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scanned from my private collection
TABLE OF CONTENTS

  • Introduction
  • Acknowledgments
  • Dedication
  • Foreward
  • Glossary
  • Chapter 1:
    Preparing the Doll to Make a Basic Pattern
  • Chapter 2:
    Pants, Pants and More Pants
  • Chapter 3:
    Underthings- Slips, Corsets and Petticoats
  • Chapter 4:
    Making Doll Dresses
  • Chapter 5:
    Outerwear- Coats and Jackets
  • Chapter 6:
    Headwear- Bonnets, Caps and Hats
  • Chapter 7:
    Dressing the Male Doll
  • Chapter 8:
    Trims
  • Chapter 9:
    Footwear- Booties to Boots
  • Chapter 10:
    Baby Doll Clothing and Wrappings
  • Chapter 11:
    Fabrics and Fur
  • Chapter 12:
    Dressing a Doll from a Picture
  • Chapter 13:
    Dressing Clowns and Other Characters
  • Chapter 14:
    Odds and Ends

Title: Custom Dressing Dolls
Author: Helen Hansen
Publication Date: TPB:1984
Publisher: Dale Swant, Mukilteo, WA
Page Count: 96
Book Dimensions(ht. x w.): 11" x 8 1/2"
ISBN: 0-943470-17-X

PATTERN RATING:Star Rating You are required to draw your own patterns from scratch, or use a basic commercial pattern, then use this book to fit and alter them for your doll.

INSTRUCTION RATING:Star Rating Instructions are done as articles and not broken down easily. If you are an experienced sewer, you won't have any problem - but you'll be lost if you try to use this book without any experience as a seamstress.

BONUS MECHANICS RATING:Star Rating This book would be useful to an experienced person looking to expand their ability to custom fit doll clothing.

SUMMARY- Helen Hansen does beautiful work, and it shows in all the photos given as examples in her book. She is well known to "Doll Crafter" readers, as she had a regular column on doll clothes making in that periodical for its early years. I was disappointed that she didn't give basic templates to work from, but she does an expert job of explaining measurements and their importance to a good fit, and how to get them. One of the things I really liked was her providing back shots of many of her doll models, so you could see the back details of the costumes as well as the front. If you're a very accomplished seamstress, you probably won't learn much new from this book - you've already developed your methods of doing things. If you're still trying to develop your own method, this book might be more of a frustration than a help - but it's hard to argue with Ms. Hansen's results.

Anyone with more information about this publication can contact me through My Contact Page.