Sewing Machine sewing at YOSD/playline scale?

Check out the Sewing thread, I'll go find the link...lots of folks have shared tips there over the years & hopefully some are still around to cheer you on give suggestions. I machine sew as much as I can but sometimes find it's simpler to set in sleeves by hand sewing. ;}

Here's the most recent thread. Look back through it for construction discussions. Or look for older threads with the same title as we've discussed using thin linings to make turning easier, different ways to not have your tiny work go down into the plate when you start, etc.
And me, I sew with pins & just learned to use better needles & thinner pins to limit damage. ;}
/threads/wha...-your-bjd-vol-14.833712/page-32#post-13080809

 

Sewing through pins can be a bad idea because if your needle hits the pin at speed then it can break the pin, the needle and potentially banjax up the machine timing. And that does happen.

If you're willing to take the risk and so long as the pins are perpendicular to the needle, you can get away with it whether accidentally or on purpose. But if you're using smaller stitches for doll-scale clothes then you're much less likely to manage it although some people just have a knack for putting pins in the right place.

In general, it's not the end of the world if it happens by accident but basting things together or using quilting clips/miniature bulldog clips is probably safer.

 

Set the sleeves into the bodice before you sew the side seams, that way you're setting it in when the bodice is flat, just joined at the shoulder, and not trying to sew a small tube into a small armhole.

Then you can sew the side seam of the bodice and the sleeve seam as one continuous seam.

Lots of doll patterns have 1/4 inch seam allowance as standard, and I find using a quilter's quarter-inch foot really helps keep the seams at a consistent quarter inch.

For really thin and shifty fabric, like fine lawn and other ultra thin fabrics, I sometimes find that Best Press spray used on the fabric before cutting and sewing the pieces helps stabilise it while you sew then, you can rinse it out after the garment is finished.

Teddy

 

I'd watch some video tutorials by Lomi's Playground on YouTube! She has a couple YoSD pattern videos that have some tricks for machine sewing that small. Even if you don't use the provided patterns (they're for BJDs rather than playline), I find her advice very easy to understand as someone who's new to a machine!

One I've seen for the hems and seams is to sew on top of tissue paper and then tear away the paper when you're done (you can wet it before tearing if you need to). This helps keep the garment smooth and prevents those little corners from getting... a little chewed on by the machine.

My personal tip is using glue and fray check. I still stitch over everything for aesthetic reasons, but just having difficult, small, fiddly pieces at least loosely stuck together before going under the needle saves me a LOT of frustration. And a lot of pins.

Also, if your machine has a hand crank, omg I use the HECK out of the hand crank while sewing small. It's an absolute lifesaver for going around curves!!

 

I think order of assmebly is the big one. As Teddy mentioned, setting the sleeve before closing the side seam and always hem sleeves and pant legs before closing those. Any detailing such as the fly opeing on pants, pockets, collars etc. is a good idea to do early as well, before too much else is there to get in the way.

As for the machine itself, well not all sewing machines are created equally. I have one machine that I absolutely trust to sew over pins as long as they are correctly positioned. The feed dogs are shaped in such a way that they tend to "grip" the pin in a position offset to where the needle comes down, so as long as I go slow and the fabric isn't too thick or under too much tension it always works. But if I have a sloppy pinner visiting, I always tell them the "never sew over pins" rule as if it was a universal law.
On my other machine, though I never sew over pins at all, it is very badly designed and if I try it will grab the pin and pull it out of alinment as the feed dogs are angled on the one.
So, that's just one example of why the "rules" may not always apply, but are still worth knowing.
You need to find where the limits are for your machine.

 

I sew at 1/6 scale with 4-5mm seams pretty regularly on my machine. I echo the order of assembly piece! That makes a huge difference. The more you can do while the garment is flat, the better.

Re: sewing over pins... You can sew over pins but it is, as everyone said, better not to. If you use very fine pins that helps too--the pin is more likely to break than your machine if using, say, an ultra-fine silk pin (ask me how I know). That said you can just stop right before you hit the pin, pull the pin out, and continue on your way. It only adds a little bit of time and saves you the headache. Usually I pull them out when they're in line with the front of the presser foot, because the presser foot is holding that material more or less in place by then anyway. Just go slowly and make liberal use of the hand crank when approaching hard areas.

