Fabrics for Doll Clothes

I live in Houston TX and most of my fabrics are from Houston. I live close to three very large fabric stores and it’s great fun shopping. I still buy fabrics in Holland when I’m there but these days most of my fabrics are from here. When I buy fabrics I usually buy 1/2 yard because for doll clothes that is usually enough. If I need more I’ll mix and match. However, I may not buy large pieces but I do buy almost everything that is from a series. I love when things go well together and when fabrics complement each other that is easier to accomplish.

Fabric Quality

For fabric for doll clothes the same rules apply as for regular clothes: better quality fabrics will result in better doll clothes. The one thing that I do watch out for is that I do not use fabrics that are heavy and stiff. Fabrics like that are not easy to work with and will not look natural on the doll. She will look like her clothes are made from cardboard, not a nice sight.

Fabric Color

There is one thing that is crucial when making doll clothes and that is the fabric color. Most dolls are vinyl and vinyl stains very easily. Colors seeps all the way into the material and it’s difficult to get these stains out, there is a solution (see below) but it’s better to avoid stains altogether. A fabric that bleeds will almost certainly stain a doll. When in doubt or when fabrics are dark you will need to wash them before sewing.

The velour fabric above was deep dark burgundy a few hours ago. It was so dark that the stitching was almost invisible because it was exactly the same color as the fabric. I really wanted to make a doll coat but was a little suspicious of this deep color so I decided to see what would happen in the wash… a completely red washing machine was the result. When that happens I keep adding bleach to the water until there is no color left in the water. It never gets really clear but it will turn a bit opaque.

If this ruins the fabric, that is upsetting but it’s far better to ruin a few yards of fabric than to ruin an expensive doll. In this case I got a great deal because the fabric color improved with the bleach treatment and the stitching shows up beautifully all of a sudden.

Remove stains from Vinyl Dolls

Should you have a vinyl doll with stains there is perhaps a solution. You will most likely be able to remove them with Clearasil, the kind in a small tube. But please watch out because Clearasil removes color from everything it touches so be careful not to touch the face because no color can ever be applied again and also do not touch the fabric parts. I made that mistake once and ruined the fabric body of one of my dolls.

It may take weeks or months, that all depends on how long the stain were there but in most cases all stains will come out. Before you happily rub Clearasil all over your doll, please test it on a small invisible spot to make sure that you are not getting an unexpected chemical reaction.

For me it has always worked a charm. With me it’s ballpoint pen marks that happen when I’m designing the patterns with the doll on the table. A bad habit that is hard to break.