Are you looking for the most affective way to build your doll clothes collection?

The wardrobe capsule doll size

• When you make doll clothes you don’t usually stop at one item. A great way to get the most out of your time and effort is to sew a number of garments that can be swapped around to create several different outfits.

• The wardrobe capsule is most commonly mentioned when discussing how to tidy up your closet. It is a popular way to get the most out of your clothes choices.

• Some common capsule types you can create are the French minimalist capsule, the basics capsule, the seasonal capsule, the weekend away capsule. It is fun to create these for your doll. A good way to teach doll owners some fashion sense.

What is a wardrobe capsule?

A wardrobe capsule is a selected number of garments chosen because they can be mixed and matched to create a number of different outfits. A capsule can be curated to suit particular situations such as a  Summer Capsule or a Holiday Capsule or a Work Capsule.

What is so great about a doll clothes capsule?

When you make your doll clothes as part of a planned capsule your doll owner will get lots of pleasure from dressing the doll in different outfits that all look great. Basically everything goes with everything. 

If you go one step further and plan doll clothes capsules for each doll’s colouring you can start to see how the dolls just glow and look amazing. 

If you choose colours that are clearly part of separate capsules but are also suitable for multiple dolls you enhance the value of any sewing you do for the dolls. 

The simplest of capsules

You can get started straight away with the simplest of capsules. You need just 3 tops, 2 bottoms and a jacket or style that can be worn over the tops. Add a scarf and a bag and you are good to go.

The beauty of this simple capsule is that you can make it suit several different seasons all with the same 6 pieces. The pinafore top below can work as a summer dress, a jumper dress over a blouse or t-shirt as well as this cute tunic look over trousers.

The dress is 1805. The blouse is from 1827. The trousers are from 1813.

How they get combined

When you choose your fabric colours and patterns thoughtfully you can create the basic 3 outfits for each bottom piece using your 3 tops. That’s 6 outfits.

If you choose suitable tops you can put a shirt over a tank top to create 2 more outfits with your 2 bottoms. So now you have 8 outfits.

If you use the jacket with your first six outfits that’s another 6 outfits. So now you have 14 outfits.

Use the scarf and bag together and separately to make new looks for your outfits.

If you make an infinity scarf from knit fabric you can use it both as a scarf and a headband giving you even more variety or use delicate woven fabric and use it as a scarf or a hair hair bow.

See how to make this cute skirt with sheer fabric here.

Even with the most basic of colour and fashion sense you can begin to create a beautiful wardrobe of clothes for your dolls. To get started you need to find patterns for 2 or 3 tops, a skirt and some trousers. A cardigan makes a perfect jacket option.

You can get the patterns used to make a simple capsule in my Etsy shop

1806 Open Neck Blouse gives you a variety of blouse and shirt options to cover all seasons.

1874 T-shirt works for girls and boys

1801 Module 3 Cardigan

1813 Gathered Pull-on pants gives you long trousers and various short versions for any season

The Infinity Scarf and a Tank Top are free when you join my newsletter list.

Read more about capsules for doll clothes in this blog post.

Just a note

I am putting together a fresh Summer capsule for 2021. I will be publishing the garments into the Summer capsule section in my Etsy shop around the middle of May 2021. I will let you know when the collection is available. That section will only be part of the shop for the summer of 2021 (Northern Hemisphere). The patterns go into their respective style sections after that but look out for more seasonal collections.

Happy Doll Dressmaking,

Val

Wardrobe Capsule - I'm 12 - Summer. Part 2: Using the Fabric Formula

The Fabric Bible

The Fabric Formula

To narrow down the type and colour of fabric to buy I have a formula.
Theoretically it goes like this:

1. Choose a shirt weight fabric with a design that has three or more colours.
   
2. Using the colours in this first design, choose a solid colour fabric suitable for making trousers.
   
3. Using the colours in the first fabric, choose a solid colour fabric suitable for a skirt.
   
4. Choose a knit fabric in a neutral colour for a top.
   
5. Choose either a patterned or plain fabric suitable for a jacket or is this case, a vest.
   
6. Choose one other plain or patterned fabric for an accessory of some sort. I wanted to add a highlight frill to the skirt and make a shoulder purse.

As A Rule of Thumb: 

When buying several co-ordinating fabrics always buy 3 solids to 1 pattern. If you want another pattern make sure it matches the 3 solids as well.

Massaging the Formula

In this case I really wanted to use a denim look fabric for the skirt so that came first for me. I then chose the spotty fabric which has some light blue spots to match the skirt.

