Aug 27

Aug 27 Sewing an Heirloom Doll Dress Adventure

creative process, custom orders, workshops

As I mentioned in my last video, I wanted to make one extra dress for my sweet Cora of the Meadows. She already had a gorgeous attire, full of pintucks and hand-sewing details, but I felt she still needed one more dress to fully complete a summer adventure: I present you the heirloom doll dress edition.

Doll Heirloom Linen Collar, by fig and me.

Back in early Spring when I started designing this doll, I was contacted by Fabric Wholesale Direct, asking me if I was interested in a collaboration. I have never done one so I wasn’t sure what that entailed. When they mentioned they would send me the fabric of my choosing for me to do whatever I wanted…well, let’s just say the fabric-hoarding-monster was let out.

I was anticipating a lot of upholstery fabrics in the options available for me to choose from, but once I discovered their handkerchief linen section I was so excited. Doll dresses of all persuasions started dancing in my head and with Cora in process, I had in mind a sneaky idea or two.

I knew she would be finished somewhat in the summer, with our traveling schedule, finding a house and the fabric being sent to Canada and then brought to me in a suitcase, so timing was not an issue.

I let the imagination run wild my friends: should I make a fabulous quilt, a linen coat, or attempt the much-desired but ever-feared doll dress of my dreams?

Obviously I went for the latter.

Sewing a Doll Heirloom Dress, via Fig and Me.

Once I had the fabric in my hands and it was subjected to the usual treatment: a hearty welcome, much petting, washing and drying under the furious Portuguese sun (it dried in like 10 minutes flat), it was time to press, scheme, mock-up and choose laces.

I was having too much fun with these ideas when I remembered my darling patrons requested I taught a workshop on making a dress. Kill a bird with two stones they say, but in my case: gobble pretty fabrics, make a dress to thank Cora’s Mom for her unending patience and teach the workshop my students wanted. All while having the time of my life, sitting on the weekends with chatty friends and making tiny pleats on zoom calls.

Have I mentioned I absolutely adore my job?

Luckily for me, the doll was extremely agreeable to the adventure. I had free reign to use any colour of my choice, but of course white was calling me hard for this dress in particular. I did ponder because she already had one, so we went with a more see-through affair, tiny flat-fell seams for the cathedral window look, and miniature stitching throughout.

I tried so many beautiful techniques and the beauty of making doll clothes while you teach yourself to sew is that you use little material, the making doesn’t take absolute eons, and anything made in a tiny size looks incredibly cute no matter what. Even if you fudge a measurement or two, even if a seam is a little wonky. The dolls always welcome any addition to their wardrobe, so happy customers is a plus!

So here is a little description of how the dress was made:

1. We started by stay-stitching and embroidering the collar on a single layer of linen. Using blanket stitch to make all those dainty scallops.

2. We made pintucks (I made mine by hand but showed my students how to successfully make theirs on the machine) on the front bodice. I made mine with release (meaning they are not contained in a seam). We paired them and made them at an angle towards the arm scye.

3. The sleeves had baby entredeux and Valenciennes lace. All attached by hand as it needed to be gathered to the entredeux and I was not up to put those tiny holes through the sewing machine.

4. We assembled the bodice using a combination of bias strips to secure raw seam allowances as well as flat-fell seams. My latest infatuation.

5. The skirt was a moment. We started by carefully choosing a lace that would go with the rest of the design. Pondering length, pondering widths so that the waist gathers wouldn’t be too much.

6. The skirt has lace at the hem, 3 wide pintucks sewn close together, then insertion lace, then another 3 pintucks. These are much smaller and spaced further apart.

7. Then we gathered the skirt, attached to the bodice using self bias and finished the back.

All in a day’s work they say! Except this dress took two weeks.

Why I made certain choices, how to handle this fabric with expertise to keep everything on grain, how to match laces, etc. was all amply discussed with my students. They created beautiful doll dresses and I am so proud of how they designed theirs. They came out with a strong heirloom flavour but they are completely different than mine. I love seeing other makers explore their creativity while I gently guide them and encourage them.

In the end I achieved one of my most beautiful dresses to date, in my humble opinion. After nearly 16 years creating these wondrous wool children, toiling away at learning the many ways there are to make them and exploring the massive world of sewing by their hand, this dress does serve a little as pinnacle at the moment.

I think one of the reasons why I am so in love with it is that I never dreamed I could make such a dress. As some of you know, back when I started making dolls I didn’t even know how to use the sewing machine. My darling husband had to give me a crash course on a vintage machine we found at a thrift store.

Little by little I learned to use a serger, make collars, add pockets, tailor seams, make pleats and ruffles, use knits, interfacings, bias tape, add laces, sew snaps, use leather. The world is your oyster when it comes to sewing and when sewing for dolls the fun is much increased as like I mentioned: anything small ends up so cute.

Doll Heirloom Dress: pinctucks, insertion lace, baby entredeux. Via Fig&Me.

I mean. Look at her! She is a vision in white, ready to take a lovely walk through the village meadows, listening to the chatty birds, eat some blackberries while she picks a bouquet to put on the big stoneware vase by the window. Then she will take off her shoes, grab a nice book and a glass of lemonade and read on the porch swing.

The perfect summer day.

The crux of the matter is that I am already working on another dress. Using many colours from the same linen line. I have big plans and a doll to dress. Wish me luck!

Doll Heirloom Dress in Handkerchief weight linen. via Fig&me.

Thank you so much to Fabric Wholesale Direct for approaching me and sending me these beautiful fabrics, to Cora’s Mom for giving me all the time in the world to dress her little doll, to my students for always encouraging me through their requests and to you, for visiting my blog, reading my stories and loving my dolls.

I shall be back with another handkerchief linen dress adventure. But now we are changing gears as the summer is winding down and Autumn 🍂 is slightly in the air.