Scroll down to the THIRD set of bullets for the free PDF sewing patterns.
As the heading says, today’s tutorial video shows you how to make a pair of leggings to fit your 18 inch dolls, and as usual, I’m giving away the free sewing patterns for making these leggings as well.
In the video, I mention how easy it is to cut out your pattern incorrectly, whenever you’re sewing with jersey fabric, leaving you with uneven legs when it’s time to hem. This can also happen if you don’t correctly mark and sew your darts in the back of the leggings:
So if you don’t already own one, I recommend buying a Dritz fabric pencil to mark your darts.
And any time I recommend using jersey fabric for a sewing project, I’m going to suggest that you also buy a walking foot for your sewing machine if you don’t have one already. It will just make sewing with jersey SO much easier!
Here are some links to a walking foot attachment for some of the most popular sewing machine brands:
- Walking foot for Brother sewing machines
- Walking foot for Singer sewing machine
- Walking foot for Babylock sewing machines
- Walking foot for Husqvarna sewing machines
- Walking foot for Janome sewing machines
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that you need to do a little homework before buying a walking foot for your machine. Make sure you know a.) what model of sewing machine you’re buying it for, b.) what make you’re buying it for, and c.) whether or not the company you’re buying from is legitimate.
There are a lot of “copycat” companies on Amazon, so only buy from reputable sellers, and ideally, you want to buy from the company that manufactured your sewing machine in the first place.
Of course, as it says in the tutorial video at the top of this page, you can always just sew your jersey fabrics by hand to avoid buying a new attachment for your sewing machine. That solves the “stretchy fabric” problem usually.
Now please be wary, when cutting out your printed jersey fabrics. If you’ve never heard of the “LulaRoe leggings fails” that were a big internet sensation a while back, you might want to google that concept (but be advised that, what you’ll see is not family-friendly)!
Needless to say, you should really think ahead with a creative imagination to avoid a LulaRoe leggings fail, when you cut out leggings patterns! And keep in mind when choosing small print jersey fabrics, that flowers and plaids are good choices, but hot dogs and rocket ships… not so much!
In addition to the jersey fabric, walking foot, and fabric pencil, you’ll also need some 3/8 inch braided elastic to make a pair of leggings for your 18 inch doll, using my free PDF sewing pattern.
Today’s free printable PDF doll clothes sewing patterns will fit the following dolls:
- 18-inch dolls like American Girl dolls
- 18-inch dolls like the Adora Amazing Girls dolls
- 18-inch dolls like the Our Generation Journey Girls
- 18-inch dolls like the “My Life As” Dolls
- 18-inch dolls like City Girls from the New York Doll Collection
- 18-inch dolls like Madame Alexander 45 to 46 cm (similar body type to American Girl) dolls
And here are the patterns and tutorial videos you’re looking for:
- Pattern for 18″ doll’s leggings
- Tutorial for making the leggings (at the top of this page)
- Pattern for 18″ doll felt shirt
- Tutorial for making doll shirt
- How to do a whipstitch
- How to do a backstitch
- How to pull elastic through a casing
- How to use a needle threader
- How to do a basic straight stitch
- How to tie a knot using a needle and thread
- How to press seams open, using a hot iron
For more of my free tutorials, be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel, ChellyWood1.
Is this pattern close to what you were looking for, but maybe you’re wishing the pattern was slightly different? If so, my Creative Spark class, “How to Alter Doll Clothes Patterns” may be just what you need to make these patterns into the pattern you see in your imagination.
For any class on Creative Spark, you don’t have to follow a schedule. Just sign up when you’re ready.
It’s a one-time fee for the course, and there’s no specific time limit to finish your course. You can just take your time and learn at the pace that suits you. So go check out my paid courses on Creative Spark, using this link.
As always, feel free to pin, like, or tweet about my free patterns and tutorials. Here’s an image you’re welcome to share on social media:
To read more about my free sewing patterns and tutorials, please visit the “Helpful Tips” page.
Disclaimer/Credit/Affiliate Marketing Link:
*ChellyWood.com earns money by linking to Amazon, eBay, Michaels, 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.
To honor the trademark rights of the doll companies mentioned in this blog post, I am including links to their websites here. Please feel free to visit their website and consider purchasing one or more of the dolls mentioned.
American Girl dolls are products offered by American Girl LLC, which holds the registered trademark for them (™). Please visit their website to learn more about their company and its trademarked toys.
Adora Amazing Girls are products offered by Charisma Brands, LLC, which holds the registered trademark for them (™). Please visit their website to learn more about their company and its trademarked toys.
Our Generation Journey Girls are products offered by Geoffrey, LLC (affiliated with Tru Kids Brands and Toys R Us), which holds the registered trademark for them (™). Please visit their website to learn more about their company and its trademarked toys.
“My Life As” dolls are products offered by Walmart, which (although I couldn’t find it specifically listed in US trademarks) probably holds the registered trademark for them (™). Please visit their website to learn more about their company and its trademarked toys.
City Girls are products offered by The New York Doll Collection, Inc, which holds the registered trademark for them (™). Please visit their website to learn more about their company and its trademarked toys.
Madame Alexander 45 to 46 cm dolls were products that were once offered by the Madame Alexander Doll Company, LLC, which holds the registered trademark for them (™). Be advised that at the time of this blog post, they no longer (to my knowledge) offer dolls in that size range; however you can visit their website to learn more about their company and the trademarked toys they are currently offering.