Reviewing American Girl Doll Sewing Patterns

Sewing Patterns For American Girl Doll Clothes

Save money or even make money by making doll clothes at home. Using sewing patterns for American Girl doll clothes can save you money and allow you to create unique one of a kind clothing for your doll or the doll that belongs to a special little girl in your life. It is also a way to use up some extra fabrics that are just waiting to be taken out of the "someday I'll use that" pile. Come on, you crafters know of what I speak! There is also the possibility of making yourself some extra income by purchasing several sewing patterns. If you are a good seamstress, you can take these patterns, make some doll clothing and sell them to Moms and Grandmas who do not sew but want something unique and different for their American Girl Doll. You can sell them online or do craft shows. There is some real potential for earning some extra cash for yourself and your family.

A Few Sewing Patterns For Doll Clothing to fit 18 inch dolls

There are just so many options when looking for sewing patterns for American Girl doll clothes and accessories. I found four cute ideas to show you.

Sew the Contemporary Wardrobe for 18-Inch Dolls: Complete Instructions & Full-Size Patterns for 35 Clothing and Accessory Items

This book of patterns includes the instructions and tissue paper pattern sheets to make 16 mix and match outfits for the American Girl dolls or any of the 18 inch dolls on the market. The designer actually took the time to interview little girls to find out what they want for their dolls to be able to wear.

McCall's Patterns M6005 Clothes and Accessories for 18-Inch Doll, One Size Only

This pattern from the company known for sewing patterns for 145 years, McCall's, offers the instructions and pattern pieces to sew up 6 adorable little outfits for dolls.

Simplicity Sewing Pattern 3551 Doll Clothes, One Size

From Simplicity, also a popular company for many decades, we find a sweet little sewing pattern with 41 pieces. You can make a top, pants, skirt, jacket and coat with this one! Depending on the fabrics you choose they can be for the spring and summer seasons or for fall and winter.

Simplicity Sewing Pattern 4364 Doll Clothes, One Size

What little girl doesn't love to dress up in a party dress? Well, with this Simplicity sewing pattern for dolls, her little friend can be dressed for a party or special occasion, too. The dress can be sleeveless, short sleeved, long sleeved and the length can be short or long. How much fun is that?

Sewing Patterns For The Historical Character American Girl Dolls

If you have one of the Historical Character Dolls from American Girl, choosing a pattern for doll clothing of the specific era is a distinct option. The Felicity and Elizabeth dolls were from the Colonial era of history so outfits made from patterns with that era in mind are perfect. There are also patterns for other eras that work for the other historical character dolls.

What size sewing patterns do you need?

Not all sewing patterns will say that they are for American Girl Doll Clothes. In fact, most of the time they will state that they are for 18 inch doll clothes. Those will work just fine for the American Girl dolls or 18 inch dolls in general. American Girl also has Bitty Baby and Bitty Twins but those are 15 inch dolls so if you are sewing clothing for them, you will need to shop for the 15 inch size patterns.

Seasonal Fashions In One Sewing Pattern for American Girl Doll Clothes

The really great and economical thing about most doll clothes patterns is that you get more than one outfit in the package. It is not uncommon to find a pattern that allows you to make 6 different outfits that will work for the Spring and Summer clothing or for Fall and Winter.

Suggestion For Selling The Doll Clothes that you make from the sewing patterns

May I offer some suggestions to you if you are planning to make doll clothes for the American Girl Doll or any 18 inch doll and sell them? I believe that it is wise to make a variety of outfits to offer for sale. More importantly, I think it is important that you do not make too many outfits using the same fabric. Mix it up a bit. Your buyers will be looking for something unique that they can't find in a store or online. They don't want an outfit that hundreds of others have one identical to. You can make a cute little sun dress 100 times but use different color combinations and mixtures of fabrics. Perhaps only make 5 that are identical. Believe me, you will sell more that way.

Also, when working on your inventory to offer for sale make sure you have fashions for the specific seasons of the year and holidays. Sports clothing is also very popular for the dolls. Plan to give your customers a nice variety of unique doll clothing.

Pay Attention To Adult Fashion Trends:

Keep your eye on the colors and fashion trends for adults and see if you can use those ideas in making your doll clothes for the American Girl Doll. Especially if you plan to sell them. Trendy colors in your fabrics can lead to some pretty good sales. Your initial investment does not have to be a lot of money. You can start with one pattern and make it in a few different options. Once you have made some money selling those doll clothes, you can invest in additional sewing patterns for American Girl doll clothes.

What should you charge for the doll clothing?

If you have decided to sell the items that you have made using the sewing patterns for American Girl Doll clothes, you should have a plan for how much to charge for each outfit. It isn't always an easy calculation or decision to make. Obviously you need to make enough money to cover the cost of making the outfit. You also need to make some profit to pay for your time and to re-supply your working inventory. A good practice is to look around at online sites and see what the asking price for something similar is. One really good measuring unit is to ask yourself what you would be willing to pay for an outfit from someone else. Chances are if you think the price is too much, so will your potential customers. Try to come up with a fair and affordable price for your customers. If doing a craft show, you can sometimes have a slightly higher price to give yourself some negotiating room for those times when the customer asks if you can do any better on the price. You already added a little cushion to your bottom line. If selling your doll clothing online, remember that the customer is looking at the price of the item plus shipping charges. You might look at what the shipping is going to be and perhaps try to keep the total under $20. Of course that depends on how much you have in the outfit. I would also suggest that you have one price for items you have made up ahead of time to sell and a higher price for custom orders.

Well known Designers Get Into The Spirit Of Dolls

I just love that there are well known designers who are starting to create fun and unique clothing for dolls. Whether it is an American Girl doll or any 18 inch doll they can wear designer clothes made by you or the seamstress of your choosing. Whether you plan to use sewing patterns for American Girl doll clothes to make a few outfits for your own doll, a special little girl's doll, or you want to sell them to others, I hope you had fun looking at the ideas that I have presented on this page. Making doll clothes is a great way to add some income and to use up pieces of fabric. Let me know you stopped in to the craft room today by leaving a comment.