Sewing What do you like about sewing for your doll?

I am also in the camp of "sewing is my least favorite aspect of the doll hobby" but I find that i usually enjoy the end product so for me the trick is to break things down into super simple and small steps. Ex: " I'm only gonna cut everything out today." or " I'm gonna do just this leg of the pants" ect ect. As well as find a distraction so I don't over think things ( something like audio books or a familiar movie)

so yeah in short
-I enjoy the end product
- and I enjoy the relaxing distraction

 

I like how little space it takes! I do like sewing for myself also, but I don't really have enough space to cut or assemble full garments very well so it's always a huge struggle. Doll clothes can be cut and assembled on a normal-sized desk, however, so it's easy to make something spontaneously with not a lot of space. Printing patterns out is also so easy! Printing human-scale patterns and taping all those A4-s together is a massive pain but dolls don't require so many sheets of paper.

It takes me less time to make my dolls clothes than to order them online and wait for them to be made and shipped (or even just shipped, because that normally takes weeks already). I can try things out so much quicker, and the gratification is more instant because I'll have a whole new outfit in a day or two.

I love all the little cheats I can use to make doll clothes that I would never get away when making full-size garments! Small and fiddly, yes, but there are also so many shortcuts.

 

I like it because it means I get to work with nicer fabric than I can justify for myself for occasions I wouldn't go to and don't have to worry about logistics.

My dolls are 1/4 scale so I can work with remnants, fat quarters or half-meters of fabric which means I can justify fancier fabric than I can if I need meters of it. My dolls don't need an occasion to wear a fancy dress or an embroidered silk robe whereas I kind of do. Because they are resin and therefore don't sweat, drop food or otherwise accidentally stain their clothes I don't have to think about mundane things like 'how would I wash and dry this? how often am I going to wear it if it requires specialised washing?' or even 'how am I going to go to the bathroom in this?'. Dolls also remain a consistent size and shape so whatever I sew for them will fit them perfectly five years down the line or will fit another doll with the same body.

In addition to what cobalt said about it taking up less space, it also takes less time just because the seams and hems are proportionally much smaller than they would be on a human size garment. Which means I can enjoy hand sewing things without wanting to give up halfway through.

 

Echoing what @Crissaegrim said about dolls not needing a reason to dress up.

For me, sewing isn't always faster as I am both meticulous, overambitious and easily distracted. However, sewing for smaller scales makes me more willing to try new techniques and do the really time consuming projects, like hand quilting stays:

 

For a long time, I only sewed basic clothing because anything else was too intimidating. I was also extremely stubborn and determined to make my own patterns or just sew from scratch without a pattern, thinking I didn't need one. (This was about 50/50 as to whether it would look ok or be a disaster.) But more recently, I've wanted a lot of very specific, tailored pieces of clothing--suits, jackets, wedding dresses...things I just can't find exactly like I want, or that aren't tailored to fit my dolls and look cheap, sloppy or ill fitting if I buy premade stuff. I did commission a few things, but it's just so expensive, like $200+ for most commissions I've looked into, and even though I know the artist's work is very much fairly priced, it's just not in my budget and I can't justify it for an outfit that might be worn for a wedding photoshoot then stored away.

So I made myself do better.

I started looking first for free patterns just to see if I could do it before sinking a lot of money into it. It went better than I expected, and I've bought a lot of patterns from various makers now and have a stack of stuff lined up to make! It's honestly made me start enjoying sewing complicated things for my dolls a lot more because it's exciting to finish a piece I'm really proud of and show it off! Even more exciting when I learn a new pattern or technique, do okayish, try again and it turns out looking professional. I also love that my dolls can wear colors, styles and fashion that I cannot pull off myself.

The biggest issue for me now is that all the fabric & sewing stores around me have closed, except for a handful that only have quilting fabrics. It's really hard, because I don't do well with reading descriptions and knowing what fabric is like. I need to see it in person, feel it, check print scale, check weight and how it'll hang on a doll, check the quality....that has really made sewing harder for me.

