Repurposing old clothes

Have anyone tried repurposing old clothes into new outfits for your dolls?

 

I have a pile of old jeans and t-shirts, and instead of throwing them out or giving them away, I'm considering repurposing them into a couple of doll sized items. Would there still be a risk of staining with old clothes that has been worn and washed repeatedly?

I'd love to give you a concrete answer, but my recycled denim hoard is halfway across the country, so I can't test any theories right now >.<

I'd assume that bleached jeans would be okay, as would lighter-coloured shirt material, but that's just a guess.

 

But, if you're inclined towards some more sewing and don't feel like risking stains, you can absolutely make your own protective gear!

I haven't gotten around to it yet (too many projects, too little attention span), but there's a tutorial here http://www.murasaki.me/2010/09/13/dd-body-stocking-tutorial/. The tutorial doesn't say this, but I'd recommend using a new (and thin) sharps needle, sewing with a slight zigzag, and placing your fabric on top of a layer of white tissue paper (and not backstitching at the start, just leaving long tails to tie) so the machine doesn't gobble it.

I've used old clothes for quite a few things.

You run the same risk of staining putting Volks clothes on your dolls

You just need to try out the fabric. You can also try color locking in vinegar wash also. Or of course the body stocking.

I have used a ton of t-shirts and leggings with no problems but I have not tried Black yet.

When it comes to using jeans the fabric needs to be thin and light weight to work best as 1/3 or 1/4 jeans the fact that they have been washed a lot will help but I would still test, sew a lining in, or protective layer.

I used a pair of socks to make a sweater (the upper part of knee highs that weren't worn much lol) and a pair of jeggings to make pants for one doll. Neither stained the doll but I didn't use black either.

 

I have an old skirt and a few neck ties and a few scarves I am going to use too make clothing soon.

 

One thing I like about used clothing or materials is the fact they are already soft and drape better instead of stiff fresh fabric. But then again I sew unconventionally.

I usually avoid using old clothes for making doll clothes, unless I want to make an item that looks distressed/aged. Fabric from worn clothing gets a distinctive, dullish or pilled texture and I can usually tell in-person when someone's made doll clothing from their old stuff.

 

My main technical issue with recycling old clothes into doll clothing is that there is much less surface space to work with laying-out the patterns, compared to using raw fabric yardage.