Sewing Victorian Doll Clothes: Authentic Costumes from Museum Collections (Hardcover)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Library patrons looking for books on how to dress Barbie dolls may bypass this title, but the serious doll collector?and indeed anyone interested in re-creating historical costumes?will find a gold mine of information. Hamilton, who combines practical garment-making information and patterns with a social history of the time, spent five years studying antique garments at the Wenham Museum and Yesteryears Historical Collection in preparation for writing this book. All costumes are shown in color photographs and are modeled on dolls from the period. Highly recommended for doll, costume, and textile collections.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Description

Enjoy fabulous full-color photographs of Victorian dolls dressed in authentic period splendor. Then discover how these miniature fashions were constructed as Michelle Hamilton takes readers step by step through the sewing of selected outfits from museum collections.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Lark Books (NC); illustrated edition edition (September 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 188737406X
• ISBN-13: 978-1887374064
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 8.7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #525,653 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The BEST book on sewing doll clothes on the market!, July 26, 1999

By	[e-mail] (New York City) - See all my reviews

The book is a must-have for anyone wanting to sew reproduction clothing for dolls.  This book includes wonderful color plates of the antique dolls chosen for the study.   You can clearly see every detail of the wardrobe.   There are many underwear items included : corsets, hoops, bustles, etc.   There is a large detailed explaination of each dress, listed by the color plate.   Then, there is a large section which not only tells you how to sew a duplicate of the original, but which includes much useful information about the period of time the dress represents.  Finally, there is a wonderful bibliography and an excellent section on how to hand sew the items, carefully detailing descriptions of each stitch used.

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful book of Victorian doll clothes to sew or admire., September 5, 1998

By	[e-mail] (Virginia) - See all my reviews

Ms. Hamilton's Victorian Doll Clothes is a wonderful historical book of costumes for dolls. There are interesting facts about the people who preserved the garments, and indepth descriptions of the construction of the clothes. There are 16 patterns, starting with a simple but beautiful early Victorian dress and continuing to the more complex. These are not for the faint of heart or an amature. If you have some experience, it is well worth the effort. If you don't, The instructions are thorough enough to give it a go.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is the pattern book I have needed for years!, August 22, 2000

By A Customer

I have now tried most of the patterns in this wonderful book, and even with my limited sewing skills, I have been very pleased with my results. I have particularly enjoyed the tips for constructing clothes without patterns. The simple smock dress idea works well for my Ginnys, as well as for my composition baby dolls and small antique bisque dolls. I'm looking forward to learning to make hats and purses. I have a stack of old leather gloves just waiting to be made into the darling shoes pictured in the last chapter of the book.