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Christmas gifts

2843 views 5 replies Latest reply: December 15, 2009 at 11:39:44 AM

Member since:
Dec 13, 2009
Posts: 27

auroranova message #1
Christmas gifts
December 14, 2009 at 6:26:12 PM

I'm currently working on some doll clothes to send to doll-collecting friends of mine. I'm also trying to work down this pile of stuff that's been cut out, waiting for me to get back to it. Yeah, it's all doll clothes, LOL!

Look at that smile! (Photo guaranteed unretouched)

Member since:
Jul 1, 2009
Posts: 4610

Stitchboard Admin message #2
Re: Christmas gifts
December 14, 2009 at 8:41:05 PM

Your doll-collecting friends are sure going to be happy!

So how long does it take you to sew an average doll outfit? (We are talking about hand sewing here, right?)

Melanie (cat slave and Official Feline Can Opener) =^.^=
~~~~~
I'm a beading, knitting and crochet addict. If that means I'm admitting I have a problem, then I admit to nothing. Please refrain from helping me.

Member since:
Dec 13, 2009
Posts: 27

auroranova message #3
Re: Christmas gifts
December 15, 2009 at 9:54:32 AM

Yeah, it all has to be hand-sewn, unless I've got a long enough seam to stitch. My pieces are so tiny my machine would just eat them up.

Look at that smile! (Photo guaranteed unretouched)

Member since:
Jul 1, 2009
Posts: 4610

Stitchboard Admin message #4
Re: Christmas gifts
December 15, 2009 at 10:09:27 AM

Wow, I give you so much credit. I can bead with tiny beads, but those tiny, tiny hand sewing stitches would make me nuts...LOL, well, more nuts than I already am. Wink

How do you keep your hands from cramping up? When I did the very tiny crochet and the tiny knitting, my hands were a mess. That's why I stopped making bears with such really tiny stitches. It was too painful, and instead of a teeny-tiny 1" tall bear with only a couple of strands of embroidery floss, a bear might now instead end up being 2-3" tall, made with an actual crochet thread.

Someone once said that when working with items that small, whipstitch is best. Is that the stitch you use? Or do you actually seam everything together?

Member since:
Dec 13, 2009
Posts: 27

auroranova message #5
Re: Christmas gifts
December 15, 2009 at 10:23:58 AM

My hands do tend to cramp if I have to hold something tight together while I sew. That's not as annoying as my fingertips going numb, though, due to poor circulation. That makes it hard to hold anything.

I use a backstitch in areas of stress, like underarms, crotch seams, back seams where the doll gets slipped into the outfit. I use a simple straight stitch on long areas, but try to take the smallest stitches I can. My grandma quilted for years, and one time she sat me down at her frame (which I have now, btw) and taught me to do quilting stitches on one she was making. I've used quilters' between needles ever since. They're small, thin and sharp, and really help with hand-sewing.

I tend not to use a blind-stitch on hems. For dolls that small, it really would be too time-consuming. But I have seen some fashions where the seamstress used a blind stitch, and I'm always in awe of that. I've done it a few times, if I feel I can do it without it showing on the right side, but that's the kind of stitch that will make my fingers go numb, so as I said, I tend not to do it.

Look at that smile! (Photo guaranteed unretouched)

Member since:
Jul 1, 2009
Posts: 4610

Stitchboard Admin message #6
Re: Christmas gifts
December 15, 2009 at 11:39:44 AM

Quote:

My hands do tend to cramp if I have to hold something tight together while I sew. That's not as annoying as my fingertips going numb, though, due to poor circulation. That makes it hard to hold anything.

Argh...I can imagine! Sad

Do you have carpal tunnel, too, or is it primarily poor circulation?

Quote:

I use a backstitch in areas of stress, like underarms, crotch seams, back seams where the doll gets slipped into the outfit. I use a simple straight stitch on long areas, but try to take the smallest stitches I can. My grandma quilted for years, and one time she sat me down at her frame (which I have now, btw) and taught me to do quilting stitches on one she was making. I've used quilters' between needles ever since. They're small, thin and sharp, and really help with hand-sewing.

I've used those needles for beading before...they're quite small and sturdy. (I always worry about breaking beading needles, though the sharp points are unnecessary and can sometimes be a liability for beadwork.) I can see why you'd use those...and backstitch...wow! You must have very nice, even stitches.

Quote:

I tend not to use a blind-stitch on hems. For dolls that small, it really would be too time-consuming. But I have seen some fashions where the seamstress used a blind stitch, and I'm always in awe of that. I've done it a few times, if I feel I can do it without it showing on the right side, but that's the kind of stitch that will make my fingers go numb, so as I said, I tend not to do it.

That sounds wise! What kind of stitch do you use for hems, then, a running stitch? It's too bad you can't put these pieces through a serger to get a narrow, rolled hem. I know, too impossibly small!

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