I hope you all had a nice weekend…I had to do some catch up work, but mine was productive too…
I had written down some things made in the comments a few days ago and thought I would address them today. A few people asked about the Ultra Thin Velcro I used on Navi’s shoes.
I can’t remember where I bought mine, but I did find this package of it at Joann’s.
It is the same as mine but just in 4 strips. It is sticky backed, just as mine is and is very thin. I took pictures of the regular Velcro width as compared to the Ultra Thin.
If you are looking for a low profile Velcro, this stuff is great. It’s probably hard to tell from my pictures just how thin it is, so let me just say both pieces stuck together is thinner than a stick of gum…maybe it’s as thin as 4 or 5 pieces of card stock.
It DOES have an adhesive backing, and it WILL gum up your sewing machine needle, but it’s easy to wipe it off..
Even though it is adhesive backed, I still glued the tiny pieces on Navi’s shoes.
Joy commented about the elastic on the tiny sleeves in Navi’s dress…
She wondered how I got a safety pin run through that tiny casing…well…I don’t make a casing and run the elastic through…I do it all in one step…here’s how…
I cut out a sample sleeve to show you how I did it. I also used black thread so you could see where and how I stitched it.
Here is the sleeve with the bottom edge serged…
Then I pressed up about 1/4″ or slightly less to the wrong side…
Your elastic is going to go right in here… and rest against the fold created by the pressing…Don’t cut your length yet… just lay it in there and have the end sticking out…
Take it to your machine and pull the elastic down to the fold and stitch back and forth on the end about 1/8″ or so from the end…
…then still with your needle in the fabric pivot the sleeve so the stitching will be just along the edge of the elastic, but not catching it….if you tug on the long end of the elastic it will naturally go in the crease…
Stitch the length of your sleeve using your fingernail to keep the elastic pushed over to the fold…
It will look like this… the one end with the tack holding the elastic in place and the place where you pivot it and then the stitching line to the end…
Run your stitching off the other end and knot your stitching…
I held mine up to the light so you see where the elastic is laying… next to the fold and not caught in my stitching…
Here it is from the front side…with the elastic tail hanging out…
All you have to do now is pull up the elastic and instantly you have your gathered sleeve… all in one easy step…
Since the one end is already tacked down, you can easily take it to your dolls arm and get a perfect fit… place it around her arm and stretch the elastic until you find where the best fit is… place a pin in that spot and take it back to your sewing machine and tack it on that end of your sleeve… DON’T make it too tight… allow for the seam allowance and the extra fabric in that tiny area…
Well, I hope that was a nice tip to start your sewing week off with!
See you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne
I see Navi’s outfit has a bid already–yay!!
Thanks for the good close-ups of the ultra-thin Velcro. Since I’m not a huge Velcro fan, and don’t anticipate needing to use anything like this, I probably won’t get any to add to my “collection!” But, it’s always good to know these things, because someone else may need this very bit of information. You never know.
I love how you do the elastic on those tiny sleeves–thanks for the tutorial and the great pictures. I’m going to have to try that method, too.
I’ve done doll sleeves where the elastic is a little above the hem (so you end up with a little ruffle) and for those, I stitch the 1/8″ elastic to one end with a straight stitch, then switch to a WIDE zigzag and stitch OVER the narrow elastic (which you stretch so it gets narrower while you stitch). Near the end, I put the needle down and lift the presser foot, and gently pull the elastic so the mark I made (I ***NEVER*** cut the elastic first), then presser foot back down, lift the needle and switch to a straight stitch, tacking the elastic in place as you did at the beginning of the row. Then I cut the elastic. If something made this way ends up (years later) with the elastic shot, it should be fairly easy to remove the old stuff and attach new.
I have done elastic using the zig zag also. You are so right to never cut the elastic first. I made that mistake the first time I did it because the pattern told me to. I learned pretty quickly to just mark the elastic and not pull and stitch it down until the end.
