Cute & Easy Ways to Craft Homemade Barbie Clothes

Sanskrit22

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posted on 15 years ago — updated on 1 second ago

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Whether you're a doll collector yourself or have a little one who loves Barbies, one fact remains universal: Barbie clothes can be expensive (and easy to lose!). How are you supposed to keep your Barbies dressed to the nines without breaking the bank in the process? No worries—it's super easy to make some brand-new Barbie outfits, and we've put together a few tutorials that can save you money and a trip to the toy store.

Steps

Using an Old Shirt Sleeve

Find an old shirt sleeve. This will be the fabric of the dress, so choose whatever pattern/fabric you want. Cut the sleeve off of the shirt where it meets the body.

Make the dress form. Starting at the top where the diagonal cut has been made (because of the way the sleeve connected to the body of the shirt), turn the sleeve inside out and fold it on top of the rest of the sleeve so that there is approximately one inch of overlap on one side and 2–3 inches (5.1–7.6 cm) of overlap on the other side (because of the diagonal cut).

Create the elastic band at the top of the dress. Place a piece of elastic about ⁄2 inch (1.3 cm) from the top of the dress. Pull it taut around the circumference of the dress and cut it at the desired length, gluing the two ends of the elastic together with fabric glue. Fold the extra fabric at the top over the elastic band and sew in a straight line below the elastic to create a casing for the elastic band. You can also try shirring the fabric on the top part of the dress for an added fashion statement.

Add the finishing touches. The diagonal cut of the dress (because of the original shape of the shirt sleeve) will create a hip maxi dress look with a diagonal overlay. Add a cute necklace to complete the outfit.

Using an Old Sock

Make pants. These could work for both male and female barbie dolls, depending on the pattern of sock you use. Find an old sock (mid-calf height socks work best) and cut the foot portion off. Discard the foot part and turn the remaining section inside out. Starting at the bottom, cut up the middle until about 1.5 inches (3.8 cm) from the top. Sew up the two seams from the incision you just made. To keep the fabric from fraying or splitting, use the zigzag pattern of sewing called serging. This will make two separate pant legs. Turn the pants back inside out for nice, sewn pants for your barbie doll. There will be a natural elastic waist created by the band at the top of the sock.

Make a shirt or dress. This method works for both articles of clothing (both shirts and dresses); the difference between the two is simply the length of the sock. Choose your sock (use a child's sock instead of an adult sock) and cut it to fit your design. If you're making a dress, simply cut off the sock several inches above where the foot portion begins. If you're making a shirt, cut 3–4 inches (7.6–10 cm) from the top. Make the arm holes by cutting a small V-shaped hole into each side of the sock, just under the elastic band of the sock.

Make a skirt. This activity is perfect for quickly and easily replacing missing barbie clothes in a pinch. This is an incredibly simple method to make a quick skirt for your barbies when needed. Find an old child or toddler's sock and cut it to the desired length. The length will obviously depend on how long or short you want your skirt to be (anywhere from 2-4 inches). The elastic material in the sock will allow the skirt to fit snugly to your Barbie's body with no extra steps necessary.

Using Fabric

Cut the fabric. Choose whether you want to use a single piece of fabric or two pieces for a more diverse look. All together, the fabric (one single piece or both pieces combined) should be between two and four inches for the height, depending on how long you ultimately want the skirt to be, and approximately 7–8 inches (17.8–20.3 cm) long (to go around the barbie). Measure the fabric around the barbie and cut off any excess. Here is an informative tutorial on how to complete these steps.

Sew the fabric pieces together. If you chose to use two pieces of fabric, lay both pieces good side down and sew the pieces together. You can use a sewing machine or just sew a straight line with a needle and thread for this step.

Make the elastic band. Lay the piece of elastic down on the back side of the fabric about ⁄2 inch (1.3 cm) from the top of the skirt. Fold the top of the fabric over the elastic band and sew it in place. This will make the elastic waistband of the skirt. Cut off any excess elastic from the sides.

Sew the skirt's seam. Turn your fabric good side down and fold it in half so that the skirt will appear inside out and you can sew the edge seam (use the serging method here). Then turn the skirt right side out and you will be finished!