There is something about girls and dolls. Even my non-girly girls have enjoyed some aspect of playing with dolls. For my 12 year old, the past couple of years, this has been making clothes for them. She was beyond excited when we first looked over the website for Rosie’s Doll Clothes Patterns. When we learned we would get to review the Video Course, she was squealing with happiness.
She started a few years ago using found bits, scraps of fabric and safety pins to create various outfits for the dolls. She wasn’t partial to any doll — I think all the dolls in our home from Cabbage Patch to Barbies to the Hearts for Hearts dolls that all of the girls have — have worn her stylings. When she started learning to sew, she would hand sew some of her creations (perhaps because we only have so many safety pins?). She was using the sewing machine for other projects, but wasn’t as comfortable with it.
Rosie’s Doll Clothes Patterns Video Course can be completed by your child (ages 8 and up) or yourself. Much of the course my daughter completed on her own. The course is laid out for 6 weeks of lessons. With access for 12 months, you can go through at your own pace. With over 130 videos all together, a younger child will probably take a bit longer. The videos break each bit into small, easy to understand parts. Seeing how to do the various steps and techniques has been the perfect way for my daughter to learn. The camera angles, the instructor’s enthusiasm and personality combine to make for a great experience for beginners like my daughter and experienced sewers like myself. The specific tips I learned I wish I had figured out years ago. Sewing smaller things is something I have not been as interested in tackling. Once you learn that some of the methods *should* be different than what you would use for larger size apparel, it brings back the interest in creating something for your little one’s little one.
We have been working on a different beginning sewing course previously but hadn’t touched in some months — my daughter was lacking confidence and feeling frustrated with operating the sewing machine. These videos and the projects aimed right at her interests have helped her to overcome that. She skimmed and skipped through some of the basic introductions to sewing tools, etc. The included patterns are created for 18″ dolls that are popular. A page on the website explains how to scale the patterns for different size dolls. The explanations and examples of measurements for different areas have helped my daughter connect to her least favorite subject in a new way — Math. She was working with ratios and percents and figuring how to scale the patterns for the various dolls (have I mentioned we have quite the collection of all shapes and sizes?). When printing patterns for the size intended, you do want to be sure to have the settings correct for your printer/computer. As with other steps of the process, there is a video for that.
Even with our often troublesome internet speeds, we had little problems in watching the videos. They are short, so load/buffer fairly easily. If your internet is even worse than ours, there are DVDs available for the course. For the 12 month access to the course (complete with 8 *bonus* patterns) the cost is in the neighborhood of $47. The exact price will vary because Rosie’s Doll Clothes Patterns is based in Australia. What an age to live in when your daughter can receive sewing instruction in small town Indiana from Australia!
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