Tips and Tricks for Sewing Tiny Doll Clothes

I don't know about you guys, but sewing doll clothes has (until recently!) always been mysteriously frustrating for me. I just couldn't figure out how other people were doing it so successfully. My sewing machine would invariably gobble up those tiny seam allowances, leaving me cursing violently understandably frustrated while trying to yank my dress back out of the stitch plate. Even if my sewing machine didn't maul my dress to complete tatters, I could never quite master that professional finish. Thankfully I've stumbled upon some new tools and techniques that make this process SO MUCH easier, and I'm finally making finished produces I'm excited about. I'm so happy to share these tricks with you!

First off, stop everything you're doing and get yourself a straight stitch plate for your sewing machine (I just Googled to find one that fit my sewing machine model). This magical device completely eliminates the sewing-machine-eats-tiny-seams phenomenon!

Default needle plate on the left - Straight Stitch needle plate on the right

The difference is the size of the hole available for the needle to go through. On the default plate, the hole for the needle is wide enough to accommodate your widest zig-zag setting. This gap is where your fabric gets sucked down into oblivion. On the straight stitch plate, the hole for the needle is teeny tiny, so no fabric can be pulled down. Just remember you can only do a straight stitch with this needle plate in place!

My next tip is to only cut your fabric when you absolutely have to. In the spirit of avoiding those frustrating tiny seam allowances, I've started tracing my bodice pattern directly onto my fabric using a vanishing ink pen. Then I just cut out two squares of fabric and sew along my tracing lines.

I cannot emphasize enough just how much easier this is! My finished pieces are much more precise since I'm sewing directly on a line, and the fabric is much less likely to unravel while sewing. Just be sure you pay attention to which lines you're supposed to be sewing at each step in your pattern.

Here I've stitched around the neck and arm openings of the bodice

Once my seams are sewn, I can trim down the finished piece. Just be sure to leave a seam allowance where you need one for future pattern steps (like on the bottom of the bodice to attach the skirt).

I use these blunt tweezers to turn my tiny pieces right-side-out. The trick with using tweezers is to not pull the fabric. Just use the tweezers to hold the corner still while you turn the rest of the fabric AROUND your stationary tweezers (does that make any sense?). You don't want to be pulling and tugging with the tweezers because you're likely to rip a hole in your fabric.

Finally, this mini-iron from Clover is the magical finishing touch to making things look nice and professional.  A full size iron is way too big for these tiny pieces, especially if you're trying to do anything precise at all (and aren't looking to begin a life of crime by burning off your fingerprints!). This tiny iron is perfect for getting all those little corners crisp and square. Just be careful - that post in the middle gets super hot!

And the finished results!

Those are my tricks for sewing tiny doll clothes - get a straight stitch plate, trace your pattern, and get a tiny iron for finishing. They have seriously changed how I view sewing for dolls and made the whole process so much less frustrating and more fun. And isn't fun what it's all about?

Do you have any tips for sewing doll clothes or other tiny things? I'd love to hear them!