Sewing Adapting from Patterns of Fashion by Janet Arnold for doll clothes

It has been done - I haven't done it myself but if you check out some of the project threads by @cthulhu such as this one /threads/amelia-peabody-emerson-once-again-1910-evening-dress.829220/ You'll see tht she uses the Janet Arnold books.

Unless you're very lucky, once you've enlarged the patterns to the right scale for your doll, you will still need to make adjustments to them to account for different proportions and body type, of coourse, but any pattern will need adjusting to fit unless it's drawn up specifically for the body you're sewing for.

Teddy

 

I've been in love with the Janet Arnold books for ever. Discovered them at the public library as a teen & checked them out over & over.
Unlike some historical pattern books, all the pattern pieces for a dress are printed in the same scale. I don't remember the exact percentage I've used to increase the size when copying a pattern on my printer...maybe 33%? But that will give you a pattern which fit a particular human at a particular point in time...I always have to add length to the skirts & sleeves & sometimes to the torso plus adapting the waist & bust.
Once you get pattern pieces close to the size needed for your doll, cutting the pieces out in paper towel or an inexpensive muslin, basting those together for trial fittings & making adjustments as needed helps.
I love getting a better understanding of how historical clothing was constructed from using her books. But be prepared with sewing experience, other books on construction, & friends like Teddy & I(& the DoA sewing thread fans) as the book gives you pattern pieces but not a step by step instruction on putting them together. ;}

Can't wait to see what you choose to work on!! Come join us in the current sewing thread or the monthly sewing theme thread.

 

Absolutely!

Teddy

 

I love historic sewing, but I am very disabled by a chronic fatigue illness, and I find that the dolls let me play out my fashion dreams, with the added excitement of trying to do things in smaller scale, while being way less exhausting than people sized clothing. I hope you will show us if you do any dolly projects from Patterns of Fashion! I don't own any of them yet.

 

Ooh maybe I can get some of the books!
I got into dolls years before my health had problems, but whenever I did, they were there, something I could do while not feeling well. Now that my illness is disabling I have turned to the hobbies I already loved but that I can still do now, and while I do projects slower, dolls still make me so happy. I think a lot of people like us enjoy a hobby where not being able to run around is not disqualifying. I can take my wheelchair i use part time and go to BJD Cons (back when that was safe) and do just what everyone else is doing- only I take more naps!

 

Hi five for fellow chronic fatigue sewing people. Stationary hobbies are the best and something you can at least feel productive doing, especially as winter takes hold (at least here above the equator). My brain can be foggy as anything but I can still fell down a seam, hem something by hand or do fairly basic crochet.

And yay for reprints with colour photographs.

 

Maybe we should start a Brigadoon Off Topic thread, heh, Dolly Spoonies.
Edit: I think we might have had one in general discussion, I should go find it

 

I have one (there was a gap in my set) but now have the dilemma of whether to just have the one extended/colour edition among the older black and white editions, or whether to double-up on the others as the colour editions are published.

Teddy

 

{glances at overfull bookshelves in trepidation}

Teddy

 

I'm fortunate enough to have a reasonable sized house.... but my husband is also a collector/costumer/reenactor/artist so the house is stuffed to bursting point with books, costumes, fbric armour and weaponry, pictures, and, of course, dolls. Basically books (as well as other stuff) will expand to overfil the space avsilable. I think it's one of those unwritten laws of the universe

Teddy