 

sewing for my dolls is one of my absolute favorite things to do with them! i've always been interested in fashion design/costuming as an art form. i really like learning about new sewing and construction techniques and trying them out, and i love the challenge of trying to replicate interesting and unique human fashion in miniature. it's so cool to dress one of my dolls in a garment i made and feel like i zapped a human outfit with a shrink ray
i'm always trying to get more and more realistic and detailed with the clothes i make and it is super gratifying when i succeed. another thing i like is that my doll sewing projects are often super portable. i do most of it by hand, so once i have the pattern fitted correctly to the doll and i'm just doing assembly and finish sewing, a lot of it is great for bringing with me to places like waiting rooms or long car rides where i absolutely can't stand not keeping my hands busy.

@CloakedSchemer i also have limited fabric store options near me outside of endless quilting cotton--and i also hate buying fabric online. there really is no way to check drape, get accurate color, or be completely sure of the scale of a pattern and so often you order and end up disappointed with what arrives. maybe you'll have some luck with my workaround-- thrift shopping. i go specifically to look for garments to repurpose for doll sewing projects, and i almost always find stuff that works great! a lot of fast fashion clothes that end up barely worn in thrift stores are very lightweight and have drape and stretch that works awesome for doll clothes. the super thin stretch denim jeans are fantastic to cut up and make into well-scaled doll jeans! and it often ends up being more affordable than buying yardage of apparel fabrics, too. i usually bring at least a doll hand with me to check print scales.

 

I only recently started sewing for my dolls despite having intermediate sewing skills and having sewed on and off since age 6 or so. My grandmother was excellent at sewing and much of what I learned was from her (and her mother had been a professional seamstress).

It took me a long time to begin because I didn’t always know what to do about patterns. Pattern making is a totally different skill set but so necessary to create your own designs. When I first got into dolls I was in college and really didn’t have the time or mental capacity to learn this. So that was my biggest hang-up, the patterns. My other issue was with fabrics — I find it a challenge to find fabric that drapes or looks right on a doll, especially if you can’t actually see it and feel it in person first. Sites used to almost never list the weight of the fabric. (I finally found one that I had a good experience with recently so that has been a huge perk as of late.)

My last issue was with fabric fraying — a small amount of this at human scale is a minor annoyance. At doll scale, it’s catastrophic. I had no idea that there were products (like FrayCheck) that helped with this until a month or so ago. Years ago I had so many started yet abandoned projects due to this problem. I wish I’d known about this stuff before (if it even existed then). I also have to mention another great tool — fabric clips. These work so much better than pins for doll clothes. I didn’t know about those back then either.

Despite these frustrations, the biggest benefit to sewing my own clothes for my dolls is being able to make stuff I actually like. Browsing the old MP on here for clothes used to be an okay experience — I didn’t find much I truly loved, but there was variety at least and I could usually find some things I liked enough to buy.

When I got back into the BJD hobby this year, I found I really disliked browsing for clothes on eBay and Etsy (and other sales platforms). Much of the doll clothing available now is rather same-y and not to my tastes. Without measurements, it’s also impossible to know if they’ll truly fit my dolls either. Stuff I do like is either expensive or will take a long time to have made — I just don’t have patience for this.

I realized that trying to buy clothes for my dolls was proving to be more of a headache than finally learning the new skill of pattern making. I guess that’s what’s motivating me for now since pattern making is certainly frustrating for me.

As for sewing in a small scale — that too is a whole different skill, but I enjoy working in miniature very much. I feel like there’s less risk with experimentation because I am only using a small amount of fabric.

 

sewing is like, 70% of what I enjoy about owning dolls. it was a major reason for me to enter the bjd hobby to begin with! my family doesn't have a history of sewing or craft in general so i'm mostly self taught. i love that it is more structured than drawing/painting but still provides so much room for creativity and customization. with drawing/painting, you are completely on your own from start to end, whereas a sewing pattern provides a scaffolding towards the finished product, and it is much clearer how to break it down into steps (ie. sew pants leg 1, sew pants leg 2...) plus, the fabric and trims you choose can make two items from the same pattern have a totally different look!

