5 Ways to Make Doll Clothes Collars that WORK (Tip #2) @ ChellyWood.com #SewingTips #DollClothesPatterns

This image is part of a series of blog posts about how to sew doll clothes collars. A purple and blue frame surrounds a vintage doll clothes pattern, with the words above stating "Doll Clothes Collars Part 2". In the photo beneath these words, we see Ken and Barbie dolls wearing variations on the typical Hawaiian shirt. The ChellyWood.com logo appears at the bottom of the image.
Please visit ChellyWood.com for free printable PDF sewing patterns and tutorial videos for making doll clothes to fit dolls of many shapes and all different sizes.

Today’s blog post is “Part 2” of my series on how to create collars for your doll clothes that actually WORK.

So you’re sewing a collar for your doll, and what you want to avoid is that awful won’t-lay-flat thing we’ve all had to deal with:

Image shows an Ashlynn Ella doll from the Ever After High Dolls (EAH Doll) collection. She wears a handmade white blouse which is very elegant with a high collar, a pair of khaki trousers that are short like capris, and a pair of felt handmade shoes. Overlay says, "ChellyWood.com: FREE Printable sewing patterns for dolls of many shapes and sizes.

Last week we learned that adding lace is one way to avoid the Halloween-witch collar, and as you can see in my vintage Crissy Simplicity pattern #9138 lots of doll clothes patterns employ this tactic:

The image shows a close-up of Simplicity doll clothes pattern 9138, which wlll fit (as it says on the cover of the pattern) 17 and a half inch dolls. The doll clothes pictured on the growing hair dolls and possibly other dolls pictured here include the following: view 1 is a long dress with lace ruffle, lace collar, ribbon-tie belt, and ruffled sleeves; view 2 is a short shirt dress with buttons running down the front; view 3 shows a floor length skirt with a ruffle neck and ruffle sleeve blouse and short bolero vest; view 4 shows a doll in a very short pajama with bloomers exposed beneath; view 5 shows a tunic with ruffled sleeves and lace trim over a pair of trousers; view 6 shows a short sleeved shirt with pants and a see-through poncho over the top. The dolls pictured here are representative of Ideal Crissy dolls. The date on the package (not visible in the picture) is 1970.
Please visit ChellyWood.com for free printable PDF sewing patterns and tutorial videos for making doll clothes to fit dolls of many shapes and all different sizes.

But what if you really want a square-looking collar? What if you’re sewing a modern-day man’s shirt? He’s not gonna get away with that lacy thing.

So here’s what I suggest, if you want to actually follow the squared-off collar that some doll clothes patterns come with:

Collar Tip #2: Use Very Thin Fabric

This is an image of a GI Joe action figure wearing a camp shirt made of small and large red and white gingham prints and a pair of jeans. You can make these clothes to fit your GI Joe action figure by downloading the free printable PDF sewing patterns and watching the free tutorial videos for sewing the outfit shown, if you visit ChellyWood.com and look under 12 inch male dolls from the main gallery page. It will lead you to a gallery of clothing options for free printable sewing patterns that fit GI Joe and similar-sized action figures or dolls.
Visit ChellyWood.com for free printable sewing patterns for making doll clothes to fit dolls and action figures of many shapes and sizes.

The bigger the doll, the easier it is to make a collar work with thin fabric. The smaller the doll, the more difficult this can be.

But on my GI Joe shirt, you’ll notice in this next image, that his shirt’s lining is made of 100% cotton, while his collar is made entirely of the gingham fabric from the outer layer of the shirt. That’s because it’s a lighter weight fabric, so I decided it would be best to make the collar from that gingham.

Click on the link in the caption for your free printable PDF sewing pattern and tutorials for making this shirt. The image shows a close-up of GI Joe's pockets and the snaps on his shirt. With this close detail, you can see the stitching on the pocket and the fact that the pocket has a flap. You might also notice that the shirt is gingham but the lining of the shirt is made of plain white cotton. There's also a detail of the collar, which sits nicely on Joe's shoulder. Feel free to pin this image on Pinterest or share it on other social media, but please tell everyone that it came from ChellyWood.com

The pockets and sleeves were made of an even lighter weight gingham, and after the whole project was done, I was wishing I’d made the collar out of the same fabric as the sleeves. But oh well, this looked pretty good anyway.

