How to alter the neckline of a boatneck shirt pattern @ ChellyWood.com #DollClothesPatterns #Sewing

On a wooden surface, we see three garments. On the left in toward the top is a shiny blue long-sleeved shirt with a back closure and something of a U-shaped neckline. At the top and somewhat to the right, laying flat on the wooden surface, is a peach colored shirt with three-quarter length sleeves. This shirt has a gathered neckline and we can see that inside it, this cotton shirt has a paler peach colored lining. Then, below these other two garments, we see a coral-colored jacket made of very fine terry-cloth-like fabric. It hangs open at the front but has an oval neckline. — 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.

Do you see that blue satin shirt on the left in this photo? It’s the boatneck shirt from my McCall’s Barbie pattern 5462, but I’ve altered the neckline.

This is a photo of McCall's Crafts doll clothes pattern number 5462. There's a purple arrow pointing at the outfit in View B, which includes a striped T-shirt with three-quarter-length sleeves and a full-length body suit-style pair of leggings (like a dancer from the 1980's might have worn, with straps that go above the leggings to cover the shirt's shoulders, sort of like overalls). The shirt is made of white jersey-style fabric with a black pin stripe. The leggings or dancer's bodysuit is made of black stretchy fabric that fits the fashion doll with a skin-tight fit. At the bottom of the bodysuit, there are stirrups for the leggings, and the doll wears black heels. The doll has auburn hair. There are nine other outfits pictured on McCalls 5462: (top row) a gold prom dress, a black V-neck dress, a fur coat, a pair of loose fitting pants with a tank top, and a pink strapless dress with a short, layered pink skirt; (bottom row) a short-sleeved T-shirt with bike shorts and a twirly skirt, the dancer's bodysuit with three-quarter-length sleeves, a male fashion doll's shirts with tank top, a male fashion doll's baggy pants with tank top, and a poodle skirt with a long-sleeved shirt and neck handkerchief. Learn more about how Chelly Wood taught her followers how to create variations on the shirt pictured in view B (the tee shirt with three-quarter length sleeves) by going to ChellyWood.com and using her search tool to find McCalls doll clothes pattern 5462. — 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.

Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve been showing you different ways to alter a single pattern for making a Barbie doll shirt. Today I’m going to show you how simple it is to change a boatneck shirt to a scoop neck shirt.

Take a look at the Curvy Barbie outfit below.

This image shows a Mattel Curvy Barbie with a Mediterranean complexion walking in front of an ivy-covered building in the Montmartre area of Paris, France. The doll wears a pretty purple crop top and high-waisted shorts made of cotton floral print in a pretty lavender-and-purple shade. To download the free, printable PDF sewing patterns for making this outfit, please go to ChellyWood.com and click on the 11 inch doll clothes patterns page from the home page gallery. There are further instructions for downloading these free printable doll clothes patterns to fit Curvy Barbie and similar sized dolls on the home page at ChellyWood.com — Visit ChellyWood.com for free, printable sewing patterns to fit dolls of many shapes and sizes.

When I first posted this pattern on Facebook, a lady complained that she didn’t like the shirt’s neckline. (Granted, she didn’t know I’d see her comment, so I think she was just being honest with the folks in our sewing group without meaning to hurt my feelings or anything.)

But a neckline is so easy to change! Let me show you how easily I can change the neckline of the View B top from my McCall’s craft pattern number 5462…

First I lay my layers one on top of the other (see figure A):

This image is segmented into three sections. In figure A, we see that the shirt has been cut out into a single piece with sleeves. The fabric is made of a blue shiny substance. In figure B, we get a close-up of the front of the shirt, in the hem area, but we can see that the hem has already been sewn. In figure C, we see a woman's hand folding the shirt in half a the shoulder, and bringing together the front and back of the shirt. — 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.

Now I need to point out that I’m re-using old satin fabric from a nightshirt, which is why the bottom part of the front of the shirt is already hemmed (see figure B). Lately I’ve been trying to do the right thing for Mother Earth by avoiding the purchase of brand new fabrics, if I can find a suitable used fabric for my projects instead.

Sew the back part of the shirt (the closure area), like we did for last week’s boatneck shirt project, but don’t sew all the way around the neckline. Instead, stop sewing at the edges of the neckline.

This is a close-up photo of the neck hole area of the shirt. We can see that someone has stitched around the opening of the shirt and then from the part where the shirt opens to the edge of the neck hole. This neck hole looks a lot like a boatneck style. — 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.

Next, cut away a half-moon shape from the neck. Then finish sewing the rest of the way around the neckline.

In this photo, we se the shirt in the background, with a much wider neck hole opening. The D-shaped neck hole opening exactly matches the shape of the blue satin-y looking scrap of fabric lying in a woman's hand in the foreground. In other words, the woman has cut a D-shaped chunk of fabric from the neck hole of this shirt. — 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 other steps are pretty much the same as what I explained in last week’s blog post, when we learned how to make a boatneck shirt.

The alteration to a doll’s shirt’s neckline is just that simple!

This photo was taken from slightly above a Tall Barbie doll. She has her arms spread wide. She wears a pretty blue satin shirt with a slightly scooped neckline. The satin reflects light and shadows in ripples of satin sheen. We can barely see that the doll wears white pants or jeans beneath her satin long-sleeved shirt. The photo is taken with the doll's upper body as the primary viewpoint. — 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.

And look how lovely that turned out!

If you’d like to learn how to sew this shirt, using a McCall’s 5462 doll clothes pattern (view B), go back to last week’s blog post.

Here we see a Latina (or Mediterranean looking) Tall Barbie wearing a handmade shirt made of blue satin. She also wears white trousers or jeans and white plastic sneakers or trainers. Her arms are spread out as if to welcome the viewer into a hug. The satin shirt has a slightly scooped neckline and a beautiful shimmering sheen to its blue fabric. — 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.

Do you love the pants my Tall Barbie is wearing? Do you wish you could design pants like that for your own fashion dolls? Then consider taking my How to Design Doll Pants Patterns from Scratch course on Creative Spark.

For just $19.99, you can learn how to design your own leggings, jeans, fly-front pants, and even overalls!

The image shows an 18 inch doll next to an 8 inch doll, to demonstrate that Chelly's "How to Design Doll Pants Patterns" course is for dolls of any shape or size. In one photo, both dolls wear a tee shirt with leggings. In the other image, both dolls wear a T-shirt under a pair of green polka dot overalls (green with tiny white polka dots). The text says, "How to Design Your Own Doll Pants Course Only nineteen dollars and ninety-nine cents! There are two bonuses mentioned on the advertisement as well: Chelly's re-sizing formula and a complementary pattern for 18 inch doll overalls. — 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.

I realize I make pattern alterations look easy, and perhaps you’re new to sewing.

But if you’d like to learn more about how to make alterations to the doll clothes patterns you already own, my Creative Spark class, “How to Alter Doll Clothes Patterns” is easier than you think.

Are you worried that you won’t have time to take a course in doll clothes pattern alteration? You’ll be happy to learn that, 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 please go have a look at my paid courses on Creative Spark, using this link.

In this photo a Tall Barbie models handmade white jeans with a handmade blue satin shirt. The shirt has long sleeves and a slightly scooped neckline. The doll appears to be mid-stride while walking. — 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.

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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.