My Sibling Dolls Website And Links

please visit these websites:
http://mysiblingdolls.com/

http://shop.mysiblingdolls.com/

http://shop.mysiblingdolls.com/pages/about-us

My First American Girl Project

The World of Ever After High™

Once upon a High School, in a land beyond imagination, comes the tale of Ever After High™. A High School for the next generation of fairytales. Where spellbinding students are destined (or not) to follow in the footsteps of their fairytale parents.

But one student, Raven Queen™, does not want to follow in her mother's villainous path. What if she wants to choose her own Happily Ever After, and how will it affect other students' destinies, like the Royal leader Apple White™?

The End, is just the beginning.

http://www.everafterhigh.com
http://www.facebook.com/EverAfterHigh

An American Girl Dream

American Girl Place

Stanford Shopping Center’s latest tenant:  American Girl Place.  The company behind the wildly popular line of 18-inch historical and look-alike dolls will be opening their newest retail store in Fall 2013.

ABOUT AMERICAN GIRL

American Girl Brands is a wholly owned subsidiary of Mattel, (NASDAQ:MAT, www.mattel.com), the world's leading toy company. Since American Girl's inception in 1986, the company has devoted its entire business to celebrating the potential of girls ages 3 to 12. American Girl encourages girls to dream, to grow, to aspire, to create, and to imagine through a wide range of engaging and insightful books, age-appropriate and educational products, and unforgettable experiences. In meeting its mission with a vigilant eye toward quality and service, American Girl has earned the loyal following of millions of girls and the praise and trust of parents and educators. To learn more about American Girl or to request a free catalogue, call 800-845-0005, or visit www.americangirl.com.

ABOUT STANFORD SHOPPING CENTER

Stanford Shopping Center is Northern California's premier shopping and dining destination with Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdale's, Nordstrom, Macy's, Macy's Men's, and more than 140 world-class specialty stores and restaurants, all in a spectacular outdoor garden environment. Unparalleled shopping, extraordinary dining, and breathtaking gardens all combine to create a truly unique shopping experience. For more information, visit www.stanfordshop.com.

ABOUT SIMON PROPERTY GROUP

Simon Property Group, Inc. (NYSE:SPG) is an S&P 100 company and the largest real estate company in the world. The Company currently owns or has an interest in 329 retail real estate properties in North America and Asia comprising 243 million square feet. We are headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana and employ approximately 5,500 people in the U.S. For more information, visit the Simon Property Group website at www.simon.com.

Sophia Sewing Lessons

1711 18" Doll Clothes

Doll clothes pattern to fit any 18" doll includes dresses in several styles, tops, pants, tulle skirts and headbands. Mix and match pieces to create a fun wardrobe for your favorite doll. Simplicity sewing pattern by Teri Miliano.

Doll Clothes Patterns: How to Find Tiny Materials

I’m often asked where to find small-scale materials and supplies to use when sewing doll clothes patterns. For example, it’s difficult to find light-weight ribbed knit trim to use on the cuffs and waistbands of your doll’s hoodie. The adult-sized trim looks too bulky on your American Girl, or other 18 inch doll.

Find used baby clothes in good condition, and recycle the ribbed knit trim:

Try this idea. Go to your local thrift store and look for infant clothing. Babies outgrow their clothes so fast, it’s easy to find outfits in great condition. Many show very little wear and are very inexpensive. Recycle the baby clothes by removing the ribbed knit trim from the sleeves and around the neck. Then reuse the baby’s knit trim for your doll clothes patterns. The buttons on baby clothes also work perfectly for dolls.

One of the secrets to maintaining a great source of materials is to go to the thrift store often. Get to know the people who work there, and let them know what you’re doing. Tell them you’re always looking for baby clothes with white knit trim, …or whatever colors you use most. As they get to know you, they’ll start setting things aside for you. You’ll soon have all the supplies you need for your doll clothes patterns.

http://www.dollclothespatterns.net/doll-clothes-patterns/doll-clothes-patterns-how-to-find-tiny-materials

Doll Clothes Patterns

If you’re looking for doll clothes patternsand doll accessories that are fun and easy to sew, this blog is for you.

Today’s girl wants to dress her doll in clothes she might wear herself… or dream of wearing if money were no object. So, we’ll look at what girls are wearing nowand talk about the new fashion trends. Then, we’ll translate these popular trends into doll clothes patterns, so you can create the latest styles of clothing and accessories for your dolls.

The doll clothes patterns on this blog are sized to fit many 18-inch dolls, …like American Girl dolls, Madame Alexander Girlz, the Springfield Collection and Gotz dolls.
You’ll enjoy learning about fashion design and working with fabrics and colors to sew totally coordinated outfits for your dolls. It doesn’t matter if you’re young or old. Whether you’re a girl, a mother or a grandmother, you’ll learn to think like a fashion designer and be sewing doll clothes in no time flat.

You can create outfits for your doll that are fashionable, unique and original. But, they’ll be much less expensive than “store bought’ doll clothes. Our blog posts will talk about money-saving ideas and offer shopping tips. We’ll suggest places you can go to find ‘overlooked treasures’ that can be recycled into one-of-a-kind doll clothes. We’ll introduce pictures and instructions for making great doll accessories… like jewelry, shoes, handbags and hats. As everyone knows, girls and dolls love accessories!

