Review: HOW TO MAKE DOLL CLOTHES

How to Make Doll Clothes: A Book for Daughters, Mothers and Grandmothers, by Emily R. Dow. Coward, McCann & Geoghegan Inc., New York, 1953. 96 pages.

My husband went to the library yesterday, and I tagged along. Didn't intend to get any books, but I decided to see what they had on doll houses. I ended up getting four books -- two on doll houses, one paperback mystery ("Murder in Miniature") and this book on making doll clothes.

What a great find! In simple language and with illustrations, the author shows how to create pretty doll clothing using a doll as the pattern guide. She also included basic sewing terms and gives instructions for basic and decorative stitches. She even shows how to sew on buttons, snaps and hooks-and-eyes.

Dow's illustrations are good enough to serve as patterns, and the introduction on the flap of the cover says that they could even be enlarged enough to make "mother-daughter" outfits for a child and her doll.

I plan to take the book to a copy center to make enlargements of the patterns to try for Hitty. They are simple enough to work for me, since I hand-sew the clothing. I also searched for a copy of the book to buy. The least expensive was on Alibris.com at about $11+postage. I did find one person on Etsy who sells PDF versions for $9, which I'm considering getting.

My recommendation? If you have wanted to sew for Hitty but were afraid to start, this book will provide a good jumping-off point. Accomplished seamstresses will enjoy it, too, for its nostalgia and its promotion of sewing skills. All in all, this one will be worth adding to my personal library!