The other fabric I really wanted to use was the satin floral fabric. So my jacket/vest fabric came next.

Other colours I thought I would use were pink - from the spotty fabric and the flowers on the satin.

Also green from the satin pattern. My green has some tiny yellow, blue and pink spots that helped it fit in.

I played around putting the fabrics next to each other and found that the pink looked great with the spotty fabric and the satin looked great over the white and OK over the spots but not so good over the pink. So the pink was my choice for trousers rather than a top.

The green I will use for a highlight on the skirt and also to make a shoulder purse. If I have enough for later it will also look great as a blouse under the satin vest with either the pink trousers or the denim skirt.

A Neutral to Suit all Dolls

My white is not snow white, more like egg shell white but still quite white looking. Brunettes are not supposed to wear white and blondes and black haired dolls are supposed to wear white white. By choosing egg shell white I can put it on all my dolls and to break up the white for the brunette I will add a small highlight of the green for the placket of the grandpa top.

What Else Might Work

There are lots of other ways you can go. The dark pink fabric I used for the skater skirt will look great with the spotty blouse fabric and also would make a good blazer over matching trousers. I have a fawn coloured suede like fabric that will go perfectly with the spotty blouse off white fabric as a jacket or trousers or skirt.

I also have some colourful cat fabric that will go great with the denim skirt and the pink trousers. 

Tricking the Senses

Sometimes you need to make your decision based on the colour combination that suits the doll best.

Red heads shouldn't wear pastels but if you make a jacket from the fawn suede it will look perfect over the spotty fabric with the pastel spots.

The Fabric Bible

You really need to know what you have in order to buy more fabrics. You can make sure you are buying coordinating fabrics if you take your fabric bible with you if you are likely to visit the fabric store.

Mine is an A5 note book and I have started taping in little squares of the fabrics I have selected for each wardrobe capsule. Now I can be sure that the new fabrics I buy will enhance my doll wardrobe capsule rather than lead to orphan garments.

Part 3 will be about the garment making and I will show off the first outfit.

Happy Sewing,

Val

Mix & Match Doll Clothes: Creating a Wardrobe Capsule Part 4

This last part shows how I made some simple changes to basic patterns to create new designs.

I have not finished with making wardrobe capsules. I am still exploring their possibilities. There will be more posts about my designing adventures.

I am busy preparing a publication that includes all the information in the Capsule 1 series plus a lot more on choosing the right colours for different complections. I hope to get it finished in a month or so. It is just a part of my sewing hobby life so I can't give exact dates but look out for it to download in the near future.

I am always looking for ways to make new designs from my existing patterns. The changes I made for some of the Spring Capsule garments were not very great.

The sleeveless blouse I made using 1806 by finishing the raw edge of the the armhole with a bias binding.

The cardigan was a bit more of a variation on the turtleneck pattern 1801 because I cut a v-neck and I cut the front open.

The gathered skirt is one of my free patterns. You can download it here or go and have a look at my free patterns page.

The pull on pants and the tank top were just the same as the patterns. 1813 and 1801

Download instructions for making the bias armhole facing and the cardigan.

See my Free Patterns Page  and my Fashion Files Page for more ideas.

Happy Sewing,
Val

Mix & Match Doll Clothes: Creating a Wardrobe Capsule Part 3

Capsules enable you to get the most out of your patterns

I love the 'bad girl' look

So far, you have an idea of what garments you want to make and you have used that to select some suitable co-ordinating fabrics. Now what do you do?

I have quite a few patterns available for sale now and I thought it was time to start making some outfits based on 2 or 3 patterns. I am very proud of the patterns I have published so far and I am also pleased that my vision of providing a set of basic patterns that can be used for lots of design ideas is starting to take shape. I have only just started on my Fashion File collection. My Fashion Files are pattern hacks that show you some of the potential of the basic patterns.

I would love to have a wardrobe full of co-ordinating clothes that I could put together to make lots of outfits and I thought that my dolls would probably like that too.

My original Spring Capsule uses 3 purchased patterns.
Since this Spring Capsule was my first capsule I thought I should stick with some pretty basic designs, all of which I had patterns for. I suggest that you do the same first time round at least.
I sold my original Spring Capsule so I have included some photos of version 2. Version 2 is more of a Sporty Casual style but still 2 tops, two bottoms and a jacket.

You can see pictures of the original Feminine Soft Spring Capsule in Part 1 and Part 2

Version 2 uses 2 more patterns but I could have made a sleeveless hoodie jacket without the hood from 1801 and used the cap sleeve in 1801 to make the sparkly t-shirt and stuck with just the same 3 patterns.

