Sew the Contemporary Wardrobe for 18-Inch Dolls

Description said , like new, but the patterns we’re missing.

My daughter (who is 10 years old) got her American Girl doll for Christmas this year...and after spending all that money on an 18" doll, I wasn't about to pay $24 per outfit. I have some sewing experience. I can hem up jeans, sew pillows, fix a seam or button if need be...but that's about it. I've never used a pattern before. The hardest part was finding the pattern pieces. There are two large tissue papers tucked away in the back of the book. Each piece appears to have hundreds of little patterns. Once you find the pieces for what you are making, it is a breeze. I will warn you, there are some things that just can't be sewn with a machine. Invest in a thimble and proceed. Half the fun is teaching my daughter how to sew. She loves her doll and wants it to have a wardrobe exactly like hers. I warned her that the deal was if she got the doll, she would have to help make the clothes. She agreed and we've been able to sew many outfits that closely resemble hers. This book, in my opinion, contains the most modern clothing patterns. It also has very easy to follow instructions. I would recommend this book to anyone who has an American Girl doll.

I just love this book. Patterns are easy and the instructions are easy to follow. A lot of fun things to make. My granddaughter is so excited to have fun new things for her new doll.

I love the American Girl Dolls, but the clothes can be expensive--more than $20 per outfit! The outfits in this book look at least as nice as what you can find in the catalog, and with a little imagination I'm sure you could duplicate a lot of their outfits. All of the patterns are included in an envelope in the back, which is nice but I could never figure out how to fold the gigantic sheet so it fits back in there! I'm not a very experienced sewer, yet I was still able to make 3 really cute outfits from these patterns. As a bonus, there are crochet patterns for a hat and purse.

I've borrowed several of Joan Hind's books from the library to use in teaching my eleven-year-old daughter to sew. The patterns are numbered and simple to read, and the directions clear and easy to follow. This book was my daughter's favorite because the clothing styles are "what girls wear." I liked that it was an easy text from which to teach. There's a section on "Helping Children Learn to Sew," and at the beginning of each project is a little blurb stating whether this is a good one for the beginner sewer. My daughter could go through the book and decide for herself which designs she wanted to try. She started with the Triangle Scarf and moved on to the A-Line skirt. I needed to help her a bit with the waistband on that one. The Pink Top was also simple, and we substituted ribbon for the shoulder straps to make the project even easier. Sewing for the 18" doll is enjoyable because the projects are small enough to complete in a few hours, but large enough to work with comfortably, unlike sewing for smaller dolls. The teacher may need a bit of experience herself, but I'd recommend any of Joan Hinds' books for igniting in the older child an interest in sewing.