Doll Crafts with Diverse Fabrics, Notions

Fabrics For Doll Crafts

The picture is of Nancy Lea, a Dress Me Doll© from The Martha Pullen Company, up in the Rocky Mountains in Colorado.

The nightgown is made from 100% cotton broadcloth which makes it a great project for doll crafts. Nylon lace and Wrights seam binding are practical and yet make up beautifully.

The Elizabeth nightgown is a traditional heirloom lace insertion nightgown and does not fit well in the category of "crafts" for some people. They consider it to be in the "heirloom sewing" category. However, to me, the nightgown is a very elegant addition to the category of "crafts." A number of people have popularized sewing techniques for heirloom garments; Sarah Howard Stone is credited with being the first. My own teacher has been Martha Pullen. Her guidance has made sewing these beautiful doll projects easy and fun! She emphasizes correcting all mistakes in a very simple way and then going on. She was very influenced by her grandmother who always said, "You'll never see the mistake on a galloping horse!" This takes the pressure off being perfect and puts the fun back into doll crafts!

Beautiful as View 1 of the nightgown is, it is also expensive to make. To me, it is too expensive for playable doll crafts for the American Girl doll. My background in sewing came from both a love to sew and a lack of money. As the daughter of a logging contractor and later wife of a man who spent six years finishing college while we birthed our four children, I learned to sew on the least amount of money possible. View 3 of the nightgown is on the practical end of the "doll crafts" category. I bought the batiste in Wal-Mart for about $1.89 a yard. Wal-Mart's 10 yards for $1.00 Create-A-Craft lace was used for the flat lace edging and Wrights seam binding was used for the lace insertion. It is not as elegant and soft as View 1, but truly it is beautiful. It is also a sturdy, playable garment and wonderful idea for anyone offering doll crafts for sale.

View 2 came from my love for 100% cotton broadcloth, calico and fabrics commonly sold in quilt stores. The cotton fabric drapes beautifully and gives an old-fashioned "craft" look. This nightgown would be perfect for those who have more of a craft theme with their sewing for dolls. Inexpensive flat lace and Wrights seam binding were also used on this garment.

View 4 is a practical, playable nightgown made with polyester-blend flannel and heavy lace found in stores that sell decorator fabrics. It has a more modern look and is satisfying to the younger child because it uses the same flannel as used in their own nightgowns.

This pattern gives many options for your doll crafts - pick whatever you like best!

Elizabeth Nightgown by Sally Robertson Thoughts on Fabrics and Notions

Fabrics For Doll Crafts

Elizabeth Nightgown by Sally Robertson
Thoughts on Fabrics and Notions