Any beginning seamstress should start small, honing her skills in cutting and sewing, decorative trimming on mannequins, namely dolls. The ideal model can be a Barbie doll. When we sew for Barbie, we need to take into account the principle of the doll's body structure. Then take measurements and prepare a sketch. The finish is sewing and finishing the finished outfit.
Material and tools
Before sewing clothes for Barbie, you need to prepare the appropriate set of tools and materials. Here are some nuances of choice, since sewing miniature things requires a more delicate approach. What you need to prepare:
- Textiles. It is better to choose natural fabric. Such fabric will lie more evenly "on the figure" and will look more neat and attractive.
- A needle and thread, safety pins and a sewing machine are the tools that are directly used for sewing.
- Paper, a simple pencil, chalk, and a measuring tape are the necessary items for making a pattern and preparing a sketch.
- Accessories and decorative materials for finishing.
Additionally, other tools may be needed. Often, an awl, glue gun, and adhesive tape are required for finishing.
Please note! Patterns for Barbie with your own hands, patterns of ready-made industrial things from the store always differ from each other in the principle of execution. Therefore, you should not copy the manner of execution.
It is advisable to use rubber bands and all kinds of lacing and ribbons. Such materials can simplify the principle of processing some details of mini-things. Additionally, they will help to hold clothes on the doll.
Fluffy festive dress
Elegant, lush dresses that resemble ball gowns look very beautiful on dolls. When preparing a sketch, you can use bright, shiny fabrics, beads, lace, stones, fur, feathers. To create a real masterpiece, you can first sew a fabric base, which can then be decorated with other materials.
An option on how to sew a dress for a Barbie doll in the style of "Cinderella":
- Form the bottom part. Fold the strip in half several times, then cut off the corner to make a sun or half-sun skirt.
- The bodice is a rectangle on which darts are formed to create a fitted silhouette. Additional fixation is made in the neck area.
- First connect all the parts with a basting stitch, and then sew the parts on a sewing machine.
- Cut the basting thread and pull it out with tweezers or scissors. This is necessary to bring the outfit to a normal appearance.
- Before you make decorative trim, you need to try the finished product on the toy. Otherwise, there may be problems with the shape and size of the finished item.
This is a fairly simple fluffy dress-base in terms of production. It will definitely not restrict the movements of the doll's movable body parts. If you want to create something more complex and as close as possible to the original outfit of the Middle Ages, then you can use another pattern:
This sketch is a more complicated version of the first variant, where there are many nuances in terms of making the dress bodice. If desired, you can simplify the pattern by independently refining the given example.
Guipure, lace, brocade, satin ribbons can be used as decoration. Multi-faceted beading or glass pebbles will look original and appropriate on a lush outfit.
Barbie Evening Dress
An evening dress for a Barbie doll can be sewn from any fabric, but it is better to choose satin. But it is difficult to work with satin, since the edges of the textile begin to disintegrate into threads. Gabardine is considered the ideal option in terms of processing, and it looks decent.
First, you need to cut out the dress parts. The most common sewing option involves preparing 3 parts. The cut out elements need to be pre-sewn. Then assembly is done.
First, the doll's measurements are taken, and only then is the procedure of preparing and sewing this wardrobe item carried out. You can make a whole pattern that will be fastened with Velcro in the background.
You can also create straight silhouettes - much depends on the type of fabric used. It is enough to cut out 2 rectangles that will correspond to the parameters of the figure in width and length. Sew them together along the long sides of the figure, leaving small openings for the arms. Sew the short sides a little in the corners. These will be fixations for the shoulders and arms.
Asymmetrical dress and coat
You can create a whole ensemble that will consist of a dress and a coat. To diversify the silhouette, you can make the shape of the dress hem asymmetrical. Then the pattern of the dress for Barbie will look like this:
This model is a dress with open arms, as a coat of thick and heavy fabric will be used on top. To create an even greater contrast of textures, you can sew a dress from silk or chiffon.