 

Sometimes I fully enjoy the process and other times its just an annoying means to an end.

I have a very specific style for my dolls which is pretty much impossible to find anywhere and even if for that money I could buy new dolls lol.
I source a lot of fabrics for free from old clothes or just scraps I have lying around.

i love how little fabric one needs! And the tiny details? Love!!! And it can be done so quickly too. Finishings like buttons and closures are the most annoying, as well as drafting a pattern…

and then I have a lot of dolls in need of new clothes, so its always a bit too much of a workload lol!

but overall if you sew it yourself you have so much control over it plus cutting costs to buy more dolls to make more clothes fora never ending cycle

 

Honestly I've found sewing on such a small scale to be a skill in itself. I can totally understand why someone would choose not to do it. It's funny because my sister is a better seamstress than I am, but when we were making doll outfits together I had to assist her with many parts. She got so frustrated and overwhelmed by the tiny seams, and not knowing the best methods to use. Once you learn how to deal with the small scale, it's a lot easier and more fun. There's a lot of tools you probably wouldn't use for other projects that make it easier too. For example, I have a tiny iron/ironing board, fisherman's pilers, a straight stitch plate and a 1/4" quilting foot that I would never use when making full size garments, but always use for doll sewing. I still am not amazing at sewing doll clothing, because of my impatient nature and unsteady hands, but having the correct supplies and knowledge make it easier. I like patterning as well, but I'd be lying if I said it wasn't nicer for me to sit down and just start sewing. Finding a few easy to use patterns you like might help with motivation.

The end product of my sewing is generally something I couldn't have unless I make it. I usually find myself lusting after miniature versions of real life clothing that don't exist in doll size. So I sew them. The final outfit is usually rewarding enough to me, to motivate my sewing. It's also cheaper in the long run to sew for dolls. The "cost" upfront is hours of learning, making mistakes, materials specific to doll clothes and the small scale tools you need. However, once you have all that, you can usually get one or two outfits out of a garage sale/thrifted clothing item or even use scraps from larger works. I also can print my own doll scale fabric, where as if I were to do that with people sized clothing I'd have to pay a fabric printing service. So I'd say for me, the cost is a large motivator as well. I guess my advice would be, create a design you absolutely love. Figure out what your favorite parts of your dolly wardrobe are. What do you think could make it even better? Is there a specific style you like that you can't wear yourself? If you have scraps of fabric or old clothes laying around, use them! Sometimes it helps motivate me if I can make something more sentimental, like if I'm using fabric from a piece of clothing that invokes a certain memory or if I'm making my doll an outfit that matches one of my own.

That said, hobbies are supposed to be fun. If you decide in the end it's not fun for you to sew for your dolls, that's totally okay. My sister only sews cosplay and I only sew for dolls anymore (Dolls complain a lot less when you accidentally stab them with pins! ). Even though we use totally different techniques, and have vastly different final results, we both enjoy what we do. I think that's the most important part. Bought dolly wardrobes are just as beautiful as sewn ones. Good luck.

 

I admire anyone who can sew! Unfortunately, I hate sewing.
I enjoy decorating clothes with small things only.

 

Photography : I don't like it, I'm not good at it, I'm not interested enough to devote time to getting good at it. It's a pain in the posterior padding. BUT it's a Necessary Evil if I want to share my dolls with others online.

In a way, they aremore demanding. You have to scale down not just the garments themselves, but the fabric weight/thickness/drape, and the sclae of the trim. That's extra work, I mean, there are tricks you can use to help with the drape - wet the garment and lat ti dry hanging so the gathers are encouraged to hang nice in skirts etc. Washing the fabric beofreyou use it to get the factory size oout of it so it has a softer hand/drape., but on the hile you have to think through and source thinner and finer options to look fight for garments in dolls scale - and the smaller the doll the harder work that is - also, you might have to cheat on the layers. Many of mine are dressed in period styles (mostly Victorian/Edwardian) but if I were to put them in the chemise and the corset and the corset cover etc to get all the correct underlayers befopre the dress, the added bulk of all those layers would be out-of-scale and the doll would look a lot fatter when fully dressed (fashion dolls in the Victorian/Edwardian era were often made with exageratedly slim bodies, particuarly the waist, so that when they were dressed in all the layers their proportions looked "normal").

