Hi everyone! This is Lomi, and today we're going to make a pattern for leggings for your doll.
This method is great for beginners and will fit most standard dolls.
Unfortunately, if your doll has an artist body with a big size difference between the
waist and hips, it probably won't work for you. But for dolls with mature body types, like Iplehouse dolls,
it should be fine. You'll need your doll, a measuring tape, pencil, scissors, ruler, and paper.
For fabric, you'll need something stretchy. For this tutorial, I'm using a cotton jersey knit from old
baby clothes. We'll begin by taking a few measurements.
One around the waist where you want the top of the leggings to be.
One around the widest part of the hips, across your doll's bottom.
One around the top of the thigh.
And one around the ankle.
Then we need the measurements for length. From the waist to the bottom of the crotch,
and then from the waist to the ankle, or wherever you want your leggings to end.
So let's grab our measuring tape and get started.
If your measurements are off by a little, it won't matter, since the fabric is stretchy.
Using a narrow measuring tape is easier on small dolls.
One like this is available in most craft stores.
Make sure you label all your measurements so you remember what they are.
When you measure the ankle, if your fabric isn't very stretchy, you might want to take
the measurement around the heel of the foot instead of the narrow part of the ankle.
This will ensure the pants will fit over your doll's foot, and if it's too loose, you can always take it in later.
You can take your measurements in centimeters or inches, whatever you're more comfortable
working with. Since this doll is so small, I'll use centimeters.
Once we have all those measurements, we'll start by drawing a line that's the length
of the measurement from waist to ankle.
Then we'll add a mark at the top of this line, showing the measurement from the waist to the crotch.
Now we'll figure out the width of our pattern pieces by dividing the circumference measurements
we took. I usually round these up a little to make room for mistakes in cutting or sewing fabric.
The waist and hip measurements should be divided by four. Rounding my Littlefee's measurements
gives me 3 centimeters for the waist and 3.5 for for the hip.
The thigh and ankle measurements only need to be divided in half.
This gives me 3.3 for the ankle... and 3.8 for the thigh.
Now we'll add these measurements as horizontal lines on our pattern, starting by putting the waist
measurement at the top. At the mark we created for the crotch depth, we put the measurement for both the hip
and the thigh.
I'll pause here a moment, because with my Littlefee's measurements, the thigh measurement
is bigger than the hip measurement. This is common on dolls, but on curvier dolls, like my YID Aria,
the hip measurement is usually bigger.
When drawing your pattern, mark the thigh measurement first.
Then from the end of the thigh measurement, measure back the other direction to find where
your pattern would need to curve out to accomodate shapely hips.
If your doll is like mine, and the thigh measurement is bigger, the outside edge of your pattern
will stay straight.
Once your hip and thigh measurements are marked, add the ankle line, and then draw a straight
line from the end of the ankle line to the end of the crotch line.
Now all that's left is drawing a long, J-shaped curve from the end of the waist line down
to the crotch line.
If you have one, you can use a French curve ruler, but I usually just freehand it.
At this point, I add one quarter of an inch around my pattern to create a seam allowance.
Since the outer leg remained straight, I'm actually going to fold my paper in half to
make a two-piece pattern instead of a four-piece pattern.
If your doll requires a curvier pattern, just add a seam allowance around the whole thing.
Now my pattern's ready to fold and cut out.
A pattern like this, where the front and back are just one piece, is great for little dolls
because it doesn't have as many bulky seams.
Once it's cut out, we're ready to cut fabric.
If you've watched my tutorial for SID pants, you probably already know how to put basic
pants together, but if not, I'll show you how now.
If your pattern has a curved outer hip, start by sewing one back to one front so you have
a single side piece like what I get from my two-piece pattern.
Pin the front crotch seam together and then sew it shut.
Finish the seam with a zig-zag or overlock stitch.
You can trim your threads as you go, or all at once if you prefer to wait.
Finish the waist and the bottom of the pant legs with a zig-zag stitch.
Fold the bottom cuff of the pant legs up about one quarter of an inch and sew them down.
Stretch the fabric slightly as you sew, since this will let your straight stitch stretch
enough to get the leggings on and off your doll.
If it looks a little misshapen, don't worry.
Washing and drying it will return the garment to its original shape.
Once both pant legs are hemmed, fold over the edge of the waist and stitch it down the same way.
Put the back curve together and sew it shut, backstitching at the waistband to make it stronger.
Finish the edge with a zig-zag or overlock stitch.
Fold the pants open and line up the inside edge of the pant legs.
I like to use pins at the ankle and at the crotch to make sure the leggings stay lined up well.
This is especially important for sewing striped fabric.
Once pinned, start by sewing and backstitching the cuff at the bottom of one leg, sewing
all the way up the inside, and down the inside of the other leg, backstitching again at the cuff.
If you're sewing for a very little doll, it's a good idea to trim the seam allowance on
the inside of the leg to remove some of the bulk, so your leggings will lay better.
I cut about one eighth of an inch from the seam allowance, and then finish the leg seam
with a zig-zag stitch.
Now the leggings are done! Turn them right side out, then we'll try them on.
It looks like these leggings for Lulu are a pretty good fit, though since she has magnetic
feet, I'll probably make the ankle a closer fit.
Just in case anyone would like to have it, I've added a printable copy of this pattern
to my website's pattern archive, and you can find a link to it in the description below.
That's all for today! I hope it helps you dress your doll.
Thanks for watching, and see you next time!