As a kid I always wanted to include my favorite toys in the SCA too! At first that meant asking for all of Felicity Merriman's clothes for my American Girl doll and struggling with my teddy bear. As I got older I was lucky to have all the scraps from a garb merchant (my mother) at my disposal to learn to make clothes, mostly by draping to recreate the shapes I saw around me.
I struggled with not always having guidance and not knowing I could ask for cutting guides to modify into miniature. Now that there are so many more resources for sewing toy clothes, and I have more knowledge than when I was younger. I want to help guide kids to engage in the SCA by bringing their toy friends into the fun too!
Tips for garbing in miniature:
- Use cutting guides for adults but divide measurements by about 3 for 18 dolls and most Bears. You can learn these cutting guides by attending classes or by asking others who sew garb. 18 inch dolls and B-a-B tend to be about ⅓ scale, while Barbie is ⅙ scale.
- Find patterns for modern items designed for woven fabric and modify them into more period shapes. There are a lot of free patterns online, and some paid ones are even in period styles.
Four Legged buddies are a bit trickier but still doable. I hope to make another post covering tricks for them.
Free Resources
- PAcountrycrafts: the peasant blouse is the modern version of a chemise
- AGplaythings: contains links to some of the original American Girl doll outfits
- Reed Creations: a good cloak is a must for a doll going outdoors! Some scrap wool is best for rain protection
- Reed Creations : colonial garments may be useful to modify as well
Paid resources
- PixieFaire: a lot of paid patterns to download online. Doll Tag clothing on there has some period type patterns
- lee & pearl October 2015 newsletter: There is a free modification to a paid pattern, and some other fun ideas</p>
Parents: Scaling patterns down can be good math practice or an opportunity to introduce a new skill.
No comments:
Post a Comment