When I make a renaissance gown for one of my dolls, I'll often cheat the layers by skipping the underlayers and adding a band of fabric just inside the neckline and the wrist to make it look like they have full a chemise underneath, etc.

Making what I want instead of making do with the closest thing I can find available to buy and then havign to put up with the bits I don't like, or take the time t alter them (often takign more time than making my own from cratch).

I mean, there's also the cave-up and commission it form someone else option but there are problems with that such as explaining exactly what you want tand them misunderstanding or misinterpretting it. I spent a fortume commisioning three Norfolk suits for som of my Victorian boys and sent three fabrics to the maker. Instead of making one suit form each fabric, she mix-and-matched the three fabrics into each suit with the result that instead of my getting three Victorian suits for my boys I got three 1970s multicoloured nightmares.

So, on the whole, I prefer to make my own.. when I actually getaround to it.

Teddy

 

I learned how to sew purely to clothe my dolls. Prior to this, the only sewing I knew was from home economics in grade school (over 20 years ago!), and a bit of "repair sewing" like fixing buttons. My motives to learn were mostly desperation and expediency: some of my dolls have atypical dimensions for their size, and the clothing that does come in their size are not the styles I want them to wear. Since I make characters for my dolls there's only so much compromise I'm willing to do, so if I wanted my dolls to be dressed like their OCs I was gonna have to do it myself. So I taught myself how to sew through watching YouTube videos, asking family/friends for advice, and blundering around with trial-and-error.

I've been at it for about 2-3 years but I don't love sewing. I find the process difficult and non-intuitive, I feel some but not a lot of pleasure from it, and currently it drains me more than it energizes me. Part of the problem is novice struggle, if I kept improving and got out of the novice phase, I'd probably have a better time of it. But I'm in the hobby to relax and enjoy myself, and there are other dolly activities -- namely posing and photography, and painting faceups -- that give me more energy and enjoyment. So sewing tends to fall by the wayside, and often I'd rather buy the right clothes if I can find them.

But sewing still gives me some enjoyment. I do like the challenge of learning a complex skill. Enjoyment is largely results-driven: I like seeing my dolls wear pretty clothes that are suitable for their characters, fit them well, and are unique to them. It feels good to make some simple garments and not have to buy them. I'm constantly surprised when things turn out well and they fit my doll - that surprise is pleasant, but frankly, I feel more relief (that I don't have to redo things) than accomplishment when I successfully sew something.

I understand the OP's predicament, because I'm half-hearted about sewing, and since I have limited hobby time I'd rather do other doll activities that are more fun. Honestly, the way I go about it is to show myself grace, and just wait for the mood or drive to hit me. If I'm in the mood to sew, or decided I want to do it - fantastic! I'll make hay while the sun shines - hit the sewing machine hard, bash out everything I want to make, learn a new pattern. When my energy runs out, I push to finish the current garment I'm working on, and leave the rest for another time.

But I don't force it. If I'm not in the mood to sew, I don't beat myself up about it. As of writing this, I haven't been in the mood for over half a year, and it's fine. Guilt is never a good motivator anyway, and if I beat myself up with "why did I spend money on this garment when I know I can sew it?" or "Why am I being so lazy about sewing? get going you loser", I would be even more demoralized, feel even less desire to sew, and certainly give up. Those are things that younger me would've said to force myself into "doing a BJD thing I should learn how to do". I don't anymore, and I'm glad about it: if I stay relaxed about the process instead of trying to psych or guilt myself, I enjoy it more and am more likely to keep doing it.

