Beginner Sewing for Dollfie Dream Clothes?

Hello! I'm interested in learning how to sew so I can make some doll clothes, but I am a complete beginner and the extent of my sewing experience is a single small heart-shaped pillow that I made some years ago (it's doll sized, at least! lol).

I am wondering if there are some beginner resources out there for learning how to do basic sewing and/or some simple guides or patterns I could use for clothes (or even simpler items that aren't clothes, for practice). Also what sorts of fabrics/materials are good to use? I do have a sewing machine I can use, so getting one isn't a concern.

Thanks for any advice anyone can give!

Hey!

There are 2 Dollfie Dream sewing books, one is dedicated to maid outfits and the other towards more casual styles. They come with patterns. When it comes to patterns you can also buy them at Etsy. There are also many SmartDoll patterns for free which can also be used for DD, you might want to check the measurements for your DD though. There are also some japanese magazines that occasionally feature DD patterns like Dolly Bird. I think you can find which exact issues feature DD patterns in this forum or elsewhere in the internet, I don't exactly remember where I saw it.

On both of the DD sewing books, most of the garments are made with cotton fabrics with no stretch, except for the lingerie and socks included in the patterns. It's always good to use the type of fabric the patterns requests, for example, if you use a non stretch fabric on a stretch pattern it might simply not fit. With time you can learn how to adapt patterns for different fabric types by adding a button or zipper opening or making it bigger or smaller on certain places to make up for the lack or addition of stretch.

You can definitely use stretch or non stretch fabric on a regular sewing machine, just use normal stitch on non stretch and zigzag stitch on stretch fabric. I suggest looking for fabric or materials like lace or ribbons on thrift stores, you can definitely use sheets for example, or if you find some clothing with a nice print or fabric you can use the fabric. Especially if you're still learning, it's not a bad idea to do trial pieces.

Have fun!

5 hours ago, Azurluna said:

I am wondering if there are some beginner resources out there for learning how to do basic sewing

You could check your local sewing store for classes, and there are probably YouTube videos on the subject. 

My husband used some SmD patterns to make my Stoli DD a simple white t-shirt just using some fabric from an old white t-shirt of mine as his first project a couple of days ago, he used a YouTube tutorial video and it came out pretty well considering it was his very first project! I believe the patterns are on the SmD website for free.
It’s certainly not Volks quality or anything but it fits her well and looks cute (apart from being a tad roomy in the bust area), and could easily be used in photo shoots with a few adjustments to hide a couple of janky bits, lol. We don’t have an overlocker sewing machine but a zigzag stitch (I think that’s what it’s called?) worked well in its place. 

I might give a pattern a go myself soon but I’m the type that fails at even sewing on a button on human clothes lmao

Good luck if you choose to make something, and I’d love to see it if you do! 

It's been long enough since I started sewing that I can't remember how I became comfortable with it. However, sewing is such a popular hobby that there's a ton of free tutorials on YouTube. This course is free, goes over basic sewing skills, and has a couple of super easy project ideas for further practice.

As for sewing for dolls...

The book @mukyuu is referring to is "Dollfie Dream Sewing Book: Girly Style Spring & Summer" by Taeko Sekiguchi. (That is such a long title...) It's a beginner friendly book and includes fabric suggestions as well as fully photographed, detailed instructions for each pattern.

There's even a tote bag (handbag) pattern so you can practice sewing accessories before stepping up to clothes.

Radoll on Etsy also sells a bundle of patterns for 1/3 dolls aimed at beginners learning to sew - I haven't tried using it myself but it is an option. You will need access to a printer to print the pattern out.

Thanks so much for the information and recommendations everyone! I didn’t expect to get this much help, I’m super thankful! I’ll definitely be checking out some stuff when I get time on the weekend.

12 hours ago, meteorite said:

The book @mukyuu is referring to is "Dollfie Dream Sewing Book: Girly Style Spring & Summer" by Taeko Sekiguchi. (That is such a long title...) It's a beginner friendly book and includes fabric suggestions as well as fully photographed, detailed instructions for each pattern.

Do you know if this book has an English translation or has English in it? It looks like a good book but I can’t read Japanese yet (though I’m trying to learn haha). Or is the book usable even with just the pictures/patterns?

6 minutes ago, Azurluna said:

Do you know if this book has an English translation or has English in it? It looks like a good book but I can’t read Japanese yet (though I’m trying to learn haha). Or is the book usable even with just the pictures/patterns?

It's only in Japanese, but it's easy to understand just from the pictures. I made a set of underwear for my SmD that way. 

If you get stuck you could try taking a photo & translating the page using Google's text in image translator.

Or if you prefer fully English language patterns, there are tons on Etsy. Radoll's pattern set for beginners comes with fully photographed instructions in English. Modavation also offers beginner friendly patterns. I've linked a few things from them below.

Summery country dress

Lingerie

Jeans & tshirt

Babydoll dress

Stockings

 

1 hour ago, meteorite said:

It's only in Japanese, but it's easy to understand just from the pictures. I made a set of underwear for my SmD that way. 

If you get stuck you could try taking a photo & translating the page using Google's text in image translator.

Or if you prefer fully English language patterns, there are tons on Etsy. Radoll's pattern set for beginners comes with fully photographed instructions in English. Modavation also offers beginner friendly patterns. I've linked a few things from them below.

Summery country dress

Lingerie

Jeans & tshirt

Babydoll dress

Stockings

 

I’m happy using it if it’s understandable from the pictures, so I’ll check it out. And these other patterns are nice too. Thank you for sharing all this with me!

Here's a database of (mostly free) patterns for Smart Doll. A few of them should also work on DD:

https://smartdollguru.com/myladydisdain/cd6f25891a144cf9828a37f3bfbda84e?v=d54267c1ad804577a09cd197491526a5

17 hours ago, meteorite said:

snip

I should add that the maid book is also called "Doll Sewing BOOK First Maid Clothes - Dollfie Dream-" and it also has patterns for accessories like headbands, aprons, petticoats, cuffs/collars, etc. I think the Girly Style book is more useful because it also has socks and underwear patterns though. I think the easiest piece to start with is a skirt, it's quite simple and there is a lot of room for customizing. 

Edited March 7, 2024 by mukyuu

4 hours ago, Azurluna said:

Do you know if this book has an English translation or has English in it? It looks like a good book but I can’t read Japanese yet (though I’m trying to learn haha). Or is the book usable even with just the pictures/patterns?

It doesn't but it's not really needed. They both have illustrated instructions and the text is not very complicated so you can use Google Translate if you're confused.

The pattern labels can be confusing but they're color coded and usually say the size (like DD or DDDY) so it shouldn't be too confusing.

Here is a cheatlist for many terms in these books:
https://www.jadepixeldoll.com/dollfie-dream-maid-sewing-patterns-book-translation-notes/

 

Edited March 7, 2024 by mukyuu