns
        • Cabbage Patch Ballerina
        • Cabbage Patch Wedding Dress
      • Cabbage Patch Doll Halloween Patterns
        • Cabbage Patch Angel Costume
        • Cabbage Patch Witches Costume
        • Cabbage Patch Pumpkin and Tights
        • Cabbage Patch Fairy Costume
      • Cabbage Patch Doll Shirt & Tops Patterns
        • Cabbage Patch Blouse
        • Cabbage Patch Fun and Frilly Top
        • Cabbage Patch Kids Trendy Transformable Top
        • Cabbage Patch T-Shirt
        • Cabbage Patch Halter Top
        • Cabbage Patch Handkerchief Top
        • Cabbage Patch Crop Top
      • Cabbage Patch Doll Winter Patterns
        • Cabbage Patch Funky Fur
        • Cabbage Patch Fur Trimmed Jacket
    • Mix and Match 5 or More Products and Save 20%
  • Customer Service
    • Contact Us
    • Currency Converter
    • Delivery of Products
    • Frequently Asked Questions
      • How to Access Your How to Make Doll Clothes Course and Bonus Patterns
      • How to Access Your Patterns and Step By Step Videos
      • How to Log In and Change Your Password
    • Payment for Order
    • Refund Policy
  • Doll Sizing
  • How to Make Doll Clothes Online Sewing Course
    • How To Make Doll Clothes Secret One
    • How To Make Doll Clothes Secret Two and Three
    • How To Sew Doll Clothes For Beginners: Sewing Kit
    • Preview Course Video Week Four – Sewing Curved (Convex) Seams
    • Preview Course Video Week One – Lets Get Started
    • Preview Course Video Week Six – Cutting Button Holes
    • Who Will Benefit
  • How to Use a Serger Online Course
  • Links
  • Log Out
  • Login
  • Lost Password
  • Patterns Catalog
  • Privacy Policy
  • Profile
  • r0IPN12
  • Register
  • Reset Password
  • Rosie’s Big List of Sewing Tips
    • Free Sewing Patterns
  • Rosie’s Blog
  • Team Management
  • Tell a Friend
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Testimonials
  • Thank You
  • Welcome
  • Welcome! What are you going to sew today?
  • What you get with Rosie’s Doll Clothes Patterns

Log in to view your videos
and print your patterns

login
Rosie's Blog |

October 13, 2012

| by Rosie Admin

A Great Tip On Resizing Clothes Patterns

I have received a number of enquiries asking if I do smaller size doll clothes sewing patterns and the occasional request for larger doll clothes sewing patterns.  Branching into other size doll clothes patterns is definitely something I would love to do in the future but I realize that many of you cannot wait until I get around to it.  So I thought I would share a tip that may help you to adjust my existing doll clothes patterns that you already have so that you can use them with other size dolls.  This blog applies equally to either my 18 Inch American Girl or Cabbage Patch Kids doll clothes patterns.

I wish I had of thought about this many years ago when I first started drafting my doll clothes patterns for Rosie’s Dolls Clothes, an online business I sold in 2021 after 17 years, it certainly would have made my job a lot quicker and easier.

Firstly and most importantly, you need to have access to a photocopier that can make copies in different sizes or know how to use your printer to reduce pdf pattern pieces.  The next thing to do is have the measurements of the doll that your present patterns fit and the same measurements for the doll you are adjusting the pattern for.  When resizing my patterns you will need the measurements for the American Girl doll or Cabbage Patch Kid and you can find these measurements on my Doll Sizing page.  You then work out how much smaller (or larger) the new pattern needs to be as a percentage.  To do this you divide the measurement of the doll you are adjusting the pattern for by the measurement of the doll of the existing pattern and then multiply by 100.  Repeat this for each of your measurements.

The table below shows the measurements of the Cabbage Patch doll on my website that my Cabbage Patch doll clothes patterns fit and the Little Baby Born doll that I am wanting to adjust the patterns for.  I am using cm as it is easier for me to calculate.

