My new sewing guides will teach you to sew doll clothes, end the mystery around sewing terms, help you stop wasting money on the wrong fabrics and give you the right tools for the job. Follow these tips and you will find that sewing at a small scale will be easier and less frustrating. The tips that I share are all based on my many years of experience sewing doll clothes. They will increase the quality of the little garments you sew. Whether you are sewing your first simple doll skirt for your child’s doll or you’re an experienced sewer wanting to downsize your sewing, having the rights tools for each task will make your life a lot easier.
Part 2: The Right Fabric for Sewing Doll Clothes
This post is Part 2 in my new series of Doll Clothes Sewing Guides. We’re focusing on choosing the right fabric to make your lovely dolls outfits. The right fabric can make or break an outfit and the person making it. There’s nothing more frustrating than trying to sew a tiny seam with fabric that’s too bulky or sewing a lovely skirt that looks a stiff as a board when it’s on your doll. The choice of fabric is made harder by online shopping, as you can’t feel the weight or quality of the fabric you’re buying. So I’m here to guide your decisions and help you understand the different types of fabric and what they work best for.
This isn’t a definitive list, but it’s a good starting point and includes fabrics suitable for beginners. With many types of fabric available, understanding where to start and what to buy is crucial. Always check the pattern instructions for the recommended fabric. If you’re a complete beginner, start with non-stretch fabrics like cotton. To see how a fabric drapes (i.e., how it will hang when sewn), hold it up to check if it looks realistic or too stiff at a small scale.
Cotton Broadcloth
Cotton broadcloth is medium-weight, plain weave cotton fabric. A good quality men’s shirt will be made from cotton broadcloth. Quilting cotton is also broadcloth. It is good for doll blouses and dresses, skirts or trousers which need a bit of structure. 100% cotton fabric is good to work with for beginners. Available in lots of patterns and colours. It’s not suitable if you want something floaty.
Cotton Lawn
Cotton lawn is a lightweight cotton fabric which is perfect for doll clothes. I use Liberty Lawn in a lot of my projects. It’s great for dresses, skirts, blouses and tops where you want a bit more movement, flow and softness. It’s easy to work with for beginners. The dresses below are all in cotton lawn.
Cotton drill & chino
Cotton drill is a twill fabric with diagonal lines. It is a strong and durable fabric. Good for tighter fitting doll skirts (see pic) and trousers. Chinos are made of a type of cotton twill. Use a medium rather than a heavy weight for doll clothes.
Denim
Denim is a cotton fabric and a type of twill fabric. For doll clothes, find a lightweight denim between 6 – 8 oz. Re-purposing denim shirts and children’s jeans or skirts also works well. Use denim to make small versions of jeans, denim jackets, skirts. I would avoid making denim shirts with denim and opt for chambray instead which gives a similar effect.
Cotton chambray
Cotton chambray has a coloured warp thread and white weft thread. It’s traditionally light blue but can be found in many other colours. It’s good for doll clothes as it’s lightweight. Use instead of denim when you want a similar effect. It’s also good for dungarees, blouses, dresses and skirts.
Tarten
Tarten is traditionally pure wool, but cotton tarten is available and is best for making pleated doll skirts. Small patterns will look to scale when made up. Known as plaid in the USA.
Corduroy
A soft pile fabric with distinctive ribs. For doll clothes, use for dungarees, fitted skirts and trousers or outerwear. The finer corduroy’s are best, such as baby cord or pin/ needle cord. Press carefully using tip of the iron and don’t let the full weight of iron crush the fabric. It has a nap (i.e. when you run your hand over the fabric, it will feel different depending on the direction you go) to it so make sure all of the pieces of garment are cut with the nap going the same way.
Linen
Linen is a natural fabric made from flax plants. It is often combined with cotton to produce a fabric with a nice texture. For doll clothes, choose a lighter weight linen for tops or soft dresses (3 – 6 oz) or a medium weight (7 – 9 oz) for more structured garments (trousers, pleated skirts). Linen is very prone to fraying so I would recommend using Fray Check liquid on raw edges before sewing.
Cotton jersey
Jersey is a knit fabric which is stretchy and drapes well. The thickness and stretch of jersey does vary. Choose a thin jersey (like a single jersey) for doll t-shirts. French terry has loops on the back (see pink cardigan) and is smooth on the front, it is thicker than single jersey and can be used for doll sweatshirts and joggers.
Wool
Wool fabric tends to be thicker and heavier in weight, so chose one which is lightweight or a wool blend. Good for outwear (coats, jackets etc). Can be pricey. Herringbone weave fabric looks nice for coats and tailored skirts.
Tulle
Tulle is perfect for facing necklines and armholes as it doesn’t fray and doesn’t add bulk to the doll clothes. It is lightweight and good for adding layers without bulk. Also good for ballet costumes, underskirts and tutus. Tulle is different from the netting found in craft stores, which is stiffer and has larger holes. Look for tulle which is described as soft and lightweight and made from either nylon or polyester. Also look out in thrift stores for girls skirts with tulle lining.
Stretch mesh
For tights and socks, find a thin mesh fabric with a two or four way stretch or up-cycle old tights (with a higher denier i.e. 50 +). Sometimes called ‘power-mesh’ or ‘stretch mesh’. Jersey will also work for socks if it is thin and will look like cotton socks.
Faux Leather and Leather
Faux leather is useful for making doll bags and other accessories, like belts and dungaree straps. Stick to lightweight versions. You can also buy belt strapping ready made. You can also find off cuts of leather in some fabric shops – stick to very thin soft pieces (think leather gloves).
Interfacing
Interfacing is used to give parts of the fabric additional support or structure. As set out above, tulle is a good option for doll clothes. However, as an alternative to tulle, a lightweight non-fusible interfacing can be used. If the pattern calls for it, then a iron-on (fusible) interfacing may be needed.
Thread
The best type of thread for most doll clothes sewing is an all purpose polyester thread. This has a slight ‘give’ to it which is good for seams. 100% cotton thread is made for cotton fabrics and is usually used by quilters, so I would recommend sticking with the all purpose polyester thread.
I hope you’ve found this part of the Doll Sewing Guide useful. You can download the full guide as a free pdf from the Freebies page. Happy doll clothes sewing!
Claire x
