atelierniSHASHA's Guide to DIY Doll Clothes

Hey, dollings!

Welcome back to my blog!

Finally, I've rallied up the courage needed, sat down, and written a simple plan to guide you in your doll clothes-making journey. Whether you're new to making your own doll clothes, or already an experienced sewist for human clients, having a plan is always a good idea so you can make better use of your time, budget, and ever-elusive focus. In this very busy era we live in today, you have to learn to manage these three to be able to thrive in whatever you do. 

For years, I had been documenting my journey here, on and off, and the pieces of content were mostly written by me, for me. I am not sure if I was ever helpful with those articles, so I thought it's just about time I should be writing something that will help someone who is just starting out. This is going to be something I needed so much 10 years ago.

Basically, the goal of this series is to guide the beginner-level doll clothes DIYer from top to bottom. And when I say top to bottom, I meant the ten (10) stages below.

I won't be talking extensively about each stage for now, as I will be writing about these topics separately in the coming weeks. (Yes, I'm very excited to dig deeper into my thoughts and experience about these topics soon. Hope you are, too!)

This post is mainly to help prepare your mindset and perhaps, inspire you to come up with your own plan of action, too, right?

Alright, let's get into the ten (10) stages of DIY doll clothes making, atelierniSHASHA-style.

Stage 1. Deciding on a doll to make your clothes for  

I think this is a very important step because everything usually starts with the muse. Your muse will inform the very first steps you make, with just the right details to get you started. For example, if you choose one specific doll to make doll clothes for, right off the bat, all the unnecessary overwhelming data is eliminated because you already have some sort of physical limitations to consider. You already have one doll - complete with her hair color, facial features, body type, among others to draw inspiration from. 

Stage 2. Designing the outfits for the doll  

Now that you are decided on which doll to dress up, it will then be easier to design the things around her, including her wardrobe.

This step includes two major tasks for us to do. Firstly, we give her a character - complete with a backstory, a goal, and a lifestyle. This way, we'll be able to come up with a trusty wardrobe to get our doll through the day, or the week. For her to be a functional member of her doll society, she has to have a role to play. Identifying the details at this stage will prepare us for the next task, which is designing her wardrobe.

For me, designing clothing isn't just about the clothing, it's about designing THE clothing for THE wearer. To me, the goal really for the doll fashion designer is to create the outfit that brings out the best in the doll. Luckily, it's easier to design for the modern doll because most of them are figure-perfect. 

At this stage, you will connect the dots, incorporate fashion research, color theory, and some sketching, too. You can also design the accessories, jewelry, diorama, and other characters that you may want to capture in her little story at this stage.

Stage 3. Collecting the materials

Now that we have identified the garments we think will look great on our doll, we're ready to scout for materials like fabric, threads, closure items, and maybe embellishment materials.

If you'll be making your own accessories, too, like bags and shoes, then this is when you'll be sourcing for the materials you have chosen, too.

Stage 4. Rallying up the tools to use in the sewing/ crafting activity 

Chances are, if you're crafting just for your own collection, you'll only need the basic tools. For doll clothes making, I could pretty much attest that I only used less than 10 sewing tools to be able to complete an outfit or a wardrobe. However, if you are also DIY-ing their accessories and jewelry, that's a different story. So take that into consideration and do your specific research during this stage.

Stage 5. Acquiring the sewing/crafting patterns 

This stage can take a lot of time if you DIY your own patterns, that is why sewing pattern makers like myself are here - we help you speed up and make the process easier. If you're very new to doll clothes making, buying the right sewing patterns will make your life easier. However, if you have time to kill and the interest (I'm one of them) to draft your own patterns, by all means, please do so. 

Stage 6. Crafting each of the pieces 

This is the stage wherein all your designs, your doll, tools, and materials are ready and laid out on the working table. It's time to forget about time and space, and just enjoy the meditative experience of crafting. I like to listen to podcasts of my current interests, to music, or to TV on my phone when I'm crafting or sewing. It's supposed to be a chill time, even with my hands being busy.

Stage 7. Styling the doll  

After all the crafting and sewing are done, your garments and accessories are ready for your doll to try on. This is when you marvel at your own creations, see what kinds of vibe the styled doll is bringing to the table, and plan out poses to do for photography later. At some point in your doll clothes-making journey, this will be your last stage. When I was a child, styling the doll was the ultimate end goal. I would spend hours and hours changing garments and accessories and it was a wonderland.

However, the world of doll collecting and DIY has since changed. And as an adult DIYer, the following stages have become part of my journey so I am including them in this guide, too.

Stage 8. Creating a diorama 

Some of you guys already probably have a dollhouse, or diorama sets ready to be pulled out from their dusty boxes, or are planning to take doll photos with actual human places as a backdrop, so you can skip this stage.

But for those who would prefer to use a diorama set, this is the stage when you craft the spaces and places your doll will be moving around for most of her day. This is the production stage of the diorama design you have planned out in Stage 2.

Stage 9. Doing a doll photoshoot

Some of you probably will donate your styled doll to a charity, or give right away to your kids or neighbors' kids that the doll will never experience even for a second what a doll model's life is like. But with the advent of social media, more and more doll crafters and collectors are eager to take photos of their own collection and works. Doll photography does not only teach you how to take better photos, you'll also meet people of the same interests and be inspired by the members of these communities. I also advocate taking photos of your work as they serve as a little memento of your crafting journey.

Stage 10. Sharing your work with same-interest groups and communities 

Nothing makes crafting more fulfilling than sharing it with others. Sign up for social media apps if you haven't done so, or launch a personal blog if you're also into writing. I couldn't be happier and prouder to have started this blog more than 10 years ago even with cringe-worthy content. Hey, your girl's gotta start with something.

So that's it, dollings. That is pretty much the plan I have when I create my own doll clothes.

What about you? What is your game plan when you're set to create a doll outfit?

Please share your process in the comments section below so that our shy newbies will be inspired to plan out theirs, too.

Next week, I'll be talking more about the first stage, which is to me, the most crucial of all ---- Deciding on Which Doll to Make the Clothes for. So, I'll see you then, okies?

Thanks again for dropping by and reading through the end. Love to hear what's up with you so please say hi and let's chat!

xoxo,

shasha