Barbie Makeover

I chose something very simple for this week’s blog, but it might just come in handy sometime. I have spent years rescuing Barbies from swap meets, yard sales, Goodwill and many other places. I buy those for about 50 cents then with a little TLC turn them into perfectly good dolls that most little girls would he very happy with. Many of my 50 cent finds have made their way to loved ones as collectibles, like in last week’s blog. I also buy these and fix them up so I can always have a good supply on hand. I never know when I’m going to meet a little girl, or adult, who doesn’t have any.

When you are looking for these cast off Barbies, there are a few things to check. Make sure the head is on properly, if it looks like there is no neck, it the wrong head. Look for good fingers and toes. I’ve seen some beautiful Barbies, but the family pet used them as a chew toy. Things like marker don’t usually wash off. If they are just dirty, that can be fixed. 

I’ve given some examples to show how with a little creativity, not all Barbie’s or dolls, are lost. I use the cheap shampoo and conditioner for the hair. Wash them, and the hair thoroughly, then really load on the conditioner and let it sit for about 20 mins. Or so. Then rinse it very thoroughly. Now the more difficult part is in combing it out. Take a pick, or something like that, and start combing small sections at a time starting from the ends, or the bottom. Make sure you have a good hold of Barbie’s head. If you start combing without doing that, you could break her neck. Bet you wonder how I know that! Plus it makes it easier. Now don’t worry if some of the hair comes out, that’s normal, plus it’s a good way to think it out. There are many different types of hair on Barbie, and some that almost feel like wool are the hardest to do, but as I show in the picture, I cut it, crop it or spike it, and the kids really love it. Plus it’s a good style for the really young ones. (My girls had Barbie’s as infants.) Once you are finished combing, just start cutting and styling. Its fun to see how many different new looks you can give Barbie.

Collectible Barbies

This week's blog is going to be more of a show and tell piece. In past blogs I've shared tips on how to use all sorts of things to create doll outfits. Today I'm going to show just a few pictures of what my family and friends call my "Collectible Barbies". These pictures are of collectible barbies I made for my sister Charlotte many years ago, and all are made from scraps, and remnants, etc.

The wedding Barbie was made from the dress my niece was married in. She (my sister) wanted a keepsake of the day, so they asked me to make them each a Barbie from it.

The Gibson Barbie was made from the silk of a wedding dress, some velveteen scraps and a scrap of real mink someone had given me.The hat and muff of course, are the mink.

 This one is from a scrap of purple velvet my sister found and requested this particular Barbie. After searching high and low for some white fur for the hat and muff, and not finding any, I bought a cheap white stuffed animal and took it apart. Worked perfectly.

 This is one of my sisters favorites. She named her Chantel. It was made from scraps of white velvet, different shaped pearls I'd taken off garments along the way, and scraps of trim saved from other projects . This was a little work because I hand strung all the pearls hanging from the cape.

So look around, get your creative juices flowing, and see what you come up with. It can be alot of fun.

Sewing without Sewing

Today I'm going to show you how to make a couple really cute things without sewing a thing. Sewing is of course fun, but sometimes you want something quick, easy, and cute. This tutorial is perfect for that.

Of course, there's a caveat to everything. These close can be secured by pins like I've done here, but I wouldn't recommend that for children! It's easy to tack on a few snaps, or some velcro and you'll be good to go.

For this evening gown choose a nice fabric that doesn't unravel easily. Use pinking shears to cut out the pattern so you don't have to hem the fabric. Cut out a long circle skirt and a strip that is long enough to go from the doll's hip around the neck, to the other hip. This will become the top of the backless dress. Attach it in front and put the skirt over it. Ta da!

 This simple wrap around can be made in the same fashion as the skirt above, just shorter. Make the pattern long enough so that the skirt wraps over itself and secure it at the back or the side.

This super easy cute poncho can be made out of fleece by copying the super easy pattern you see above. Just size it to the doll and use your eye to cut the slits for arms. Cut out and additional strip of fleece for the tie-belt. Remember to use pinking sheers so the fabric doesn't roll or ravel!

Having A Ball

This post is going to cover the simplest way to create a full ball gown. This basic dress can easily be turned into a wedding dress, prom dress, historic costume, or princess gown worthy of Roger's and Hammerstein.

The construction is very basic and simple.

First choose your fabric. As usual, a simple cotton is the easiest to cut and sew. You can choose one fabric for a unified look, or mix n' match to create a two piece look. Solids and prints are both lovely.

Begin by creating a very simple top. A basic fitted top can be made following a basic bodice pattern. You can purchase a pattern for this, or cut a strip of fabric to loosely fit the doll's torso and sew darts into the front to make it fitted.

Cut a full circle skirt for the bottom of the gown.

*Tip: I buy lace with a double ruffle and then take my stitch ripper to the back of it. Remove the thread. Now you've got double the lace for half the price.

Trim the top of the body with lace and add lace to the bottom of the skirt. Lace can be fixed with a snap to use a shawl as well, as in the photos below.

The skirt can be attached to the top if you choose, or left separate to make it easier for small hands to dress the doll. As always, feel free to add all the embellishments you desire!

