Making tiny costumes

The boss's favourite job is drafting patterns and cutting out garments. She can't wait to see how two dimensional ideas translate to three dimensions. There are challenges with doing this for our little clients though. Here's what we've learned creating the first polonaise a la thrift.

Drafting a basic bodice presents a math challenge when waists measure only 9 cm and the bust is 11 cm. So the pattern maker/cutter opted to drape a simple 18th century bodice style instead, using muslin. It's easy to see the grain or draw style lines and alterations on muslin. No muslin in your scrap bin? Paper towel will do the trick. Drape the garment on the doll the same way you would on a dress form or a seriously patient person.

When draping, or drafting for that matter, it's important to consider what is underneath the garment. It is useful to have those items on the doll when you are draping. Way better than an educated guess, trust us. In this case, Charlotte will be wearing an under petti, petti/skirt, polonaise drape and a false rump. So her waist grows by at least 1 cm. The cutter opted to leave out the obligatory shift, reducing bulk again.

Once she had a pleasing drape, the cutter traced the panels on to heavy craft paper and cut them out. There are no seam allowances included on these patterns. But the straight of grain, match marks, and other info are added, just like full sized pattern indicators. You get to decide on how much seam allowance to use and then stitch exactly on those seam lines. With a client this small, it doesn't take much to change the size.  The pattern pieces were easy to lose and it took three harried searches before someone put them in a plastic baggie and labelled it!

Here is what the pattern looks like along with the cut and traced fashion fabric with seam allowance.

The CB seam usually found in 18th century clothing to help accommodate the shape of the skirts and bum rolls was left out. Less seams means less bulk. 

Now the pattern and toile are sorted out, The stitchers can move on to putting the bodice together and completing the skirt and polonaise.