Holiday Dresses to Make for Your Dolls

Is it too soon? 🙂   Have you thought about the special girls in your life that might enjoy new clothes for their special dolls this holiday season?  Here are a few ideas to inspire you to ring in the season! Click on each photo to go right to the Oh Sew kat! sewing pattern I used.  Visit my Etsy Shop to find a full selection of patterns for dolls from 14-18 inches tall.

Four Season Skirts ^^ Find this free pattern HERE.

Jumping Jack  ^^

Party Time Peasant Dress  ^^

Sugar n Spice Dress Pattern Hack ^^

See more holiday doll clothes ideas HERE and HERE.

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Sew a Halloween Costume for Your Wellie Wishers Dolls

What is more fun than dressing dolls up in adorable Halloween costumes that you make yourself?  Here are a few ideas of costumes that your Wellie Wishers would love to wear.  All of these patterns are also available in other doll sizes in my Etsy Shop.

Today’s costume theme is the color BLUE!!

Use the Popsicle Top and Sixth Grade Skirt patterns to make a sweet Elsa inspired costume.  The full tutorial for the skirt is HERE.

Julie H. of Sew Dolled Up 81 made this beautiful ice princess outfit with the Sugar n Spice pattern.   It’s amazing how some fancy fabrics can completely change the look of a simple dress pattern.

And finally, Jaci G.  of JGooseandCo made this beautiful Alice in Wonderland outfit for her Hearts for Hearts doll with the Sugar n Spice pattern with included bonus apron.

See more Halloween costume ideas here and here, and be sure to check out the Inspiration Gallery as well.

 

Fall Batik Dresses for Dolls- Sugar n Spice Sewing Pattern

It’s hard to believe that fall is just around the corner.  The mornings are not quite crisp yet, but we know it’s coming soon.  It’s time to shift from beaches and boardwalks to back to school, football, and fall colors!  What better way to start than some pretty dresses for dolls! Be sure to pin the images so you can find them later! 🙂

I used the Sugar n Spice pattern for both of these dresses.  For the 18 inch sized dress, I added the placket for the buttons using this method here.  You just have to remember to cut the front bodice differently (lining does not change).

I only made two dresses, one in each size. But I just love how this fabric looks so different depending on what doll wore it. Who do you think wore it best?

Find the sewing pattern HERE for 18 inch dolls and HERE for wellie wishers sized dolls.

Who else is ready for fall???

See more Sugar n Spice dresses here and here.

 

 

Make Your Own Back to School Outfits for Dolls – School Dance Dress

It’s time to head back to class!! Your dolls will be ready for the 1st bell in a cute SCHOOL DANCE dress you sew yourself with this easy sewing pattern with lots of options!  Find the pattern sized for 18 inch dolls HERE and for 16 inch dolls like Disney Animators HERE.  It’s also available for 14.5 inch Wellie Wishers.

Use this School Dance pattern to make a groovy dress for 70s BeForever character, Julie Albright.  See more ideas for Julie HERE.

Are your dolls ready to head back to school?  Find more sewing inspiration in the Inspiration Gallery, sorted by pattern and by character.

Back to School Sewing Patterns – School Bell Blouse

It’s so hard to believe it’s already August!! For most of us, that means back to school time! I’ve always loved the feel of back to school shopping- and who doesn’t love those aisles and aisles of school supplies that pop up in every store this time of year?  Be still my heart!

Your dolls will be ready for a great year with a few new outfits too!  Check back often to see more ideas for Back to School doll fashions that you can make yourself!

Today’s feature is the School Bell Blouse.  This pattern features two versions of a short top with long sleeves.  Pretty pleats on the sleeve give you a cute spot for a bow or button accent.  With or without the peplum, this trendy blouse is fun to make and cute for your doll to wear!

The quick and easy Sixth Grade Skirt is the perfect skirt to complete the outfit. 

School Bell Blouse by OhSewKat

Find the pattern for 18 inch dolls HERE and for 16 inch dolls HERE.  Coming soon for Wellie Wishers 😉

See more School Bell Blouse ideas in the Pattern Inspiration Gallery.

New! Bitty Baby Sewing Pattern: Playtime Peasant Top and Twirl Skirt

The Playtime Peasant Top and Twirl Skirt pattern is now available for Bitty Baby™ and Bitty Twins™.  This easy to sew peasant top can be made with long or short sleeves, and the pattern includes the fun, 3 tiered “pull on style” twirly skirt too!  It’s available in my Etsy shop!

Shop now for the Playtime Peasant Sewing Pattern for 15 inch Baby Dolls.  See more ideas for the Playtime Peasant Top and Twirl Skirt here and here.

The Playtime Peasant Pattern is also available in other popular doll sizes, like 18 inch dolls, 16 inch Animators, 16 inch A Girl for All Time, 14.5 inch Wellie Wishers.

 

 

 

 

 

Tester Tuesday: Easy Up! Jumper Pattern for 18 inch dolls

My Oh Sew Kat! test group never ceases to amaze me. Their talent and creativity are top notch! I always love checking me email 2-3 days after sending out a test because my mailbox is full of photos like these lovelies below!! Enjoy the doll clothes eye candy- and click HERE to purchase the new Easy Up! Reversible Jumper pattern for 18 inch dolls.

