A Doll Clothier's Bibliography

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As mentioned in a recent post, I've been making Barbie clothes.  Many doll makers start with projects like this and feel they need some help.  I will say, if you are starting with Barbie, you have a tough haul.  Even the greatest sewists have difficulty with the doll's tiny and bizarre dimensions.  When you are working so small, every fraction of an inch counts.  If you're starting out with some of the larger fashion dolls (like the American Doll series), you have the advantage of being able to use slightly larger seam allowances and thicker fabrics.  Perhaps you're starting to make your own dolls and feel stuck by design options.  

Here's some advice:

1)  Pay attention to scale.  This is the golden rule in doll making.  The smaller the doll, the thinner the fabrics and the tinier the embellishments must be.  If you're creating Barbie costumes for a friend, there's some leeway (especially if she's 6), but if you are serious about the clothes looking 'right', you must use the appropriate weight of fabrics.  And you know what?  Kids can see the difference, too.  They like to play with beautiful clothes as much as you do.  Do your best to make something that looks like a real person would wear it.  

2) Practice sewing and working with small seams.  Often, you will have to sew with much less than a 1/4" seam allowance.  Sometimes the best option is to have a normal seam allowance, then trim down.  However, sometimes you have to start tiny and this is where skill comes into play.  Don't just practice with cotton: use slippery silks, chunky velvets and any other type of fabric you'll use regularly.  Have a selection of needles and threads - this makes a difference - it's not a marketing ploy by notions manufacturers!  My favorite needle for general small scale sewing is an 80/12 sharp point needle (aka Microtex); use a 60/8 for ultra lightweight fabrics.  Practice!

3) Be aware of turn of the cloth.  If you are new to sewing, this phrase refers to the incremental but progressive addition of bulk and reduction of length of a garment due to multiple layers of cloth in a seam.  Turn of the cloth can be crucial in the success of a small garment.  Sometimes, no amount of pounding, trimming or stitching is going to get rid of that bulk.  Use the finest, thinnest cloth you can find.

 

4)  Keep it as simple as possible.  Unless you want to be frustrated and angry, when working with figures smaller than 20", don't fiddle with zippers, buttonholes, facings, multiple pockets, or other complex components.  Find a way to suggest these elements are present.  You will drive yourself insane trying to insert a bound pocket into a tiny jacket.  Sewing a pocket flap on a Barbie coat could be dangerous to your mental state.  Beware!

5) Don't glue.  Please don't glue.  Ok, if your creation is going to be a static sculpture that will be displayed under glass, glue away.  Otherwise, no glue!  Beads, lace, buttons, do-dads of any kind should be sewn on.  If kids are going to be playing with your designs sew everything on - twice!  Glues fail, often at the weirdest times.  And when you are working small, it takes a special skill to apply glue invisibly.  Trust me, it's difficult and many mistakes are made. 

6) Sewing by hand can be faster and easier.  Sounds crazy, I know.  When your total seam length is three inches, pulling out a needle and thread is the way to go.  Clothes children will use should be sewn by machine for extra strength.  On my own figures, more than half the sewing is done by hand.  It would be more difficult and take longer to use a machine.

Last by not least...

7) Whenever possible, create your own patterns.  Why?  A few reasons.  Even if you find something on-line or in a book that seems perfect, that pattern was designed by a person who had a particular skill level, sewing machine, and materials that are not the same as yours. I'm not putting you down in any way.  The fact is, if you sit 10 people down to sew something, you're going to get 10 different results.  Although you probably don't believe me, it is less stressful to make your own designs, taking into account your sewing idiosyncrasies.  Second, if you are working with your own figures, no pattern you find is going to work.  Struggle through it yourself; it may take a few tries, but you'll get there.  Third, although there may be patterns out there, they are not for you to use willy nilly.  And you can bet the designers didn't intend for you to make money with their designs.  If you're selling anything, obtaining permissions and arranging payment is a rugged process.  Don't think for a minute you can get away with ignoring that step either; someone will find out and negativity of one form or another will blow your way. Just make your own patterns, it isn't that hard.

Where to turn for advice?  Books!  I'll be augmenting my Reference Shelf Page with  some of my favorites that cover clothing/costuming topics.  They are listed below in order of importance/usefulness.