So if it means I spend a bit more money on doll clothes, so be it - I will spend the money and not feel guilty about it! My doll gets to wear nice clothes that are better than anything I can make, and I didn't have to stress about making mistakes, "getting things right", and having to remake stuff. And if it means I can't dress my dolls the way I want them to dress, because I can't find the garment I want and I don't have the chops to sew it... well, so be it too. I have some dreams of dressing my dolls in certain clothing styles, but that may not happen because no one's made those garments in the right sizes for me to buy, and I may not git gud enough to sew them myself. It's fine. I can make kimono, socks, leggings, and pants, and a few other odds and ends -- and I'm honestly amazed that I've learned how to sew them and they actually fit my dolls.

 

I’ve always viewed sewing as just another creative process…like any other artistic hobby. I learned to sew in home economics class at 13, and “necessity being the mother of invention” if I wanted to wear the cool things I saw in fashion magazines, I had to make it myself because none of that was available in a midwestern small town. So my best friend and I started to make our own mini skirts from dime-store fabrics. And it was great creative fun, hunting together for cheap (but cool) fabrics and channeling our inner designers as young teenagers. Then came my adult years of historic, fantasy, and sci fi costuming where I learned to devise my own patterns, again out of necessity. Eventually I grew tired of dressing up and opted for comfy in my personal wardrobe, and that’s where sewing for ball jointed dolls came into being. I began my collection with the overwhelming desire to explore various fashion styles and build unique wardrobes for my characters. And what a fun journey it’s been!

One thing that helped keep me motivated was the monthly “Sewing Project” prompts in the workshop area right here on DoA. It was run by a lovely young lady who encouraged sewing with specifically focused monthly rounds starting on the 1st of each month (August is Mori style/Dark Mori/Cottagecore, for instance.) During the month anyone who wants to can join in, regardless of abilities, and share their inspiration, progress, trials and finished results in a supportive atmosphere of encouragement. This kept me happily creating for my dolls and encouraged me to be active in the community. I felt it was such a positive idea that when the lady moved on to other things, I took up the mantle with her blessing of course, and I still run them today. Everyone is welcome.

The closing of so many fabric stores has certainly been daunting, but these days I mostly hunt for what I want on Etsy. I find it fun to peruse endless choices in my jammies, relaxing on my bed, propped up by pillows as I channel my inner designer. If I’m looking for a specific fabric (with a particular drape for instance) I’ll hit the thrift stores to service my design needs while benefiting charity. I make my own patterns using paper towels, with the pin-and-drape method.

So how successful has all this been for me? Well, almost 2 decades in the hobby…about 60 dolls…each one with an individualized wardrobe of at least 3-5 complete outfits. That’s pretty successful, folks! How else would I be able to dress some of my more difficult to dress dolls?

 

I've been sewing since I was about 5, initially went to college for fashion design (interested in costume design but the program was NOT amenable to that), and worked as a professional seamstress for about 6 years before I got my current office job. Doll customizing, for me, always included the idea that I would be making clothing for my dolls. It definitely is a different skillset than sewing for humans, and there are a lot of other things to take into consideration, but even though it can be frustrating, I enjoy it.
For one thing, it lets me more closely match what I have in my head than what I could get buying ready made or trying to commission someone (and is monetarily more affordable than the latter). I have a hard time describing what I want to artists sometimes, and while I might know what visual shorthand I used for a detail in a reference sketch, another person might interpret it differently.
I also feel like making the adaptations needed for patterning, fabric scale, sewing techniques, etc. is a bit like a puzzle to sort out, and I have fun trying to figure it out. It doesn't always result in what I wanted initially, but being able to adapt the plan to a different technique or material and trying that is fun. And having smaller cuts for fabric also in some ways forces me to be more creative about how I approach making things too.
And I also agree with @Crissaegrim about needing less materials and being able to make fancy things without needing an excuse. My dolls are mostly 1/3 scale, so they do need more material than 1/4, but it's still much, much less than what I'd need to make something for myself, and I don't feel (so) guilty spending more on nice fabric to make something for them as I would for something for myself without having a special occasion of some kind I'd wear it for. They can have something just because I think it'd be cute or pretty or fun to make.
Finding fabric is harder now that the big fabric store in the US closed. I don't like buying online really, but it often just means I need to be a little more patient as I wait for swatches to arrive and then decide from there whether to buy larger pieces. But the fun thing about swatches, is that if you get the larger ones, they can be used to make things for dolls too, so they don't really go to waste! Fortunately (? not for my closet xD) I have a LOT of fabric already, so unless it's something specific that I know I can't dye to the right color or won't have the right texture, I shouldn't really need to buy more for a while.

