Success! I have made an American Girl Doll dress that doesn’t look like a sack. My goal for my CEP 810 NLP, Network Learning Project, was to learn how to sew and then use that knowledge to make a dress my daughters can use for their dolls. The catch with my challenge was to use only online sources. Meaning, I couldn’t ask anyone for in person help.
I started my adventure looking online for videos on how to use my sewing machine. I used the official Singer manual as a jumping point. It gave a good overview of my machine, but I found I needed further instruction on threading the needle and catching the bobbin. I continued using videos to learn because I am a visual learner and it was much easier than reading the directions, especially when I am a novice at sewing and the terminology is new.
With lots of practice and pausing videos, I am now able to sew a straight line and mended my daughter’s jacket.
I felt I was ready to tackle the doll dress but needed to know how to do this. I understand the basics of creating an outfit and knew I needed to use a pattern to make clothing. I started by looking on social media, Reddit and help forums to find patterns and look for advice. I felt better after reading blogs because there were other novices that were successful in making dresses and people who agreed on the outrageous prices of doll clothing. I also found a variety of patterns, some more complex than others. I decided to try the pattern that was “basic.” I saw other patterns that were a bit more “fashionable”, if that’s a thing in doll world, but wanted to stay with the easiest option.
I started creating the dress by cutting out the fabric using the pattern, and then pinning the fabric to make a seam. The seam required me to make a curve while sewing. It was more difficult than the straight line, and is something I still need an extreme amount of practice on. After all the seams were completed, I sewed the front of the top of the dress to the back. I then cut out the fabric for the bottom of the dress. I followed the pattern directions and pieced together the dress. I was proud that I sewed a dress but when I put it on the doll, YIKES, it was a monstrosity. My daughter didn’t seem to mind but I knew that I would like to try again. I went back to the blogs and looked for additional details, that I may have missed the first time. The second attempt on making a dress was more successful. The dress was a bit more fitted, but my daughters who are 2 and 5 were unable to put the dress on their doll on their own. I decided I would try one more time and use a stretchy fabric. The fabric brought new challenges when sewing on it but I was able to make something that resembled an actual dress that you could purchase. As I went through the process three times, I made adjustments to the original pattern and added my own ideas. For example, on the third dress, I made it a V-neck, added a band around the waist and pleated the skirt. I made the third dress my own by making these changes.
The process of learning to sew was difficult. I really wanted to ask for help when I couldn’t originally figure out how to do something but this project pushed me to learn on my own with the help of online sources. In the future when I try to do another NLP, I’d like to combine online resources and my own PLN, Personal Learning Network. I think using in person help and experts online would be the best option for learning. This is how I teach in my classroom, I combine teaching and using videos others have created. It is beneficial for the students to be exposed to different teaching styles as we all have various ways we learn best.
Sources Cited:
1. Bennett. (2020, April 4). Trying to figure out how to use a brand new sewing machine (Singer Stylist 7258)- bobbin misthread? Reddit. https://www.reddit.com/r/sewhelp/comments/fuynci/trying_to_figure_out_how_to_use_a_brand_new/
2. SINGER Stylist 7258 Owner’s Class. (2017, July 5). YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSyh6SiBEeo&feature=youtu.be
3. Fazzari. (2014, November 20). Catch the Bobbin Thread. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sT6oYdJf9Z4
4. BeSan. (2017, January 18). SINGER STYLIST 7258| How to thread machine needle. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDTu3ZyzxtU
5. u/-ksguy-. (2018, December 10). I couldn’t stomach the price tag on American girl doll dresses so... Reddit. https://www.reddit.com/r/sewing/comments/a4y2kq/i_couldnt_stomach_the_price_tag_on_american_girl/
6. Oh Sew Kat. (2020, September 22). Sewing for Melody? Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/ohsewkat/posts/4026078820797698
7. Lemp. (2020, March 16). Free Basic Dress Patterns for American Girl and 18" Doll. Pinterest. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/9429480459324433/?nic_v2=1a7nO5O3a
8. EleanorSews. (2010, January 1). American Girl Doll Patterns? Patternreview.Com. https://sewing.patternreview.com/SewingDiscussions/topic/46577
9. Iris. (2018, July 4). Free 18" doll clothes PDF patterns. Missouriquiltco. https://forum.missouriquiltco.com/forum/we-don-t-know-much-but-we-know-quilters/look-what-i-found-quilting-links-resources/78495-free-18-doll-clothes-pdf-patterns