Let's start with the best.  If you are interested in making clothes for dolls - any kind of doll - there is only one all-around reference and that's Finishing the Figure by Susanna Oroyan.  Her other two books (Anatomy of a Doll and Designing the Doll) are the go-to books for doll makers of all kinds.  Ms. Oroyan is a master of her craft and has presented just about every topic of clothing design and construction one can imagine. Obviously, the emphasis is creating a unique figure, and then designing outer wear, but most of the topics covered can relate to sewing costumes for commercially available dolls.  If you can afford only one book on costumes, this is the one to buy.  Everything from undies to shoes is discussed, as well as glasses, fairy wings, and a variety of odd topics. An excellent reference. 

I've reviewed Pattern Magic I and II by Tomoko Nakamichi in a previous post.  These two books are targeted toward sewists who are serious about technique and creating unique designs.  That said, there is nothing difficult in the books.  The benefit to doll clothing designers is the clear explanation of technique, a plethora of drawings, emphasis on experimentation, rigorous testing with a muslin, and insistence on good fit.  We could all benefit from heeding these lessons no matter the size range of our work.

The Art of Machine Piecing by Sally Collins is a quilting book.  As you may know, I am a dedicated quilter and have an extensive collection of books on the topic.  Why include a quilting book here?  The reason is simple.  This book is a compilation of all the things Ms. Collins has learned while focusing on her great love, sewing miniature quilt blocks.  When I say miniature, I mean really, really tiny.  Because she is working on such a small scale (Barbie enthusiasts, take note!), precision is űber important.  The discussion on testing your machine for seam accuracy can be a real eye-opener.  Read the book for this reason alone. 

 

When Hankie Couture by Marsha Greenberg hit the stores a while back, it was a sensation.  At least for me anyway.  The author turned her passions for doll clothes and vintage handkerchiefs into a charming business; her style shines through in all her creations.  Picture the kind of hankies your aunt or grandmother used to pull out of her purse: embroidered hems, a bit of lace, maybe some funky prints - these are ones the author is using.  The clothes are creative, using the design of each handkerchief to best advantage.  The author provides patterns for  a few basic dresses, but the vast majority of the book is simply photos of her 'girls' wearing fabulous outfits.  One thing to point out here is that the author is using a perfect material for small format dresses.  Handkerchiefs are lightweight, but usually with a tight weave and pre-hemmed edges.   Think about that when you pull out your vintage velvet stash to make a mini-ballgown.  

Bridal Couture: FineSewing Techniques for Wedding Gowns and Evening Wearby Susan Khalje is an under-appreciated reference.  It's clear what the focus is here, but the discussions of fabrics, linings and embellishments (especially lace) are spot-on and useful for all small-scale clothing designers. Ms. Khalje is a regular contributor to Threads magazine (one of my favs) and her examples are well photographed and explained.

 

Cloth Doll Artistry:  Design and Costuming Techniques for Flat and Fully Sculpted Figuresby Barbara Willis was one of the myriad doll books that came out a few years back - during the 'express yourself with dolls' phase.  As with all those books, most of the topics are rehashed, but there are some helpful tidbits.  What's unique here?  This author discusses flat dolls - think of them as highly embellished paper dolls- and uses them as mini-design boards.  This could be a useful feature for some budding clothing designers, trying out color combos and fabric choices before committing to needle and thread.

Creative Cloth Doll Making by Patti Medaris Culea was published in the previously mentioned doll phase, but this book had more weight due to the professional reputation of the author.  Ms. Culea provides some patterns for a doll, discusses embellishment options and shows a gallery of dolls (all using the same pattern) by a multiplicity of dollmakers. 
The benefit is seeing what others do with a design: some make clothes, some add directly to the body, some mix it up.

Everywhere I travel, I visit used bookstores.  On a visit to Indiana, I discovered Soft Sculpture by Carolyn Vosburg Hall.  I mention this book to highlight an important point - don't discount something because it's 'too old.'  This book was published in 1981 and has gazillions of photos of what I classify as horrible 70's textile art.  Imagine what the 70's did to crochet and weaving and you get the picture.  Flipping through this book you might be discouraged, but actually it's a gem.  Twenty years before Susanna Oroyan's wonderbooks, this one covered all the basics of textile based sculptures; I still use it as a minor reference now and again.  Topics include 2-d design to 3-d sculpture, creating realistic body parts, pattern design, sewing/construction guidelines, armatures, fabric choices and more. I don't expect anyone to search out this book, or even be able to find it in a library.  Just remember one thing, every book has a lesson for you - maybe small - be open to it.

Stay tuned for more tips in a few days...