Sewing Calling all Hand Sewers II

winfur - that's so cute!! It's funny you say you can't make it look machine sewn because the 1st thing I thought when I saw it was 'wow, that looks machine sewn!!' I hope I can sew that well one day.

 

Wow! So many amazing sewing projects (*v*) I really love all of them.
It has been many months that I didn't upload my new sewing project. But this year I have already finished 3 outfits. But first one is this kimono set, including kimono, haori, nagajuban and obi. (Another two let's be next time.)

 

Hallowie29 - I am amazed and inspired by the quality of your work. Every stitch is hand sewn? The edgestitching on the sleeve cuffs looks so neat and evenly spaced. I am curious to know what brand / type of thread and needles you use to achieve such perfect stitches.

 

Mandy: Aaawn, thank you!!

Hallowie29: WOW!!! I wish I had this level of patience!! Looks great!!

 

>>Gothico<< Thank you very much for your comment! Yes, it was hand sewn I use normal sewing needle and cotton thread (1000 m just around 3 Euro).

>>winfur<< Thank you so much!

 

I'm not too good with an iron, but I still want to show off Tohma's Steampunk vest that I made him for the Sewing Project:Steampunk round. It took me a while to make it since I wasn't sure what I wanted and I work without a pattern. And yes, that's a teacup hanging from the chain.





Ryu

 

>>Ryuichi Sakuma 13<< Wow! This Steampunk's vest looks really great on Tohma! I'm amazed that you didn't use pattern for it. You are really skillful. I still have to design and draw patterns on paper before starting to cut fabric and sew together.

 

Ryuichi I love that costume on Tohma, you have done a great sewing work there *-*

 

Love that steampunk costume. My steampunk girl is jealous. XD; I need to get more steampunk stuff to embellish her wardrobe with.

 

I love his shirt. The yoke, the collar, the fabric, the detailing ... everything! Gorgeous colour you chose for the front of the waistcoat. You cannot go wrong with grey for trousers. No pattern?! Good work!

 

...I think you got the wrong idea, Gothico. I only made Tohma's vest, not the rest of his outfit.

Ryu

 

Oops! I misread your post. Thank you for correcting me. There I was marvelling at how many hours' work it must have taken you to hand sew the entire outfit without a pattern! Good work on the vest. I like that shade of blue very much.

 

My another new sewing project is finally completed! This Tuesday I'd received my PF Annie which I bought from Market Place here. So I spent 4 hours today to sew a dress (The concept was "Flower") for her! It was much more difficult than making an outfit for my MSD boys, especially lining part because she was only 14 tall. But it looked like a nice new challenge!

 

Hallowie29, that's beautiful! Working on such a small scale is very difficult, but you did a wonderful job.

 

I like to hand sew for my girls because it gives me more control over tiny seams and stitches. It is also very relaxing to sew my hand. I have been making doll clothes for 55 years.

 

musicalcakes : Thank you very much

Charity Meriweather : Wow! 55 years! That is really amazing! I have been sewed only for a year and half after I bought my first doll. But I also wish that I can continue sewing many outfits for my dolls very long time.

 

Hello all... I've lurked this thread since part one, but for some reason posted in the bigger sewing thread instead of this one even though I sew everything entirely by hand...? Since that seems kind of silly, I'm going to post my latest project here: a winter coat for my Iplehouse KID Lisa/5Stardoll hybrid.

The coat is made of superfine corduroy and fully lined with a polka-dotted satin that I really should get a photo of because it was so exciting to find a lining fabric with a print in the right scale! I designed and drafted the pattern myself (and had to make 5 test muslins before I had it all adjusted exactly right!). It was a pretty fun project and I'm happy with how it came out. =)

 

Very nice,did you have a pattern?

e

 

This is my boy Henry, everything on him is hand sewn. I know some of it looks pretty rough, he is my first BJD and I am still figuring out what fabrics I should be using. For instance I learned that leather looks a bit too thick when you're making shoes for someone who's only 27cm lol And I found fraying is a way bigger problem when you have so much less space. But you live and you learn so hopefully the next batch will be even better!

 

Nope, I made my own pattern and then made several rough draft test versions from scrap fabric to fine-tune the fit before making the actual coat.

 

The coat looks amazing>

 

Right now, I'm not currently working on anything, but I'm giving this thread a to see if anyone's made anything new.

Ryu

 

What kind of stitches would you recommend for doll clothes? I use hidden stitches for hems, which works great for some looks but not for others. I'm still learning stitches so I was hoping if any of you had a favorite stitch type, I would love to know

 

I use back-stitch for most things that are visible(I guess that would be the seams haha), whip stitch for hems, running stitch for gathering and basting things together...I even use the blanket stitch from time to time. I don't really have a go to stitch because I'm lazy and just do what I feel will be easiest. I'm still learning stitches as well. My world changed when I learned to back-stitch properly. My biggest problem is learning which stitch to use when.