So, remember to come back often. We’ll be adding more drawings and photos to give you ideas for making complete outfits for your dolls in the most current styles, colors and fabrics. You’ll get lots of free information here, and occasionally even some free doll clothes patterns.
You can get started making some basic fashion items by using the doll clothes patterns in Joan Hinds’ book shown on this page, Sew the Contemporary Wardrobe for 18-Inch Dolls. There are a few garments every doll should have in her closet. Start your doll’s casual wardrobe with a basic Hooded Sweatshirt (book: page 40) and a Cap-Sleeve T-Shirt (book: page 38.)

Remember that clothes for your 18-inch dolls are much smaller than human clothes. Select fabrics for your doll clothes patterns that are thinner or softer than the fabrics used for ‘human’ sized clothes, so they’ll drape well and look realistic. Natural fibers, like lightweight cotton knit and silk, hang better than stiff polyester and acrylic. If you select printed fabrics, think about scale. To look realistic, a small doll shirt requires fabric with a very small pattern or narrow stripe.

Thanks for visiting the doll clothes patterns blog. If you love fashion and love dolls, you belong here. We want to meet you. Please post a comment, introduce yourself and let us know what you think. 

http://www.dollclothespatterns.net/doll-clothes-patterns/doll-clothes-patterns

Doll Clothes Patterns-WARNING: All 18-Inch Dolls Are NOT the Same Size

Doll clothes patterns can be confusing when it comes to achieving a proper fit. The first thing I discovered when I started sewing for my American Girl dolls is that not all 18-inch doll bodies are the same size. That means your doll clothes patterns require small adjustments and alterations to fit each doll. So, lets look at several different dolls and compare their body sizes.

The dolls shown in the photo above are (left to right):

1. Lindsey, a Springfield Collection doll
2. Julie, an American Girl doll made in 2008
3. Girlz, a Madame Alexander doll
4. A German doll made by Heidi Ott
5. Kaya, an American Girl doll made in 2002

As a group, these dolls appear to be very similar. However, there are slight differences, even among American Girl dolls that will affect the fit of the doll clothes patterns. Because the 18-inch dolls have cloth bodies that are made by humans in sewing factories, quality control is sometimes an issue. I had to return my first Julie doll to the American Girl store. Her head was not attached halfway between her shoulders, but was mounted closer to one of her arms. Her body looked distorted, especially in a short-sleeved top. My point is… Even among the dolls made by one manufacturer, there are variations in body size. Sometimes seamstresses take larger seams, causing the bodies to be smaller. They may use more or less stuffing, which will change the size of the doll’s waistline. If the doll is not stuffed tightly enough, it will be difficult for her to stand on her own. She’ll need a doll stand, like the one shown in the photo above.

I have two American Girl dolls: Julie, made in 2008 and Kaya, made in 2002. Kaya, the older doll, is shorter. Much of this height difference is because the 2002 doll’s neck is considerably shorter than the 2008 doll’s neck. Although they’re different heights, it isn’t much of a fitting problem because the length of the neck doesn’t really affect the fit of the doll clothes patterns.


But, if you look closer at the photo, you’ll notice Kaya’s thighs are larger than Julie’s. This can be frustrating when they’re sharing doll clothes, like tight pants.
So, if you’re sewing for more than one doll, or you’re making doll clothes to sell, consider how the doll clothes will fit the different body types. Before you start sewing, you need to know how to adjust your doll clothes patterns to fit a variety of 18-inch dolls.
In the next blog post, we’ll look at three of the most popular 18-inch play dolls:

1. American Girl dolls
2. Gotz ‘Precious Day Collection’
3. Madame Alexander ‘Girlz’

I’ll compare their exact body measurements to give you the information you’ll need to start adjusting your doll clothes patterns for a perfect fit.
http://www.dollclothespatterns.net/doll-clothes-patterns/doll-clothes-patterns-warning-all-18-inch-dolls-are-not-the-same-size

Doll Clothes Patterns that Fit Perfectly

Doll clothes patterns can be adjusted before cutting, to ensure a perfect fit for a variety of dolls. You can easily see size differences by comparing the measurements of three popular 18-inch dolls:

1. Madame Alexander ‘Girlz’
2. American Girl Dolls
3. Gotz ‘Precious Day Collection’

The lines drawn on the dolls in the photo above show exactly where to measure your dolls. American Girl dolls have become the standard for the proper fit of doll clothes patterns. But, if you measure first and adjust carefully, your doll clothes and doll accessories can fit most 18-inch dolls. Let’s compare.

Bust and Shoulders: One obvious difference among the three dolls is the bust measurement, which is quite a bit larger on the Gotz doll. But, her larger bust line is really caused by the width of her shoulders. The distance around her shoulders is a full inch larger than the American Girl doll… and 1-5/8 inches larger than the Madame Alexander doll.