 

Cabbage Patch

(existing pattern)

My Little Baby Born

(new pattern)

% of original pattern

Length

44cm 32cm 32/44 x 100 = 72.7%

Torso

18cm 13cm 13/18 x 100 = 72.2%

Waist

31cm 25cm 25/31 x 100 = 80.6%

Neck

20.5cm 15cm 15/20.5 x 100 = 73.1%

As the resultant percentages are between 72.2% and 80.6% I am going to use 75% as an average and the amount that I will be reducing my pattern to i.e. 75% of the original size.

Now go to the photo copier, find the reduce button, set that to 75% and take copies of all pattern pieces at this setting.  Then make small adjustments where necessary.  In my case above, I will add a small amount to the waist as I have reduced the pattern more than I should have on this particular measurement.  Now make the outfit up using scraps of fabric and test it on your doll.  At this point you can determine if any further adjustments need to be made.

The following photo shows an original pattern on the left, then reduced to 75% of the original size and finally at 50% of the original size.

Resizing crop top doll clothes pattern

As the resultant percentages are between 72.2% and 80.6% I am going to use 75% as an average and the amount that I will be reducing my pattern to i.e. 75% of the original size.

Now go to the photo copier, find the reduce button, set that to 75% and take copies of all pattern pieces at this setting.  Then make small adjustments where necessary.  In my case above, I will add a small amount to the waist as I have reduced the pattern more than I should have on this particular measurement.  Now make the outfit up using scraps of fabric and test it on your doll.  At this point you can determine if any further adjustments need to be made.

The following photo shows an original pattern on the left, then reduced to 75% of the original size and finally at 50% of the original size.

Original pattern, photo copied at 75% and 50% of original

If your doll was larger than the original doll clothes pattern you have, you would simply find the enlarge button and set it to the bigger size e.g. 110% to make the original pattern 10% larger.

You will notice that I did not worrying about the length of the arms or legs as these are easy to shorten or lengthen as necessary.   If my original doll has an arm length of 14cm and the doll I am making the pattern for has an arm length of 12cm, I would simply adjust the smaller photocopied sleeve pattern so that it was 2cm shorter than the original sleeve pattern length.  The same would apply for the leg measurement if you are making long pants.

Although this method does not take into account all measurements and is based on the premise that the proportion of the dolls are the same (which is not necessarily correct), it is a great method to use to get the basic pattern for you to start from and is much easier than drafting the pattern from scratch each time you wish to make a new smaller or larger pattern.

If you like this tip, I know you’ll love my How to Make Doll Clothes course as I show you tons more tips that take the frustration out of sewing small doll clothes which means you can enjoy sewing doll clothes for yourself or loved one instead of dreading/fearing it.  As a special bonus, the course comes with 8 free 18 inch doll clothes patterns with full video tutorials so you will be on your way to creating a wonderful wardrobe for your doll in no time at all.

Webmaster’s Note: For some reason, Facebook doesn’t like the URL for this post. It won’t allow us to post it or even share it in Messenger. To get around the problem, we’ve created the very same post at a new URL. Both contain the same helpful resizing information. But going forward, that post will be the “official” one we share online. Because… Facebook. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Happy Sewing

 

by Rosie Saw 

Post navigation

Older Newer

View my #1 Secret on How to Make Doll Clothes the easy way and Save a Fortune!!

How to Sew Doll Clothes Course FREE Tutorials

Privacy Assured: Your email address is never shared with anyone.

Testimonial

Laurie

“I thought I knew how to sew but I learned a lot from Rosie’s How to Make Doll Clothes video course. I now do a lot more flat sewing on other patterns and it makes such a difference. Also, her way of doing elastic is fantastic. I use some other patterns for doll clothes, but I always think about how Rosie would put it together and do it her way. Love Rosie and her great support.”

Laurie – California, USA

Rosie’s Blog Recent Posts

  • April 2023 Sew-Along
  • March 2023 Sew-Along
  • February 2023 Sew-Along
  • January 2023 Sew-Along

Blog Post Archive

Payments Rosie accepts….

PayPal Logo

Stripe
Terms and Conditions
Affiliate Program
Privacy Policy
Links

© 2022 Rosie's Doll Clothes Patterns, a unit of Component Enterprises, Inc.