If you’re not sure how to find the weight or heaviness of a fabric, ask your fabric store employees for help; this information can sometimes be found on the cardboard end of a fabric bolt.

An image shows a turquoise blue emoji with eyes looking to the right (from viewer's point of view). There are rows of bolts of fabric lined up on a wall, and one has the cardboard end exposed clearly. An arrow points from the blue emoji face to the cardboard end of the bolt of fabric. The Chelly Wood dot com logo appears in the upper right hand corner.
Please visit ChellyWood.com for free printable PDF sewing patterns and tutorial videos for making doll clothes to fit dolls of many shapes and all different sizes.

As you can see in later renditions of the GI Joe shirt, the collar looked a little more bulky because I got cocky and tried making the collar out of 100% organic cotton with a thicker weave. It didn’t look quite as good as the original gingham shirt which used a lighter weight of fabric:

This image shows a GI Joe action figure wearing a light blue soft cotton or denim shirt with one shirt pocket and a row of tiny buttons down the front of the shirt. The sleeves are rolled but do not have a tab to hold up the rolled sleeve. The shirt does have a small collar which lays nicely against GI Joe's chest and neck area. The URL watermark at the bottom tells you where you can find the free sewing patterns and tutorial videos for making this shirt to fit your GI Joe doll or action figures: ChellyWood.com
Please visit ChellyWood.com for free, printable sewing patterns for dolls of many shapes and sizes.

This version of the collar stuck out terribly before I fixed it, but I’m going to save that “fix-it” tip for next week!

The image shows Simplicity Barbie and Ken doll clothes pattern number 7928, which includes the following patterns: a Barbie bikini top with Hawaiian shirt and shorts; a Ken Hawaiian shirt and shorts; a Barbie short sleeved shirt with collar and crop tie and jeans; a Ken tee shirt (T-shirt) with jeans; a Barbie strapless short evening gown; a Barbie muumuu dress; a Barbie jacket.
Please visit ChellyWood.com for free printable PDF sewing patterns and tutorial videos for making doll clothes to fit dolls of many shapes and all different sizes.

The image shown in the featured image for today’s blog post was from the cover of Simplicity doll clothes sewing pattern #7928, which includes Hawaiian style shirts for Ken and Barbie dolls (as shown above).

Most of the commercial patterns I display and talk about here on ChellyWood.com are also available for sale on eBay. However, if you’ve never purchased a pattern on eBay before, it’s a good idea to read the article I wrote called, “Tips for Buying Used Doll Clothes Patterns on eBay.” It will save you time, money, and will likely prevent buyer’s remorse.

And by the way, if you use the links I’ve provided to make your eBay purchase, this website will receive a small commission, which helps fund the ChellyWood.com website, so I can continue to provide you with all the free patterns and tutorial videos offered here.

Another great way to help fund this website is to take my Creative Spark class, “How to Alter Doll Clothes Patterns” which is now live on the Creative Spark platform. You can sign up any time you want–there’s no rush!

And don’t panic if it seems like too much to take on right now — sometimes our lives get really busy. I get that. But for any class on Creative Spark, once you’re signed up, you can take as long as you want to finish the class. You’re not under pressure or a time constraint to finish the class.

You can just take your time and learn at the pace that suits you.

If you liked today’s sewing tip for making doll clothes collars, and you’d like to see what other helpful doll clothes sewing tips I have offered on this website, please visit the “Helpful Tips” page.

Disclaimer/Credit/Affiliate Marketing Link:

*ChellyWood.com earns money by linking to JoAnn Fabrics, Amazon, eBay, Etsy, and other online affiliate programs. Links provided above may be affiliate links. For a full list of my affiliate programs, and to understand how cookies are used to help this website earn money, please see my “Privacy Policy” page.

Chelly Wood and the ChellyWood.com website are not affiliated with the pattern company or companies mentioned in this blog post, but Chelly finds inspiration in the doll clothes designed by these pattern companies. To purchase patterns from Simplicity, McCall’s, Butterick, Vogue, or other pattern companies shown and discussed in this blog post, please click on the links provided here. These links below the “Disclaimer” section do not help raise money for this free pattern website; they are only offered to give credit to the company that made these patterns.

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