Additional information! Such textiles will emphasize the asymmetry of the hem, giving it the correct shape.
It is quite difficult to sew a coat for a doll, since this type of item requires a mandatory stage of cutting out small details. The simplest type is the following pattern of outerwear:
The model seems simple enough, but there are some details with complex detailing in the back area. A hidden fold is formed along the entire element. Additionally, it is worth making a lining, which will make the thing more attractive and complete.
The coat model looks very elegant due to the interesting cut of the neck and sleeves. The shape of the product itself resembles a trapezoid, which is fastened under the neck at one point. If you decorate the place of fastening with a special button or mini-brooch, then the evening dress for the doll will look no worse than the models on the world catwalks.
Ballet Costume for Barbie
Barbie in the form of a ballerina is especially popular with girls. In order not to buy a new doll, you can sew a tutu yourself. To do this, you need to prepare the following materials and tools:
- Tulle, satin, lace.
- Scissors, needle and thread.
- Velcro, glue gun.
- Satin ribbon.
The principle of making a ballet dress:
- Cut a strip of tulle, the length of which will be 5 or 6 times the doll's waist circumference. The longer the element, the more voluminous the tutu skirt will be.
- Pull a cord along the long side of the strip and tighten it so that the element fits close to the waist.
- Prepare 2 strips from satin. One will be the bodice, so it should correspond to the body measurements. The second will be the skirt, so the length of the satin should be 2-3 times shorter than the tulle part.
- Sew the satin bodice to a strip of the same fabric. In doing so, gather the bottom part so that it becomes wavy.
- Glue Velcro to the edges of the bodice.
- Using stitches, sew the tulle base to the bottom of the finished top part of the skirt.
- To hide the seam between the bottom and the bodice of the dress, you can tie a belt made of ribbon.
The patterns for the Barbie ballet costume are not complicated, but the result is a decent set:
Please note! This dress will look not only like a ballerina costume, but also like a lush formal dress. Additionally, you can make decoration from rhinestones or beads. But you should only do the decoration along the perimeter of the bodice, so as not to weigh down the bottom.
How to sew a skirt for a Barbie and Monster High doll
The skirt is considered a separate part of the wardrobe, which should be unique and universal in shape and color. In addition, it should suit both Barbie and Monster High. Patterns of clothes for Barbie can be diverse, but it is better to stick to the classics.
It is worth choosing a half-sun or trapezoid silhouette as a basis. The product will be in harmony with any sweater, top or blouse. It is better to choose a dense fabric for the base. As for the print, it can be a cage, eco leather, gabardine. Pattern option:
The pattern consists of one piece, which will be fixed at the back with Velcro. Additionally, thanks to this method of fixation, you can adjust the size. You can make 3 pieces, then there will be a skirt with side seams, but still with Velcro at the back.
Carnival costume fox
To sew a carnival costume of a fox, you can use patterns or options for making New Year's images, which are used to make children's outfits. The format can be quite restrained, such as this scheme:
It is better to use felt as a base, which will perfectly hold all the shapes given by the orientation of the image. You can do it easier - make a skirt from tulle and elastic band for underwear. For the top, you can sew a simple white T-shirt or a swimsuit top. The manufacturing principle:
- Cut orange tulle into narrow but long strips.
- Cut off a piece of elastic that will act as a belt and a fastener. Sew the ends with one stitch.
- Tie the tulle strips to the elastic. Try to fix the elements so that the knots are located on the outside.
- Make a strip from orange fabric that will be fixed on the doll's chest. Cover the edges with Velcro.
- Make ears from colored paper and attach them to a piece of wire, which should be bent like a headband.
- String different pieces of tulle onto a piece of wire, then cut the edges so that you get an even silhouette of the tail.
There can be a lot of options for making such a simple costume. The manufacturing principle sometimes comes down to basic manipulations with fabric and other decorative elements.
You can sew clothes for Ken too, if you master the basic skills of making clothes for his friend, Barbie. Using basic cutting and modeling options, it is easy to create real masterpieces.
