If you're a regular reader of this blog, you might already know that, a bit over a year ago, I started my learning to sew journey. I'm still fairly new and haven't done much, but I have sewn a couple of things I'm quite proud of. As of lately, I haven't had much time to practice, but now that I have a few quiet days of school, I thought I could share some of the things I'd love to sew, so I can start planning out for when I have more time.
These are clothes I've seen on the Barbie Style Instagram account and that I would love to recreate myself. What I love about this account is that the style is overall simple, but they make it work by switching different pieces of clothing and accessories. On top of that, since the clothes are already doll-scale, for someone who's a beginner like me, it would be easier to figure things out, like what fabric to use. So, I created this "wishlist" of garments from there that I would like to recreate. Also, since I know some of my readers are way more skilled sewers than I am, this post is also a great way for me to get advice and feedback from you.
I must say that there are way many more clothes I like from Barbie Style, but I've tried to stick to the ones I think would be easier to start with, since I'm still a beginner.
Basic slip dress
When I look at clothes that I want to make, I often pay attention to those that look simple yet versatile and could be great wardrobe staples. This is the kind of dress you could make look casual with a denim jacket and flats, but more dressed up with a nicer jacket and high heels.
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There are several versions of this dress on their Instagram, in a variety of colors, fabrics and with different tweaks at the design, but overall I feel it's the same dress. This one is in black:
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If I were making this for petite dolls, I have a dress that I could use as a guide, but for other dolls, I'm not sure what to use. Maybe I could try making a pattern from scratch. I have never made a pattern from scratch, but I have a feeling this should be on the easier side.
As for the fabric, I do have some thin white woven cotton that is mixed with some synthetic fabric, which won't get too wrinkly.
You can see more pics of this dress on this post from August 2019 and this one from November 2017. (Sorry, but embedding all those photos was a nightmare)
Ribbed cardigan
When I first saw this on their Instagram, I thought this could be a great versatile piece that could help to get that cozy "chilly weather" look for my dolls (I don't have many winter doll clothes), but also be used for a spring look as a light jacket. While I have never sewn sleeves and there might be some complications there, I have a feeling that this might be easier than something that's tight or fitted.
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This doesn't have to be an exact recreation of what Mattel has done, but I really want to use ribbed fabric for this. I feel like ribbed fabric just gives it a feeling of coziness, that sometimes plain fabric doesn't give.
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To make this, I thought I could buy some ribbed socks at some store like H&M and use them to sew this. Sometimes socks come in packs with different colors, so I could make a second one in another color if the first one comes out alright. What do you think? Do you think the fact that they're stretchy would give me problems?
Embroidered cotton dress
I've seen this dress a couple of times on the Barbie Style Instagram, and it has always caught my eye. For what I see, besides the embroidered cotton they've also used some embroidery/crochet for the sleeves and bottom of the dress, but I guess that can be optional.
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One of the reasons why I have chosen this dress is because I've seen that type of fabric at the store I usually buy fabric from, so I know it will be easy to find. However, I'm not sure if the pattern for this would be too hard for me to make. In that case, I could also use this type of fabric to make other clothes, like the first dress I mentioned.
Wrapped dress
I was on the fence about including this dress. This was the first dress I saw on Barbie Style that I thought about recreating. One of the reasons why I liked was that, since it was wrapped, I thought it could fit dolls of different sizes. But then I started noticing that, in some photos, it looked like it was sewn on the front and would fasten on the back (like this post from December 2021). I then started wondering if my idea of making this to fit multiple dolls wouldn't work. I also started being more drawn to other garments featured on Barbie Style.
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I've still decided to include this because there's still things I like about this dress, like the simplicity of it. The things I don't like about it (the length, for example) are things that could easily be fixed. Some of the colors and fabrics they've used aren't what I would go for either, but that's not a big deal.
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If I ever make this dress, how should I make it? Should I make it a proper wrap dress or sew the front and make it close on the back like a regular dress? I feel like the first option would be easier.
As for the fabric, I wouldn't go with anything sparkly or satin-like, but I would rather go with a plain cotton fabric with a solid color (like a periwinkle or something like that, but it depends on what I can find at the fabric store). But let me know your suggestions for fabrics if you have some.
While there's still many more pieces that I'd love to recreate, I think I'm going to leave it here today. The post is getting long, and embedding all of those images in the HTML code is starting to get chaotic. Like I said, this is post is both for me to make a list of what I want, but also a great way to get feedback and advice for you. Also, any other suggestions for these designs or others you've seen will be welcome. Even if you think one of these pieces is too advanced for me right now, you can tell me, I won't be offended.
On a personal note, I'm finally done with exams, and they went pretty well. I still have about a week of class before the official end of the trimester, so I still have some work to do. Luckily, I have some spare time that I've been using to take some dolly photos and I've also started sewing some swimwear for this summer. I sew at such a slow pace that I better start now if I want to have it finished by June.
Being a bit more relaxed at school has also given me the opportunity to plan out what I want to write about on this blog these upcoming months. I have a new doll that I can't wait to unbox, plus I'll share all the sewing progress I manage to make until I'm busy again.
I hope you're all doing well and enjoying the start of the weekend. I'll be back very soon!
Monster Crafts