Based on my formula of:
- 2 tops
- 2 bottoms
- 1 jacket

I have a sleeveless open neck blouse. This is easy to make. Depending on your sewing skills or pattern collection you could make a shirt with collar and stand instead. I want to try a shirt with the shoulders cut in close to the collar like a halter neck but I will have to wait until I finish making the shirt pattern. Version 2 has two knit tops.

A white relaxed fit tank top and sheer gathered skirt.
Nice for school with sneakers.

I also have a tank top. Again, an easy one to make. There are lots of ways to finish the neck and armholes. Hemming is the quickest. There are also some free tank top patterns out there. My 1801 Classic Knits has a variety of basic styles for all seasons. You could make several tank tops in different colours or patterns to suit the bottoms or even match the bottoms so you get a dress or pants suit affect. Just add a belt.

Sparkly slim fit T-shirt with the skirt.
Off to the school dance with cute shoes.

Add a jacket and swap the shoes and
she is off to the movies with friends.

For bottoms I suggest one skirt and one trousers just to make the outfits look more different. A gathered skirt looks cute and feminine. You could add a second ruffle too. I have a free hanky skirt just about to be published that will give you a full circle flared skirt to add to the yoke for a flared skirt option.

Nothing says 'attitude' like black tights and boots,
even with a cute skirt.

If you want a party looking outfit you can use shiny fabric and add a layer of gathered tulle under the fabric ruffle. The skirt has lots of possibilities for making different looking outfits. I really want to try a pleated skirt with the cut in shirt and maybe a tie so she looks like a cool school girl.

Pop on the gathered pull-ons and she is ready for
a farm excursion or hiking.

Swap the shirt and shoes and she is ready for
a play date.

The gathered pull-ons can also be found free around the web. I think mine are better and worth the small cost. I just made them up plain for speed and a non fussy look. You can always add applique or pockets or top stitching to give them a different look. My 1813 Gathered Pull-ons have quite a narrow leg and not much ease at the waist so the fit is neat. My 1812 Flat front pull-ons have a wider leg and a generous back gather and of course the flat front looks good with shirts tucked in.

For my jacket I decided on a cardigan to fit with the feminine style I was going for. It is easy to make from a knit shirt pattern that has long sleeves. I used my 1801 Classic Knits pattern with just a few adjustments. I will go into how I made both versions of my Spring Capsule next week.

Nothing wrong with double denim.

• Blouse (1806)
• Tank Top (1801) The sparkly t-shirt is the one I included with the Bubble Skirt pattern but there are some free ones out there that look similar.
• Skirt (Free)
• Trousers (1813)
• Cardigan (1801) The denim vest is a prototype of my denim jacket to be published soon.

The purchased patterns I used for my original Spring capsule are:

1801 - Classic knit tops. American Girl Doll Knitfit Range for Fine Knits 

1806 - Open neck blouse. American Girl Doll Snugfit Range.

1813 - Gathered pull-ons. American Girl Doll Snugfit Range.

See my Free Patterns Page  and my Fashion Files Page for more ideas.

Next week in Part 4 I show you how I made the garments and what adjustments I made to get the look I wanted and more suggestions for getting the most out of your basic patterns.

Happy Sewing,
Val

Mix & Match Doll Clothes: Creating a Wardrobe Capsule Part 2

Using a Formula to Choose Fabrics

Auditioning fabrics from my stash for the next capsule

I wanted an easy way to collect a set of fabrics to make a wardrobe capsule made up of a variety of garments that would all work together. I am not a natural at this so I needed a way to make it easy for me.

What better way than a formula you can use over and over no matter what you are making.

In its simplest form it consists of 5 fabrics.

• A floral or pattern with 3 or more colours suitable for a top and dress
• Solid colour 1 to match one in the floral suitable for trousers or skirt
• Solid colour 2 to match another colour in the floral suitable for trousers or skirt
• Solid colour 3 either different of a lighter shade than 1 or 2 suitable for a jacket
• Neutral colour to match the floral suitable for another top
  
• Possible extra for a scarf if needed

With some basic garments in mind I set about collecting some fabrics.

It is necessary to have an idea of what colours suit your doll or you if you want to make your own capsule wardrobe. There are lots of colour analysis sites on the web but the one I have found simplest to use is here at Personality Cafe.



I am writing a little PDF book based on this Wardrobe Capsule series and I go into colours in more detail. I have also started making colour charts like the one in the photo at the top of the page so you can print it out to take it to the shop. The publish date will be sometime in March I hope.

