As part of my “Easy-Sew Projects for Kids” series, I thought it would be a good idea to teach my beginning sewists that patterns can be altered. We call this “alterations” in official sewing terminology.
This video demonstrates that an alteration can be as easy as snipping away extra felt from a little doll coat.
Of course, when working with fabric, it’s not usually that easy. One can snip away fabric, but cut edges tend to fray. However, for the beginning sewist, this video helps them understand the concept that a pattern isn’t set-in-stone; it can be changed to suit the doll’s needs.
For this project, you’ll probably want to use the following jacket pattern and tutorial for starters:
If you’re giving sewing lessons to a young sewist, make sure he/she sews on a sewing machine (rather than by hand) when making this easy-to-sew jacket. This will help the jacket hold together better after making alterations.
While working on the alterations, have the beginning sewist try the jacket on the doll again and again, cutting away extra felt as needed.
When the lesson is over, hopefully your student will understand that a pattern can be changed to suit the needs of the doll.
If you want to see all of my Easy-Sew Projects for Kids as soon as I post them, check out my playlist of tutorials for the beginning sewists on my YouTube channel. It includes video tutorials showing you how to do a basic straight stitch when sewing by hand, how to use the whipstitch to hem a garment, how to sew on snaps, and even how to design your own doll clothes patterns, for those who are new to design and alterations.
Feel free to pin, like, or tweet about my free patterns and tutorials.
Need help printing my patterns? This link will take you to a tutorial showing you how to download my free, printable patterns.
If you’re wondering why I make patterns and tutorials without charging a fee, please visit the “Chelly’s Books” page, and that should explain my general motivations.
And in case you haven’t heard, I have also designed commercial patterns for Lammily LLC. They have some new dolls in their line, including a new male doll, so you might want to visit the Lammily website to see what they’ve got going on.