Hi Charlotte,
Yes, Navi’s bid means I had to take her dress off this afternoon… she didn’t understand… :o(
I’m glad you enjoyed today’s tutorial… it’s always fun to see how ladies do things differently..
I’ve done sleeves with that little edge left for a ruffle too… and like that way very much!
Thanks for your comments Charlotte,
Blessings, Jeanne
This might be the best tutorial so far. I’ve wondered how you got the elastic in such small sleeves for a long time. Great with the pictures. Thanks.
HI Susette,
YAY… I’m glad you liked the tutorial… because I sew so much, sometimes I think “Oh everyone knows THAT…” and sometimes they don’t!
Thanks Susette,
Blessings, Jeanne
Good timing Jeanne. I’m about to make some sleeves with elastic as above. Being able to fit the gathering to the doll is also a bonus. Thank you so much for sharing your technique. You will be saving me from the frustration of trying to get a tiny safety pin pulling the elastic through such a small space. 🙂
I’m trying to make an outfit to celebrate Minnie Mouse’s birthday on Wednesday. We’ll see if I can get it done. 🙂
HI Joy,
Oh, a sweet Minnie Mouse birthday set… I wish I had known… I’d have used one of my tiny Minnie Mouse plush toys… I only have 2 or 3 left… boo hoo…
I’m glad you learned how to do the elastic just in time to use this method… I hope you like doing it this way…
Thanks Joy,
Blessings, Jeanne
That ultra thin velcro is really nice. I’ll bet it’s also perfect for certain doll dress fabric where you don’t want a lot of extra bulk.
Yes, Navi’s sweet dress has a bid. Someone will have an adorably dresses cutie for Christmas.
That is a wonderful way to sew in the elastic, especially when you are working with such tiny sleeves, plus it saves a step of threading it through. I agree that this is a super tutorial and since I’m visual, pictures make it so easy to understand.
Hi Paula, I wanted to tell you I did see your comment yesterday. I’m glad the poem meant a lot to you as well.
I forgot to comment on one more thing you said about the dolls…writing their stories. Actually, I’ve done a background story for my renamed ones. I did the same thing as a child, even adding additional characters to my doll world in terms of brothers and sisters who were not represented in doll form. Probably a quirk of an only child. 🙂
Actually I think it’s just a personality quirk since I had three sisters but loved going off by myself and creating dolly worlds. Mostly mine were paper dolls. My only child friend was usually at my house because she had enough of being by herself.
HI Laura,
It IS really nice to use this thin Velcro in certain places where you don’t want a big bump showing…
It’s always fun for me to imagine who is going to end up with my doll dresses. I can’t wait to see who gets this tiny little set! :o)
I’m glad, you too, enjoyed today’s demo on putting in sleeve elastic…
It’s interesting to see what you ladies do for your dolls… I love it!
Blessings, Jeanne
Jeanne, I am truly amazed at your techniques in sewing. I wish I had the knack of being able to sew but alas, I just don’t have that talent or patience. Still, I’m impressed with your ability and know how to make the beautiful clothes you do make. Seeing your finished doll outfits is the best part!!
Hi Laura, I’m glad you saw my response. Again, the poem was very endearing. I think like you when it comes to pets and animals in general.
Also, I too, from an early age, developed background stories for my dolls. And, I do the same now with my current dolls. Sometimes it’s just a base story of where they live or sometimes a more involved story is shared with another doll I have. Cousins are fun. I stay pretty much in the era if the Civil War, the 50’s, and one or two in modern and those can switch to the other eras. I haven’t gotten to really do much with my dolls this last year but I hope to this coming year. I too, try to be careful with fabrics staining my dolls so often they are not wearing clothes. I should get slips like yours. Good idea!
HI Paula,
Even though you don’t sew, you still encourage me to keep doing posts like this that help others. Thanks!
I’m so sorry about Honey passing… I know she was such a dear to you…
Isn’t it nice to have our dolls to turn to when things get topsy-turvy?