Wardrobe Capsule 1 - Feminine Spring Outfits

Part 2 - Choosing the Fabrics

To make a doll clothes wardrobe capsule for spring you will need:

• A floral or pattern with several colours suitable for spring. 

I made a blouse (1806) but if you buy 0.5 m or 1/2 yd you will have enough to expand your capsule with a dress in the floral as well.

•  A solid colour matching a colour in your floral, suitable for pants or a skirt.

I made simple pull ons (1813) with this fabric. It is a light weight slub weave polyester. It would also be suitable for a blazer or Chanel style jacket to match and expand the capsule at a later date.

• A second solid colour matching another colour in your floral, suitable for pants or a skirt.

This one is a chiffon style fabric that I thought would be good for a skirt but not so good for trousers so it limits me a bit. I was choosing these fabrics from my stash so I had to use what I had. If I was buying it now I would have bought something a bit heavier so I could use it for trousers as well as a skirt. This is one of my free patterns.

• A solid colour medium knit either lighter or darker than the trouser and skirt fabrics.

This knit fabric is from a child's cardigan. It is a similar colour but lighter shade than the green trouser fabric. This cardigan is made from pieces in 1801.

• A neutral colour fine to medium knit fabric - cream, white, black, beige, grey.

I chose a cream medium weight knit suitable for a tank top or 3/4 sleeve top made using 1801. It could also be used to make an infinity scarf to increase the accessories or used to make a cardigan.

• A filmy chiffon suitable for a scarf.

You can choose a plain or patterned chiffon for a scarf. The colours fit with my solid colours with some pinks and greens. The scarf can also be worn as a hair ribbon. The infinity scarf is one of my free patterns.

Keep a note book with swatches of the fabrics and garment ideas.

I made my plans in a note book using swatches of my fabrics. If I want to expand on a capsule I can take my note book to the fabric shop and find a few more coordinating fabrics.

 The adjusted formula for my Spring Capsule looks like this:

• Woven floral
• Woven solid
• Woven solid 
• Knit solid
• Knit solid neutral
• Chiffon for the scarf

The formula has worked really well for two more capsules that I am creating. It is a good strategy.

Next week I will be looking at the patterns I chose to make the garments and offering some ideas to get you thinking about a summer capsule. It pays to plan ahead.

Happy Sewing,
Val

Mix & Match Doll Clothes: Creating a Wardrobe Capsule Part 1

Introduction

Do you find that the outfit you made out of beautiful fabric doesn't look as good as you thought it would when you put it on the doll?

Do you have trouble choosing the right fabrics?

Do you have leftover fabrics that you never use again?

If these problems sound familiar then this series is for you. Since starting to design and sell patterns I have been trying to solve these problems. I have come up with a very workable set of solutions.

I used to think that fashion was just an obsession and that the effort required to put together an outfit that is stylish and uses the right colours to show off my complection was just vanity but in a world where first impressions can be the making or breaking of success I wish that I had paid more attention to style and colour analysis. I got by alright but now I know it would have been easier if style and colour were taught to me so they became a habit.

Today I am retired and starting to become one of the invisible ageing population. I am working at learning how to dress so that I will be taken seriously in that all to narrow window of first impressions.

You can read this series as just a way to make better doll clothes outfits but you can also use it as a fun way to teach young doll owners about style and colour so it becomes a habit.

Each part looks at one aspect of creating the wardrobe capsule but they all work together to produce a polished result.

Wardrobe Capsule 1 - Feminine Spring Outfits

Part 1 - Choosing the Garments

Make an economical coordinating doll clothes wardrobe capsule for your American Girl Doll. 

Before you choose your garments you will have to decide on a style.

The style I have chosen for this spring capsule for Rebecca is what I call Feminine Soft.

The types of styles you can consider are:

• Tailored classic
• Sporty natural
• High fashion striking
• Feminine soft
• Trendy edgy
• Vintage
• Historical

The capsule I have made is based on a formula that gives a good outfit variety with a minimum of garments. When you choose coordinating fabrics you can add one more top and get 2 new outfits with or without the jacket.

• 2 tops
• 2 bottoms
• 1 jacket plus 1 accessory.

The garments I chose for my spring capsule are:

• A sleeveless blouse
• Long trousers
• Skirt
• Tank top
• A long sleeved cardigan
• An infinity scarf that can double as a hair ribbon.

I chose a sleeveless blouse because it is easier to get the cardigan on with no sleeves to negotiate.

I chose long pants because I intend to make shorts for summer and crop pants for autumn and the weather can still be a bit cool in spring.

I chose a tank top, again because no sleeves is easier and the short sleeved t-shirt can be an extra item or saved for summer or autumn capsules. 

