Surely many parents whose children play with Barbie have encountered requests to sew new clothes for their favorite dolls. At first glance, this may seem like a difficult task. To sew doll clothes for Barbie, you first need to familiarize yourself with the parameters of the doll itself.
Basic principles of sewing doll clothes
Barbie is a doll whose height usually does not exceed 30 cm. Her arms and legs tend to bend and unbend. This factor is key in the process of sewing outfits for her, since sewing clothes for a "static" doll would be more problematic. As a rule, the classic Barbie doll has the following dimensions:
- waist – 75 mm;
- hips – 120 mm;
- height – 350 mm;
- chest and neck girth – 110 and 20 mm respectively.
Today, there are many models on sale that are radically different from each other, so before you start sewing clothes for Barbie dolls with your own hands, it is better to take all the necessary measurements of the doll. Of all the types of clothes for dolls, the most common ones can be distinguished: skirts, blouses, swimsuits, trousers, coats, dresses, as well as all kinds of headwear.
Please note! To sew things for a doll, enthusiasm alone is not enough, so the ability to work with scissors, a needle, and knowledge of stitches will be very useful.
The principles of creating clothes for Barbie include:
- Transferring the outlines of all the details onto the fabric should be done using a pencil or a colored marker.
- Cutting doll clothes is done with sharp scissors. For small details, you can use even smaller tools, such as manicure scissors.
- Each seam must be ironed to ensure the final product looks elegant.
- Cutting out paired pieces is done symmetrically.
Where to find patterns
Patterns for doll outfits can be made independently or using web resources. To create an easy pattern by hand, the doll's body should be tightly wrapped in paper or cling film, and then with tape. Mark the places where the seam will be with a felt-tip pen. After that, make cuts along the marked lines with thin scissors, remove the parts from the cling film/paper and transfer them to separate sheets of paper.
Please note! If you search for a pattern on the Internet, you should take into account that the sites present patterns for standard dolls. Therefore, it is so important to take the appropriate measurements before starting work.
Tools needed for sewing
At first, it is worthwhile to sew the simplest outfits and, improving your skills, over time, begin to create more complex items of the doll's wardrobe. It is definitely worth getting a ruler, a measuring tape, needles, threads, scissors and additional decorative elements - beads, buttons, beads, snaps.
Decorative elements are often sold in stores specializing in the sale of sewing materials, so when choosing fabric for sewing, you can get some nice little things to decorate future costumes. In addition to the described tools, when creating costumes, you can use a sewing machine - it will greatly facilitate the process of creating doll outfits and save time. However, you can do without a sewing machine.
What fabrics are best to use?
The choice of fabric for sewing doll clothes is one of the most important stages, on which the final result of the work depends. Rough and thick fabric is not suitable for creating clothes for dolls, since small things will look untidy, and sewing will become even more labor-intensive.
First of all, when choosing fabric for creating homemade costumes, you should pay attention to knitwear. It does not crumble, so there is no need to additionally process the fabric. At the same time, you should make sure that the material does not develop “runs”, as sometimes happens on nylon tights. By the way, old nylon tights or socks can also be an excellent material for creating stockings and tights for little dolls. To make the outfit of toy fashionistas truly chic, you can use the following decorations:
- all kinds of bows;
- flowers;
- ribbons;
- beads.
In addition to knitwear, there are many other types of fabric that can be used to sew outfits. Cotton fabric is suitable for creating dresses, skirts, trousers and even swimsuits, it is durable and inexpensive, but you should not limit yourself to one thing, because then the outfit may turn out to be inexpressive. Clothes for dolls can be not only sewn, but also crocheted or knitted.
Please note! It is better not to combine fabrics with a relief texture, since the suit will look rough. The optimal solution is to combine relief fabric with smooth fabric.
When choosing fabric, pay attention not only to the softness and pliability of the material, but also to its color range and patterns. The most beautiful fabrics are those in the pattern of which the greatest number of colors are used. Outfits made from them are bright, catchy and fashionable. For such fabric, you can select more uniform materials where the colors are repeated, then the doll costumes will not be too gaudy.
Patterns
When choosing patterns, the first thing to pay attention to is the size of the pattern. It should correspond to the size of the doll for which the clothes are being sewn. Patterns can be different: geometric, floral, animal, abstract. All these types can be combined with each other as you like, because each time you will get something completely new. But, as in the situation with the main color scheme, fabric with multi-colored and complex patterns should be the main one, and then simpler patterns should be selected for it.
A selection of master classes on sewing clothes for Barbie
Below is a description of various master classes and life hacks, which describe step-by-step the process of creating clothes for Barbie dolls.
Dress
To sew a beautiful dress for Barbie at home, the doll should be placed on the fabric and its body should be traced. After that, use scissors to cut out the workpiece along the outlined contour. A cutout should be made at the place of the neck. After sewing the two contours together, armholes are cut out to create sleeves. The armholes for the sleeves and near the neck are processed with decorative materials.
After the main work is done, you should sew all the sides and turn the dress inside out. If necessary, the dress can be decorated with decorative elements.
Ballet costume
In addition to classic outfits, clothes for Barbie dolls can be unusual. For example, you can sew a ballet costume.
To make a ballet costume, you should cut a strip of tulle that is 6 times longer than the doll's waist. The length of this strip will determine the fullness of the skirt. A string is threaded along the entire strip and tightened so that the strip fits snugly around the doll's waist. Next, two more strips should be prepared from satin fabric. One of them should correspond to the doll's body measurements, and the second should be 2 times smaller than the tulle ribbon. The satin part is sewn to the same strip of textile fabric.
Velcro should be sewn onto the edges of the finished bodice, the tulle base should be attached with stitches under the finished part of the ballet skirt so that the seam between the bodice and the skirt is hidden, and a ribbon belt should be tied in its place. The end result will be a sophisticated ballet costume for a Barbie doll.
Sweater
A cardigan can be used as a blouse for a doll. It is quite easy to make. A pattern is made in the form of a T-shirt using the same principle as in the case of creating a pattern for a dress. The pattern is applied to the fabric, the edges for the cardigan are drawn on the fabric. Next, a piece for the back and two symmetrical side pieces are cut out with scissors. All this is sewn together, the edges can be treated with transparent varnish. The cardigan is ready - you can wear it unbuttoned or tie it with a ribbon.
The master classes listed in this article are only a small part of the outfits that you can create with your own hands. In addition to clothes, you can also create furniture and household items for dolls. Such activities do not require much effort, and any materials at hand will do for the work. The main thing in this business is enthusiasm and imagination, because only by giving in to the flight of fantasy can you create a truly beautiful and stylish outfit for a Barbie doll.
