Sew Matching Flower Motifs for a Girl and Doll

Sew Matching Flower Motifs for a Girl and Doll

18-inch dolls doll clothes flower embellishments Joan Hinds sewing for girls yo-yo flower

Yo-yo flowers pictured on the T-Shirt Dress from All Dolled Up.

Create coordinating outfits for a girl and her 18-inch doll with help from these fun yo-yo flowers. Designed by doll dress designer Joan Hinds, these embellishments are super easy to make and are sure to brighten the day of your favorite little doll lover.

To make the flower embellishments, all you need is fabric of your choice and two buttons. Joan recommends using a 3/4-inch button for a girl and a smaller 3/8-inch button for an 18-inch doll. 

When you are finished making the flowers, tack them on to a T-shirt or project of your choice. Complete instructions for the matching T-Shirt Dresses pictured here can be found in Joan's book All Dolled Up.

Fig. 1 (left) and Fig. 2

Yo-Yo Flower for Girl:
1. To make a yo-yo flower for a girl's garment, cut a 4-1/2 inch (11.4cm) circle from the fabric. 

2. With a hand sewing needle and matching thread, work running stitches around the edge of the circle about 1/8 inch (3mm) in from the edge (fig. 1). Pull tightly and flatten the circle. Tie off and sew the 3/4-inch button to the center of the flower to cover the raw edges (fig. 2). 

3. Tack the flower to the upper left of the T-shirt.

Yo-Yo Flower for Doll:
1. For the yo-yo flower for a doll's garment, cut a 2-1/4 inch (5.7cm) circle from the fabric. 

2. With a hand sewing needle and matching thread, work running stitches around the edge of the circle about 1/8 inch (3mm) in from the edge (fig. 1). Pull tightly and flatten the circle. Tie off and sew the 3/8-inch button to the center of the flower to cover the raw edges (fig. 2). 

3. Tack the flower to the upper left of the T-shirt.

The Perfect Party Dress for Your 18-inch Doll

That's all there is to it! Check out Joan's brand new DVD, The Perfect Party Dress For Your 18-inch Doll for more doll sewing fun. On this DVD, Joan will guide you in constructing a to-the-waist lined yoke dress with a gathered skirt, puffed sleeves and a double-ruffle hem. You'll learn tons of tips and techniques along the way, and doll shoes are included as a bonus project to complete this party dress ensemble.

Sew On, Sew Well, Sew Beautiful,
Cyndi and Amelia

Choosing Fabric for Doll Clothes

Choosing Fabric for Doll Clothes

18-inch dolls doll clothes Joan Hinds Sewing Secrets for Doll Clothing

Just like clothing for little girls, fashion for 18-inch dolls has many unique elements. Dresses, shirts, pants, skirts, jackets, sleepwear and accessories are all essentials for a complete wardrobe, and choosing the right fabrics to make these small garments is important. 

Below, we'd like to share some handy fabric-selecting tips with you from two of doll expert Joan Hinds' popular books, All Dolled Up and Doll Fashion Studio:

Flowered Party Dress

Cotton - Many doll garments are made from cotton fabrics, and a lot of cotton prints today are designed to have several companion prints. These make bright, colorful clothes that girls love, like the "Flowered Party Dress" pictured here.

Embroidered Jeans

Denim - For fabrics other than cottons, the weight of the fabric is important. Making jeans for dolls - like the "Embroidered Jeans" - is much easier, and the fit is better, if the denim is lightweight. Another choice for jeans would be a chambray or lightweight twill. 

Knits - Knits are good to use for making doll T-shirts. Many people may hesitate to sew with knits, but they're not difficult to work within the T-shirts since the smaller pieces tend not to stretch as much as larger ones. Sewing with knits only requires a few minor changes:

• Make sure your sewing machine needle is appropriate for knits. 

• The seams in the knit garments are quite short, which helps eliminate stretching. Use a straight or zigzag stitch if using your sewing machine, or stitch the seams with a serger. 

• You may want to try a double needle for hems on shirts and leggings. 

Fleece Vest

Fleece - For fleece garments, stay away from very heavy fleece. If you can find a microfleece fabric, this works the best for doll garments. The fleece used on the "Fleece Vest," with good results, is medium weight. 

Classic Nightgown

Flannel - Flannel prints are good choices for sleepwear, as pictured on the "Classic Nightgown."

Rainy Day Fashion Raincoat

Laminated Cotton - Laminated cotton, which was used on the "Rainy Day Fashion Raincoat," is fabric with a protective finish applied to the surface. Follow these tips to make sewing on laminated cotton easier:

• Only put pins inside the seam allowance when cutting and sewing your fabric. Pins will leave a permanent mark on the fabric. Try using double-sided or cellophane tape to hold the fabrics together when cutting and sewing. 

• Do not press the fabric from the right side because the coating on the fabric will melt. Press only if needed on the wrong side or on the lining side.

• Use a sharp needle, size 12, with a 1/8-inch stitch length. If needed, try a Teflon-coated presser foot when topstitching to keep the foot from sticking.

Scale - Larger-scale prints can look great in doll clothing if they match a girl's outfit. Sometimes, prints have companion fabrics with both large- and small-scale motifs. If you're making matching outfits for a girl and doll, use the larger pattern for girls and the smaller one for dolls. 

Weight - The weight of the fabric will have a bearing on some of the techniques used. For example, some garments in All Dolled Up have a ruffle that is made by doubling the width of the fabric. It is folded in half with wrong sides together and stitched to the garment. The need for a hem is eliminated, and the ruffle has more body. If you're using a cotton fabric for a doll garment, a double fabric ruffle will be appropriate. If you're using a heavier flannel, the doll ruffles consist of only a single layer of fabric. You may need to adjust the pattern depending on your fabric choice. 

Sewing Secrets for Doll Clothing

For more doll sewing tips and tricks, check out Joan's new DVD, Sewing Secrets for Doll Clothing. On this DVD, Joan will show you measure your doll, create a paper towel pattern, match it to patterns in a pattern book and adjust if necessary. She'll also teach you all about tiny tools and notions, fabric tips, pressing tricks and much more!

Sew On, Sew Well, Sew Beautiful,
Cyndi and Amelia