Something little

Being that this is my first actual sewing blog I am going to start with something little. The Mattel Kelly Doll. For the longest time I have loved Barbie dolls for their fashion clothes.

I have always wanted to make my own Barbie clothes and have found it really difficult to measure her with a tape measure so earlier this week my friend Joyce and I tried a process to make an exactly replica of Joyce’s body using cling wrap.

I then used this method to make a replica of Barbies body which can then be used as a basis of a flat pattern.

On a forum someone asked about Kelly patterns and I figured that the cling wrap method could be used to make these patterns as well.

So in my best effort of explaining I will try and say what I did using pictures as well.

In this instance we are making a basic trouser pattern for Kelly.

Place cotton around Kellys waist and where her centre front would be long enough so it goes around the crotch and up to centre back and tape it there so you can still see the cotton.

 

Place cotton where the centre back would be on Kelly as well and tape.

Also tape cotton down the leg where the side seam of the pants would be. (although you don’t have to use this unless you want to do more sewing)

I also put cotton and taped the inside of Kellys leg. I then used marker over the tape to outline where the seams would be.

I then layered some cling wrap flat and wrapped it around one of Kellys legs and made a cylinder big enough to fit Kellys feet.

I taped this cling wrap as well to make sure it held I then used marker to outline the seams from the cotton.

 

I drew in the inside leg seam.

You then cut along the inside leg seam.

You now have the basis for your flat pattern for trousers I then drew around it onto paper.

I then drew seam allowances on to the pattern.

 

I then wrote basic instructions on what parts of the pattern are.

 Next time I will instruct how to make the trousers.

please go easy, im not very good at explaining, any comments would be good, also, please feel free if you have made kelly clothes using these instructions tell me how you went.

kind regards

M