First up is this Nanea stunner made by Michelle Anderson.  She put the pleat in the center instead of on the sides.  We will have a full tutorial on this later in the month.

Juliette Auckland’s baby cord jumper is stunning with the red heart buttons and long sleeve shirt. Her doll is ready for back to school!

Kathy McMillin has Josefina ready for the summer heat in her pretty, pink sundress version of the Easy Up! jumper.

Denim and gingham- what could be cuter? Sandy Simpson added cute bows to the sides of her jumper with the adorable daisy front and center.

This simple pattern has a lot of options to make it for any season in any fabric. Make it reversible for two dresses in one!!  Find the pattern here and see more Easy Up! Jumpers in the Inspiration Gallery HERE.

Learning to Sew? What pattern to start with?

I get asked this question quite often.

“What would be the best pattern for my young, or brand new sewist start with?”

Oh Sew Kat! offers patterns with basic pattern pieces and simple constructions for this very reason. The goal is to give success to someone who has NEVER SEWN A PATTERN EVER.  Here are my top 3 patterns for newbie seamstresses: The Sixth Grade Skirt, the Playtime Peasant Top, and the Easy Up! Jumper.

1.  Sixth Grade Skirt

The greatest thing about the Sixth Grade Skirt is that it’s very hard to mess it up. Because it is an open skirt, with a hook and loop tape closure in back, it fits a wide variety of dolls (and toys), and also accommodates a beginning seamstress’ (possibly) uneven seam allowances.  It’s fun to mix and match different fabrics, and you can add easy pockets with this TUTORIAL, or ruffles or lace to the hem like in this TUTORIAL.

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2. Playtime Peasant Top

As far as a doll shirt goes, the peasant top is a timeless staple for every doll wardrobe.  It really does not get much easier than this.  The simple construction still lends itself to whimsical fabric combinations for unique styles.  Feeding a safety pin through an elastic casing for the easy neckline will teach a beginner a skill that can be then used on skirts, pants and shorts too!

Make the Playtime Peasant Top with long sleeves with elastic at the wrist.  This classic look works for both historical and modern outfits.

Playtime Peasant Top with short sleeves with elastic.  Add lace to a skirt with this easy TUTORIAL.

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3. Easy Up! Jumper

The Easy Up! Jumper is just that! Easy! It’s easy to cut, and quick to sew.  For first time seamstresses, make the simple version (no side pleats) and use FOE (fold over elastic) for the straps. Be careful, this pattern is addicting! It’s hard to make just one!

 

Visit the Inspiration Gallery for each pattern to see more ideas.

Other simple patterns to try:  Boardwalk Boutique, Playground Pants, HalterAlls, and the Party Time Peasant Dress.

SHOP for Oh Sew Kat! Patterns

 

Share your projects!!

Tester Tuesday: The Easy Up! Jumper Pattern for 18 inch dolls

Here are a few photos of the amazing Easy Up! jumpers from the Oh Sew Kat! testers.  They never cease to amaze me with not only how quickly they work, but also have creative they are!  Find the Easy Up! Jumper for 18 inch dolls here.

Above, Pam Ray of Amy Violet’s, used lace for her pleats and straps.  Such a pretty dress!!

Michelle Anderson added an adorable pocket to the front of this spiffy plaid jumper.  The pocket piece is not included with the pattern, but if you don’t have one from another pattern (like the HalterAlls for example), it’s very easy to make your own!

Sophie Pagr’s STUNNING dress blew me away.  The fabric is perfect with this off the shoulder peasant style top. Be sure to check her out on instagram at ProjectAGrunway for more stunning photos and doll clothes.

Nellie looks ready for anything in her adorable apple Easy Up! Jumper made by Koala-T. Find them on facebook and say hi!!  Koala-T sells her doll clothes online and at craft shows in Canada.

What will you add to your Easy Up! Jumper to make it uniquely yours?  Share your photos with me at #ohsewkat on instagram or my facebook page:  http://www.facebook.com/ohsewkat.  See more Easy Up! Jumper ideas in the Inspiration Gallery and purchase the pattern HERE.

 

Gingham Peasant Dress Outfit Tutorial for Julie Albright- A BeForever Pattern Hack!

I’m really enjoying sewing for Julie Albright, the BeForever character from 1974.  I think I’m attracted to her collection because I was seven years old in 1974 and I had very similar things- like her purple coat (mine was blue) and the sneaker skates (mine were bright yellow with orange stripes).

When I saw THIS PIN, I just knew that this peasant style outfit would be easy to recreate with Oh Sew Kat! patterns.

Click here to see other outfits I’ve sewn for Julie.

The top is simply the Playtime Peasant Top, sewn in white with long sleeves.  For the skirt, I used the overskirt that comes in the Sugar n Spice and Everything Nice bundle.  I cut the gingham fabric skirt longer by 4 1/2 inches, but didn’t make any other changes.  Add a little lace at the bottom, and ta da! A perfect, pretty bell skirt! Add a red or gingham ribbon to complete the look.  This outfit will be perfect for the Christmas holidays!

Find the patterns HERE.  Find more fashions for Julie (all made with Oh Sew Kat! patterns!) here and here.