Sunday, December 1, 2013

Barbie clothes from $1 socks, five garments from one pair-tutorial

I'm sure we've all seen Barbie Clothes Made From Socks before, but as soon as I saw these cute Santa socks at Dollar Tree I had to whip some up! A pair of size 6-10 socks will give you two dresses (oh yea, I'm good with math like that:@) But the challenge was to use up the leftover fabric too...
I ended up with two dresses, a skirt, a tube top and my personal favorite-a pair of adorable cropped pants!

Any hems are hand sewn 1/4". You don't need to hem everything, only if you're concerned about the fabric rolling up.
Simplest Short Dress:
  1. Cut sock straight across above the heel.
  2. Cut a small hole (maybe 1/4") just under the band at the top so one arm can slip through. Try to make the hole so the design (Santa in this case) is in a good position in front of the dress. 
  3. Hem the bottom. 
  4. Adding a belt helps give it some definition and fit better. I used a thin hairband, ribbon would be cute too. 
Fancy Gown Version:
  1. Cut sock straight across above the heel.
  2. Sew fancy trim to bottom of sock: lace, fringe, a ruffle, anything dangley and long that brings it close to floor length. I hand sewed the fringe on.
  3. Gather the top front of the band in two pleats and sew it securely. Add something sparkly and blingy there. 
  4. Any other embellishments are up to you, sew or glue on sequins, beads or add some glitter if you'd like.
Skirt From Leftover Foot:
  1. Cut off the heel and toe creating a straight tube. 
  2. Fold waist over and sew elastic (I used a thin hairband) into waistband. 
  3. Add a hem to the bottom of the skirt.
Tube Top From Leftover Heel: 
  1. Take the leftover heel (from the skirt) and gently stretch it to the sides. This will roll the top and bottom. 
  2. Cut the back open, fit it around the doll, cut off excess material.
  3. Sew on velcro or snaps for closure.
Cropped Pants From Leftover Foot:
  1. Cut off the heel and toe creating a straight tube keeping it as long as you can. 
  2. Gently turn fabric inside out. Using the fold on the top of the foot as a guide, make that the center front of your pants and sew up the inside of each leg to crotch-make the crotch seam a little bit square (I used two stitches across). Be sure to leave yourself a good 1 1/2" from the crotch to the waist. The idea for the inseam is to leave enough room to cut between the two legs. 
  3. Sew side seam from top of waist (about 1/2" in from sides) to outside of pant leg about even with the crotch. You want it snug but with enough stretch to fit over her hips. Trim the excess fabric. 
  4. Turn inside out.
  5. I made the waist high enough that it will be hidden by whatever (normal length) top the doll is wearing and I think the inseam stitches will help the bottom of the pants not roll up much. That was how I left my pants. You however, could fold and hem the waist and leg holes, or cut the center back open, fold all loose edges, sew in velcro and create a waistband... Or do any number of things to give the pants a more "finished" look-have fun! 
So there you have it folks, five totally different looks from one pair of $1 socks.

And I think the Crochet Santa Hat HERE would be really cute with the pants or skirt!

Have a happy day:@)

I'm Joining:
Christmas Wonderful Link Party

12 comments:

  1. Now this would make a little girl very happy! This is the ultimate in creative projects Lynn!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh my gosh! You are so talented! I've always admired seamstresses, but especially those who can sew tiny doll clothes! Are you also selling these, or just sharing your patterns, etc? I would buy some for my granddaughters!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sewing doll clothes takes a lot of skill Lynn. Fabulous job.
    Sam

    ReplyDelete
  4. Oh my goodness, who would have thought? These are just adorable, and for a dollar? You're a genius when it comes to this stuff!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Now, this is just too cute and a great idea to boot. No pun intended, Lynn! ;-)

    XO,

    Sheila

    ReplyDelete
  6. That is just TOO clever Lynn, love the capri pants! Target has Christmas socks in the $1 bin if Barbie needs to expand her holiday wardrobe :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. You never cease to amaze me, Lynn, at your creativity with Barbie. I hope she appreciates your thriftiness, too, with the five outfits from one dollar!! xo

    ReplyDelete
  8. This is way too clever. Much easier than sewing tiny little pieces.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Even a non sewer like myself can make these, Lynn! Very cute ideas!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I just found your site and am loving the easy Barbie clothes; will get some socks next time I'm shopping! Boyfriend's 3 grands, daughter's almost step love American girl size dolls but also do Barbies...as I am not a good seamtress, making clothes an easier way is my favorite. My grand now thinks she is too oold for dolls (12)..just when I was getting better at it! Also love Minion head; what a hoot!

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for stopping by-enjoy your day!