Customer Reviews

All Dolled Up: Sewing Clothes and Accessories for Girls and Their 18-Inch Dolls

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Most certainly this is the *only* negative review I have ever given on amazon but its worth it so others do not encounter the same problem as I did.
To begin with this is a pricey book for 18" dolls and matching patterns, I have other books written by the same author and they are quite wonderful ( I also knit and ravelry offers many free knit and crochet patterns if you are intersted also!)
Patterns for girls are ONLY sze 4, 6 and 8,so dont expect much in szing here
Additionall, ( wondering who's idea this was??) THE COVER dress is NOT included in the book, they " suggest" you purchase a similar pattern,,,,,OK that is ONe pattern not included ( cover pattern mind you) but no capri's for the matching capri girl /doll pattern ( again, its suggested to purchase something similar!) and of course,,,no leggings for the girls which is shown thru out the book,,,,so what, I ask you did I pay for??
We are sewing these patterns so we dont have to pay a whole lot of money for matching outfits but begin to add it all up and you have to wonder if its worth it anymore!
That made me make my final decision to order OTTOBRE magazine for childrens clothing and to order a different book that I will mention later in this review and now I am satisfied that I will be getting some cute childrens clothing and get away from the BOring" big 4" very overpriced patterns that we have offered in our pattern shops.

I have a 9yr old grandaugther who wanted a few matching outfits for her upcoming birthday so we could have lunch at one of the American Girl Doll resturants ( Chicago in my case) get her doll's ears pierced and have her hair done~ This was supposed to be a special Nana/grandaughter day for both of us. LO and behold,,,,,these outfits only go to a size 8! ( yes I did * read* the info) but that is not the problem! I can fudge clothing to make it fit her for a bit and there are 4 other gd's that will get plenty of use when the time comes for them,* however* I give each grandaughter their choice of American Girl doll on their 7th birthday because that is when I believe they can take care of them and really not before
( they have Bitty baby before that)
So what IS my problem if I know that these patterns end at size 8??
Well it kind of goes like this,,,,,,are we living in such fast times that we all give in to the fact that past size 8 our girls get into mini teen/ adult clothing?
Ever shop for a size 10 girls outfit and see nothing but bling and low cut articles of clothing that any grandmother (or many mothers!) would dread putting their size 10 girls in it??
I would!!!!! Just go shopping and see for yourself.
Since I do sew I am making a lot of the girls *good* clothing not keeping them in little girl clothing * but* trying to keep them in age appropriate clothing
I knit some of their shrugs etc and so far they have been happy to wear them
I am just sorry that any book w/ Nancy Zieman's name backing it would be buying into this !
( maybe she has no girls that have to deal with this problem?)
Just want to let you all know I did end up purchasing a book called SEWING CLOTHES KIDS LOVE" that goes into the upper sizes, has a very different approach to US clothing sytles and is put out by the upscale Tantrum studio/Farbenmix and has the best ideas I have seen after spending days looking at patterns , just check out the reviews on it, (its a gem).
THEN go to one of the basic American Girl doll books and use the same fabric and makesomething as close as you can.
This book however cute it is,is NOT worth the price for the amount of patterns you get ( w/o adding on the missing patterns like THE COVER DRESS??)
go ahead and look at some nice trendy ( but not so grown up!) girls clothing and match on your own.
I had to get this off my chest because I am SO upset at what I have seen but wanted to share with all those that are as frustrated as me and get a great book* THEN* match your dolls clothing!
( besides the new clothing book I purchased was WELL worth the money!)
Enjoy your sewing!!!!!!!!

This collection of clothing designs for 18 inch dolls and their owners is charming and sweet. The part that impresses me most is the simplicity of construction. Joan Hinds has streamlined a lot of techniques for this collection.
The collection includes dresses, skirts, aprons and accessories as well as tips for scaling designs to suit dolls and girls both. Even the most complicated outfits wouldn't take more than a couple days to make and many of them could be done in an evening.
Skirts include a darling pleated skirt sewn on a pair of old jeans with a matching vest and a tiered gathered skirt.The dresses are wonderful. There is a simple jumper set that's just too cute made with the right fabrics.
The techniques include a method for making straps that doesn't use interfacing and an alternative to basting to gather fabric that is very clever and quick.
The included video shows the sewing techniques that you'll be using to sew the outfits. Nancy Zieman hosts the video with Joan Hinds.
Many of the techniques and patterns are things that can be very easily sized up so that Mom and daughter can having matching aprons or dresses and match the doll as well.
It also makes a wonderful introduction to sewing for children who are just getting interested in learning how to use a sewing a machine. The adult can sew the child's dress, and help the child with sewing a matching outfit for their doll.
A lot of the clothes remind me of the things my mom used to make for me when I was 7 or 8. Classic designs that have stood the test of time, so if you do invest in the book,it's not unthinkable that you would make some of the same styles of clothes for your granddaughter that you might make for your daughter.