Actually, for some tricky-to-pin areas or places where it's hard to sew with pins in the way, I just hand baste the seams in place. I do this mostly on tiny armholes or necklines. It's easier to take that little extra time than to try and fight with pins, and can be nicer than adding the slight stiffness of fabric glue (although I also make liberal use of that).

Also echoing the vote for fray check! Test in on any special or nice fabrics before using it, and be careful to apply it only to the very edge, but I swear by it. I just cannot do any other kind of seam finish nicely and without bulk--even zigzags can get a little too bulky in some areas.

And DEFINITELY make good use of tissue paper or tear-away stabilizer. I prefer the stabilizer sometimes, but tissue paper works great also. And make sure to hold the thread tails when you're starting a line of stitching!

I recommend checking out Hanon Satomi's channel, too. I have both of her books and her videos are great. https://www.youtube.com/@HANONSATOMICH

 

I hand crank on the machine for small curves. It can be a bit tiresome on the wrist but faster than hand sewing!

To avoid tiny seam allowances being gobbled by the machine I'll start sewing lower than the top edge. When finished I'll turn my work around to start sewing along a few stitches to the end of the unsewn yet part. If that makes any sense lol

Also my fav little trick for gathering fussy little things is to use elastic thread in the bobbin (the kind used for shirring) and set my machine for long stitch length. It really cinches the fabric up. And then you can stretch it to fit the piece you are gathering for. I find it more forgiving for tiny projects.

 

That's a good point, and there's also the quilter's trick of using a piece of scrap fabric to start the seam on (and another to finihs the seam at the other end), then but your actual piece up against it so the stitches run straight on from the srap to the actual seam, and snip the thread between the seam and the scrap afterward. These serap starters and enders can be used mutiple times until they're too full of stitch lines to use again then start again with fresh scraps.

That one's new to me, I must give it a try.

Teddy

 

I have recently swapped to using WonderTape for sticking my seams together. It’s a wash-away stabilizer that doesn’t require pins (because it’s a double sided tape), so it’s great for silks/satins/rayons, which I use a lot, and because it’s a quarter inch wide I can use it to make sure I get my eighth inch seams. You can get it at most sewing supply stores! No iron required, just don’t get your fabric wet until you’re done with your seams, lol.

 

Actually, you can get repetitive strain injuries from hand cranking machines too much; my right hand has issues from trying to hand crank an entire costume (and this was a few years ago), and one of my friends that does action figure leatherwork had to get surgery on his rotator cuff. Doing a few stitches here and there is fine, but doing a lot can be bad. I recommend only using this technique in moderation.

When I bought my current machine (Brother CS7205), I spent a little more to get one of the low-end home quilting machines that has a speed slider and like 150 stitches (they do have a similar version with fewer stitches if you can't ever see yourself using the decorative stitches). The speed slider lets you set the maximum speed the machine will operate at, so you can set it slow for fiddly details. I do MUCH better work with this machine than I ever did on my previous machine, even right out the gate, because the speed slider helps regulate my stitch speed so much (I always had trouble with getting a slow speed out of the foot pedals - I've never even used this machine's foot pedal because it has a start/stop button). Granted, for doll sleeves, I do prefer to attach the sleeves to the shirt by hand, even if I'm doing all the other seams by machine. I just get better results that way most of the time.

Also! I recommend getting some little quilting clips. They're useful in like 95% of situations that you'd use pins for, and are better in some situations (like when you're working with fabrics that don't forgive pin holes, like vinyl and leather). If I'm using clips or pins, I go slowly enough that I can remove the clip before I get to the foot.

 

If you are using jersey fabrics or spandex (ESPECIALLY spandex), make sure you buy a packet of "Stretch" needles for your machine. The brand name doesn't matter; all machine needles fit all machines made since about 1890 or so. Trust me, these fabrics are the DEVIL to work with if you're not using the right needles, especially at tiny-doll scale!

90% of the problems people have with sewing spandex stem from using the wrong needle. It's a cheap fix and the work looks so much neater. Trust me on this one.