Fancy Feet

Clothes on dolls are adorable, and of course fun to make but even the simplest outfit can be made even cuter by adding shoes! Barbie shoes are inexpensive, and not too hard to find but American Girl Doll shoes (and similar 18" dolls) are a different story. They can be more expensive and elusive. So today, I'm going to teach you how to make some simple shoes to fancy up your dolls tootsies.

For the soles of your shoes there are a few different materials you can use which are quite cheap. Doll shoes aren't that different from people shoes and so the soles are made of similar things. Here are some suggestions:

Foam (soft or foam board)
Cardboard
Felt
and cork

These can be doubled up or mixed and matched to create various heights. For example, try a foam sole with a felt bottom for a cute look.

Here's the basic shape for the sole of your shoe:

This is the general shape. Use the doll's foot as a guide and simply trace (loosely) around it. Be careful not to make the instep (the part along the inside) to close to the doll's foot. You want space around the foot to attach the top of the shoe to. The sole will be the same for most style shoes, but the top can be drastically different. To attach the top to the sole you'll need to either sew (canvas, felt, cardboard) or glue. I recommend Mod Podge.

A basic horseshoe can be used for the simplest shoe shape. Sew or Glue the toe down and then the sides. For sandals try some strips of stiff trim criss crossed over the foot. When you're done with the top, you can embellish the sole's edge with fancy trip or braided rope. Add buttons, bows or other baubles for extra oompf. 

The tops of your shoes can be made with a variety of materials such as:

Felt

Cotton

Canvas

Knit

Patent Leather (real or faux)

Ribbon

Burlap

Lace

Suede

The best way to come up with designs is to look at real shoes and experiment! Check out these helpful tutorials by other online crafters!

Decorative Stitches by Hand

Your doll clothes can easily be dressed up by adding decorative stitching. The simplest designs can be given new life by using the following neat stitches. Try choosing colors that "pop" for extra pizazz.

The Blanket Stitch

This stitch can be used to hem fleece or thicker fabric in a decorative way, or used on the edges of vests or skirts. It creates an interesting look and helps separate similar colored pieces of clothing on the dolls.  I also like the blanket stitch on, you guessed it, blankets! They make the doll look so much more cozy in her bed! To make the blanket stitch your needle comes up from the bottom of the fabric, and stays loose as it dips in and out of the fabric from the top, like how you fasten a safety pin. The needle coming out of the fabric pins down the loose thread, and as the motion is continued, that loose thread becomes the bottom securing loop that hems the bottom of the fabric. 

The Running Stitch

The running stitch is perfect if you have any special designs or shapes or even names you would like to hand stitch onto any of the doll clothing you make. These stitches create great lines and using contrasting thread colors to the fabric you choose will really neat designs. I like to use this stitch to make interesting hem lines in differing colors, or swirls and curls on a pretty skirt or shirt. To make this stitch, pull the needle up from the underside of the fabric, and feed it back through. Just a small space, and back up in the same line I've created. I bend and twist the lines as I please. 

The Chain Stitch

The chain stitch takes a little to get used to if you haven't done it too often. I love it's looks as purely decorative on my doll clothes. The chain stitch is great for flower details, leaves, petals, there's a variation of the chain stitch called the daisy chain stitch, which when doing it, creates daisy like flower designs. I use this stitch as decorative on all types of doll clothes. The Chain Stitch is made by feeding the needle up, and pulling the needle back down. Before pulling the thread tight, bring the needle up again, and pin the loose thread down. By stitching this way, the thread creates a chain like affect that looks like interlocking chains.

*Tip of the Week -- try using a large yarn needle and stitching with yarn on thicker fabrics for a really neat look. Use fun colored soft yarn on pastel fleece for a nice baby blanket!

Recycling Your Favorite Jeans

Do you, or your child, have a favorite pair of jeans that you simply do not want to part with...ever? Well, here’s a way to make that happen. Unlike children (or adults) dolls never outgrow their clothes, so we're going to transform that special pair into an outfit/keepsake.

I picked up the pair of jeans I'm using in this example from Goodwill for $1. Tip: go to Goodwill on Dollar Days for some amazing finds! Just call your local Goodwill and ask when their is.

Here we go:

The first step in the recycling process is to take the jeans apart. Simply cut off the seems and the legs become big pieces of handy fabric. *Note: stretch jeans are best for this! 

Use your handy stitch ripper (or tiny snips) to remove the back pockets. Take care to carefully cut out the side pockets as well. We can use those. I used the back pockets here to make a bib for the skirt, and a matching bag. The side pocket makes a cute matching wristlet for a little girl, or an oversize bag for the doll.

Harvest the jeans for notions! Embroidered parts, patches, bling, zippers, buttons, these can all be saved for later use.

Refer back to my post on skirt making. I chose a simple A-frame skirt. The pictures are pretty self explanatory. 

I made the straps to snap in the back, this keeps the bib smooth. It’s better constructed that way, and looks nicer to me.

I used the side seam as a purse handle and Zig-zagged the sides to keep them fabric from fraying.

Because denim is a thicker fabric, I made the waist by simply folding it over instead of adding bulk by putting in a waist band.

Get creative and have some fun!