Altering Doll Clothes Tutorial

We all know that clothes made especially to fit our doll can be pretty pricey, and sometimes difficult to obtain. I also think it's fair to add that most of us probably don't really like their dollies naked around the house, or wearing the same outfit for a year. So, what do you do when you aren't good with patterns? Modify existing doll clothing!

How????

This is most difficult for dolls with a shapely figure, but can be done easily enough.

Step 1:
Get some doll clothes for your doll! Look for length and width! Bigger is better!
-Look around your house for old clothes that belonged to cheaper long-lost dolls (this is where I got my 'base clothes')
-Go to toy store, or even Target and buy some cheaper clothes for your doll
*I have a 60cm doll, and clothes meant to fit cheaper versions of American Girl dolls work well, just make sure that they are meant to be longer, or the outfit will just be too short (though there are easy ways to fix this, sometimes)
*If you have a Mini sized doll, American Girl-sized clothes should also work as a 'base' along with Bitty-Baby-size, and Cabbage-Patch. Friends 2 B Made should work in some cases too, though generally you should go for clothes that will be bigger on your doll.
*If you have a tiny, go to the isle that sells baby-doll type stuff, you can almost ALWAYS find a small doll that comes with similarly sized clothes, and these, unlike Kelly/Shelly sized clothes will be made for chubbier little ones.

Step 2:
Buy anything you think you might need to make alterations on the outfit (like trimmings: buttons, ribbons, extra fabric, gems, lace, edges, silk flowers, and if you wish, Witchery Stitchery) as well as basic materials, (needle and thread)
*If you think you will need to do a lot of sewing, I recommend purchasing a sewing machine--don't gasp, it can be a CHILD'S, the kind for sixty dollars that knows one or two stitches. These are also great if you don't know HOW to sew already, and can be of good quality too!

Jo-Ann fabrics will have EVERYTHING you need for making alterations!

Step 3:
Make a plan!
Now it's time to try the outfit on your doll, if you didn't before step 1+2 (sometimes you only want to make one car trip, so it's understandable)
Take notes as to where you need to take things in.
PIN!
Now, it's time to Pin the outfit. If there is VELCRO on the back of the dress, and you pinned it ON your doll, undo the Velcro SLOWLY, because otherwise the pins will pop out.
*If you are afraid of SCRATCHING your doll, you can choose to pin it off the doll, though this takes more patience, and can require measurements to be made. I recommend, when doing this that you either have someone to help you (use your hands to 'take-in' parts ON the doll, and have someone help you take it off without losing those spots) OR to simply take it in SLIGHTLY more then you think, because OFF-DOLL pinning usually ends up too big, still.

SEWING TIME!!!
Now you sew! For dresses, if you have to make LARGE alterations, sometimes it's easier to NOT turn the dress inside out. However, this is your own personal preference.

Most alterations can be done by hand in half an hour. It takes me about an hour to do larger alterations on a machine.

Hope this helps! If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask here, or PM me!