Are you new to sewing? Or are you thinking about teaching a child how to sew? If so, you might want to read my blog post about the top 10 sewing supplies you’ll need in a beginner’s sewing basket.
I’ve got a playlist of tutorials for the beginning sewists on my YouTube channel as well. It includes video tutorials like:
- how to do a basic straight stitch when sewing by hand
- how to use the whipstitch to hem a garment
- how to sew on snaps.
- how to buy fabric
- how to find matching notions
- how to care for, repair, and store your older patterns
- how to add a ruffle to a skirt
And there are many others.
As a school librarian (in my day job), I’m often asked to teach little “elective” classes for my middle school students. Recently my Yearbook/ Journalism class finished designing this year’s annual/ yearbook, and the students asked me to teach them how to sew.
I started with a fairly easy project, my unofficial Minecraft character cube, which both boys and girls enjoy sewing. It was a perfect jumping off point to get kids started.
Next, we made little bears, using my Firefighter Bear pattern and tutorials.
From there, the students branched out. Some of the girls made a dress for their bears, using my 8 inch baby doll dress pattern. One of the boys in my class got started making a football pillow, while the other is learning to make pants for his bear, using my pattern for a bear’s trousers.
Of course, it’s a journalism class, so eventually these students will have to write an expository essay, explaining how to make these items, but in the mean time, they’re having a lot of fun learning to sew!
I frequently get “fan mail” that starts, “I’m new to sewing…” and ends with a request for advice like “What’s easy to start with?” or “Which tutorials should I watch?” So today’s blog post is designed to address these kinds of questions.
If a mom or grandma reaches out, asking me which fashion doll clothes would be easiest to use, when teaching a child to sew, my go-to doll clothing pattern is always the basic sundress for fashion dolls, with a felt bodice.
It’s easy to sew because felt is an easy fabric to cut when you’re first learning how to pin and cut out a pattern. It’s forgiving, more stretchy than most people realize, and you don’t have to hem it. The skirt on this easy-to-sew fashion doll dress is just a straight stitch as well, so it’s a great first item to sew on Mom’s or Grandma’s sewing machine!
This pattern (the one shown above) will fit most fashion dolls, too, including Barbie, Skipper, Curvy Barbie, and more!
If you’re thinking about teaching a child to sew, or if you, yourself, are just starting to learn how to sew, these simple projects are great for beginners of any age to start with:
- Firefighter bear
- Minecraft cube
- 8″ baby doll dress with felt bodice and felt shoes
- basic sundress for fashion dolls with felt bodice
If you enjoyed this blog post, and you’d like to see my videos, you might want to navigate over to my YouTube channel, ChellyWood1 to look through my playlists.
If you would like to make a donation to this free doll clothes pattern website, please click here. There’s also a “Donate” button in the main menu.
For anyone who would like to expand their dolls’ wardrobes, you should really check out my “How to Alter Doll Clothes Patterns” course and my “Design Your Own Doll Pants Patterns from Scratch” classes on the Creative Spark online learning platform. Here’s my bio page on their website, where you can learn more.
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.
To read more about my free sewing patterns and tutorials, please visit the “Helpful Tips” page.
Disclaimer/Credit/Affiliate Marketing Link:
*Please note: when you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include Amazon, JoAnn Fabric, Etsy, and the eBay Partner Network. As an Amazon affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. To learn more about how my website uses affiliate marketing, please visit the website’s Privacy Policy page.
Chelly Wood and the ChellyWood.com website are not affiliated with any of the doll or toy companies mentioned in this blog post, but Chelly enjoys designing her doll clothes to fit a variety of dolls. To learn more about the doll companies mentioned in today’s post, please visit the doll or toy company’s website.