Once in a while I get questions from followers about the everyday tools I sometimes take for granted, like the types of irons I use for my doll clothes sewing projects.
Recently, in fact, someone left a comment on one of my YouTube tutorials, asking about the small, pink, travel-sized iron that appears in that particular video. So today, I’m going to share that information with you, along with links to my favorite brands of irons.
However, before I get into this topic, I need to make my required disclaimer statement: As an Amazon affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. To learn more about how affiliate marketing works on my website, please go to the Privacy Policy page. Thank you!
Tiny doll clothes have to use tiny seam allowances, in order to prevent the fabric from looking too bulky on the doll. And you’ll notice that whenever I sew a corner (like when I sew the area around a sleeve or crotch), I ALWAYS clip my seams and press them open, even if the doll clothes are very tiny. This also helps prevent the fabric from looking bulky on the doll.
Pressing seams can be tricky with Barbie and Ken, but when I find it difficult to negotiate these seams, I use a little tiny iron that my mother-in-law gave me for Christmas one year. It’s called Dritz 29500 Petite Press Portable Mini Iron, and it’s FANTASTIC for teeny tiny seams.
The iron you see in the photos above and below is a Tulip Mini Iron. My kids used it when they were learning to sew, and even though it makes a cameo appearance in a lot of my sewing tutorial videos, I don’t actually use it anymore. It’s not the best iron for Barbie and Ken clothes in particular.
It’s not bad for bigger dolls though, but other irons of the same size have more settings. I used to own a Sunbeam Hot-2-Trot Travel Steam Iron, and it was a super iron in a compact size, about the same size as the Tulip. In fact, it was so wonderful to use, that my youngest daughter asked me if she could take it to college. Oooh, that little stinker!
Bye-bye Sunbeam!
But by golly, I’m determined to buy another Sunbeam Hot-2-Trot one of these days! My little Sunbeam sort of looked like the one pictured in my article thumbnail, shown below. It was smaller though.
The miniature black iron that appears in a lot of my stop-motion video segments is supposed to represent my lovely Black and Decker Classic iron. It’s not small. It’s actually quite heavy. But I use it more than any of my other irons.
In fact, my mom had one and so did my grandma. Probably every woman in my family owns one of these. I mean, why wouldn’t you? It’s the best dang iron ever made!
And when my Black and Decker Classic gave up the ghost (after 15 years of heavy use), not even 24 hours passed before I went online and bought another Black and Decker Classic just like it. My new one is pictured below.
So if I had to pick just one iron, it would be the Black and Decker Classic. It’s not small enough for teeny-tiny seams, but it’s heavy duty enough for all the sewing I do on a day-to-day basis.
Now it’s your turn everyone… What type of iron do you use? Do you own multiples? And which brands are the best for pressing seams in your doll clothes when you’re sewing?
Please leave a comment!
If you enjoyed this blog post, and you’d like to see my videos (including videos I’ve made about how to press the seams on your doll clothes), you might want to navigate over to my YouTube channel, ChellyWood1 to look through my playlists.
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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 C&T Publishing online learning platform. Here’s my bio page on their website, where you can learn more.
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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, 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.