Here's what I'm currently working on. A cute spring dress for my first SD girl. I haven't finished it yet because I got sick.

The Katy Perry Dress by Stokiaci, on Flickr

 

You can also use decorative stitches to add buttons for your tinies, applique things, or hand embroidery for even more beautiful detail. I have a tutorial here

I also second the back stitch. Definitely my go to.

 

Made a very detailed dress for my pukifees yesterday. Ah...I long for the day I'll get my hands on a sewing machine but until then I'm a happy with what I can accomplish with handsewing :3


Lots of details by ~Akara~, on Flickr

 

Akara that is sooo freaking cute!!

 

Oh, all sorts. Whip stitch, blanket stitch, back stitch, straight stitch... It depends what I'm doing, and the type of fabric. Like if I am finishing a seam, it's blanket stitch. Making a seam is usually done with an absurdly tiny straight stitch. If it's a decorative seam I might use a back stitch.

 

I sew all the clothes by hand I do myself for dolls. But I am far from great as you guys. Really, you got amazing projects!

I just finished an outfit for TDF/PKF size as surprise birthday gift for a dolly friend.
The suitcase the doll sit's on is selfmade, too.

Little Miss in sunlight by weissesblattpapier, on Flickr

What do you think? - Will she be happy about it?! (Of course she will as it's made with love and effort^^)

 

All of your stuff is great!

 

I have a sewing machine, but I enjoy sewing by hand while watching TV.

Summer dress all by hand for my 5 Star Doll 1/6 Vivian



Top is part of what will be a Caribbean beach ensemble for Miro Doll 1/3 Mika. It looks scrunched up because she is leaning back against a pillow. The fabric is from an old tank top of mine.


Tee shirt for 5 Star Doll 1/3 Tumnus sewn by hand from a recycled tee shirt of mine. The hems are machine sewn because that was cut from the bottom hem of the original tee shirt.

 

Now I'm working for "The Frontier"'s project in this summer 3 outfits were done, but still have another 2-3 sets. (left) Iplehouse JID size: shirt, pants and vest / (right) Migidoll's M-Cute size : hat, shirt, coat and shorts




The third outfit was for Etres, my ID72 Hyperon; shirt, arm protectors, vest, chest armor and belt.

[/URL]The Frontier - Etres (completed) by Sefira GMDA, auf Flickr[/IMG]

 

I'm not currently working on anything, but I'm wondering if anyone is.

Ryu

 

I just finished a quilt, mattress and pillows set for pukifee Cony's little pram......

Little Emily&#x27;s new blanket for naptime by Raewhitewolf, on Flickr

Now I'm working on an outfit for my nobledolls Rhythm, she has a super curvy body.

 

Looking good! Whatta cutie!

Ryu

 

I'm still just a babbie sewer, so the most intense thing I'm hand-sewing right now is an apron for one of my boys.>.< I also made some crude alterations to his pants so they actually fit his skinny butt. No photos, though, since the unfinished state of the outfit isn't really worth dragging out my heavy camera.:P

 

Amazing stuff everyone!!
I'm going to ask a super noob question, but I haven't ever hand sewn anything with specific stitching etc and sold my little sewing machine last year (before getting into this hobby). Are there any YouTube videos or tutorials you guys could recommend to learn different stitching most used in doll clothes making? I don't have the money to get another machine (and really hadn't used it long enough to now remember how without visiting my mom lol) and would prefer to hand sew anyways.

 

I'm so impressed by all of these! I'm a hand sewer but I don't think I'm even close to the level oc of skill shown! (I'm filled with determination!)

 

I think its talked about earlier in the thread, but when I sew, I mostly use backstitches. Some of the other stitches I use I don't know the names for since I'm self-taught.

Kimchi and Vincent the Dandy, keep at it and you'll find the more you sew, the better you'll get, especially when others give you advice. I still have some of the first things I ever made, and my Crew still wears them, no matter how bad they may look because I'm still proud of how they came out!

This is one of the first things I ever made for my very first boy, Ryuichi, back in 2009 or so. Its a cosplay of Monkey D. Luffy from One Piece. I even sewed the ribbon onto his hat. Ryuichi still wears it when we go to cons.




And trust me, I've made a TON of mistakes as well. Keep your seam ripper close, it'll become your BFF!

Ryu

 

Sorry, I meant how they are sewn not just the names. I don't know what a back stitch is etc.

 

Oh wow, I guess that makes sense. I'd advise either using google or youtube to find out how to sew them. I'm sure you can find some tutorials on basic hand sewing stitches.

Ryu

 

Heh yeah. My mom sews, but she's 2hrs away so hard to learn from. I'll take a look through YouTube, was just asking in case there were any recommendations

 

Silverfox~

I use only two stitches for my hand sewing, a blanket stitch to finish the edges/holding everything together, and a very simple straight stitch in between.
I have a few tutorials for how to make things, a few of them show the stitches very close up, plus you can always google blanket stitch.....