Thanks Paula,
Blessings, Jeanne
great tip on the elastic, thanks Jeanne.
Thanks Joy,
I’m glad you enjoyed seeing this tip for the elastic… :o)
Blessings, Jeanne
I use Velcro a lot, but I have never come across this very thin Velcro. The Velcro Jo Flitton uses on the Heartstring doll clothes is thin but it is not like this. I’ve never been able to find what she uses and I haven’t been able to ask her.
I missed the poem in the previous day’s comments. I wish now I hadn’t read it. It really affected me. My Cocker, Chelsy, had her 11th birthday in September. She is having trouble seeing and hearing. She is a Silver Cocker and they have a lot of eye problems like cataracts. Hers seem to come and go. The vet says that can happen. She sleeps a lot these days and sometimes I have to touch her to wake her up to go out because she doesn’t hear my footsteps like she used to. If I have to touch her more than once, it scares me. But aside from that she has no physical problems and when she does get up she is still frisky. Our previous American Eskimo lived to 13 and Chelsy is getting close to that.
Thanks everyone north of me for pushing some of your cooler weather all the way to us. It’s another lovely day in the neighborhood and a few more yet to come.
HI Barbara,
Well, if you happen to find this Ultra Thin Velcro, you’ll have to pick up some and give it a try… it’s wonderful for those tiny dolls we have and really keeps the bulkiness at bay! :o)
That poem is a real tear jerker, isn’t it? Anyone who has a pet and reads it, has a hard time finishing it…
We had a pretty day here in Southern Illinois, too… I’m enjoying them as long as they’ll keep coming! :o)
Thanks Barbara,
Blessings, Jeanne
Thanks Jeanne. Those are good tips. I did the elastic that way when I made all the masks. I used that method to shorten the time I was spending on each, and of course the ends were left longer than the casing length anyway. I can’t say I’ve ever noticed the ultra thin Velcro, but I will now know to look for it if I ever have a need for Velcro.
Thank you, Carolyn,
I do the elastic cording in my masks like that too… lay it down in the fold and then fold it over the cord… it IS faster…
I’m glad you enjoyed today’s tutorial too… and the next time you are in a fabric store, you’ll have to take a minute and look at the Velcro… :o)
Blessings, Jeanne
Great tip! Thanks for sharing!
You are SO welcome, Terri!
I’m glad you enjoyed today’s post…
Blessings, Jeanne
I’ve used Charlotte’s method as well, with good results. I used elastic thread because the sleeve was so small.
Since my hands are still impaired from the blood problem I have, I find the super thin velcro wonderful, though I still prefer Jeanne’s snaps to anything else I’ve found. If you are sewing for someone with problem hands, both are good solutions.
Jeanne, do you ever sew something for one doll and find it looks better on someone else? I’ve bought things for one AG and discovered it looks entirely different, and better, on someone else. It’s always nice to find the right outfit for the right person in real life too.
Hi Marilyn,
I’m glad you like my snaps the best! That puts a smile on my face!
The very thin Velcro is wonderful for closing the backs of things where you have a second layer, like a jacket and you don’t want to see that “sometimes” 1/4″ bump through the fabric.
I do sometimes start out making something for one doll and realize it would look better on another… but my girls don’t like it when I change things up, so I try and keep the doll I started with.
Thanks so much,
Blessings, Jeanne
It was an early and busy day so just reading your blog. THANK YOU the tutorial on the teeny elastic in the sleeves! That is a clever way to do it and eliminating the threading through makes it so nice. Thank you also for the source for the thin Velcro. It will be just the thing for doll dresses and lots of other things and I have looked for it forever.
Thanks Kathie,
I hope you find some of the Velcro and give it a try… it really is great for so many little projects you might have… it would probably work well “stuck” to the dolls head to keep wigs on… it’s not really “loopy” enough to snag the wigs, I don’t think… but it would keep them in place.
Thanks Kathie,
Blessings, Jeanne