Sleeve Length: The Madame Alexander doll has slightly longer arms, but because her shoulders are narrower, her sleeve length is almost identical to the American Girl doll. And, don’t forget the Gotz doll’s wide shoulders. Even though the Gotz arms are the same length as the American Girl, you have to increase her sleeve length if you don’t increase the width of the shoulders on the doll clothes patterns.
The American Girl doll has bigger hips and a more rounded bottom. She also has a shorter, thicker neck than the other dolls. When you’re making tight pants or boots, remember the Gotz doll has larger, 5-1/2 inch calves. (Although it’s not shown here, the older American Girl dolls also have 5-1/2 inch calves.) All the dolls’ heads and feet are almost identical in size. Their inseams are similar enough to make their pant lengths the same.

So, even if you’re sewing for just one doll, always measure your doll. Then, measure the doll clothes patterns and compare each area. If you’re making doll clothes to sell, or if you own several different 18-inch dolls, you’ll need to make a few alterations so the clothes will fit all the various dolls. Begin by using this chart.

For all of the dolls to wear the same clothes, cut the doll clothes patterns large enough to fit the biggest measurement in each body area. For example, make sure the bust fits a doll that measures 12-1/8 inches; the waist 10-1/2 inches; and the hips 12-1/4 inches. Remember to add a small amount to each measurement for ‘ease,’ unless you want the dolls’ clothes to be skin-tight.

Until we talk again, this information should get you started using doll clothes patternsto create a wardrobe that fits almost all of your 18-inch dolls perfectly.

http://www.dollclothespatterns.net/doll-clothes-patterns/doll-clothes-patterns-that-fit-perfectly

Doll Clothes Patterns: Sewing Look Alike Outfits

Doll clothes patterns and patterns for real girls have one big difference. Dolls are small and girls are big.

If you’re sewing matching outfits for your special girl and her doll, you want to make them look as much alike as possible. But, since girls are so much bigger than their dolls, you have to adjust the proportions. For example, if you plan to use a patterned fabric, the pattern on the doll’s dress should be much smaller in proportion than the pattern on the girl’s dress.
Girl-sized fabric:

Say you want to use a flowered print. If each of the flowers on the fabric you’ve selected for the girl are about the size of the girl’s hand, then you’ll want to find amatching fabric for the doll with flowers about the size of the doll’s hand.
Doll-sized fabric:


It’s easier than you might think. A good place to start is with cotton quilting fabrics.These fabrics are often designed as coordinated groups, with the patterns in different proportions so they’ll look great when used together. Other fabric lines produce coordinates, so the smaller-sized print can be used as trim on the finished garment. But instead of using it for trim, the smaller-sized print is the perfect fabric for your doll clothes patterns.
Girl-sized fabric:

Doll-sized fabric:

For a quick-and-easy solution, start with gingham checks or striped fabrics. Bothpatterns come in a wide range of colors. These classics have been around forever, so they’re easy to find in most fabric stores.
Girl-sized fabric:

Doll-sized fabric:


While you’re at it, don’t forget to adjust the proportions of the trim and notions you use on both dresses. If the girl is 2 or 3 times taller than her doll, and the girl’s dress has a 1-1/2 inch wide ribbon belt, the dolls belt should be about one-half to one-third as big, or 3/4 to 1/2 inches wide. It’s not an exact science. Just ‘eyeball’ it, and do what makes sense visually.

The same rule applies to flower trim, ruffles, lace, etc… and especially buttons.
If you use solid colored fabrics, you won’t have this problem. But, you still may need to adjust the weight of the fabrics you use. Because the doll is so much smaller than the girl, select lighter weight or softer fabrics for the doll clothes patterns than you select for the girl’s patterns, so your doll’s dresses won’t look too stiff.

http://www.dollclothespatterns.net/doll-clothes-patterns/doll-clothes-patterns-sewing-look-alike-outfits

Doll Clothes Patterns: How to Sew on Knits

Doll clothes patterns that fit perfectly when made in woven fabrics may not fit at all when sewn in knits. Loose and stretchy knit fabrics can be difficult to handle if you don’t know a few important tricks.

1.) When cutting out the doll clothes patterns, first cut the fabric along one of the ribs in the knit. Use this as the grain line when you pin your pattern piece in place, even if it isn’t parallel with the selvage edge. If your knit is very crooked, wash it. Then while it’s wet, pull it into shape or ‘block’ it with your hands and lay it flat to dry.

2.) Use seam tape to prevent the fabric from stretching and to maintain the size of the original doll clothes patterns. See the photo below. Also try not to pull the seams when surging or zigzagging the unfinished seam lines.

3.) Use steam to ‘block’ your knits into shape. Be very careful when using steam on knits. It can either shrink the garment, or restore its shape. 

NOTE: Never steam a garment while your doll is wearing it. The heat from the steam will permanently damage her hair.

The (front and side view) photos above show a sweater that has been steamed too much. The hoodie has lost its original shape and now it’s too small for the doll’s head.

By steaming the sweater again you can gently stretch the pieces into the shape of the original doll clothes patterns. As you can see from the photo, the hoodie fits perfectly now.

http://www.dollclothespatterns.net/doll-clothes-patterns/doll-clothes-patterns-how-to-sew-on-knits