Every collection has a to have a skirt. You could make it a longer skirt but it should still be flowing rather than tight in my opinion. Pencil skirts look good with tights for winter.

The scarf could be made from the tank top knit fabric and used as a head band as well. You can then team it with the blouse. I chose a patterned chiffon that looks good as a hair ribbon. Another option would be to use the chiffon from the skirt to make the scarf. The plain pink would go with all the outfits.

Deciding on how big to make the capsule

Obviously the more garments you make the more outfits you can create but time is always a factor when you are trying to make some doll clothes in your spare time.

Instead of making one outfit of blouse, skirt, cardigan and a scarf I have made one extra top and one extra bottom that can be used to make at least 4 outfits with or without the cardigan.
I think this is a good use of my time.

Choosing co-ordinating fabrics is a big part of this way of looking at your doll's wardrobe. I show you how I did this next week.

It is easy to expand the capsule by using the fabrics to make more garments such as:

• Dress
• Flared skirt
• T-shirt or a different style of tank top
• Short sleeved blouse
• Jumper or vest
• Belt

Unfortunately I ran out of the pink floral but I found a pattern with similar colours and made a dress that goes well with the cardigan. There is maybe just a bit too much blue in the pattern but the off white background makes it acceptable. This dress pattern has not been published yet. It has a side opening and opens at the shoulder as well. With no back opening I can use design features such as pleats in the back vent for more interest.

The fabric I used for the trousers could be used to make a jacket and/or skirt to expand the options without having to look for another coordinating fabric.

Next Week:

I explain how I chose the fabrics and give you a formula that will work for any trip to the fabric shop.

Happy Sewing,

Val

January Successes and Goals for February.

A busy month for pattern publishing.
I managed to finish both the dress and matching jacket 1828 and 1829. Such a cute outfit in the 50s style.

I agonised over which pattern I would do next. They are all so pretty. I decided another jacket with a challenging flared hem and a flared skirt with panels would make a nice addition to the 50s Collection. The flared skirt was easy to draft it will go with the jacket as pattern 1830. I will be working on this outfit during February.

I worked very hard on updating 1802 to include Pictorial Tutorials for printing. I really want all my patterns to have the same look. Unfortunately I got a little bogged down with the sewing. I just had to make a new blouse to go in the photos and also decided to put in another sleeve option. It is almost done.

Look out for my series of posts on the first Doll Clothes Wardrobe Capsule I am presenting with lots of help to decide on garments, patterns and fabrics. They are all ready to go through February and March. I have also started to write up the information into a PDF booklet so you can download it to keep as a resource. This is what the it will look like. I hope to get it finished for the last blog post about this wardrobe capsule.

Check out my Gallery page. I have added 2 new images. They are of the same PJs for the two sizes of doll. There are so many outfits that you can make from just the blouse and gathered pull-ons patterns.

Make sure you look in on my Free Patterns page every month because I will be adding at least one new free pattern or design every month. I planned to do some more pleated skirt styles but ended up posting a free pattern for panties.

Designing and testing patterns means lots of doll clothes in my sewing room that need to go to good homes. Most of them are American Girl Doll size but look out for the Australian Girl Doll size every now and again. I offer great sets perfect for play at a clearance price. Only to Australian customers.

On a personal level I have been meditating for 20 mins every second day. When I started a few months ago I could hardly sit cross legged for 5 mins. Now the 20 mins is pretty easy.

The jigsaw was a real challenge but it is all finished now and a new one is ready to go. I find that the jigsaw gives me a nice distraction but also engages me rather than just passively watching TV.

I will start this one on the weekend. It came in a cute cane box.

I am still trying to change my snacking habit. I have scheduled some breaks into my daily planner to try to stop me just wandering into the kitchen without a plan. It has only been 4 weeks so I still have another 4 weeks to start to see some changes in my actions.

I have enjoyed working towards my goals even though I have not managed to complete everything that I listed. My February goals list keeps some of the January goals and I have added a few new ones.

• Cut out all the applique pieces for my Go Wild Garden quilt.
• Snack healthy and follow the plan. This one involves changing a habit.
• Publish one more 50s pattern.
• Update one more of my older files to make them match the new files.
• Finish writing up the PDF booklet covering all the information in the Wardrobe Capsule posts.
• Add two more images to my Gallery page.
• Add one more free pattern.
• List two sets of doll clothes in my Etsy store.
• Finish the jigsaw.

I highly recommend that you write down some goals for February. It feels really good when you can see you are making progress each month.

Happy Sewing,

Val