 

Like with other creative hobbies, I like that I can get something from an idea in my head to an actual physical, usable item. It makes me proud to dress up my dolls and go, "I made this."

I'm also someone who hates just tossing fabric scraps and loves the idea of "rescuing" those unloved bits and bobs. There's a thrift store relatively nearby where I often find small bits of fabric. Usually it's quilting cotton, which was much more of a pain to try to use when I was working with playline dolls and the fabric did not want to drape nicely. For a slim MSD or a DearSD (the big SDs have fancier tastes), though, it's a nice, solid foundation for plenty of cute little outfits. I cannot count the number of rectangle skirts I have made with stray scraps I bought at the thrift store!

This also means that old clothes that maybe have some good spots but aren't worth donating, or leftovers from human-size projects, get more mileage, too. In the Sewing Challenge for this month (which I am SO glad @PoeticSoul has kept running, I recommended it this week to a friend who wants to pick up BJD sewing), I just made a tunic using a scrap of linen I'd made myself a shirt with. Getting even a human-sized pocket out of the scrap would have been a squeeze, but it was plenty for a hip-length slim MSD tunic that added some nice texture to my girl's new outfit.

It's actually not that common for me to buy brand-new fabric just for doll clothes, come to think of it. I've picked up a few fat quarters, but other than that? They get scraps and thrift store finds. Beyond the "keeping stuff out of the landfill" aspect, it really does make for a fun challenge, figuring out what you want to make and how to pull that off with what's on hand, or doing the inverse, grabbing some random bit of fabric and deciding what you can make with it. Even with a basic rectangle skirt, I enjoy picking out embellishments to go with the fabric, and I feel very clever when I can find ways to capitalize on any leftover selvedge or pre-finished hems.

 

I am very particular about how I would like to dress my dolls, and when I do my own sewing I can achieve the vision that I had, which is very satisfying.
As I age and my eyes aren't maybe what they once were I find Sewing is still very easy compared to the close-up line works of face-ups, for instance!
Also , I like to dress my girls in light-weight silks and velvets and lawn cottons and have found those aren't always used in BJD clothing you can buy.
Granted, some sewing details on this scale get fiddly and frustrating, but I persevere for the rewards at the end

It may take me a few weeks to finish a piece, what with busy life, but I just store the process in a shoebox until I find a few moments again to get back to it. It usually takes me a good while to finish a piece, it's just a process, and I don't mind.

 

I love sewing for my dolls. On the rare occasion that I have to make my own patterns, trying them out is a sort of bonding time with the doll, to get used to their little quirks. I always try to have at least one "new" thing in a doll sewing project once I've gotten the casual basics out of the way. Thus far, that has included proper pants pockets, the correct way of machine-gathering ruffles (I find it easier than hand-gathering), zippers, cartridge-pleating, regular pleating, different kinds of ruffles, sewing with spandex (the correct needle type is VITAL), making tiny Pukipuki shoes, and dealing with slippery/shiny fabrics.

At one point, I even used real silk georgette to make a doll lolita dress! (Do not do this if you are a beginner; georgette is VERY slippery and it took me a week working 5-6 hours a day.)

For me, it's the satisfaction of knowing I can give my doll exactly the right outfit, in the colors I want, regardless of what the current doll-clothing trends are. (I won't lie, though; I'm loving the current renaissance of gothic fashion!)