23 comments on “A Great Tip When Working With Doll Clothes Patterns

  1. Melinda Cieslinski on Aug 25, 2012 9:04 pm | Reply

    Wonderful idea! I found some time ago that I was lazy and didn’t want to trace. I’ve taken iron on interfacing and adhered my purchased tissue pattern pieces to it. This makes the tissue paper more durable and I didn’t need to do tracing. Love any tips you have 😉

  2. Ann Mellor on Aug 25, 2012 9:17 pm | Reply

    I always said that I’ve met the smartest people on Rosie’s website.

    Thanks for such a great idea Debbi.

    I’m stepping out of my comfort zone this week and am going to attempt a civil war era type dress for my American Girl Felicity doll. I think prayer will go a long way on this one…LOL!

    Happy sewing everyone!

  3. Ann,

    Good luck to you on the Civil War Era dress. One of my favorite time periods. I’d love to see a picture of it. What pattern will you use?

    I have used interfacing to trace my Ottobre patterns for years. It is fabulous. I find a dark colored pencil…red, dark green, dark blue….works great. Doesn’t bleed through, but easier to see than regular pencil.

    Susan

  4. I like to use clear plastic sheeting to trace patterns. You can get huge rolls in the painting section of home improvement stores. Having something clear is really helpful when you’re matching stripes or centering motifs.

  5. Cherrylmaree on Aug 26, 2012 12:34 am | Reply

    Hi Rosie, this is such a clever ‘out of the square’ idea. I have c use vellum for my ordinary multi size pattern, as a matter of course, but hadn’t thought to save the wear and tear on my doll clothes ones. Have had a break from lessons for a couple of months but Kayla and I are back into it all this afternoon with a pair of PJ’s for her baby doll..should be good fun.
    Good luck to Ann with her costume dress. I hope she posts a picture. Best wishes.

  6. Thanks everyone for your wonderful contributions and alternatives, it is this sharing of ideas that makes life easier for us all.
    Crystal has sent me an email with another alternative that I also use and it is really handy if you use the pattern time and time again. I will expand on this further in a future blog so keep an eye out in the next couple of weeks for that one.
    Oh wow Ann, that is fantastic news to hear you are making a civil war era dress. I am sure you will be fine and we are all looking forward to seeing a photo….no pressure!
    Happy sewing, Rosie

    • Hi Laurie, Chux is a brand of cloth cleaning wipes that has been around for many, many years in Australia. The cloth wipe I am referring to is made of an open weave cloth that is quite thin and the small size is at least the size of a man’s handkerchief. It is more flexible and durable than paper which makes it ideal for pinning many times without tearing. Sorry for any confusion.

  7. Laurie Miles on Jun 2, 2013 4:20 am | Reply

    Thank you so much for such a fast reply! I will look for that and also try using some of the other suggestions. I am enjoying my How to Make Doll Clothes DVDs so much. I’ve learned a lot in a short time and have a few more to review. Love the way you do elastic and hems. Brilliant! I will share some pictures when I finish my new clothes.

  8. For those of you in the United States who are wondering what Chux is, I believe it is the same as our Handi- Wipes. You can purchase them in the grocery store.

  9. Margaret on May 22, 2018 6:01 am | Reply

    Hi All 🙂
    what wonderful ideas love them all 🙂
    My thought on this is maybe you could use Freezer paper…. you can trace on it, cut pattern out and iron it onto your fabric saves using pins or weights etc…and when you have finished cutting all the pattern pieces out the freezer paper just peels off….only downfall is, not sure how many times it can be used again, but just a suggestion 🙂
    happy sewing everyone, and I love all these tips and tricks
    nice to meet you all 🙂
    Margaret (magz)

    • Catherine on May 31, 2021 11:35 pm | Reply

      Must try this idea with my new patterns. I have up to now printed out 2 copies of the pattern pieces. Keep one copy whole so I can copy it again when needed. The other copy I cut out the pattern pieces and use them to cut out the material. Can use them for quite awhile before I have to photocopy the original. Kept in a folder with the instructions.

      • Catherine, I would love to know how you go if you give this a try. Remember, with all my patterns, you can log in at any time to download a new copy and watch the step-by-step videos. Happy sewing 🙂

  10. Penny Roberts on Oct 27, 2018 7:02 am | Reply

    Transferring pattern pieces onto calico is so easy too and it lasts well and pins easily to fabrics. It’s also easy to transfer pattern markings onto with a ballpoint pen or a lead pemcil

  11. Dawn Austen on May 29, 2021 1:21 am | Reply

    I’m in Canada and I’m thinking it looks like what we call j-cloth, can’t wait to try it , thanks for sharing

  12. Jackie Koepnick on May 29, 2021 1:39 am | Reply

    i love all these idea’s i have printed the wedding dress pattern several times as i alter or wear it out

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