Let's Sew Doll Clothes part 10

 

Watch the video here.

 

This week we tackled the top to our doll pajamas. This is a fairly easy piece to sew. For the most part we did most of the same steps in our doll t-shirt a few weeks ago. The biggest difference is this shirt has a set in sleeve as opposed the raglan sleeve in the t-shirt. I know a lot of people are a bit afraid of putting in a set in sleeve but they really aren't that difficult if you take your time and just concentrate on it step by step. Be sure to line up the top of the sleeve with the shoulder seam on the top as well as lining up the notches. The thing to remember about the notches is that almost all the time the notch with the most “bumps” will be the back. Pin as much as you need to in order to feel comfortable and keep checking for tucks in the fabric as you sew.

I am really not sure why my cuffs were a bit off but I am not going to worry about it this time. I left them partly because I wanted to get both the top and the video done but also because I wanted you to know that no one is perfect.

For the hem this time I decided to use a twin needle. This is a really easy way to make your garment look more professional. You get 2 lines of stitches that are always going to be parallel with each other. Also by the nature of the stitch it is somewhat stretchable with a simple straight stitch. Be very careful that you have your needle position set to the middle of the foot before you even think about lowering the needle. If you hit the foot of your machine you can break the needle and if you hit hard enough you could send a piece of the needle flying and/or mess up the tension of the machine. I think the little bit of care it takes to ensure a safe seam is more than worth the end result. This is one of my favorite ways to do a hem on garments both for the dolls and for people. I also use the needle in home dec. sewing a lot.

In order to get a balanced stitch with the twin needle you will need to adjust the upper tension on your machine. You will need to loosen the top tension until the bobbin thread goes back and forth between the two top threads in a zig-zag design. Just be sure to set it back where it was when you switch the needle back out.

The twin needles can be pricey so I recommend waiting to purchase them either on a sale or with a coupon. On the bright side you use is so little each time they last for many projects before you need to replace them. I fact the only time I usually need to replace mine is if I break one of the tips not because it got dull.

I did use the three step zig-zag to put in both sides of the Velcro this time. It is a quicker way of putting it in and for a pair of pajamas I figured it would be fine.

Remember if you have any questions be sure to ask them. If you have friends that you think would benefit from my tutorials be sure to share the links with them.

I am planning to start some tutorials on decorating doll t-shirts next week so be sure to come back to see that.