So disappointed! My aunt bought this book for me as I was excited for it to be released so I could make outfits for my daughter and her doll Ruthie. I picked out fabric for the dress on the cover. Turns out only the pattern pieces for the doll are included and the instructions for the girl dress are to find your own pattern for something that look similar. I thought this was a pattern book! And I do expect the dresses of the cover photo to be in the book!

My big idea for my two girls (5 and 2) this year for Christmas was to buy a doll, make matching clothes for the girls and the dolls. Had to order this book! I love it because for me (new to the sewing machine and pattern reading) the added dvd of how to make most of the things in the book is so easy to understand. The only let down I had was for the pattern of the party dress on the front cover, there is no pattern for the girl only the doll. It instructs you to buy a certain pattern. Other than that I have no complaints. I have started making the tote bags that carry the dolls. It's so fun to pick colors and match things I know each girl will love. It takes time and effort to figure it all out but I'm certain on Christmas morning it will be worth it all! :) Thank you Mrs. Joanna for taking something that seemed so difficult and breaking it down for us beginners.

This book is great for those of us who have daughters/grandaughters who are caught up in the 18 inch doll craze {American Girl Dolls). The instructional video is great too. All you need is a little sewing experience (not much) and you can produce adorable doll outfits and matching pieces for their owners. The handy carrying bag - to hold the doll, her clothes & accessories - is the first piece we made and was a great hit. My grandaughter and I highly recommend this book.

The selling point for this book is the promise of matching projects to make for a girl and her 18" doll. But after reading through the patterns, there are really only about 3 or 4 which are interesting and attractive enough to make.

With the dresses, the majority of the projects use a simple gathered tunic/skirt construction, so they basically all look alike. In fact, all of the dresses (except the cover dress) require a t-shirt for the girl and doll, which adds to the repetitive feeling. The cutest dress is the one on the cover, and (as others have mentioned) this dress' pattern is not included in the book.

The casual outfits are more interesting, but again, the most interesting project (pajamas) does not have a girl pattern included in the book.

The book is geared toward new sewists, and the intro section is a fun read for beginners. The author has a few tips and tricks to make sewing faster, but really those are tips that can be found in many places. There is little attention to finishing details, so for sewists who are slightly beyond the beginner level it can be a little frustrating.

The included DVD is very short, and plays more like a commercial for the book. They do go into the construction of a few projects, but very superficially, maybe showing the cut pieces, referencing some specific feature (repurposed jeans, the order of sewing seams, ways to embellish, etc.) and then show the final piece. Since the book is so geared to beginners, I would have imagined that they would have shown much more step-by-step detail on an outfit or two. There are better YouTube tutorials out there.

All in all, the book is fun to leaf through and I was inspired by a couple of the projects. It is not nearly as complete or satisfying as I was hoping, though.

Ordered this book and was surprised to find that the sizes only go up to a girls 8. I could probably fudge a little and make my daughter (size 10) the 8. I will make sure to go back in the description and notate sizes when I look!!!

My almost 9 y.o. is learning to sew and wanted to make some clothes for her AG doll. There are a number of easy-to-sew outfits in this book. Unfortunately, any matching outfits will have to be for her younger sister rather than herself since she's beyond a size 8. I'm not sure who decided to include 4-6-8 rather than 6-8-10 since AG dolls are more for 'tweens than preschoolers. At $100 each, we have to keep the AG doll away from little sister!

I sew just a few times a year. Most of my projects are home decoration projects. I've been intimidated by making clothes and have only done a few things for my daughter. After looking through this book and watching its DVD, I got so excited to get going and sewing these clothes. This was because the projects are so cute and easy to do. The author has combined her creative ideas with great tips and techniques. The easiest way to get the project completed is provided, with clear instruction. My daughter loves the projects in the book and can't wait until the first project is done (she choose the nightgown set for the first). This book will provide years of great projects for us.

I've already sewn two things from this pattern book. They were a big hit with my daughter, and they were so quick to assemble. The author gives many great tips that will help for all of my sewing projects. The little tiered skirts are just darling! Yes, the patterns are printed both sides of the paper so you can't cut them out directly. But we have an all-in-one printer/copier, so it wasn't a problem for us.