/threads/med...p-instructions-lots-of-pictures.399251/page-2

/threads/boh...p-by-step-guide-with-lots-of-pictures.445439/

 

Thanks! I shall check these out, and found a YouTube channel that has mini tutorials on a few too

 

Thanks for the encouragement, @Ryuichi Sakuma 13! To build my sewing confidence, I've been sticking to alterations of premade pieces. It's allowed me to practice my stitching without getting too discouraged from the final result. When a garment starts off looking nice, it is an incentive to try a little harder to make the alterations look on par, or at least passable. I've only just started venturing out into premade pattern territory...

I have a complicated relationship with my seam ripper - I love it for being so useful but hate that I ever have to use it.

 

I thought I'd revive this thread with a dress I recently made for Beatrice, my Dollmore Narsha.


Detail of the collar and cuffs:

 

Oh wow, nice work!

Thanks for reviving this thread, tbh, I completely forgot about it. I've not really sewn anything for well over a year. Its good to be sewing again.

I'm currently working on a pair of pants for Vhei-wen (Vay-when), my padawan (Jedi in training). Eventually he'll have an entire Jedi outfit, all hand-sewn, since I don't know how to use a sewing machine. I forgot how calming it is to turn on an anime, and sew.

Ryu

 

@Ryuichi Sakuma 13 Thank you! This one was fun to make, I almost want to start another similar dress right away, but I have so many other projects I want to get to, so we'll see what happens. This fabric was very easy to work with and because of the pattern I didn't even have to mark anything when making the smock section. I wouldn't go as far as to call it a quick project, but compared to what it could have been, it came together rather fast.

I sew most things by machine, mostly because I have so much I want to do and less time spent means more items finished, but every now and then I do something like this and I always enjoy the process.

 

I have to admit, I really have no idea how to use a "official" pattern! I usually make basic ones myself, or find tuturials online and go from there. I managed to find a Jedi tunic tutorial from an "unofficial, official" fansite, and kind of went from there.

With this outfit, I'm actually in the latest Wearbles Project, since its sci-fi/fantasy. Vhei-wen is a 50cm Doll Chateau, and I had to figure out how to draw out a in-scale pattern for him.

I'm doing the "make it large, then scale it to fit" routine because of the literal alien-ness of Vhei-wen's DC Nicola-A's winged body. It's a real challenge! I'm still trying to decide how I'm going to do the tunic so he can have his wings through it. They're not detachable.

Anyways, sorry for the venting, but its great to talk to someone about sewing. Thanks for reviving this (forgotten) thread! I hope others will join in, its fun to talk to other hand sewers!

Ryu

 

Oh, I ment the pattern on the fabric, the checks? squares? Sorry, my english fails me.

When I started sewing (as a child) I taught myself to make my own patterns since I found ready made ones to be too confusing.
I still rarely use ready made patterns, since there always seems to be something that needs altering anyway, it just ends up being double work compared to just drafting it right in the first place.
I usually take the time to make a good basic pattern for every doll as soon as they arrive, letting it take as many mock-ups as it takes to get it right. Then I base future patterns for the doll on that. This way I rarely have to make more than one mock-up for any new garment to get a good fit.

I'm lurking the monthly theme sewing project this month as I had too much else on my plate, but I often participate. It's a great way to get things done.

 

@Lillith that dress is adorable, I especially love the little embroideries on the collar and cuffs

@Ryuichi Sakuma 13 the overwhelming majority of my doll sewing is by hand, because I really like it and also because I'm not very good at using the machine on miniature things! Every so often I might use the sewing machine to do something like the main long seams on a pair of big SD+ jeans for the couple of guys I have, but that's about it-- anything smaller and I just end up with the little pieces getting eaten and mangled by the machine and me getting aggravated. Not worth it to me, especially since I genuinely enjoy hand sewing. I feel like I can be so much more precise with hand sewing and I like how tiny i can make the stitches, they feel more in scale to me than a line of visible machine sewing sometimes does.

 

OH! You meant the pattern on the fabric, @Lillith! I thought you meant...well never mind. Your English is really excellent, much better than my Swedish, by far!

Yeah, I never really sewed anything until I got my first BJD, so I'm basically playing catch-up with the more experienced people on the Wearables project threads. I'm basically getting by by using determination and stubborness. I want My Crew to have certain clothes, and I'm too broke to be able to commission them so I have to make them. Like the saying goes, "the more often you do something, the better you get at it."

You should join us anyways! I think there's a few people that are making more "regular" clothes that joined this month. Its more about encouraging people to sew than anything. I'd ask in the thread, I'm willing to bet that no one would care if you joined and made a basic outfit.

Edit: Tbh, @thedarkeststar13, that's what happened to me the one time I tried to use a sewing machine, and it mangled the last bit of that particular fabric I had! I was lucky and managed to save the fabric, but it definitely turned me off of sewing machines. And like you said, I prefer the precision and the tiny stitches you can get with hand-sewing.

Ryu