Okay, now to finish that doll slip we started yesterday…(HERE).
We left off with you gathering up the 2 rows of basting at the top edge. Don’t pull the gathers too tight, but nicely gathered…and fit it around your dolls waist, sliding it so the gathers are all within her waist measurement PLUS about an inch on each end.
Next take your stretch lace and put it around your dolls waist, stretching it just a little bit. Cut it long enough to slide over your dolls hips. If you want, you can stick a pin in it and see if you can get it up and down her hips…
The stretch lace I used was too wide to use for a half skirt so I cut it in half.
Next take your stretch lace and put it RIGHT SIDE UP on your sewing machine, under the presser foot. Take your gathered tulle and using one end of it line up the edge with the edge of the lace. Don’t start stitching right on the VERY end or it will most likely be pulled down in your machine. Start in about 1/4″ or so.
Knot the end where you start with your machine, so it doesn’t come undone…and begin sewing, trying to straighten out your gathers and making sure they are straight out to the side and not folded over one another. Pull the stretch lace just a little bit as you go. I just stitch about 2 inches and stop and readjust…often! Stitch just past your gathering stitches and they won’t show…DON’T knot it at the end… just run off the lace and leave a thread tail about 4 or 5 inches long… this way if you’ve gathered it up too tight, it can slide to the right side without any trouble.
If you do happen to have some gathering stitches show below your stitching line, cut the knots at the end and pull them through. Sometimes they get tangled in the stretch lace, but it’s pretty easy to get them pulled out…You’ll have one on the back side too to pull out.
Lets hope your gathers look even and not in “folds” because it’s a pain to pick out white stitching on white stretch lace…but it CAN be done!
Next fold your lace up, and the underneath side of gathers up too, and topstitch the lace down about 1/4″ from the tulle gathers…
It should look something like this…
Now take it to your doll and put it WRONG SIDE FACING OUT around her waist. Place a pin where it fits snug, but still able to be slid up over her hips. If you want, leave the pin in and see if you can get it up and down.
Because the lace sometimes get “eaten” down the machine, place a small piece of paper on the machine, just underneath the lace waistband and begin your sewing where your pin is. You’ll want to knot this back and forth a few times to keep it from coming unstitched. Stitch all the way down to the bottom of the slip and knot it at the bottom. You can slide a piece of paper under the end too…to keep it from getting sucked down in your machine.
Trim off the excess tulle about 1/2″ or so from top to bottom.
Open that back seam and from the front side, wiggle your way in there with your presser foot and topstitch it across the top and bottom of the lace band. Clip your threads on front and back.
Now it’s time to try it on your doll and admire your work! You can embellish it with felt flowers, ribbons, bows, buttons, whatever you have.
I hope you had fun making your slip!
See you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne
Thank you sooo much for taking the time to write and photograph this for us, Jeanne. You’ve given us a great tutorial! I pinned one of your photos so I can find your tutorial again and others can find it too.
Thanks Cindy,
I hope it helps you make that red slip now! You’ll have to let me know how it goes this time.
Thanks for pinning it…
Gotta finish up that table skirt today so I have to run, but have a nice weekend…
Blessings, Jeanne
Thank you very much, Jeanne for giving everyone the instructions for this. I thank this will get a lot of use especially for the 1950’s doll that AG is hopefully making.
Hi Laura,
I hadn’t thought about that…but certainly slips will be useful if we do indeed get that 50’s doll as we all hope for!
Blessings, Jeanne
Thanks for posting this, Jeanne, it must have taken a lot of time to put together. I especially appreciated the tip “Don’t start stitching right on the VERY end or it will most likely be pulled down in your machine. Start in about 1/4″ or so.” This has happened to me so often that I keep small strips of tissue paper by the machine and put them under what I am sewing and start my stitching on the paper. Your tip would be easier.
Hi Jevne,
Yes, I’ve learned from experience not to start too close to the edge and I use little pieces of paper under those ends as well. Then I just tear the paper off.
I hope the steps were something you found useful and something you’ll try in the future.
Blessings, Jeanne
Thank you, Jeanne for step 2 in your tutorial. This weekend is my “private” time to sew. I am going to give the slip a try for one of my “pooffie” dresses.
I have used tear away stabilizer for a while when I begin those delicate seams. I bought a roll of the light weight at JoAnn’s and cut it into narrow strips. That has worked well for me as my machine was chewing up those 1/4″ seams like crazy. ugh. Even with my dual feed foot this was a problem. I was relieved to see that even a more experienced seamstress had the same issues as I was having. I feel less incompetent.
Sewing is an art and there is so much to learn. Thank you for all your valuable instructions.
Hi Jeanne,
I used to buy tear away but found pieces of paper work just as well and are free! I used the edges of paper from the labels I print off when I ship something out. My strips are about 2 inches wide by about 4 inches long. I just have them stacked by my machine and grab them quite often!
Thanks for your comments and I hope you have success with your sewing time!
Blessings, Jeanne
I am a bit late to the party here, but I do appreciate your expertise on how to sew these darling, delicate slips! Someday, I would like to try one of these and this will certainly help me out!
Okay Linda,
I’ll hold you too it and when and if we get to meet in the future, you’ll have to show me your slip! Gotta be ready for that “50’s” girl, don’t we?
Blessings, Jeanne